Well, I’ve watched some movies released before I was born, so here we go!
Movies are awesome, and I’ve watched a bunch of them!
Category: Movies
Atomic Roundtable: Best Movie (Whatevers) From Before 1990!
A while back, author Adam-Troy Castro commented on Facebook that he keeps seeing posts on different pop culture sites with titles like “All-Time Greatest Movie [whatevers]” — best villains, sexiest stars, costumes, vehicles, etc. — and almost never do the lists include any movies made before 1980, and often not even from before 1990. It’s like a whole lot of people think nothing existed before they did. So, let’s discover some things from decades before we were born. Welcome to the latest Atomic Roundtable!
Atomic DIY: Build Your Own R2-D2!
One thing I think everyone who loves Star Wars has said at least once is “man, I wish I had an R2-D2!” My good friend and fellow archery coach Russell Rucker said the same thing, and then he went ahead and built one. His R2 unit is completely screen-accurate, and has appeared at a number of Star Wars events over the years. Naturally, like a whole lot of other people, I asked Russell how he built his R2. He gave me permission to share the process here.
‘Soul’ and the Transformation Trope
Pixar’s Soul was the center of a meme that circulated this summer, prior to the release of the film, which suggested that it was racist for the lead character, an African-American, to be transformed into a blue-green blob in the trailer. The author cited several films as examples of the problematic pattern. Taking a look at the trope, the cited films, and the context and messaging of each, might be in order.
Because on Valentine’s Day We Should All … Quest for Love
One of the pleasures of writing film-reference books is that I get to watch films I’ve always meant to see but never found the time for. Another is rewatching films …
“When in Doubt, Do Something.” Harry Chapin in Recent Media
Recently, our own Greg Hatcher sent me a link to a new documentary about Harry Chapin; when I mentioned that I’d seen it, he suggested a review, and when I mentioned that there are also a couple of new books out, he suggested a round-up review. See, Greg is smarter than me and he thinks of things like this. So here we go.