Posts By Mike Gray
Although there are a number of awards ceremonies each year for films, the one that gets everybody talking is the Academy Awards—the gold standard of film awards. And each year, just as many deserving films receive nominations for their achievements, both technical and performance-wise, there are also plenty of surprises and snubs that get online outlets talking and film critics… Read more »
Since the beginning of their renaissance over the past decade, superhero movies have quickly become some of the most profitable and popular films that are highly anticipated by audiences every year. It seems each year sees one or two big blockbuster superhero films that break box office records and receive rave reviews from critics. But 2017 has been a watershed… Read more »
Here it is: the 10 worst films of 2017. It’s often difficult to judge what’s truly “good” or “bad” about film: after all, even universally disliked films have their fans. Instead, this list was put together based on expectation, budget, and the talent involved. While some films weren’t made for much money (and it often shows), and a low budget… Read more »
Consumerism is the natural by-product of capitalism. Really, it’s the natural by-product of being alive: we all need things to survive, after all. Food, housing, clothing, from beginning to end it seems it’s our natural state to consume. But living in a capitalist society also complicates the matter, particularly since in an affluent society there’s so much being produced and… Read more »
What it is about complex films that movie fans are so passionate about? Is in the puzzling nature of trying to figure out what, exactly, is occurring? Is it that we enjoy being challenged by a difficult narrative that’s resistant to easy interpretation and understanding? Or is it that we equate the complexity of a film with its quality? Perhaps… Read more »
Listen: being single can be pretty great. Romantic relationships, though glorified in all art forms, can also be incredibly messy affairs that lead to heartbreak, emotional distress, and worse. At least if you’re single no one can hurt you and there’s more wine available for yourself. And single people get short shift in films. If a character is single in… Read more »
2017 has seen a great number of films released: big-budget blockbusters, sleeper hits, indie masterpieces, and (of course) a few truly terrible films. But there is only so much time in the day to watch movies, and watching new films, in particular, can end up being rather expensive. But which films truly deserve your hard-earned money and time? After all,… Read more »
What is it about truly disturbing movies that film fans enjoy? Is it their sheer audacity and strangeness? The extreme violence and graphic sexual elements that are often on display in these films? Is it some sort of severe second-hand prurient thrill we’re seeking through fiction? Whatever the case, many dedicated cinephiles tend to seek out transgressive films whose content… Read more »
So many films made every year and so little time to see every one of them. That is, unless your entire profession depends upon watching as many films as possible during a year, and doubly so if you are a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. After all, it is members of this organization that decides… Read more »
Even in film, first impressions count for a lot. Since movies only have a relatively brief amount of time to establish their story, setting, and characters, it takes skill to concentrate and shorthand entire characters and what they ultimately mean to the story being told. It’s how a character is presented that leads to why they are being presented that… Read more »
Horror films are often resistant to criticism, either because the genre as a whole isn’t particularly highly regarded by “serious” critics or because many horror films are low-budget, poorly produced shock films that look to deliver on their implicit promise of graphic violence rather than creating a quality movie. And 2017 has been no different in this regard than most:… Read more »
Horror movies are already known for being filled with acts of murder, gory special effects, and disturbing stories. But even within this genre is a subgenre that goes further than the average horror film. Loosely connected under the label “extreme horror,” these films are unbelievably violent and explicit, often teetering on–if not outright garnering–an NC-17 rating for their content. Many… Read more »
Like no other genre, science fiction in film has the capacity to create situations, characters, and narratives that can stretch the limits of what can be done in a narrative. Untethered to any responsibility of reflecting reality, sci-fi can travel to the ends of the galaxy, create beings out of whole cloth, and allows for the inexplicable–if not impossible–to occur…. Read more »
October is a month made to watch horror films: with Halloween at the end of the month and the days growing shorter (and chillier) in the Northern Hemisphere, there’s just something about the atmosphere of the month that makes it a perfect time to settle in and watch a good horror film. Thanks to streaming services, there has never been… Read more »
It’s difficult to discern the “best” of anything. What’s the best song? Or the best country? Or the best historical period? Quantifying anything is bound to lead to disagreement, after all. So it is with “Best” lists in general: they are, more often than not, based on opinion. Perhaps by providing a few qualifiers, however, at least some can be… Read more »
The 2000s saw a vast amount of films produced, perhaps more than ever before. Seemingly recession-proof, the film industry around the world kept making films, for good or ill, hoping to snag a few (even more) hard-earned bucks from consumers. But in this flood were some real clunkers that swept up along the way, somehow produced even though they should… Read more »
