Retro Reviews & More

This is to be like the posts designated  prior  as  "Famous" in that they are not theory, not review, and little to no trivia. An inaugural single post on Movie & TV Cars started it all, and more recently, a series of four posts on film music celebrated the themes of John Williams , instrumental themes by other composers , soundtrack songs , and songs repurposed for a soundtrack . The shift in terminology from "Famous" to "Favorite" is because it becomes even more individualistic in opinion. It also begins a series, all supported by data, though each post's subject is measured differently. Favorite Movie Quotes (with Real-Life Application) Spend much time around me and eventually I will begin to spout out film quotes, sometimes in the course of regular conversation. These are not always merely the most repeatable one-liners, but instead actually do a good job of summing up an opinion, good advice, or even a circumstance encountered in life. That i...

SEVENSES BATMAN Welcome to the third edition of Sevenses. The basic idea is to choose seven films of a category, which are of course of high quality but are also distinct in some way. It's not the same as a ranked list, because there are times better films might have been passed over for this purpose. For some, examples are a more effective explanation, so I encourage reading of the previous editions on westerns and biopics . A slight deviation, I have listed a handful of films as "also considered" in more than one slot. Batman. It is a genre in itself at this point. I own nearly forty films with either his name or other moniker in the title in addition to others that feature the character prominently and television series of both kinds. As I stated before in the intro to Into the Fray: Batman , the film history of Batman is nearly as old as the character. I would technically consider it a subgenre of superhero which is typically a subgenre of action . But others are mix...

This is the third in a four-part series of posts on the music featured in films. It will be much like Famous Vehicles from Film and Television , in that it is not theory, not review, and not trivia. The past two have been instrumental themes, first on those by John Williams and then by various composers . Famous Soundtrack Songs The other side of film music from instrumental scores are the soundtrack albums that contain songs typically meant to be radio-friendly, typically by multiple artists, typically in genres and styles contemporary to the film's release. For clarity, this post is devoted to songs written specifically for a film (and not a musical). They are like a cool uncle who breezes into town, disrupts life for a bit in a good way before breezing right back out. In this metaphor, the film score is the steady parent, always there when needed, and probably not fully appreciated until one matures. That is not to say the cool uncle cannot mature, too, and also be appreciated ...

This will both be a similar post to Famous Movie & TV Cars and continuation of a four-part series that began with Famous Instrumental Themes of John Williams . It is simply commentary, with no theory, no review, and little to no trivia. Famous Instrumental Themes (Various) As I began to formulate the idea for this series, I quickly realized John Williams would require his own post because of his contributions to the film industry. Full disclosure, besides the obvious fact that he deserved it, I discussed Williams' themes first because I wanted to avoid any question of "What about Jaws ?" or "What about Star Wars ?" These and others a re so iconic, after all. Touching on what I discussed about movie scores last week, music directs the audience how to feel, what to expect, etc.  While some may not notice a soundtrack note by note, almost everyone will notice the absence of one. A notable example is  Cloverfield . Being a "found footage" film, a full...

Underappreciated, Likewise For the past two weeks, my subject has been films that had a larger budget, targeted blockbuster status, and are part of an established intellectual property. This is the last for this particular series of three. The previous two films were Terminator Salvation and RoboCop (2014) . Even with the higher bar for audience response, to be underappreciated is to have deserved better. Critical opinion is not necessarily as important for these films, but good reception does usually equate to longevity. The Flash (2023) | Superhero Action Much of my focus for posts on items that originated on the pages of comic books thus far has been Batman. In order, The Dark Knight was a contender for " Into the Fray: Sequels ", I shared some  Batman '66 Trivia & Stats , my opinion through " Retro (mini)Reviews " for the  Batman Anthology  '89-'97 , my multiverse theory regarding those same films , and " Into the Fray: Batman ". Wit...

I have already become less regular in blogging. So, breaking a rule I had initially made to force myself to write a variety of types of posts loses its steam. With that...welcome to a third edition of "Into the Fray." This is where I set criteria to pick contenders, a somewhat overlapping set to grade them, a brief write-up and score for each of those, and declare a winner based on an overall score. For a better idea, the first two editions on sequels and trilogies are available here and here , respectively. Into the Fray : Batman Batman. I imagine that word conjures up wildly different images for different people depending on a multitude of factors. Beginning with a theatrical serial of fifteen chapters starring Lewis Wilson in the titular role only four years after the character's 1939 comic debut, Batman's adventures off the pages are a rich if not somewhat checkered history. It is these portrayals that are the subject today. Before many of you say, "Christ...

Burton/Schumacher Bat-Multiverse Theory If you read last week's retro review post , I mentioned that the four Batman films released in 1989-1997 were marketed as the same continuity and indeed continue to be released together in home media collections. I also plugged this article, which will explore the possibility of a multiverse, before that fatigue has set in irreversibly. The catalyst for this theory is Billy Dee Williams' Harvey Dent in Batman (1989) was reportedly set to transform into Two-Face in a third film to be directed by Tim Burton, but instead Tommy Lee Jones was cast in the role for Batman Forever when Burton was relegated to producer. It is worth noting, a comic that ignores Forever and Batman & Robin , Batman '89 , did follow through with a take on that version, and Williams did voice little more than a cameo of Two-Face for The LEGO Batman Movie . But now we will never know how Williams would have adapted the character in live action. The switch is ev...