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Forgotten Film Gems: National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon 1
Do yourself a favor and go watch National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon 1 right now. Seriously. It’s on Netflix and it’s probably also at your local library. This is one of the funniest movies I’ve ever...
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6 Movies That Are Better If You Skip the First Half
Some movies are so perfectly set up that you can’t skip a second without feeling totally lost or missing something vital to the whole experience. Films in this category include such gems as Inception,...
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Movie Matchups: Die Hard vs. Crocodile Dundee II
What do Speed, Cliffhanger, Air Force One, and Sudden Death have in common? They all copy the plot of Crocodile Dundee II. I’m serious. Not Die Hard. The sequel to the popular Paul Hogan vehicle from...
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10 Classic Films You Probably Didn’t Know Are Based on Books
This isn’t the first time I’ve delved into film adaptations of novels. I’ve listed movies that barely resemble the books they’re based on and movies that contradict their books’ endings. This time I’ll...
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Forgotten Film Gems: The Hunt for Red October
The first movie with Jack Ryan, Tom Clancy’s put-upon CIA agent, is still the best in that series. The Hunt for Red October came out in March 1990, it made a killing at the box office, and then it...
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Unceremonious Ways Sequels Dump the Previous Film’s Love Interest
Sequels are never easy. They have to continue where the last film left off and add something new to the mix so they don’t feel stale. Frequently this involves writing out the previous love interest in...
View ArticleDoes Die Hard Have a Good Soundtrack?
I love Die Hard. It’s practically flawless as an action movie. But I have to ask, does Die Hard have a good soundtrack? Is any of its music particularly memorable, melodic, or meaningful? No, it’s just...
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What Makes a Movie Endlessly Rewatchable?
When I finish watching great films like The Godfather or The Deer Hunter, I feel like my mind has enjoyed a sumptuous meal. I’m completely satisfied, and I don’t feel the need to return to them and...
View Article10 Great Standoffs in Movies
Standoffs are great because they create instant drama and force characters to reveal important parts of their personalities by how they react. When two or more characters face a situation in which they...
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Die Hard Isn’t Just a Christmas Movie, It’s a Chiasmus Movie
The story structure of Die Hard forms a really cool chiasmus, meaning that its first and second halves mirror each other. This is the second film I was sent by a reader named Jay. He mapped it all out...
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