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Reboot This: "Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators"

  • By Christopher Campbell
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  • December 14, 2011 4:39 PM
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  • 2 Comments
It's typically annoying when a film franchise is immediately rebooted, but it's doubtful any of you have even seen either 2007's "The Three Investigators and the Secret of Skeleton Island" or the 2009 sequel, "The Three Investigators and the Secret of Terror Castle." Supposedly Disney released the first film theatrically in the U.S., but I don't recall that ever happening. They seem primarily set up at Buena Vista International for German-speaking audiences (though they were filmed in English), because the young adult mystery novels they're based on have remained more popular in Europe than in America. Kind of like "Tintin" but with material originating here.
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More: Remakes, mystery, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Hugo, Alfred Hitchcock

One Little Problem with "Hugo" (Spoilers)

  • By Christopher Campbell
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  • November 25, 2011 9:10 AM
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  • 2 Comments
Let me start off by saying that I love Martin Scorsese's "Hugo." It's the perfect blend of "Amelie" and "The Sandlot" and "Cinema Paradiso" and the spirits of Charles Dickens and Jules Verne and of course the works of George Méliès and the rest of film's origins. But there is one little problem I have with the movie, and it's hard to make a fuss about it but when a movie is this wonderful the seemingly minor negative elements taunt you until you get them out in the open. So this discussion is a real necessity for me as a fan of this film and cinema in general. I'm not trying to be a complaining jerk about it. I swear.
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More: Hugo, Discussions, 3D, Fantasy, George Melies, Martin Scorsese, Silent Films, Pina, Amelie, The Sandlot, Uwe Boll, Charlie Chaplin, Film History, Documentary, The Artist

10 Movies to See Instead of "The Artist"

  • By Christopher Campbell
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  • November 23, 2011 1:03 PM
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  • 19 Comments
One of the most disappointing films for me this year is Michel Hazanavicius's "The Artist." As a fan of cinema of the '20s and '30s, the silent throwback is right up my alley, but I wanted more than just references and homage. Some people are saying it's not much different than what Quentin Tarantino does with grindhouse films, but I disagree. Tarantino takes inspiration from crude B movies and makes something brilliantly new. Hazanavicius takes inspiration from classic films and makes something familiar and unnecessary. There's nothing new to them in any way whatsoever. So what's the point? Let's just watch the films it borrows heavily from, or something else that's more innovative and/or inventive. Remember when we all pre-criticized "Avatar" for looking so derivative? At least it had some amazing spectacle in the end. "The Artist" is just kinda charming at best.
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More: List, The Artist, Silent Films, Hugo

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