To truly understand the impact of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws on the pop cultural landscape, one need only look at the number of cash-in films created in its wake. The decade following its release saw a staggering number of water – based terrors from both independent and established studios looking to scare up even a fraction of the ticket sales that Jaws had generated. Not counting several retitled documentaries and action films that proliferated just months after its release, the films that were made in direct response to the Universal hit were a strange and interesting lot.
Read MoreCheers to You, Dr. Lilith Sternin
Greetings, CineDump! I know I’ve been gone a long time, and here I am, walk of shame ready, shoes in hand, half-empty Lonestar in hip pocket, and nothing to give you but a hard time. I’ll be real with you for a minute: As my oh-so-witty, boozy film reviews last year might have revealed, I had some shit to get in order.
Read MoreBethany's Picks - Favorite Fun Moments of Horror
This time of year, you might be inclined to watch a scary movie or two. I am inclined to do this all year round. After a lifetime of watching everything from successful slasher franchises, to lesser-known “Z” movies, and some fantastic international entries into the genre, I have seen a lot of scary, not so scary, and downright laughable horror films.
Read MoreAtomic Blonde and Toby Fucking Jones
I just can’t help it--I’m a fool for trailers. Some women squander promising lives on unworthy men, self-destructive behavior, or the ever evolving siren’s song of Lifetime movies. But not me. I'm a shameless trailer mark and the studios see this rube coming from a mile off.
Read MorePennie’s Picks: In Defense of 5 B-Team Bad Guys
Everyone has vices. They entice us, thrill us, and make life just a little more complicated than it has to be. For me, my two vices are interrelated: bad guys and underdogs.
Read MoreWar for the Planet of the Apes: Man vs. Ape
With War for the Planet of the Apes breaking out on cinema screens, we look at exactly how us humans measure up with our closest cousins in the Animal Kingdom. Around six-to-eight million years ago — a mere blink of an eye in evolutionary terms — humans and chimpanzees went their own ways. Previous to that, we were one and the same species, and even now we remain genetically closer than dogs and wolves.
Read MoreAdapting Stephen King
I have never been a “the book is better than the movie” person. Sure, I think that sometimes an adaptation can really miss the mark of the book’s intent, or leave out one of my favorite plot points, but I hate comparing one medium to the other. Movies don’t have to remind us which characters are talking, or go into detail about a room’s furniture, or make it clear when one scene is over and a new one is beginning.
Read MoreBethany's Picks - Inside No. 9
A year ago, I got the opportunity to develop an Honors course at the university I work at. Without hesitation, I came up with the theme: anthology television. I grew up watching The Twilight Zone, and Night Gallery, and Tales from the Crypt.
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