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We spout opinion, comment on the current zeitgeist and overanalyze pop culture and mainstream movies. Whether in the form of lists, survey questions or straight editorials, we hope to make thinking deeply about film a fun and stimulating activity for all.

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The Originals: Could the 1990 "Captain America" Have Been Any Worse?

By Christopher Campbell
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July 19, 2011 8:04 AM
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3 Comments

This week I'll be seeing "Captain America: The First Avenger," an adaptation of a comic book I always avoided in my youth because the idea of a patriotically costumed superhero seemed so silly to me. At the time he was as hokey as Captain Planet or Ray Cycle, a character starring in a one-off comic published by the State of Connecticut at the start of the late '80s recycling revolution. Suffice to say I haven't been that excited about the new movie even if it is a part of the current Marvel repute (though "Thor" put a damper on that already for me). So to give myself some perspective, I watched the infamously bad 1990 film of "Captain America," assuming it would make the 2011 version seem like "Citizen Kane" no matter how terrible it is.

By Christopher Campbell
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April 28, 2011 9:14 AM
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1 Comment

I'm anxious to see how "Fast Five" works so well (according to many critics), in spite of it seeming so familiar, whether within the context of its own franchise or in its apparent transition towards more of a straight heist flick (and the next film is supposedly headed even more into that genre). As much as I joke that I'm waiting for the gang to blast out of orbit for some spaceship racing (as per this pitch I suggested last year), it's nice when a franchise can stay reasonably grounded and consistent while making some slight changes along the way. That said, I'm also certain that I'd love a "Fast and the Furious" sequel that brought Charlie Sheen in as a phantom driver, a la the little-remembered movie "The Wraith."

By Christopher Campbell
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April 11, 2011 5:16 AM
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2 Comments

Nowadays, John Cameron Mitchell is known as an increasingly accomplished filmmaker, whose excellent "Rabbit Hole" can be currently viewed on Amazon Instant Video (and hits DVD and Blu-ray next Tuesday). But 25 years ago today, the guy who broke through with "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" saw one of his first major roles debut on the big screen. Opening April 11, 1986, "Band of the Hand" would finish the weekend #3 at the box office, just behind popular mainstays "The Money Pit" and "Police Academy 3: Back in Training."