I was moved to return to this blog after an excruciatingly-long absence after reading a very thought-provoking article over at ScreenRant about the latest Star Wars movie, Rogue One. SPOILERS IN BOTH THE SCREENRANT ARTICLE AND IN THE POST BELOW. In Rogue One, which ends barely minutes before the events of A New Hope, we saw a couple of familiar characters, who were absolutely necessary in order to fully tell this part of the story. One was Darth Vader, still ably voiced by the one and only … [Read more...] about On Fame, Loss, and Digital Media
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As Promised, My SPOILER-FREE Review of The Force Awakens
You know the phrase, "if only I'd known then what I know now"? When I watched the first Star Wars movie back in the '70s while I was a kid, I had no idea how big of a deal it would become. Nobody did. To know that the Star Wars saga has had a profound impact on popular culture for almost forty years is absolutely mind-boggling. I can honestly say that watching The Force Awakens is like rediscovering A New Hope all over again. That treasured line you've loved hearing in movies past? You'll hear … [Read more...] about As Promised, My SPOILER-FREE Review of The Force Awakens
The Story Continues
https://youtu.be/sGbxmsDFVnE I deliberately waited until today to post about the newest Star Wars trailer, mostly because I figured I was just getting caught up in the tidal wave of nostalgia that everyone else is flailing in. (Well, that, and it's kind of fun to watch my husband completely fanboy over this!) So I watched it again today, and you know what? It's even BETTER the next day. Kind of like Thanksgiving leftovers. Why is this trailer so great? Let me count the reasons: 1) I will … [Read more...] about The Story Continues
Just A Peek, For Fun!
I have kind of a love/hate relationship with movie musicals. Generally, I LOVE them. But if they're done poorly, it's utterly painful to sit through. (Just as an example, you can go back and check out my review of Les Misérables, which I thought was amazing--with one exception.) Next month comes Hollywood's latest offering, Sondheim's Into the Woods. It boasts a HUGE cast of big names, and hopefully all of them will do their roles well. I do tend to judge actors' singing, although they get big … [Read more...] about Just A Peek, For Fun!
Is It Time to Ask for More from Animation?
This afternoon I finally bit the bullet and went out to the theater to see Disney's latest animated film, Frozen. I knew a lot of my friends (many of whom do not have children, it should be pointed out) really loved this movie, and at the time of this writing it has just received a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination. Rumors are swirling that it will be headed to Broadway soon, although that isn't so much a benchmark of a quality film as it is a somewhat expected pattern from Disney. I had seen … [Read more...] about Is It Time to Ask for More from Animation?
An Epiphany About Bambi’s Mother (and Other Notable Deaths by Disney)
I think I've finally answered that nagging question that runs through my brain from time to time, namely: why is it that so many Disney characters have dead family members? If these are fairy tales created for children, why is there so darned much death? I suppose the first and most obvious answer to the question would be that Disney based his movies on fairy tales, which themselves were at times quite dark and had plenty of death in them, but it's not as though those stories were followed … [Read more...] about An Epiphany About Bambi’s Mother (and Other Notable Deaths by Disney)