Category: Spoiler alert

the last jedi red throne room
Movie review, Spoiler alert

The Last Jedi takes the franchise in a challenging new direction

The two most recent entries in the Star Wars franchise weren’t exactly ground-breaking in the way that the original trilogy was, or even the prequels – say what you will, but they were hardly conventional as compared with the original three.  If both The Force Awakens and Rogue One “filled in the edges” of the Star Wars universe, the same cannot be said about The … Continue reading The Last Jedi takes the franchise in a challenging new direction

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star wars the force awakens concept art rey jakku star destroyer desert
Movie review, Script doctor, Spoiler alert

How better character development could improve Star Wars: The Force Awakens

For the record, it is much easier to act as an amateur script doctor than it is to write something original (as my paltry screenwriting efforts to date prove).  It is also much easier to suggest improvements to a finished film than earlier in its development or production.  In other words, this is more of an exercise for me than any reflection on how good … Continue reading How better character development could improve Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Josh Hammond1 Comment
modern dc comics movie month
Movie review, Script doctor, Spoiler alert

How a unifying theme would have elevated Wonder Woman from a good superhero movie to a great one

For the record, it is much easier to act as an amateur script doctor than it is to write something original (as my paltry screenwriting efforts to date prove).  It is also much easier to suggest improvements to a finished film than earlier in its development or production.  In other words, this is more of an exercise for me than any reflection on how good … Continue reading How a unifying theme would have elevated Wonder Woman from a good superhero movie to a great one

Josh HammondLeave a comment
modern dc comics movie month
Movie review, Script doctor, Spoiler alert

How embracing its characters’ point of view could have improved Suicide Squad

For the record, it is much easier to act as an amateur script doctor than it is to write something original (as my paltry screenwriting efforts to date prove).  It is also much easier to suggest improvements to a finished film than earlier in its development or production.  In other words, this is more of an exercise for me than any reflection on how good … Continue reading How embracing its characters’ point of view could have improved Suicide Squad

Josh Hammond2 Comments
batman v superman dawn of justice henry cavill ben affleck fight rain
Movie review, Spoiler alert

Batman V Superman is a confusing, violent mess

Man of Steel was better than I expected, and I was hoping that – despite its dismal critical reputation – Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice would be more misunderstood than terrible. Boy, was I wrong. Batman V Superman is a hyper-violent, confusing mess that unpacked so much more than it could even begin to put back together. [SPOILER ALERT] First and foremost, it’s unclear … Continue reading Batman V Superman is a confusing, violent mess

Josh Hammond1 Comment
the shining jack nicholson danny lloyd hugging on bed
Details, Movie review, Spoiler alert

Why Steven King is wrong about The Shining‘s representation of alcoholism

Among his many reasons for disliking Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, Stephen King said that one of its major failings was to represent Jack’s – and, by extension, King’s – battle with alcoholism the way he intended.  While it’s true that Kubrick’s Jack is very different from King’s, that doesn’t mean Kubrick’s The Shining is less about alcoholism.  Although I’ve see the movie several times, I’d … Continue reading Why Steven King is wrong about The Shining‘s representation of alcoholism

Josh Hammond9 Comments
the shining jack nicholson jack shelly duvall wendy colorado room
Movie review, Spoiler alert

The Shining is still the gold standard for horror

Famously, Steven King hated Stanley Kubrick’s version of The Shining.  There are a lot of reasons for that, some of which I’ll discuss later, but one comment of his stands out is “Kubrick set out to make a horror picture with no apparent understanding of the genre.”  Maybe that’s true, as The Shining doesn’t look much like the horror films of the 50s that King … Continue reading The Shining is still the gold standard for horror

Josh Hammond8 Comments
the cabin in the woods anna hutchinson jules wolf
Details, Movie review, Spoiler alert

Why the lack of a jump scare is worse than the scare itself

As I come to the end of Shocktober, I feel like I’m getting an idea of what I should start looking for in horror films (or at least in horror films I’ll probably like). While in a lot of ways I lean towards the more unconventional side of the genre, there is one trope that never fails to get me: the anticipation of the jump … Continue reading Why the lack of a jump scare is worse than the scare itself

Josh Hammond2 Comments
the ring naomi watts david dorfman rachel aidan tape copy
Movie review, Spoiler alert

The Ring is unconventionally scary (even 15 years later)

[SPOILER ALERT] For my second “classic” horror movie this Shocktober, I chose The Ring, which I remember as being even scarier than The Blair Witch Project the first time around (it contains the only jump scare that ever made me throw my bag of popcorn into the air). And like The Blair Witch Project, I was wondering how it held up 15 years later. The … Continue reading The Ring is unconventionally scary (even 15 years later)

Josh Hammond4 Comments
cabin in the woods kristen connolly dana werewolf
Movie review, Spoiler alert

The Cabin in the Woods is about as meta as horror gets

[SPOILER ALERT] First things first – don’t make the mistake I did and read the Wikipedia plot summary for The Cabin in the Woods before seeing it. I told myself “I’ll never see this but I’m curious what all the hype is about,” and I regretted that decision as soon as the movie started. Luckily, the twist was revealed within the first 30 minutes. But … Continue reading The Cabin in the Woods is about as meta as horror gets

Josh Hammond8 Comments