— by CHAS BLANKENSHIP — The 1960s…a tumultuous decade defined by the emergence of counter culture, the exponential increase of narcotic experimentation and sexual promiscuity and an abysmal failure in the Vietnam War that left America disillusioned and radically altered. We traveled to[...]
Archive for the ‘Features’ Category
Biff! Bam!! POW!!!: Batman in the ’60s Part I
— by CHAS BLANKENSHIP — The ’60s. Thinking about the decade rings echoes of the past that range from over the top and commercially digestible to fundamentally altered and extraordinarily redefined.[...]
If I Was Making … ‘Star Trek 2’
— by BEN FOWLER — Never has such a franchise gone from the wastelands of geekdom to the gold-lined streets of mainstream success. With the surprise hit out the way, a lot rests on the follow up to deliver. If I was making the sequel, I would ensure the story is a fresh one. So […][...]
Batman: To Space, Caped Crusader! (1950 to 1959)
— by CHAS BLANKENSHIP — Surviving the end of the Depression, Batman also successfully maneuvered the pitfalls of potential irrelevance following World War II. From Commissioner Gordon to Robin to a colorful cast of nefarious villains, the Dark Knight and his team of writers and artists[...]
The Dirges’ Video for ‘The Saints are Coming’ Debuts
— by CASEY CRAWFORD — The “Boondock Saints” franchise has seen a lot of action over the past few months, beginning with the release of “Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day,” the highly-anticipated follow up to the 1999 original. In early 2010, cast and crew embarke[...]
Batman: The 1949 Motion Picture Serial
— by CHAS BLANKENSHIP — Antisocial Prof. Hammil’s Remote Control device, which enables the user to take over any motor vehicle within 50 miles, is stolen by The Wizard. Batman and Robin must now prevent the Wizard from obtaining diamonds, needed as fuel for the device, and also res[...]
‘Toy Story 3’: Drawn to Animation
— by ALLISON HIGGINBOTHAM — Eleven years after the release of “Toy Story 2,” the “Toy Story” franchise is continuing with “Toy Story 3.” Going this long between films is tricky. The kids who grew up seeing the films have grown up, but not to the age where they would h[...]
Batman: The 1943 Motion Picture Serial
— by CHAS BLANKENSHIP — Batman and Robin battle Japanese spymaster Tito Daka as he operates a covert espionage organization in Gotham City’s now-deserted Little Tokyo that turns American scientists into pliable zombies for the Third Reich.[...]
Batman: Origins of a Legend (1940 to 1949)
— by CHAS BLANKENSHIP — By 1940, with a sum total of nine issues of “Detective Comics” under his utility belt, Batman had successfully established himself as a power player in comics…a character whose foundations had laid the groundwork for a legacy with volumes of[...]
Short Film Theater: ‘Logorama’
— by KATHLEEN COLLINS — I have watched this short film twice and I was blown away each time. It is undeniably brilliant. The sound is fantastic, the animation is amazing and it’s just plain fun to watch.[...]
An Exclusive Interview with Norman Reedus
— by SEAN GERSKI — Back in 1999, when “Boondock Saints” came and went (after appearing in a handful of theaters), the odds of ever seeing a sequel to the movie were incalculably low. And, as time went by, the odds grew even longer. But “Boondock Saints” is not[...]
Batman: Dawn of a Hero (1939 to 1940)
— by CHAS BLANKENSHIP — Batman made his debut in “Detective Comics” issue #27 in the spring of 1939…in a story titled “The Case of the Chemical Syndicate.” The character, created by an earnest young cartoonist named Robert Kane, was visually inspired by a number of sources. His[...]
Elemental, Terrifying and Legendary: The Impact of Batman
— by CHAS BLANKENSHIP — The year was 1939…May, to be exact…and a breath was being held. Cartoonist Bob Kane, along with writer Bill Finger and editor Victor Sullivan, had a chance taken by DC Comics on a creation of Kane’s own making. It was a character made by Kane in the[...]