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...

This will be a similar post like Famous Vehicles from Film and Television . It is also the first in a series of four. Again, no theory, no review, not even trivia (well, maybe a little). Simply commentary, and I lean towards calling it celebration. Famous Instrumental Themes of John Williams Perhaps not everyone who watches a lot of screen media notices all the "little" things. The more I watch, the more I take it all in. The music of a film can instantly direct how the audience is supposed to feel. If you watch anything with captions for very long you will see phrases like "foreboding music" or "soothing music".  Particularly when thinking of scores consisting of classical music, one name comes to mind first: John Williams. Besides those discussed here, he composed for more serious fare such as Schindler's List , and a surprising turn or two including  Home Alone , Willliams has been as, *ahem*, instrumental in many a film's success as more promin...

Welcome to the second edition of "Into the Fray." A quick reminder of how this goes: Using set criteria, I evaluate films, as an example, to declare a winner in a specific topic. One set of criteria is used to pick contenders and another to grade them, with inevitable overlap. I will write brief passages for each contender in each grading criterium followed by a score, and end with an overall score. To get a better idea, click here to read the first edition about sequels . Into the Fray: Trilogies Why a trilogy? Sometimes it is an opportunity to tell a story that will not fit in one film, and these are usually planned, e.g., The Lord of the Rings , The Dark Knight , etc. But, sometimes a first film is successful, and there is enough of a desire to experience that world again, even though it's not quite the same. The number of sequels end up making a trilogy, and that is the subject matter for today. To choose contenders, the trilogy had to have started with a standalone...