Robert Jones's Blog, page 2

Science Fiction and the Soul

It’s no great secret that science fiction often reflects cultural beliefs at a given time. A good example of this is Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956 Walter Wanger Pictures, Inc.; directed by Don Siegel) based on a book of the same title by Jack Finney. I prefer the book to the movie, but I like … Continue reading Science Fiction and the Soul →

Suspense With A Soul

The best science fiction and fantasy puts people front and center, and it encourages us to think about our ethics in real life. A Quiet Place (2018 Paramount, directed by John Krasinski) does just that. While I was watching this movie, and for days afterward, I asked myself about my values and whether I loved … Continue reading Suspense With A Soul →

Erecting Barriers (2)

The Great Wall (China Film Group, Legendary Entertainment, Universal Pictures) was a pretty good movie for its genre, but it wasn’t a great one. Were it not for the controversy surrounding this film, I would have devoted only one post to it. I did not have high expectations, but the longer I watched it, the … Continue reading Erecting Barriers (2) →

Erecting Barriers (1)

Let’s get the unpleasant part out of the way first. Was The Great Wall (China Film Group, Universal) an example of whitewashing and Asian stereotyping? I think the short answer is no, but since I’m a 64-year-old white guy, that could sound insensitive if I don’t explain myself further. Let’s pause for a picture. Below … Continue reading Erecting Barriers (1) →

Congratulations, Doug

Okay. This is very cool. The Shape of Water (2017 Fox Searchlight, directed by Guillermo del Toro) won some Oscars at this year’s Academy Awards, including for Best Director and Best Picture. I watched the WHOLE THING, all three and a half hours of it, just to see how this movie would do. The high … Continue reading Congratulations, Doug →

Getting It Right (4)

This is my final installment concerning Black Panther (2018 Disney Marvel, Directed by Ryan Coogler), and I thought an appropriate summary would be a listing of the scenes which resonated most with me on an emotional level. Unfortunately, they didn’t involve breathless action, so I couldn’t find many pictures. Both ancestral scenes got to me. … Continue reading Getting It Right (4) →

Getting It Right (3)

  And… action! Here, I must offer a minor criticism. The action sequences set in dark environments during Black Panther (2018 Disney Marvel, directed by Ryan Coogler) were hard for my older eyes to follow. Some of the still shots from these sequences were iconic, but the flow of the action was choppy in places, probably … Continue reading Getting It Right (3) →

Getting It Right (2)

  So… how good was Black Panther (2018 Disney Marvel, directed by Ryan Coogler)? It lived up to its hype, which is saying a lot. The cast was typically  impressive for the MCU and included Chadwick Boseman in the title role, Letitia Wright as his delightfully uppity and precocious little sister, Michael B. Jordan as … Continue reading Getting It Right (2) →

Getting It Right (1)

I have mentioned in a post series titled Recovering Ideals (under the category of Graphic Mythology – black strip on the left) how my friends and I emulated Superman in our play. While looking at some recent talk show videos on Youtube, I really began to understand how important it was for the black community to … Continue reading Getting It Right (1) →

A Big Ape, An Island, And Disgusting Monsters

I originally had my doubts about extensively reviving the Toho cinematic universe. With all those monsters, I feared it would disintegrate into a cluttered, implausible (I mean, REALLY implausible) mess. If Kong: Skull Island (2017,  Legendary Entertainment and Warner Brothers, directed by Jordan Vogt Roberts) is any indication, I need not have worried. I can’t … Continue reading A Big Ape, An Island, And Disgusting Monsters →