Hit Me One More Time (2009 Feb 12)

What is the truest measure of Internet traffic? Once upon a time, that was an easy question to answer: the so-called "hit." Everyone used the term without really understanding what it meant. (Remember the ubiquitous odometer-like web counters?) ...

1980 (2009 Feb 10)

On January 1, 1980, I was 12 years old and roughly half-way through seventh grade. It was, as Charles Dickens wrote, "the best of times… the worst of times." Junior high school was hell. In those days (and I suspect it hasn't changed much), ...

The 1980s - An Introduction (2009 Feb 07)

After a long slumber, I am emerging from hibernation to provide new reviews of older movies. In the past, I have always found it more rewarding to group these so-called video reviews into themes - such as when I provided essays for all of the films ...

Attack of the On-Line Droogs (2009 Feb 04)

The Internet can be a hell of a nasty place in which to interact. It's a chicken-and-egg situation. Is the unpleasant and hostile on-line an environment the result of a growing cultural incivility and impoliteness, or are we becoming more ...

The Third Dimension (2009 Jan 31)

One question a lot of people are asking is whether 3-D is here to stay or whether it's a fad destined to fade as people grow tired of it. The answer lies in two arenas: the ability of technology to continually improve the process and the willingness...

The Column I Wasn't Going to Write (2009 Jan 28)

I wasn't planning to write a reaction to last week's Oscar nominations. The way I figure it, there's little I can add to the litany of cries (both pro and con) that are already out there. Plus, I find it boring to write about how Sally Hawkins was ...

Teen Angst (2009 Jan 26)

January 26, 2009: Australia Day, Chinese New Year, ReelViews becomes a teenager.If not for a snowstorm in January 1996, there might be no ReelViews. I'm driven by inertia. I can procrastinate with the best but, once I get started on something, I ...

ReelViews 2.1 (2009 Jan 20)

A good way to honor ReelViews' anniversary (January 26) is to provide a site upgrade. Hopefully, this one will be less traumatic than last June's, which caused untold anguish in some circles. This one is designed to sharpen the look of the site and...

Multiplex Tales (2009 Jan 18)

As the economy worsens, it's legitimate to ask how this is impacting the motion picture industry, if at all. It's a time-honored tradition that, in bad times, people often turn to entertainment as a means of escape. At about ten dollars per ticket...

Blu-Ray's Death: Rumors Exaggerated (2009 Jan 13)

I have received so many e-mails about my previous ReelThoughts entry ("The Death of Blu-Ray, 2030 A.D.") that I thought some kind of follow-up might be useful. This is one of those rare instances in which a fully interactive comments section would ...

The Death of Blu-Ray, 2030 A.D. (2009 Jan 07)

Since the present isn't high on my list of things to be excited about, let me speculate about the future…Two questions I am frequently asked: "Do you think Blu-Ray will have 'legs'?" and "What will replace it?" Both worthy questions, to be sure. ...

The Grinch After Christmas (2009 Jan 05)

Sorry if this seems gloomy, but I'm not in a good mood. I have an illness (congestion, post-sinus drip, fever, chills, body aches - most likely a bad cold). I'm annoyed by the lack of snow. And I just spent an hour analyzing the rest of the winter...

I'm Not Nostradamus (2009 Jan 01)

It's prediction time. A lot of people make predictions on or around January 1, but few bother to revisit them at the end of the year. However, I am a firm believer in reminding myself and my readers of what a terrible prognosticator I am. So, ...