The dictionary defines a dystopia as a state in which the conditions of life are extremely bad as from deprivation or oppression or terror. These scenarios have been the inspiration for countless novels and movies. They reflect our darkest fears and sometimes, actual elements in the modern world.
THX 1138

George Lucas made his name with Star [...]

Ever since the 1940s, British film studios have been consistently making great crime and gangster films with a singular style and feel to them. Whether it’s the black comedies of the 1950s, the realistic, hard-boiled thrillers of the 1970s, or the flashy, fast-paced work of recent directors like Guy Ritchie, the following are ten of [...]

For every great work of art, literature, or architecture that gets completed, there are probably just as many that are abandoned and left unfinished because of wars, political strife, lack of funding, or the death of the artist. Most of these works are lost and forgotten, but some, by masters like Da Vinci and Mozart, [...]

A good movie will transport you into a separate time or era with an intriguing story, everlasting characters, and imaginative plot development.  It could have a happy, sad, romantic, or action packed theme.  As a whole, the world population adores the character actors who star in these stories.  People can personally relate to certain movie [...]

What’s that coming over the hill! Both B-movies and blockbusters have entertained us with members of the animal kingdom intent on crushing, biting or stinging innocent people to death. Sometimes, they’re just doing what comes naturally and sometimes, human interference makes them ‘go bad’. This list is strictly creatures that are in the known world, [...]

While most movies are mass-produced entertainment and escapism, there are some that have had a profound impact on culture. Whether intentionally or not, some films have brought social issues to light, affected laws, forwarded ideologies both good and bad, and generally changed the course of history through their impact on society. Here are ten films [...]

Foreign language films, that is “non-English” to westerners, are generally ignored by American audiences. Many friends complain to me that “I don’t want to read subtitles”. It can be a little distracting to look away from the visual image, especially if it’s a well shot film. Unfortunately, the alternative is usually some pretty bad dubbing, [...]

Take it from me, trying to expand your cinematic horizons is usually a bad move. It can lead to tedious conversations with boring people who use the word ’seminal’ a lot, as well as viewing films – not movies – that feature such annoyances as subtitles, Swedes and a heavily accented Meryl Streep.
But going beyond [...]

When it comes to the movies, we very rarely think of wine.  Our villains are usually into some kind of illegal substance, and our heroes either don’t drink because they’re heroes, or they’re anti-heroes and drink scotch, bourbon, whiskey, or some other liquor straight.  However, I’ve managed to compile a list of movies that do [...]

You will notice an anti-war stance with this list. John Wayne is noticeable by his absence! The films have a common mission and that is to tell the truth as the writers and directors see it. Before I receive a deluge of comments on why ‘Saving Private Ryan’ isn’t included, I think that the first [...]