CinemaVille

CinemaVille 9: Star Wars, Toni Erdmann and The Death of Cinema: 2016 Edition

It's time for my last installment in the Wonders in the Dark Sci Fi countdown, George Lucas' seminal 1977 film, Star Wars. Joining me for the discussion is Joel Bocko of Lost in the Movies, while I share my thoughts on whether or not there's any hope left for the state of cinema in the wake of a summer of movies and an upcoming awards season that includes the German equivalent of an Adam Sandler comedy. 

CinemaVille 8: THX 1138 and Alan Fish

This episode focuses on George Lucas' debut masterpiece THX 1138, number 39 on the Wonders in the Dark sci fi countdown, but also takes some time to look back with appreciation to the recently departed Alan Fish, co-founder of the Wonders site and one of the greatest undiscovered cinematic critics of this generation.

CinemaVille 7: Akira

Today, we reach one of the definitive anime experiences of the past 30 years, Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira. Along with that, some musings on what it means to predict the future, and what we're best left looking forward to in all tomorrow's apocalypses.

CinemaVille 6: Revenge of the Sith and the Legend of Billie Jean

When George Lucas made the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, he had to contend with the undue hype placed upon it by nostalgia-addled fans who wouldn't accept anything that didn't show up in their rose-colored glasses. Now, nostalgia has all but become its own cottage industry, with television series like Stranger Things and Mr. Robot making use of that instinctual pull towards the past to both win praise and deconstruct their subject matter. Today on CinemaVille I tackle the questions of both Lucas' final Star Wars film, Revenge of the Sith, and my own little nostalgic favorite, The Legend of Billie Jean.

CinemaVille 5: Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion

From Joel Bocko: "The End of Evangelion" is an unusual spin-off of a TV series (only "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me" might be more unusual). It both concludes and subverts the series, veering way into experimental territory while still wrapping up the narrative which the show "Neon Genesis Evangelion" began. I've covered the film in almost every form imaginable - reviews, written conversations, visual tributes, and video essays - so I decided to take a new appraoch this time. With Bob Clark's permission, I stepped in as a guest host on the CinemaVille podcast and together we analyze the film, exploring its connections not just to the series but to the Czech play R.U.R., and Dante's Divine Comedy. There's a lot to dig into here, some grab some popcorn and get ready to start tumbling down, tumbling down, tumbling down...

CinemaVille 4: Neon Genesis Evangelion and Angels in America

Hideaki Anno's "Neon Genesis Evangelion" is one of the true masterpieces of anime and science fiction as a whole, so it's little wonder it popped up on the Wonders in the Dark Sci Fi countdown. But what does it have to do with Tony Kushner's landmark "Angels in America"? I talk about this and a number of other things with fellow Wonders contributor Joel Bocko on the latest CinemaVille

CinemaVille 3: Paprika and the 2016 US Presidential Election

The Wonders in the Dark Sci-Fi countdown continues with Paprika, the last film directed by the late master Satoshi Kon. Checkerphil and I continue our conversation on anime, while I offer my thoughts on the current US Presidential race, recently officially given its belabored kickstart with the nomination of Trump and Hillary Clinton.

CinemaVille 2: Until the End of the World and Ghost in the Shell

Continuing the Wonders in the Dark Sci Fi countdown, this episode features an extended conversation on Mamoru Oshii's anime classic Ghost in the Shell with Checkerphill of New York television's Checkerboard Kids, as well as a short rumination on the overlooked gem Until the End of the World. How overlooked was it? So overlooked nobody at the site remembered to write anything about it for its spot on the countdown, including me, somebody who actually voted for it!

CinemaVille 1: Heaven's Gate and The Phantom Menace

Episode 1 of CinemaVille, meet Star Wars, Episode 1! Today we tackle the first movie of the Prequel Trilogy as part of Wonders in the Dark's countdown of Science Fiction films, as well as pay tribute to the recently departed Michael Cimino, director of The Deer Hunter and Heaven's Gate.