By Nick Maylor I’m not a huge fan of making these big lists. Ranking stuff, in general, is tricky. Many films are simply “apples” that often get compared with “oranges”. The Marvel Cinematic Universe features so many films that span several genres. The first two decades of this century have seen a cinema that is…
By Nick Maylor (***) Following the plot/timeline of any of the Terminator films is tricky. The time-travel and pre/post-apocalyptic plot elements don’t make for a simple narrative structure. The 4th and 5th installments of the franchise each ignored (in part or completely) one or more of the films that preceded it and Tim Miller’s Terminator:…
By Nick Maylor Kevin Smith took a brief sabbatical from filmmaking after the perceived failure of Zack & Miri Make a Porno (2008), a film that saw the worst box office opening for star Seth Rogen. With Zack & Miri, Smith was clearly trying to make a film that would play to a certain type…
By Nick Maylor Since Ridley Scott’s original Alien (1979), “synthetic” characters (androids/robots) have been a tradition in the franchise, starting with Ian Holm’s character Ash. In Aliens (1986), it was Bishop (Lance Henriksen) and so on. These characters are seen as virtually (if not totally) indistinguishable from humans. In Prometheus (2012), Ridley Scott sought to…
By Nick Maylor This Halloween, we here at Foote & Friends on Film will each be taking a look at a specific horror sub-genre, highlighting films that exemplify the best each genre has to offer. Alan’s article came first where he took a look at movies featuring witches. John then explored werewolves. For my piece,…
By Nick Maylor Bill Murray is a comedic legend that has firmly cemented himself as a great dramatic actor. With his appearance in Lost in Translation (2003), Murray showed that he had serious skill for the dramatic in addition to his omnipresent, unrivaled mastery of being one of the funniest people in the world. I…
By Nick Maylor (***1/2) Bryan Cranston’s portrayal of high school teacher turned drug kingpin Walter White/Heisenberg on the series Breaking Bad has been heralded as one of the finest pieces of acting this century, if not of all time. For those of you who haven’t watch Breaking Bad, a SPOILER ALERT is now in effect.…
By Nick Maylor It’s good for an actor’s image if they’re seen as willing to poke fun at themselves. Robert De Niro helped define a character archetype by appearing in some of the most important crime films of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Winning an Oscar for his role as Don Vito Corleone in The…
By Nick Maylor Many Americans were not living the dream during the 1930’s, aside from the massive economic hardships suffered due to the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl forced countless American families living in the Plain states to relocate, many of them to California. It was a mass exodus that saw nearly 3.5 million people…
By Nick Maylor This fantasy-comedy starring and co-directed by Warren Beatty was adapted from Harry Segall’s play of the same name, which had already been made into a film once with Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941). The story involves life, death, second chances and the fallibility of guardian Angels (particularly ones new on the job).…