Tag Archives: Steven Spielberg

Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me + Twilight Zone The Movie

Posted on January 19, 2019 by Alice Thirteen
Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me + Twilight Zone The Movie

Television goes to the movies. A very broad conversation bout Twin Peaks, how it fits into David Lynch’s filmography, and various reactions to new entries over time. A conversation about Twin Peaks The Return because it’s basically a movie and someone really likes it. David Lynch and Mark Frost create Twin Peaks, the original series. Twin Peaks without David Lynch and Mark Frost. Lynch returns for a Lynch movie. Twenty five years and one really really long Skype call. Twin Peaks comes back in true form, but will anyone accept that? The Showtime network reacts to a bold power move. Michael wants to talk about something awkward. Twilight Zone: The Movie and the conversation no one is willing to have. How and if a movie survives a very public, very notable, very important news event. Continue reading →

The Lawnmower Man + Jurassic Park

Posted on January 14, 2010 by Alice Thirteen
The Lawnmower Man + Jurassic Park

Two movies that aren’t about men playing God. How CG can make or break a film. Mr. Barbecue. Unrelated: where the Lost term “choppies” came from. When terrible CG is ok – even in legitimate films. A swarm of CG bees. What can we learn from the Lawnmower Man? Things you see in Budget Video. If Lawnmower Man was a slasher film. Why everyone remembers the Lawnmower Man as a serial killer. Total bullshit: Telekinesis, Alchemy, and maybe smoking at the gas station? How to do a Vertigo shot. Ask Neil deGrasse Tyson! Is pseudoscience the appeal of Jurassic Park? Where did the fucking plants come from? Explaining the dinosaurs. Chaos theory. Debunking the butterfly effect. Michael Shermer. What went wrong at Jurassic Park? Bringing the fear home. Continue reading →

Duel + Vanishing Point

Posted on September 17, 2009 by Alice Thirteen
Duel + Vanishing Point

Car exploitation films: Drivesploitation. Roadsploitation. Carsploitation?? Two road movies back to back. Exploitation 101. High concept. Steven Spielberg’s Duel and the origin of modern road horror. Where exploitation films come from. The 1960 Peterbilt 281 tanker truck. Briefly entertaining the idea of no driver. Getting your talking out of the way. Why driving makes for great suspense. Exploitation endings. The quest for modern road films. A prototypical exploitation example – how Vanishing Point came together. DJ Super Soul! Who is Kowalski? Production tales. THE ending. Coming up: Music Box Massacre. Continue reading →

Tank Girl + Schindler’s List

Posted on July 2, 2009 by Alice Thirteen
Tank Girl + Schindler’s List

This is really happening. Decaying studio. Gorillaz, comics, Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett. The return of sand beetle. Lori Petty. The return of Cole Porter. Courtney Love and the music of Tank Girl. Exploitation. CHASING THE SEMI – Stealing from Road Warrior. Kangaroo Men. Shitty filmmaking as a purist alternative to homage. The one brilliant thing Tank Girl does, and is it intentional? Blade Runner Syndrome. And all that could have been. How The Aristocrats was made, and what that has to do with Schindler’s List. Alice finally asks Michael why he has so many World War II films. First person shooters. Immersive actors. A bit on black and white. Steven Spielberg. Why films with subtitles are overrated. Too proud? Expecting people to know information outside of what you present. Liam Neeson as a powerhouse. Schindler’s character arc. The omission of Hitler. The scope of your story. Time vault. Nazis as flawed human beings vs mythological monsters. How nazis were convinced to participate in genocide. Continue reading →

Touch of Evil + The Terminal

Posted on February 19, 2009 by Alice Thirteen
Touch of Evil + The Terminal

The film noir game. Directors cuts. The players. Noir takes across the decades. The original noir. Impact on women in cinema. The fat suit that ate Orson Wells. Long tracking shots. Breaking tradition. Only on Double Feature: Film Noir recast with modern director/actor groups. Robert Rodriguez’s Touch of Evil. The Steven Spielberg filmmaking formula. Visuals. Tom Hanks. Art vs Entertainment. Handling a bizarre premise. 9/11. Why the goat really upset Alice. The opposite of the ends justifying the means. Offbeat to feelgood in one scene! Rules. Continue reading →