More Classic Than Classic

The other day someone asked me what my favorite movie of all time was, without hesitation I answered back “Blade Runner.” While I think Artificial Intelligence is a distant second, Blade Runner will likely continue to hold its first place ranking for the foreseeable future. So why do folks like me still obsess over this movie, after all it is now nearly 30 years old (that’s frightening to admit by the way as 1982 is the year I graduated High School)?For me, this film represents everything that a movie can be – a synergy of art and entertainment,...

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The WWF & Wall Street Villainy

Many years ago as part of short-lived and sometimes bizarre writing career I found myself working for a professional wrestler, one of the stars of the WWF in its heyday. Back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s the World Wrestling Federation was a billion dollar enterprise and had become very mainstream. While I found myself a bit out of my element (I had never been to a wrestling match or NASCAR race in my life), I had to admit the experience was somewhat exhilarating. Professional Wrestling is the ultimate spectacle, sort of a combination morality...

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Disaster Movie Montage – 2012

I watched 2012 over the holiday weekend and I must say it was a rather exhausting ordeal. I’m not sure how long the movie actually was but it felt as though I had personally experienced the end of the world. This was truly the disaster movie to end all disaster movies, or perhaps the disaster movie that copied all disaster movies?I found myself tracking the various references to previous disaster blockbusters as well as specific examples of generic disaster movie clichés. My unofficial survey found references or allusions to the following films:•...

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Stargate Universe Drops into a Black Hole

Being a long time fan of the Stargate saga, I found myself looking forward to their latest series, Stargate Universe all summer. The advanced previews looked visually stunning and the underlying concept was definitely intriguing - kind of Star Trek Voyager meets Stargate Atlantis. I recognized at least two fairly talented actors prominently positioned in these trailers, so I was thinking that perhaps the Stargate producers were going to take the brand to the next level. I still recall the first Stargate series fondly, which I think was probably...

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The Indomitable Johnny Drama

Every decade or so, Hollywood produces a truly remarkable character actor or character; someone that embodies the soul of the Everyman. An Everyman is an archetype, a conglomeration of all those characteristics we tend to see in ourselves. And in Everyman is not a celebrity, not a star and probably not even the greatest success, but the Everyman has depth.I started watching Entourage in earnest for the first time this Summer. I may have seen it once or twice before while traveling, stuck in some hotel with nothing but HBO to watch - Entourage though...

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The Raving Reviews Taxonomy

Here at Raving Reviews we intend to write our reviews little differently. This site is not only dedicated to critiquing reviewing and rating movies it is also an outlet for cultural observation and humor. To give you an idea of what type of material you'll be seeing here will present a short guide or review taxonomy:Article category one - a rave: A Rave is not a particularly focused critique, instead it is a general expression of appreciation.Article category two - a riff: A Riff is not a critique at all but rather an opportunity to lampoon a truly...

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Bond Movie Titles

It's been a while since I've seen a good James Bond film. I heard somewhere that there is another one coming out soon, although I'm not altogether sure about that. The last one, Quantum of Solace wasn't fulfilling as far as Bond movies go. But 007 movies have always been kind of hit or miss; there have been quite a few different actors directors and producers involved over the years and not every combination works out right. I just looked it up on the web and it seems as though the next Bond movie is simply being referred to as Bond 23 because...

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Watching "Up" Brought Me Down

Well, I finally got around to buying a DVD of the Disney movie “up.” It certainly wasn't what I was expecting. In fact, I guess you could say there's something to depress every age group and this film. The movie starts off well enough, with the story of a boy and a girl he meets who both share a sense of adventure. At this stage of the movie, things are pretty optimistic. It seems as though we've entered the beginning of some magical adventure which may lead our two main characters to some lost faraway exotic location in search of their childhood...

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