Posts Tagged: Films

12
Feb 11

The 10 Best Western Films

I was having a conversation last week with a friend about good western films. When I threw out my favorites, he hadn’t heard of them. That’s not surprising, since the heyday of the western genre was before we were born. I’m guessing a lot of people my age aren’t that into watching older movies, which is a shame when you consider the recycled and ‘reinvented’ crap that Hollywood has been putting out for the past ten years. So here’s a primer on which movies you should check out if you’re relatively young and into Westerns. They’re not all old, but they’re all really good.

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7
Aug 10

The Intellectual Laziness Of Modern Cinema

I could go on and on about how there are 75 movie remakes and reboots currently in the works, but countless barrels of virtual ink have already been spilled on that topic. And I don’t want to talk about the annoying ubiquity of young hero sagas that employ the same mythological structure. You know the story; a lonely youngster doesn’t fit in, he’s told by a wise mentor that he’s destined for greater things, he discovers a secret power and/or secret world, he stumbles but eventually learns how to wield his power responsibly, and then he faces down his character’s antithesis. You’ve seen this story in everything from Star Wars to Harry Potter to the Matrix to pretty much every comic book movie ever made. Even Twilight is a variation on this theme, albeit a bad one. No, I want to specifically talk about Hollywood’s unfortunate fascination with twist endings and their growing comfort with Deus ex Machina.

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11
Mar 10

Top 25 Sports Movies Of All Time (& 50 More)

I’ve always been disappointed in other people’s lists of great sports movies. After thumbing through the movie database in my brain for a recent post, I decided I’d compile my own list. To begin, I decided on the criteria. I tried to be objective and strip the films of personal nostalgia and cultural hype. I don’t think average movies should be included on the list just so some of the more obscure sports can get a mention. My list is all about quality entertainment, not equal opportunity.

The films have to revolve around a single sport and must include a decent amount of playing time in order for me to consider it a true “Sports Movie.” For example, Tin Cup is obviously a sports movie because of the plot and playing time. The Sandlot qualifies as well, but barely. In contrast, Resurrecting the Champ revolves around boxing but isn’t a sports movie in my opinion. Neither is The Black Stallion, even though it concludes with a horse race. Anyway, here’s the list:

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