CB Guide To Indiana Jones - read it
Who would have thought that, nineteen years after Indiana Jones rode off into the sunset with his good friends and father, the man with the hat would be back? Even in the sequel-obsessed Hollywood days we live in, few expected to see Dr. Jones returning for another adventure, and I had turned my adventure sights to competing second-bests like The Mummy and National Treasure. read the rest
CB Guide To Narnia - read it
Without the box office success of Lord of the Rings, it’s quite likely that Disney never would have dipped its toe into the world of Narnia movie making. Ironically, without LOTR author J.R.R Tolkien, it’s quite likely C.S. Lewis never would have written The Chronicles of Narnia to begin with. Both Lewis and Tolkien started out at Oxford as members of the Inklings, a literary discussion group where young authors got together and discussed their unfinished work. It was there that the two became fast friends and eventually literary and ideological rivals. read the rest
CB Guide To Iron Man - read it
Iron Man made his first appearance in 1963, as part of “Tales of Suspense”, a series of science fiction anthologies which gave artists a place to showcase their work. The character was created, as almost all those early Marvel characters were, by the great Stan Lee and a group of writers and artists like Jack Kirby, Don Heck, and Larry Lieber. Unlike a lot of superhero characters from the same era, there is no real separation between who Iron Man is in and out of his suit. Outside of the suit he’s Tony Stark, billionaire industrialist and brilliant inventor. read the rest
| CB Guide To Pirates of the Caribbean - read it |
| I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Jack Sparrow never should have worked. Every time I watch that first film, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl I’m reminded of how far fetched Johnny Depp’s Glam-Pirate character is. Prancing around with mascara and a definitely feminine side, the character broke the mold for pirates. This wasn’t the rough and tumble type everyone expected. It was, however, exactly what Disney needed for success. Let’s face it – without Sparrow there wouldn’t be much of a franchise. We’ve all seen Orlando Bloom swing a sword to varying levels of success. Keira Knightly had long since proven she was anything but the damsel in distress prior to the role of Elizabeth Swan. read the rest |
| CB Guide To Shrek - read it |
| Shrek showed people something new, and in the process became a phenomenon. What was new about Shrek? Attitude. While many brilliant mainstream animated movies like The Lion King or Pixar's Toy Story had been able to cross generational lines before to appeal to audiences of all ages, Shrek seemed to have more to offer strictly for adults than most Shrek was hip. Shrek was now. Shrek was flat out funny. The movie took an amalgam of cookie cutter fairytales, threw them in a blender, twisted them up and turned inside out, to create something hat is almost irresistibly attractive to children yet at the same time perfect for adults. It doesn't just appeal to all ages, it appeals specifically to certain ages for different reasons. read the rest |
| CB Guide To Spider-Man - read it |
| Typically, as stories are moved to other mediums, particularly film, things have to be changed, but instead of suddenly making Parker some dashing Casanova who always comes out on top, Sam Raimi and writers like David Koepp and Alvin Sargent stayed true to the character. Through Tobey Maguire’s performance, Parker is just as big an underdog as always, and Raimi makes sure life is never easy for the hero. read the rest |
| CB Guide To Grindhouse - read it |
| Most of us were either too young, or had parents who were too attentive to get in on the grindhouse cinema craze, if you can even call it a craze. It kicked off in the 60s and by the end of the 80s had died out, killed off by the power of home video. Today's grindhouse candidates end up going straight to DVD, along with Bambi II and American Pie 17: Stiffler Goes To Uranus. But for Quentin Tarantino, the grindhouse was where he spent his childhood, obsessing over bad B-movies and films that he probably had no business watching. read the rest |
| CB Guide To Superman - read it |
| In his nearly seventy year career Superman has leaped to unheard of popularity, becoming the most famous comic book character in the world. Since his inception he's conquered nearly every form of media. Comics, radio plays, television series, feature films. Superman is more than just a character now, he's an American icon, a symbol for truth, justice, and the American way… whatever that means. read the rest |
| CB Guide To V For Vendetta - read it |
| In 1982 the first issue of Alan Moore and David Lloyd's ten issue comic series 'V for Vendetta' arrived in the hands of disco-dancin eighties nerds, and blew them away. Originally, the comic was conceived as a dark adventure strip, somewhere on its originally black and white pages it became something more. Set in a dismal, dystopian near future, the books told the story of a masked, Guy Fawkes inspired rebel codenamed 'V' battling an oppressive government. read the rest |
| CB Guide To Harry Potter - read it |
| The boy wizard, who arrived on the scene less then a decade ago, has already been the subject of six best-selling novels, three of which have already been translated into box office blockbuster movies. With Goblet of Fire, the fourth book in the series, making it’s theatrical debut on November 18th, we thought it would be a good opportunity to present the Cinema Blend guide to all things Harry. read the rest |
CB Guide To Batman - read it
When Batman first appeared in May of 1939, he wasn’t just brutal vigilante. Rather, he was a determined detective. Drawn by Bob Kane his first outing was in Detective Comics #27 in a six page story entitled “The Case of the Chemical Syndicate”. From there he exploded into multiple comic books of his own, television shows, lunch boxes, movies, and even a box of cereal or two. Since his inception, Batman has become a pop icon, and is without a doubt rivaled only by Superman as the most well known superhero. read the rest
CB Guide To Star Wars - read it
In 1976 George Lucas was just that guy who made American Graffit and was currently working on some cheesy outer space project that no one believed in. In July 1977 Star Wars debuted and became the biggest cultural phenomenon in history. I was six months old at the time, and I’m told I saw it twice. My apologies to anyone stuck in the theater with me, I hope I wasn’t fussy. read the rest
