the neverending story Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Cinematical Seven: Greatest Monsters in Kid Films
Filed under: Comedy », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Fandom », Cinematical Seven », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Lists »
.jpg)
In honor of this week's release of DreamWork's Monsters vs Aliens on both DVD and Blu-ray, we measly humans here at Cinematical have decided to wade through the hordes of monsters and or aliens in kid friendly films to find the cream of the closet-dwelling, slime-dripping, child-eating, smile-inducing crop of inhuman lovables. In doing so it has occurred to me just how hard it is for a film to make an iconic character for children.
Sure, it's easy to make something marketable for kids, but to make monstrous and unique characters for children to cherish into adulthood, not unlike the mutated heroes of MvA, takes a lot of talent.
E.T.
I have no reason to lie to you. I'm a 24-year-old man and E.T. still scares me. He has ever since I was a wee little lad. I can't pinpoint the moment that instilled such a ridiculous fear of everyone's favorite horticulturist from outer space, but I think it's a combination of two scenes. The first being when ET tries to phone home and inadvertently causes hurricane winds, flying saw blades, and me in the fetal position. Then we have the seemingly innocent visitor gray, shriveled and dying in the creek bed, looking like the specter of death to a frightened child like me.
My kindertrauma aside, I can't help but respect the terrifying little dude. He holds a special little place in my heart, even if it's in a deep, dark recess that makes me long for my blanky,
Discuss: The Golden Age of 80's Fantasy
Filed under: Fandom », Family Films », Home Entertainment »
As I've watched Harry Potter mania spread around the world like something out of The Stand, I've been feeling a little left out of the phenomenon (having never been a huge fan of the fantasy series). But as the kids line up around the block in their 'Snape capes' and plastic spectacles, I've been thinking back to my own days as a 'rugrat' and the fantasy flicks I used to love. So without getting too specific (remember, nobody ever asks a lady her age), the movies I loved as a child were made in a wild and crazy time better known as the 80's, and what a decade it was for fantasy.
The 80's brought us some of the most iconic fantasy flicks ever made, like Conan, John Boorman's Excalibur, and Highlander. But today isn't about ranking the best and the worst -- it's about my favorite fantasy flicks of the 'me generation' and, who knows, you might just find some recommendations for the little ones in your life once that boy wizard finally exits stage left.
After the jump: my fantasy favorites, and a glimpse into the world of prime 80's cheese...
Sometimes a Remake Isn't a Remake
Filed under: Newsstand », Remakes and Sequels », Fan Rant »
This just in! Hollywood is remaking a lot of movies! Everything is fair game!
It's easy to get really pissed off and frustrated about this trend -- in fact, it's right to do so. (There's a few exceptions -- Darren Aronofsky's Robocop is still a pretty exciting prospect.) But we need to save our rage for the eye-rolling remakes (The Karate/Kung Fu Kid, Footloose) and shrug off The NeverEnding Story for the simple fact that the latter is based on a book.
It's not a remake if it's based on a book. It's a new interpretation. That's something everyone forgot (even Gene Wilder) when Tim Burton decided to "remake" Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. People were furious and I can understand, as the Wilder version is beloved by a lot of people. But it strayed pretty far from the Roald Dahl original, which left a lot of leeway for a new version. (Frankly, the Burton one leaves just as much critical room for a third attempt.)
I may be dying for original ideas as much as anyone else, but I'm just fine with Hollywood going back to the bookshelves a second try -- even if it's for something as iconic as True Grit. (It definitely skirts the line though -- The African Queen was a book too, but I don't know that anyone should ever try it again.) To me, it just isn't a remake if you're returning to the original source material. No one blinks an eye when a new version of Pride and Prejudice or Hamlet gets the green light, even if you do consider one particular version rather definitive. Each adaptation of Charles Dickens offers something new, each actor and actress puts their own spin on a legendary character, each version inspires someone to discover the novel. You may love the new version, you may hate it, but each adds something to the cultural dialogue -- which is something no remake of Footloose or Romancing the Stone is ever going to do.
It's easy to get really pissed off and frustrated about this trend -- in fact, it's right to do so. (There's a few exceptions -- Darren Aronofsky's Robocop is still a pretty exciting prospect.) But we need to save our rage for the eye-rolling remakes (The Karate/Kung Fu Kid, Footloose) and shrug off The NeverEnding Story for the simple fact that the latter is based on a book.
It's not a remake if it's based on a book. It's a new interpretation. That's something everyone forgot (even Gene Wilder) when Tim Burton decided to "remake" Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. People were furious and I can understand, as the Wilder version is beloved by a lot of people. But it strayed pretty far from the Roald Dahl original, which left a lot of leeway for a new version. (Frankly, the Burton one leaves just as much critical room for a third attempt.)
I may be dying for original ideas as much as anyone else, but I'm just fine with Hollywood going back to the bookshelves a second try -- even if it's for something as iconic as True Grit. (It definitely skirts the line though -- The African Queen was a book too, but I don't know that anyone should ever try it again.) To me, it just isn't a remake if you're returning to the original source material. No one blinks an eye when a new version of Pride and Prejudice or Hamlet gets the green light, even if you do consider one particular version rather definitive. Each adaptation of Charles Dickens offers something new, each actor and actress puts their own spin on a legendary character, each version inspires someone to discover the novel. You may love the new version, you may hate it, but each adds something to the cultural dialogue -- which is something no remake of Footloose or Romancing the Stone is ever going to do.
Jeremy Renner Wants To Be An Avenger
Directors We Love: Jim Jarmusch
Indie Roundup: 'Sweetgrass,' 'Clarkworld,' 'Broken Embraces'
Shelf Life: Fight Club_thumbnail.jpg)
Watch: Famous 'Matrix' Scene Re-Created with LEGOs
_thumbnail.jpg)
