Category Archives: movies

Adaptation

Posted on May 30, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Hidden history of the world

Posted on April 20, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Last week, I ran across three different references to an eye-opening documentary titled A History of the World According to Getty Images. This impressive video created by British filmmaker Richard Misek  explores the way that historic films are hidden from public … Continue reading →

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The Writing Life

Posted on March 21, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

The Writing Life is a wonderful short video essay about the demands and rewards that come with the pursuit of writing as a vocation. The video is told through the films of Wes Anderson featuring clips from Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, … Continue reading →

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Piracy Rules

Posted on March 3, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I was today years old when I discovered that the Dread Pirate Roberts of Princess Bride book and movie fame was an actual person. Not only was Welsh pirate Bartholomew Roberts (1682-1722) a famous swashbuckler, he was the most successful … Continue reading →

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A Brief History of Vampires

Posted on February 14, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

What could be more romantic on Valentine’s Day than the debonair modern vampire who was born with the publication of the gothic horror novel Dracula (1897) by the Irish author Bram Stoker. In the video below from the Victoria and … Continue reading →

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Spoiler Alert

Posted on February 5, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

These days it’s nearly impossible to avoid spoilers for films, television shows, or books. Fortunately, some folks have the good graces to warn us with a “spoiler alert.” But have you ever wondered where the term “spoilers” came from ? … Continue reading →

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The Haunted Castle

Posted on October 23, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

In honor of the Halloween season, here’s the first horror film, Georges Méliès’ The Haunted Castle. Originally released in 1896, the year before Dracula was published, it had been thought to be lost until 1988, when a copy was discovered in the … Continue reading →

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The only lasting truth is change.

Posted on September 14, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

When she was nine years old, Octavia Butler saw a sci-fi film called “Devil Girl From Mars” and thought to herself: “I can write a better story than that.” She went on to become the first widely recognized Black female … Continue reading →

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Comics Join The Classics

Posted on July 18, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Joing the likes of Ivanhoe, David Copperfield, and The Great Gatsby, a series of Marvel comic books have united with Penguin Classics family. The Marvel Collection retraces the origins of favorite comic book superstars. The collection of stories reintroduces The Amazing Spider-Man, Black … Continue reading →

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Why Orwell’s 1984 Still Matters

Posted on June 13, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Each year around this time someone remembers that George Orwell’s iconic novel Nineteen Eighty- Four was first released in June of 1949. I think that bringing attention to the book is always a valuable exercise, now more than ever. Ironically, in … Continue reading →

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