Category: Culture watch
Unlikely heroes want to do better?
by Ted Giese When it comes to MARVEL it looks like movie-goers are “hooked on a feeling” and the studio’s big gamble bringing the cult comic book Guardians of the Galaxy to the silver screen has paid off. With an opening weekend that dwarfed recent…
Hercules: not so strong on screen this time
by Ted Giese The new Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson 2014 film Hercules fits somewhere between Brad Pitt’s anti-supernatural, sword-and-sandal 2004 epic Troy and the cheesy, zany, over-the-top Kevin Sorbo 1990s television series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. This new iteration of the Greek hero opens with…
In review: Transformers 4 Age of Extinction
by Ted Giese If someone says the word “transformer” and the first thing that comes to mind is an electrical device in a covered box outside your house quietly transferring energy between two or more circuits, then the knowledge there’s a movie called Transformers 4…
How to Train Your Dragon 2: Children’s fantasy, grown-up ideas
by Ted Giese Building on How to Train Your Dragon’s story of complimentary parts making a whole, and how a change of perspective can improve a person’s overall outlook on life, DreamWorks’ sequel How to Train Your Dragon 2 again focuses on themes of friendship,…
Amazing Spider-Man 2: A David and Goliath tale
by Ted Giese The first words everyone hears as the closing credits roll following The Amazing Spider-Man 2 are from Kendrick Lamar: “And everyone knows the story of David and Goliath.” These are also the opening words of Alisha Keys’ song “It’s On Again,” which…
Heaven is For Real: Heart-warming film without a heavenly road-map
by Ted Giese Pulling into the number two spot at the box office on Easter weekend was the Christian-themed film Heaven is For Real, based on the popular book by the same name. The film, like the book, tells the story of young Colton Burpo…