Summary: Today Locke Peterseim reviews Oblivion, another attempt by Hollywood to bring science fiction to film. It shows their love of imagery — of the glossy finish — over the substance of the story. That’s sad, because we can learn much from the alternative perspective provided by hard sci-fi. it’s another in our series of Sunday …
Review of “Oblivion”: Of Cruise and Nothingness Read More »
Summary: Today Locke Peterseim reviews Iron Man 3. It’s “still slick and mostly entertaining, but with a cold heart that feels hung out over the chasm between Black’s cynical, subversive attitude and Marvel’s bright, shiny franchise-building.” It’s a myth told by people who don’t like it, which requires a higher level of story-telling skill than Marvel’s …
“Iron Man 3”: a cynical plot drowned out by the clang clang action Read More »
Summary: Today Locke Peterseim reviews Fast and Furious 7. Not only is this a fun film, it shows why we’re running reviews of popular films and books — they illuminate the great geopolitical issues of our time. The F&F series shows the clash of civilization in action, and that America is winning. Decisive victory seems …
A Furious Affair: My Strange Affection for This Very Strange Franchise Read More »
Summary: Today Locke Peterseim reviews The Great Gatsby, a very meta story about the jazz age before the crash — a time with strong similarities to our own — made into a film whose superficiality (e.g., ignoring the depth of the characters) mirrors that of our own. And the Beat Goes On: Baz Luhrmann’s Spastic, Love-sick …
And the beat goes on – “The Great Gatsby” mirrors his time, and ours Read More »
Summary: Films show who we are, our dreams and fears. Today Locke Peterseim compares Star Trek Into Darkness to the original TV show, showing how we’ve changed during the past 5 decades. We want simpler plots, cardboard villains, more emphasis on emotional behavior and beating up bad guys. And above all, ignoring the disturbing deeper questions …
Star Trek reboots to give us simple stories, the cartoons we like. Read More »
