Category Archives: movies

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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In-flight Entertainment

Posted on April 6, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

On this date in 1925, the first in-flight film was shown on an airplane on an Imperial Airways flight. The film was The Lost World, one of the first science-fiction films. Based on a 1912 Arthur Conan Doyle novel, it … Continue reading →

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All in the Family

Posted on March 27, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

This week marked the 50th anniversary of the nationwide release of what in my humble opinion is the finest American film ever made. The Godfather is an epic American story directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based … Continue reading →

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It is the small everyday deeds of folk that keep the darkness at bay

Posted on March 4, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

If you are a regular visitor to TBTP, you are well aware that I am a Tolkien aficionado. I imagine that many of you are also fans. Then you will be happy to learn that the Tolkien Estate has launched … Continue reading →

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Books Are The Muse

Posted on February 12, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Over the years, I’ve been intrigued by the renowned photographer Mary Ellen Bartley’s use of books and libraries in her work. Bartley is known for her photographs exploring the tactile and formal qualities of the printed book, and its potential … Continue reading →

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When Dali Met Disney

Posted on November 3, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Destino is an animated short film released in 2003 by Walt Disney Feature Animation. What makes this short animated film noteworthy is that its production originally began in 1945, 58 years before its eventual completion in 2003. The project was … Continue reading →

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The Tell-Tale Heart

Posted on October 31, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

What better time than Halloween for a story from America’s father of psychological horror. And what better example than The Tell-Tale Heart. Among the numerous of Poe adaptations for stage, screen and television, there are at least 20 versions of The … Continue reading →

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