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50 Years of Bondage, by the Numbers (Part 1) (2012 Oct 08)

The first time I saw him was on television. It was a Sunday night in the autumn of 1977. The ABC Sunday Night Movie. Live and Let Die. Probably not the network TV premiere; that was likely a year or two earlier. (In the '70s, movies typically reached...

50 Years of Bondage, by the Numbers (Part 2) (2012 Oct 16)

Part One can be found here.After Roger Moore's departure, there was a great deal of media speculation about his replacement. The front-runner, Pierce Brosnan, was selected to step into Moore's shoes. However, between the "unofficial" announcement and...

Beat Berardinelli 2012 Edition (2012 Feb 17)

There's a dual purpose to this post: to provide my Oscar picks and to introduce a contest that will allow someone to win a fabulous prize for doing a better job than me. I don't consider myself an expert Oscar prognosticator; I average around 67% ...

By George! Defending Lucas (Part 1) (2012 Jan 22)

Note: This was originally designed to be a single post but, by the time I finished writing it, I realized it was too long to be reasonably read in one sitting. So I'm splitting it into two pieces. Part two will be posted in about one week.By now, I...

By George! Defending Lucas (Part 2) (2012 Jan 31)

Here's a link to Part One, in which I discussed two of the three most common complaints about George Lucas. Part Two picks up with some comments about the third "sore spot."Finally, there's the whole merchandising situation. In some circles, Lucas ...

Christmas in Blockbusterland (2012 Jul 18)

"Having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true. " - Spock, "Amok Time"When I was a kid, my favorite day of the year was December 24. Not Christmas Day, but the day before. For me, that was the ...

Don't Worry, Be Happy (2012 Feb 07)

Once upon a time, I too bristled with indignation when a film or performance I believed to be deserving was snubbed by those blind bastards who select the Oscar nominations. How dare they ignore the great and worthy performance of William Shatner in ...

Episode VII (2012 Dec 23)

In the summer of 1977, there was only Star Wars. No "Episode IV." No "A New Hope." Just Star Wars. That talk started when the greatly anticipated sequel was released as Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. This provoked discussion in fan ...

FAQ: Addendum (2012 Aug 28)

Have I have written a FAQ? Yes. If you dig around in the site's attic, you can probably find it. I'm not going to publicize the location since much of the information in it is hopelessly outdated. FAQs used to be common ways of conveying information...

Has Christopher Nolan Killed Batman? (2012 Jul 20)

Don't worry - NO SPOILERS!!![The following was originally written for intended publication by CNN on July 20, 2012. Following the movie theater massacre in Aurora, Colorado at a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises, CNN understandably elected ...

Refurbishing TITANIC (2012 Apr 15)

When it arrived in theaters the weekend before Christmas in 1997, no one knew what to expect from James Cameron's mammoth Titanic. The media was prepared to liken the movie - the most expensive ever to-date - to the ship. The iceberg, some thought, ...

Reviewing the Budget (2012 Mar 22)

John Carter is going to lose $200 million for Disney. The Hunger Games may have the biggest all-time March opening. The Dark Knight Rises/ may pose a threat to Avatar's position as the all-time domestic box office king, if Titanic hasn't re-taken the...

Rewinding 2012 - The Top 10 (2012 Dec 31)

Another year, another Top 10. A few notes/curiosities… First, 2012 was one of the best movie years of the young century, although I might not have held that opinion on November 1. This year was incredibly back-loaded, far more so than usual. It's ...

Rise of the Turkeys, 2012 Edition (2012 Nov 24)

In the United States, it's a ritual: the fourth Thursday of November is a holiday devoted to the admirable pursuit of gluttony. Somewhere in there, turkey is typically consumed, but not nearly as much as was prepared. This leads to a weekend of ...

The 2012 Halftime Top 10 (2012 Jul 12)

When did I start compiling "half-year" Top 10 lists? Looking through my records, this looks like the ninth consecutive year I have engaged in this exercise. I'm sure I'm not the only one who does this, but it's not as prevalent an activity as the one...

The First Date Movie Fallacy (2012 Jun 15)

"Dear Mr. B, Pardon me if it sounds like I should be writing to a Lonely Hearts Advisor, but I have a question I thought you could answer. This Friday, I'm going out on a first date with a girl I have had a crush on since junior high. We both just ...

The PG-13 Fuck (2012 Mar 16)

There was a time when I used this space for occasional rants against the MPAA. It was all repetitive venting, of course, since what I wrote carried no more weight than the angry words of anyone not directly associated with the secretive group of men ...