MOVIES

‘The Exorcist’ Hollywood’s Imagination, And Our Obsession With Evil
CELEBRITY NEWS, CULTURE, MOVIES, SUPERNATURAL

‘The Exorcist’ Hollywood’s Imagination, And Our Obsession With Evil

50 years later, ‘The Exorcist’ continues to possess Hollywood’s imagination, reflecting our obsession with evil. When the “The Exorcist” premiered 50 years ago, in December 1973, some theatergoers fainted or broke down in tears. A few even vomited. The film, which cast a young Linda Blair as a girl claiming to be possessed by the devil, was an almost instant success, with moviegoers waiting in line for hours to secure tickets. It went on to gross over US$440 million worldwide. The horror film eventually received two Oscars, for Best Sound and Best Adapted Screenplay. In the 50 years since, the cultural fascination with Satan has persisted. But as religiosity has waned, popular portrayals of Satan have also changed. Rather than embody pure evil, Luciferian characters that are complicated – ...
The Incredible Impact Of Richard Burton And Elizabeth Taylor
MOVIES, TOP FOUR

The Incredible Impact Of Richard Burton And Elizabeth Taylor

Erotic Vagrancy: Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor biography revels in scandal and excess of Hollywood glamour couple. Roger Lewis’s biographies are always rich, wayward, engrossing, idiosyncratic and above all obsessive, which seems entirely fitting for evoking the particular qualities of his latest subject – the celebrity couple to end them all, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. Lewis’s substantial new book, Erotic Vagrancy: Everything About Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, takes its title from a phrase used in a papal condemnation of the couple when their affair began during the making of 20th Century Fox’s epic 1963 film Cleopatra in Rome. This served to emphasise the atmosphere of notoriety that surrounded Taylor and Burton’s relationship throughout its 20-year duration. It a...
As Entertaining As The ‘Barbie’ And ‘Star Wars’ Universes Are, They Also Unexpectedly Can Help People Understand Why Revolutions Happen
MOVIES, THE TRENDS, TOP FOUR

As Entertaining As The ‘Barbie’ And ‘Star Wars’ Universes Are, They Also Unexpectedly Can Help People Understand Why Revolutions Happen

The ‘Barbie’ and ‘Star Wars’ universes are entertaining, but they also unexpectedly can help people understand why revolutions happen. Barbie dolls and “Star Wars” movies and toys have entertained generations of American children – in many cases, well into adulthood. But these brands’ influence stretches beyond a penchant for hot pink and lightsaber battles. In particular, both the “Barbie” movie, released in July 2023, and a “Star Wars” franchise television series called “Andor” offer important lessons about revolutions. Hollywood has long been obsessed with revolutions. There are uprisings in other popular movie franchises like “The Hunger Games,” “Harry Potter” and “Avatar.” In each fictional universe, an oppressed group stages a revolution that fights for political and economic free...
SAG-AFTRA Flexing Their Labor Power
CELEBRITY NEWS, MOVIES, TELEVISION, TOP IMAGE

SAG-AFTRA Flexing Their Labor Power

From Picket Lines to Plot Lines Hundreds of thousands of creative workers in the film and television industry are currently flexing their labor power. For the first time in more than 60 years, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild (which merged with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists in 2012 to become SAG-AFTRA) are striking simultaneously. Filming has halted midproduction and press junkets are on hold. Negotiations are reportedly poised to resume on August 4. At the heart of the unions’ conflict with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents all the major entertainment media corporations, are the issues of royalty payments—known as residuals—and the use of artificial intelligence (AI). The former is an ...
Barbie Is The Classic Material Girl — For Better Or Worse
MOVIES, TOP FOUR

Barbie Is The Classic Material Girl — For Better Or Worse

Barbie is — and has always been — a material girl. That’s one message from scholars as the first live-action “Barbie” film opens Friday amid a fresh wave of merch, product collabs and advertising that highlights her characteristic consumerism. That consumption also isn’t all Barbie represents, they say, pointing to controversies over her problematic proportions, her potential to empower as a single woman without children and her evolution to reflect American culture’s changing tastes. Barbie’s Corvette convertible, tricked-out Dreamhouse and revolving door of pink outfits in the film say as much about the titular character as any dialogue in a movie that features three recent Oscar nominees — director Greta Gerwig and stars Margot Robbie (Barbie) and Ryan Gosling (Ken). One tween in t...
A Brief History Of Barbie’s Boyfriend, From All-American Boy To Movie Star — ‘I’m Just Ken’
MOVIES, TOP FOUR

A Brief History Of Barbie’s Boyfriend, From All-American Boy To Movie Star — ‘I’m Just Ken’

‘I’m just Ken’ – a brief history of Barbie’s boyfriend, from all-American boy to movie star. As first boyfriends go, you could do worse than Ken Carson. Introduced in 1961 by Mattel, the Ken doll was the epitome of the all-American boy next door. Clean cut, athletic and with a sharp haircut, he was the perfect counterpart to his more famous girlfriend, Barbie. Ken’s first item of clothing was a pair of red swimming trunks, indicating his sportiness and reflecting the modern American lifestyle of leisure and penchant for outdoor recreation. Created by Barbie’s inventor Ruth Handler, Ken was a boyfriend designed by women for girls. Just as Barbie was named after Handler’s daughter, so Ken was named after her son. And so the safe, boyfriend-friend dynamic of Barbie and Ken’s relationship ...
The Barbie Movie A Bold Step To Reinvent And Fix Past Wrongs Or A Clever Ploy To Tap A New Market?
MOVIES

The Barbie Movie A Bold Step To Reinvent And Fix Past Wrongs Or A Clever Ploy To Tap A New Market?

Is the Barbie movie a bold step to reinvent and fix past wrongs or a clever ploy to tap a new market? After a months-long marketing blitz, the much-hyped Barbie movie is released this week. From a Malibu Barbie dreamhouse listed on AirBnB, an AI tool that transforms selfies into Barbie movie posters and multiple Barbie-themed brand collaborations ranging from nail polish to roller skates, Barbie is everywhere. She has even gone viral as a fashion trend known as Barbiecore, exploding across social media with people embracing vibrant pink hues and hyper feminine aesthetics. A Barbie world is upon us. Although some have criticized this saturation strategy, it is a very deliberate marketing ploy to revitalize and redefine a brand with a contested position and history. As well as attracting...
A Body Horror Film Of Fatness Fear ‘The Whale’
MOVIES, TOP FOUR

A Body Horror Film Of Fatness Fear ‘The Whale’

‘The Whale’ is a horror film that taps into our fear of fatness. I knew before seeing “The Whale” that it was a movie about a man named Charlie who weighs over 600 pounds, is grief-stricken over the death of his partner, and is effectively trapped in his apartment due to his weight. I also knew that “The Whale” had attracted a great deal of criticism, provoking anger, disgust and accusations of exploitation. Despite the controversy, Brendan Fraser’s performance has been widely praised, and he won best actor at the 95th Academy Awards. But what I didn’t know was that this film would make me cry. As I left the theater, I found myself hyperaware of my own fat body moving through the parking lot, and I started to feel the way I often do when I see a reflection of myself in a mirror: monstrou...
Why A Night To Remember Is The Definitive Film On The Titanic
CELEBRITY NEWS, MOVIES, TOP FOUR

Why A Night To Remember Is The Definitive Film On The Titanic

It has been 110 years since the sinking of the Titanic. Over 1,500 passengers and crew perished in one of the deadliest maritime disasters during peacetime. The story of the ship and its passengers has long since taken on mythic proportions and has been committed to film many times. James Cameron’s clunky offering from 1997 might come to mind first, but I recommend going straight to Roy Ward Baker’s highly regarded A Night to Remember from 1958 for a more measured appraisal of the disaster. The Titanic fascinates filmmakers because it has everything a dramatist could ever want: heroism, sacrifice, decency and grace under pressure. Cowardice and self-preservation are there, too. The ship offers up a microcosm of society in which class divisions are given greater urgency when life and deat...
“Radio” One Of The Most Under-Rated And Under-Appreciated Films In Movie History
CELEBRITIES, MOVIES

“Radio” One Of The Most Under-Rated And Under-Appreciated Films In Movie History

Radio - 4 Stars (Excellent) "Radio"-the true story of high school football coach Harold Jones and a mentally-challenged young man named James Robert "Radio" Kennedy-might well be one of the most under-rated and under-appreciated movies in film history. James Kennedy was nicknamed "Radio" by the townspeople of Anderson, South Carolina because he was always listening to discarded radios. As a youth he would push or ride a grocery cart down the street, talking to no one. It was 1976 and Radio did not attend school because he was mentally challenged, and an easy target for kids more fortunate. After some football players on coach Harold Jones' T. L. Hanna High School team harass, intimidate and scare the living daylights out of Radio (played by Cuba Gooding Jr.), Jones befriends and prot...