Timeless Heroes: Indiana Jones and Harrison Ford

Timeless Heroes: Indiana Jones and Harrison Ford is a brilliant new documentary about the cinematic icon and iconic actor. “It’s not the years, honey, it’s the mileage.” – Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) If there’s something I’ve learned from watching the many Laurent Bouzereau documentaries through the years, it’s to never be disappointed. Sure enough, the filmmaker comes through yet again with a very informative documentary about not only Indiana Jones the character but Harrison Ford…

"Timeless Heroes: Indiana Jones and Harrison Ford"

Light & Magic Tells The Rich History of ILM

Light & Magic is a 6-part documentary series that goes back into the archives to give us the deep history of Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). The history of ILM cannot be told without George Lucas, John Dykstra, Ken Ralston, Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren, Robert Blalack, Joe Johnston, Phil Tippett, Steve Gawley, Lorne Peterson, and Paul Huston. It’s because of them that filmmaking would change as a result of a sci-fi film, Star Wars. Dennis Muren would also join the list of…

"Light & Magic Tells The Rich History of ILM"

Attack of the Clones: Reevaluating The Star Wars Prequel

After watching The Clone Wars and Obi-Wan Kenobi, I’m reevaluating Star Wars: Episode 2 – Attack of the Clones with a new review. My initial review ran during the Road to IX but since that time, I feel that the prequels were really enhanced by The Clone Wars. When one watches The Clone Wars, they get more out of the prequels. Adding onto that, Part V of Obi-Wan Kenobi puts the movie into a completely…

"Attack of the Clones: Reevaluating The Star Wars Prequel"

George Lucas: A Life by Brian Jay Jones

Brian Jay Jones writes the definitive biography of the Star Wars filmmaker in George Lucas: A Life–published by Little, Brown in 2016. Lucas is one of the greatest world-builders of all time.  Even when he wasn’t officially directing The Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi, he was still directing the film.  I mean, wouldn’t you want to be in charge of your own creation?  You can certainly understand why a filmmaker like Lucas…

"George Lucas: A Life by Brian Jay Jones"

James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction

James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction arrives home on Blu-ray and DVD after the six-part documentary series aired in 2018. This limited documentary series, which originally aired on AMC, features just about every major person ever associated with the genre.  Whether it’s filmmakers, visual effects designers, actors, or commentators, there is no shortage of commentary.  The commentary, of course, is expertly weaved in with montage of film clips or archive footage.  Most importantly, James Cameron’s…

"James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction"

Star Wars: Episode 4 – A New Hope – Road to IX

Star Wars: Episode 4 – A New Hope is the film that started it all by taking audiences back to a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) are the heart and soul of the original trilogy.  They all have their own place in the Rebellion against the Empire.  Luke yearns for an adventure in a way that is…

"Star Wars: Episode 4 – A New Hope – Road to IX"

Star Wars: Episode 3 – Revenge of the Sith

Star Wars: Episode 3 – Revenge of the Sith comes the closest to capturing the original trilogy’s magic as any of the prequel films possibly could. Unlike the original trilogy, Revenge of the Sith is the darkest of the first three films.  There’s a lot riding on the film because it must complete Anakin Skywalker’s (Hayden Christensen) turn to the dark side.  Anakin’s path towards becoming Darth Vader started in the previous film but let’s…

"Star Wars: Episode 3 – Revenge of the Sith"

Star Wars: Episode 2 – Attack of the Clones

Star Wars: Episode 2 – Attack of the Clones has the hard part of setting up much of the next film in the trilogy but was terrible in execution. This film had a few things to do.  One is setting up the relationship between Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) and Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman).  The second is coming up with the origins of the Clone Wars, where Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) fought alongside Skywalker.  At some…

"Star Wars: Episode 2 – Attack of the Clones"

Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace

Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace takes us all the way back to the start of Anakin Skywalker’s story as the saga begins. Long before there was ever a Darth Vader to taunt the galaxy, there was a young kid named Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) living in the Outer Rim territories on Tatooine.  All young Anakin wanted to do was to escape this planet and become a pilot.  Life isn’t easy, my young…

"Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace"

Tribeca 2019: Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound

Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound digs deep into the craft that make our favorite films what they are by looking at the sound design. More often than not, we think of sound design as being one of the technical awards come the Oscars.  The fact of the matter is that it’s more than just a tech award.  Sound mixing and sound design go hand in hand but without them, films wouldn’t be the…

"Tribeca 2019: Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound"