Does This Place Look Familiar?

Posted on January 10, 2013 at 8:00 am

Cracked has a marvelously entertaining compilation of six very popular locations that have appeared in a wild variety of films. Look at the cafe that appears in “Seinfeld” AND “Training Day” to the grand home that is a setting for “Batman” AND “Tomb Raider” and the Vasquez Rocks formation that shows up in so many sci-fi movies that it even pops up in “Futurama,” and see how many of these you recognize.

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Behind the Scenes

What Makes a Cult Movie?

Posted on September 13, 2008 at 3:13 pm

Desson Thomson has a great interview with Scott Simon on NPR about cult movies — what (and who) defines them and what is appealing about them. What do the Coen brothers have in common with “The Wizard of Oz” and “Blade Runner?” Listen to Thomson and find out.

Entertainment Weekly has a list of the all-time top cult classics, though I’d argue that some of them, like “Blade Runner,” “Spinal Tap,” and “Willie Wonka” are now so firmly and widely established they are canonical. The A.V. Club has an edgier list and I like the way they helpfully point out the movies influenced by their choices and give their honest view of how well the films on the list hold up.

I don’t think a movie has to be a horror film or low-budget to be a cult classic. It just has to have a small but passionate audience. The best cult films gradually find a broader fan base — or maybe it just takes a while to find its audience — or for the audience to catch up to it. My favorite cult classics include Office Space and The Big Lebowski, a movie which is now so beloved it has annual gatherings of its fans.

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Understanding Media and Pop Culture

Best DVD gifts of 2007

Posted on December 6, 2007 at 8:00 am

Gift ideas for the whole family:

For the preschooler-2nd grader

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Scholastic’s Treasury of 100 Storybook Classics is my very favorite DVD series ever for 3-8 year olds, with the very best in children’s books. The visuals, narration, and musical accompaniment are perfectly matched with stories that are funny, wise, inspiring, spooky, and always, always, an invitation to reading. Every one in the series is outstanding family entertainment and for the first time they are available as a set as well.

The latest from Veggie Tales is The Wonderful Wizard of Ha’s, inspired by the story of the prodigal son. Like Dorothy, he learns that there’s no place like home.

Dora’s Christmas Everyone’s favorite explorer gives Santa a gift.

For the 3th-8th grader

The Naked Brothers Band and the companion television series with real-life brothers Nat and Alex Wolff playing superstar versions of themselves is hilarious and charming.

Like Disney superstar Hannah Montana, life is imitating art, with the real-life performers becoming very successful as performing artists. High School Musical 2 continues the phenomenon that was the surprise hit of 2006.

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Lists