The PopMatters Film Blog 2008-08-21T12:09:05Z Copyright (c) 2008, PopMatters.com ExpressionEngine tag:popmatters.com-short-ends-and-leader,2008:08:21 tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.62287 2008-08-21T10:45:52Z 2008-08-21T10:45:52Z Bill Gibron Friends...Tatooinians...Countrymen - Lend me your Yoda ears. I have not come to praise Star Wars, but to bury it, once and for all. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.62285 2008-08-20T16:58:26Z 2008-08-20T16:58:26Z Bill Gibron We're taking a few days off here at Short Ends and Leader. In the meantime, please enjoy some of our more provocative posts. Today, we will look at Part Two of our feature length commentaries on some of Summer 2008's biggest hits - and misses. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.62283 2008-08-19T17:42:44Z 2008-08-19T17:42:44Z Bill Gibron We're taking a few days off here at Short Ends and Leader. In the meantime, please enjoy some of our more provocative posts. Today, we will look at Part One of our feature length commentaries on some of Summer 2008's biggest hits - and misses. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.62246 2008-08-18T06:10:13Z 2008-08-18T06:10:13Z Bill Gibron We're taking a few days off here at Short Ends and Leader. In the meantime, please enjoy some of our more provocative posts. Today, we will focus on our regular feature describing the pleasures and pitfalls of being a (supposedly) professional film reviewer - Critical Confessions ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.62186 2008-08-17T06:45:37Z 2008-08-17T06:45:37Z Bill Gibron One of the most intriguing media marriages in quite a while has been the uncomfortable creative partnership between videogames and movies. A lot of the relationship comes from the film industry's... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.62127 2008-08-15T07:00:48Z 2008-08-15T07:00:48Z Bill Gibron The Summer is winding down, and yet there are still some high profile titles waiting to be released. For 15 August, here are the films in focus: Star Wars: The Clone Wars [rating: 4]... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.62070 2008-08-15T06:50:16Z 2008-08-15T06:50:16Z Bill Gibron F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote that "the rich are different than you or me", and if by dissimilar he meant boorish, obnoxious, and self-absorbed, he couldn't have been more right - especially when it... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.62069 2008-08-15T06:45:55Z 2008-08-15T06:45:55Z Bill Gibron You've got to give George Lucas credit. Who else but the man behind the whole Skywalker family space saga could systematically rape his past while still producing staunch defenders? While he used to... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.62023 2008-08-14T06:45:45Z 2008-08-14T06:45:45Z Bill Gibron It had a strange sense of serendipity to it. On the same week as its release on DVD, Trey Parker and Matt Stone's now classic animated TV series was faced with the loss of the late, lamented... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.62022 2008-08-13T06:45:01Z 2008-08-13T06:45:01Z Bill Gibron We hear it all the time, that comedy cop out meant to assuage the offender of all implied guilt: "It's just a joke." Be it a race under attack or a particular person getting the crude raspberry,... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.61919 2008-08-12T06:45:12Z 2008-08-12T06:45:12Z Bill Gibron That's it. I've had it. I am officially at my character actor capacity. Nothing personal on the man in question, but after a summer where it seems like he shows up in every movie made, I am over... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.61969 2008-08-11T06:45:14Z 2008-08-11T06:45:14Z Bill Gibron He was Black Moses, creator of some stellar Hot Buttered Soul. He gave Shaft his Oscar winning authority, and broke down color barriers in the highly conservative - and Caucasian - film... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.61926 2008-08-10T06:46:34Z 2008-08-10T06:46:34Z Bill Gibron When we think of classic comedy, especially from the era before sound, slapstick stands as the main significant form. Sure, there were works with witty rejoinders and filmed plays piled high with... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.61918 2008-08-09T07:05:55Z 2008-08-09T07:05:55Z Bill Gibron According to the reports, it was a rather surreal Comic-con for the members of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 mythos. With almost everyone involved in the show participating in a panel... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.61752 2008-08-08T06:40:52Z 2008-08-08T06:40:52Z Bill Gibron There is is a big difference between legitimate cool and faked cool. The real thing is hard to define and rather ephemeral. It exudes off the subject - film, album, individual - in ways that... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.61750 2008-08-07T06:45:10Z 2008-08-07T06:45:10Z Bill Gibron It sounds beautifully naïve - the notion that if one man could get everyone in the world to sing together, there'd be a lot less war and animosity among the citizens. Even more foolhardy is the... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.61749 2008-08-06T05:00:19Z 2008-08-06T05:00:19Z Bill Gibron For some reason, the stoner fails to get the same cinematic respect as other substance abusing characters. The alcoholic and the heroin addict are usually wrapped in semi-seriousness, while the pot... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.61716 2008-08-05T06:45:40Z 2008-08-05T06:45:40Z Bill Gibron Not every composer gets to add the soundtrack to a major motion picture. With so many small movies out there, and so many potential musicians, there must be some manner of professional pecking order... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.61692 2008-08-04T06:29:26Z 2008-08-04T06:29:26Z Bill Gibron The divorce has been coming for some time now. We've been separated for years, but it's only recently that I've even considered taking the final step. Lord knows I've tried to make it work. I... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.61601 2008-08-01T06:03:03Z 2008-08-01T06:03:03Z Bill Gibron For filmmakers, nostalgia is a double edged sword. Pick the right era, and audiences are with you and your cinematic wistfulness. Dress things up in the wrong period, however, and you threaten to... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.61558 2008-07-31T06:43:00Z 2008-07-31T06:43:00Z Bill Gibron It's never pleasant when something that was lightweight (albeit cheesy) and fun is forced into profit sharing mode. Put another way, when a franchise has to jerryrig its purpose in order to pump out... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.61473 2008-07-30T06:45:15Z 2008-07-30T06:45:15Z Bill Gibron Someone in marketing must have thought it was a good idea. After all, it was a concept that went together with the theme and main character of the movie quite well. Better than a t-shirt (which was... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.61472 2008-07-29T06:45:15Z 2008-07-29T06:45:15Z Bill Gibron As an aural rule of thumb, the bigger the film, the broader the score. Very few epics are accompanied by acoustic guitar or solo piano. Indeed, when it comes to bringing on the bombastic, the... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.61451 2008-07-28T06:33:51Z 2008-07-28T06:33:51Z Bill Gibron It only took 10 days. Less than two weeks. It remains a stunning accomplishment. It took Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest 16 days to get there. It took the overly hyped third Star... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.61415 2008-07-27T17:45:37Z 2008-07-27T17:45:37Z Bill Gibron While it's not novel to say so, politics remains a truly unique animal. While typically set up to give all sides a voice in how the population is structured and led, its antiquated ideal no longer... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.61407 2008-07-26T18:45:02Z 2008-07-26T18:45:02Z Bill Gibron It's incredible when you think of it, but Jet Li's first Hollywood film (as a villain in Lethal Weapon IV) was a mere 10 years ago. That's right, back in 1998, few outside the Hong Kong action... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.61401 2008-07-26T06:45:32Z 2008-07-26T06:45:32Z Bill Gibron Some films commit the cardinal cinematic sin of being too smart for their own good. They smugly announce their importance, challenging you to hate them if only to expose your own lack of... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.61361 2008-07-25T07:00:52Z 2008-07-25T07:00:52Z Bill Gibron After last week's Bat-mania, it's time for Hollywood to trek on, unveiling yet another array of tent pole titles. For 25 July, here are the films in focus: X-Files: I Want to Believe... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.61360 2008-07-25T06:50:58Z 2008-07-25T06:50:58Z Bill Gibron Embarrassing as it may seem, we've all been there - laughing when the fat man splits his pants, fighting off hysterics after an old lady farts. Even the most erudite among us can't deny that, on... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.61359 2008-07-25T06:45:10Z 2008-07-25T06:45:10Z Bill Gibron While some may consider it blasphemous, The X-Files was really nothing more than somber serious science fiction in an era overrun by otherwise slapdash space operatics. It channeled V,... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.61300 2008-07-24T06:45:08Z 2008-07-24T06:45:08Z Bill Gibron How do you like your comedy - serious (meaning witty without being wanton) or scatological (bring on the feces and the farts!)? Do you prefer your laughter driven by sparkling dialogue, insightful... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.61239 2008-07-23T06:45:28Z 2008-07-23T06:45:28Z Bill Gibron It’s time to get out the black wreaths and the ceremonial armbands, especially if, like this critic, you grew up on a steady diet of Roger Ebert, Gene Siskel, and their exemplary movie review... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.61216 2008-07-22T06:45:46Z 2008-07-22T06:45:46Z Bill Gibron It was all the Internet buzz last week. No, it wasn't a further dissection and/or dissertation on the then upcoming Christopher Nolan masterwork, The Dark Knight. No, that sensationalized ship... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.61149 2008-07-21T06:45:30Z 2008-07-21T06:45:30Z Bill Gibron They are not supervillians. They are not some cartoon-clad combatants looking to make the life of the Caped Crusader a living graphic novel Hell. They don't hold the fate of the world in their hands... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.61138 2008-07-20T06:45:56Z 2008-07-20T06:45:56Z Bill Gibron God, who apparently obsesses on Bootsy Collins a little too much, has a problem in his afterworld corporate structure. Seems mortal souls are having a hard time giving up the non-holy ghost, and... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.60956 2008-07-18T06:45:26Z 2008-07-18T06:45:26Z Bill Gibron Duality is the nature of man. We all have good and evil inside us. Which side we choose to embrace earmarks our very existence, putting us on a path toward redemption…or damnation. Christopher... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.60955 2008-07-17T06:45:59Z 2008-07-17T06:45:59Z Bill Gibron When it arrives in theaters tomorrow (18 July), Mamma Mia! will probably go down as one of the biggest hits of Summer 2008. It has all the elements that make for a bold box office champion -... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.60954 2008-07-16T06:45:29Z 2008-07-16T06:45:29Z Bill Gibron With only a half dozen films in his little over a decade old canon, Christopher Nolan stands at the crossroads of artform greatness. Not just being the best of his kind, but as an auteur worthy of... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.60938 2008-07-15T06:45:24Z 2008-07-15T06:45:24Z Bill Gibron Coming Soon.Net Reports from the Set of Watchmen As the summer roll out continues, tent pole after tent pole testing the mainstream audiences appetite for spectacle, one of the movies... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.60887 2008-07-14T07:14:52Z 2008-07-14T07:14:52Z Bill Gibron With another $34 million in its coffers and a growing word of mouth campaign, Will Smith's latest pseudo sci-fi exercise, Hancock, is shaping up to be one of the summer's biggest surprises.... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.60847 2008-07-13T16:30:32Z 2008-07-13T16:30:32Z Bill Gibron In the '80s, when the slasher film was all the rage, there was no real need to be different. The set-up and fright formula mandated a kind of carbon copy creativity. Just find yourself a haunted... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.60816 2008-07-12T16:01:01Z 2008-07-12T16:01:01Z Bill Gibron The late '60s/early '70s was a boon for serious science fiction. Thanks in part to the success of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Planet of the Apes, allegorical speculation would rule the... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.60749 2008-07-11T07:00:56Z 2008-07-11T07:00:56Z Bill Gibron It's time to get back on track as Hollywood continues to unveil its weekly array of tent pole titles. For 11 July, here are the films in focus: Hellboy 2: The Golden Army [rating: 10]... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.60747 2008-07-11T06:50:25Z 2008-07-11T06:50:25Z Bill Gibron Ever wonder what it would be like if your favorite filmmaker had the creative freedom to realize his or her own inner artistic aims? Ever lament the fact that directors like Terry Gilliam, Tim... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.60748 2008-07-11T06:45:24Z 2008-07-11T06:45:24Z Bill Gibron There is nothing wrong with being generic. There is no crime in staying standard and formulaic. Sure, it signals a kind of creative malaise on the part of the product being discussed, but when it... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.60746 2008-07-10T06:45:46Z 2008-07-10T06:45:46Z Bill Gibron Guillermo Del Toro should be Peter Jackson. He should be sitting on a multi-billion dollar franchise, a few Oscars, and that rare combination of mainstream movie studio cred and overwhelming geek... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.60694 2008-07-09T06:45:01Z 2008-07-09T06:45:01Z Bill Gibron Wednesday means Crap Day here at SE&L, and today we've got a doozy - a fetid fairy tale by everyone's favorite Italian irritant, Roberto Benigni ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.60634 2008-07-08T07:00:30Z 2008-07-08T07:00:30Z Bill Gibron Ferrell, Baron Cohen, Apatow take on Sherlock Holmes From the Official Press Release: Comedy superstars Sacha Baron Cohen and Will Ferrell will team together for a Columbia Pictures comedy... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.60530 2008-07-07T06:45:41Z 2008-07-07T06:45:41Z Bill Gibron Sometimes, you have to wonder what goes on in a marketer's head. Let's say you have a good movie - granted, a niche genre effort, but a good film none the less. Now, you know that most critics are... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.60529 2008-07-06T17:00:53Z 2008-07-06T17:00:53Z Bill Gibron In the annals of exploitation, Bob Cresse remains more myth than man. While other kings of the grindhouse see their names celebrated as part of cinema's history, the University of Miami educated... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.60528 2008-07-05T17:00:04Z 2008-07-05T17:00:04Z Bill Gibron In general, there are two crucial elements to a successful spoof. One is the source material. Something has to be part of the pop culture consciousness before it can become potential lampoon... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.60525 2008-07-04T10:06:10Z 2008-07-04T10:06:10Z Bill Gibron tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.60414 2008-07-03T08:00:03Z 2008-07-03T08:00:03Z Bill Gibron It's been nearly six solid months of agony and waiting, speculation leading to momentary bouts of joy and sullen disbelief. With reliable information a rarity, fans had to use every ounce of their... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.60413 2008-07-02T05:10:01Z 2008-07-02T05:10:01Z Bill Gibron With the Fourth arriving on Friday, Hollywood is getting an early jump on the holiday box office bonanza. For 2 July, here are the films in focus: Hancock [rating: 6]... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.60412 2008-07-02T05:05:01Z 2008-07-02T05:05:01Z Bill Gibron While it may seem sacrilegious to say it, stories of heroic human efforts during the tenuous dangers of wartime appear to be an international dime a dozen. Just when you think all the narrative bases... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.60411 2008-07-02T05:00:18Z 2008-07-02T05:00:18Z Bill Gibron Will Smith is the new up to date version of the late in life career of Charleton Heston. No, he's not some gun wielding NRA apologist who narrates Bible videos in between bouts with aging. As one of... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.60393 2008-07-01T06:07:54Z 2008-07-01T06:07:54Z Bill Gibron Universal's Despereaux Gets a Trailer/Teaser Site For anyone lucky enough to see WALL*E on the big screen over the weekend, this trailer is already old news. Yet with crowds... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.60362 2008-06-30T17:00:00Z 2008-06-30T17:00:00Z Bill Gibron In the second half of our Disney discussion, the way in which the dystopian world of WALL*E was sold to a susceptible public is dissected. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.60354 2008-06-30T05:00:01Z 2008-06-30T05:00:01Z Chris Barsanti As part of a double dose of Disney Monday, Chris Barsanti looks at the recent release from CG savants Pixar. ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2008:pm/blogs/short-ends-and-leader/17.60344 2008-06-29T22:54:07Z 2008-06-29T22:54:07Z Bill Gibron One really does have to feel bad for the Romantic Comedy. It's a genre that's life support system is more or less irretrievably broken. Of course, part of the problem lies in the two categories it... ]]>