by Jason Wilson
The Lady Vanishes (1938)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Screenplay by Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder
Based on the story “The Wheel Spins” by Ethel Lina White
Starring Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave, Paul Lukas, Dame May Whitty, Naunton Wayne and Basil Radford.
If anyone becomes a film buff, or even casual enthusiast of cinema, it is impossible to ignore [...]
by Brent Braaten
(as usual, click to enlarge)
by Matt Jones
In the first Futurama comeback movie, Bender’s Big Score, one of the best jokes is the recurring gag item, Torgo’s Executive Powder. A thinly veiled jab at Fox for its perceived mismanagement of Futurama, Torgo’s is made of ground-up executives, and is said to have “a-million-and-one uses.” That may be a-million-and-one more than [...]
by Jody Coughlin
How backwards can the human race be? Seriously? I was watching the Weather Network last night (riveting, I know) and there was a little news blurb on it about the Olympics and yes, the Winter Olympics coming to Vancouver is a glorious thing. There is much to celebrate. Spring rain falls on the [...]
an essay by Matthew Payne
I’ve always been in love with science. I read science magazines when I was a kid and I am always thrilled by new discoveries or new technologies. But I only started reading science-fiction a couple years ago, because most popular science fiction has very little to do with real science or [...]
in this episode, CRAIGNESS needs to save his show so he turns to webcam modeling and his Guest is the best in the buisness.. GODDESS DEE.
Viewer discretion for this one, folks.
a photo series by Tom Henheffer
Stephen Harper prorogued Parliament and in response about 10,000 protesters flooded downtown Toronto last Saturday, marching in solidarity pissing off thousands of motorists as they shut down four of Canada’s busiest streets for well over an hour.
They met at the heart of the city in Yonge-Dundas square led by Mohawk [...]
by Matthew Payne
Read part 4
They traded sword-blows, blocking and slicing and stabbing. Ruxto made contact, slicing into the tin of the robot’s chest. Then he pulled his sword out with a wrenching sound and started shooting it in the head with his laser. The robot’s head melted and smoked and it stumbled backwards against the [...]
by Jason Wilson
The Criterion Collection is a company based in the United States that became popularized during the brief laserdisc movement in the 1990s. It introduced the concept of commentary tracks and have generally released the best available versions of films on DVD. It researches the films and put together a plethora of special features [...]
by Amy Anderson
The internet is often the starting point for my new ideas. When I come across novel ideas online, I try to apply them to my little world and see if they ring true. Nerdy, I know. So, here’s American educational rebel John Taylor Gatto talking about Marshall McLuhan’s views on machines:
“Marshall McLuhan once [...]
part 4 of a story by Matt Payne
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Ruxto woke up on a black slab. He felt great. The first thing he noticed was his mind was no longer groggy. Mental sharpness could be felt like a physical presence when it goes and then returns.
The next thing he noticed was that he was [...]
Jan
2010
Criterion Conquest: Seven Samurai
by Jason Wilson
Seven Samurai (1954)
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Written by Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto and Hideo Oguni
Starring Takashi Shimura, Yoshio Inaba, Daisuke Kato, Minoru Chiaki, Isao Kimura, Seiji Miyaguchi and Toshiro Mifune.
It took me a long time to fully immerse myself in foreign films. I was all about the Hollywood system and watched the Oscars every [...]
Tags: akira kurosawa, commentary, criterion, criterion collection, daredevil, dvd, foreign language film, high school, japanese film, jason wilson, samurai, seven samurai, special features, subtitles, toshiro mifune
Posted in Essays, Reviews