2019 is flying by. From the good to the bad to the so-so, we discuss movie trends so far this year and what we hope is coming in the second half of 2019.
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Culture Crash 19-24: The Rise of the Supervillain in “Brightburn”
We discuss the new movie produced by Sony Pictures titled “Brightburn”. The film is different than the typical storyline in that it chronicles the rise of a superhero that uses his power for evil rather than good.
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Culture Crash 19-17: Adapting a Book Into a Movie: Annihilation
The sci-fi adventure movie, Annihilation, is based on a book but the adaptation is looser than what we typically expect. How director Alex Garland created something new.
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19-16 Segment 2: The Lady from the Black Lagoon
Horror movies are major box office. Some experts see the film “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” as a turning point. One reason is the Gill Man character, created by an often overlooked female trailblazer in monster design, Millicent Patrick. An author who has researched Patrick discusses her significance in American culture and the horror film genre.
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Culture Crash 19-15: The Increasing Cost of Cutting the Cord
Streaming services are multiplying, and none of them carry everything. Many people are finding that satisfying their TV viewing desires through streaming services is getting as expensive as cable.
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Culture Crash 19-14: Sketch Comic Becomes Movies’ Hottest Horror Director
Jordan Peele used to be best known as a sketch comic, but his second film as a director, “Us,” is showing that the success of his first, “Get Out,” was no fluke.
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Culture Crash 19-11: Do we all have the cultural taste of our 15 year-old selves?
Anecdotal evidence and some real data science both suggest that we never grow out of the things we loved at 15.
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Culture Crash 19-05: On Ethan Hawke and Oscar Snubs
Every year, there is some outrage over Oscar snubs. This year, many of us wish Ethan Hawke had been nominated for First Reformed. We look at why.
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Culture Crash 19-03: Movies to Look Forward to in 2019
With a new year always comes new things to look forward to, so let’s take a look at some of the movies people are anticipating the most in 2019. As a warning, there are a lot of them.
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Culture Crash 19-01: Minding the Gap
The year 2018 gave us a lot to love at the movies. Some of the absolute highlights for me were Eighth Grade, Roma, A Quiet Place, and Blindspotting. Each of those thrilled me, entertained me, and moved me. But for me, the best film of the year was Bing Liu’s incredibly personal documentary, Minding the Gap. It’s a film I saw back in August but has stuck with me more than anything I’ve seen in a long time.
Minding the Gap tells the story of Liu himself, and of his closest friends from his childhood in Rockford, Illinois. Each came from something of a broken home, and turned to each other, and to skateboarding for an escape from their personal demons. What begins as a movie about kids skateboarding and hanging out becomes a searing look at childhood trauma, the bonds of friendship, and what effects our families can have on us as we age into adulthood.
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