A Story Out of Time and Place and the Escape Hatch of Fantasy: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005) — Retro Nostalgia
With the monumental success of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (dir. Chris Columbus; 2001), Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (dir. Peter Jackson; 2001), and their immediate sequels, Hollywood perhaps hoped to capitalize on the epic fantasy feel of Tolkien’s narrative and the young adult/children’s audience that so fervently devoured the […]
Retro Nostalgia: Equilibrium (2002) and the Paradox of Emotion
If you blinked back in 2002, you might have missed this lesser known Christian Bale vehicle featuring stylish gun kata and deliberate and sometimes excessive homages to George Orwell’s 1984 (particularly the 1984 adaptation starring John Hurt). Indeed, one could describe Kurt Wimmer’s Equilibrium as Orwell on drugs. Here, Orwellian propaganda is apparent in the […]
Retro Nostalgia: Silent Running (1972; dir. Douglas Trumbull) and the Heroism of Environmental Madness
Undoubtedly, the 1970s was one of the most important decades for environmental issues. At the start of the decade, the environmentalist movement had become so influential that the United States government felt compelled to amend the Clean Air Act (in 1970) and the Water Pollution Control Act (1972). This action expanded the scope of the […]
Retro Nostalgia: Aliens (1986) and Ripley’s Maternities (Some Rambly Thoughts)
(What follows are some random thoughts I had while re-watching James Cameron’s Aliens. I’d love to open up a nice discussion about the film, so feel free to leave a comment agreeing/disagreeing with or adding to my argument(s).) I’ve always loved the relationship between Ripley and Hicks. Obviously, it’s implied that there’s a significant romantic […]
Retro Nostalgia: Contact (1997) and Conflating Faith and Science and Its Hopeful Ethos
Anyone with a passing familiarity with Carl Sagan’s popularization of science will recall his profound optimism, both with humanity’s scientific endeavors and its almost desperate need to strive for “more.” I think it’s fair to say that he imagined science as humanity’s great thrust to greatness — to controlling itself and its environment. After all, […]
Retro Nostalgia: Gattaca (1997) and Framing the Multivalent Ethical Dilemma
Before Andrew Niccol’s Gattaca (1997) begins in earnest, we are compelled to think about its underlying ethical dilemma: is a meritocratic system based on (mostly pre-selected) genetic variables justified, even if that means denying some people equal access simply because their genes say there is something wrong with them? If you have seen the film, […]