HobbyScope

Tag: cinema

  • Saturday Morning Cinema: AFI Top 100 Edition – Pulp Fiction

    Saturday Morning Cinema: AFI Top 100 Edition – Pulp Fiction

    Pulp Fiction has always been my “okayest good movie”. It is supposed to be iconic and noteworthy for resurrecting John Travolta’s career, cementing Samuel L. Jackson into the persona he often portrays today, and utilizing a “name brand” cast in unique roles. Dialogue-heavy scenes build to cathartic moments that either shock or amuse. Quentin Tarantino…

  • Saturday Morning Cinema: AFI Top 100 Edition – Do The Right Thing

    Saturday Morning Cinema: AFI Top 100 Edition – Do The Right Thing

    Do The Right Thing is intense. Characters swirl in and out juggling multiple story lines and perspectives while sitting smack in the middle of a racially mixed and charged neighborhood during a scorching summer day. Released in 1989, Do The Right Thing’s subject matter is as relevant now as ever, especially in regards to the…

  • Saturday Morning Cinema: AFI Top 100 Edition – Blade Runner

    Saturday Morning Cinema: AFI Top 100 Edition – Blade Runner

    Is Blade Runner actually a good movie? That is a question I ask myself whenever I watch it or even just hear Blade Runner mentioned. Now that I have watched it again, is there a clear answer? No. The fact there is not an answer makes me think Blade Runner is not, in fact, amazing, but that does not…

  • Saturday Morning Cinema: AFI Top 100 Edition – Yankee Doodle Dandy

    Saturday Morning Cinema: AFI Top 100 Edition – Yankee Doodle Dandy

    I have a difficult time getting psyched to watch old black and white movies. There’s just no draw for my sensory-overload addled brain. I have a 4K HDR TV with a Dolby Atmos setup (because I’m a tech junky and admit I have a problem though I couldn’t tell you the technology makes a huge…

  • Saturday Morning Cinema: AFI Top 100 Edition – Toy Story

    An all-time favorite with Toy Story comes in at number 99 on AFI’s All-Time Top 100 list. I love the movie because of the story, the voice actors (give me Tom Hanks all day every day), and the creativity infused throughout this animated masterpiece. It’s like an animated Honey, I Shrunk the Kids where the toys see…

  • Saturday Morning Cinema: AFI Top 100 Edition – Ben-Hur

    The base of the mountain, number 100 on AFI’s Top 100 list, is 1959’s Ben-Hur. Prior to this viewing experience, I was not aware it held the record for most Oscars until Titanic came along, nor was I aware it was a remake of a 1925 silent film, nor did I realize the movie is…

  • Saturday Morning Cinema: AFI Top 100 Edition – Setting the Stage

    If film’s Mount Rushmore had room for 100, it could consist of the AFI Top 100 Greatest American Films of All Time. At least, I assume it could, right? The American Film Institute is the expert, so I’m sure they would know. I haven’t seen all the movies on the list and can’t pass proper…

  • Saturday Morning Cinema: Baseball Movies #1

    Smell that – the grass, grills, and sunburns? That smell indicates summer is in full swing, and a full-swing summer means America’s Favorite Pastime has invaded diamonds across the country. The live game provides a season-long drama as fans’ favorite players battle across a grueling, three-act saga against gifted foes, each character striving for the…

  • Saturday Morning Cinema: Jurassic Park

    “Hold-on to yer butts.” For 9-year-old me, Jurassic Park (1993) was the greatest theater-going experience I’d ever had. Thinking about it today, I don’t know if any other movie I’ve watched in theaters has been able to top or even duplicate the rush of adrenaline and rapt wonder. There of course has to be an…

  • Saturday Morning Cinema: Gladiator

    I’ll just say it, few movies get me as cinematically aroused as Gladiator. It is THAT good. THAT GOOD. I never saw the movie in theaters. No, my introduction to this epic tale of machismo and honor occurred on VHS. My imagination and interest were immediately captured even through the grainy quality and tracking issues. Ridley…