The fans from this week's episode of Cinemania were on the Talk forum, talking about why they love Planet of the Apes. David, blogging under the pseudonym Ape Fan, said that the film was really the first An Inconvenient Truth: "The film was so far ahead of its time in dealing with the harsh reality that man himself will one day be the cause of his own demise," he wrote. "POTA is the ultimate disaster movie. Climbing to the top of an upside-down ocean liner is child's play compared to dealing with talking Apes that want to cut pieces out of your brain." Jessica echoed David's sentiments about the film's foreshadowing. "The series conveys the notion that the more compliant and backwards and slow mankind gets, the more we open the door for a better species to take over," she writes as jstlykawmn. She goes on to say that the film had a profound influence on her: "John Chamber's make-up creations have influenced my interest in make-up but it is Roddy McDowall who influenced me as an actress!"

Log onto the Talk forum to share your thoughts on Planet of the Apes, or to start a Future of Classic topic of your own!

Had enough of Obama vs. Clinton? Watch films do battle instead. At Movie Smackdown, two films go toe-to-toe to decide whether the defending champion, a classic, still has what it takes, or if a new release is the one to watch.

"The idea has always been simple," says site creator Bryce Zabel. "Two films, one review, no holds barred." As the Smackdown referee-in-chief, he makes sure every match offers readers more fun, more value, and more suspense than the traditional thumbs up or thumbs down critique. "Most reviews let you know whether the reviewer likes a film in the first paragraph," he says. "In our reviews, there is actual suspense and doubt about which film will win, often going all the way through to the end."

Continue reading "Site of the Week - Movie Smackdown" »

Roy Rogers and Trigger. Gene Autry. The Lone Ranger and Tonto. CowboyPal has them all and more. Devoted to the cowboy stars who headlined B-movie westerns, those films of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s with modest budgets, straightforward plots and lots of action, you'll find no spaghetti westerns or anti-heroes here, only "white-hatted good guys who saw wrong and tried to right it," according to Joe Konnyu, the site's founder.

Konnyu started the site in 1995 as a way for fellow enthusiasts to chat about collections of movies, videos and comics, but found himself spreading information about western festivals and answering questions about old-time cowboys and films. The site has since expanded to features such as a daily trivia question (example: Name the four doubles that Roy Rogers had for the original Trigger and Trigger Jr.) and a "hosses and riders" page that highlights the famous horses of the cowboys. You can also buy "Saturday Matinee Double Feature" DVDs (a new one is offered every week) that Konnyu edits to include cartoons, serial chapters and two films -- an effort to "share the experience of how these movies were presented to us as kids," said Konnyu.

Continue reading "Site of the Week - CowboyPal" »

Movie buffs on the Talk forum this week covered a diverse range of topics. Six2Seven had double-oh-seven on the brain, and listed off the five best Bond movies: "I love Bond, and I would be for a Bond Marathon. My fave 5 are : 1. From Russia With Love 2. On Her Majesty's Secret Service 3. For Your Eyes Only 4. Goldeneye 5. Casino Royale."

Myla944 was thinking about the best romance movies and came up with a favorite. Referencing keatsfan, who was dismayed at picks like Sleepless in Seattle, Serendipity, and A Walk in the Clouds and had said "Why don't you kiddies (the under 25 generation) do some serious study of film history so you learn something about great films and great film-making," Myla944 retorted: "A Walk in the Clouds is thus far the best romantic movie I have seen, and I am way over 25 and have seen all the movies mentioned in the above blogs and then some."

Log onto the Talk forum to join in any of these conversations, or to start a Future of Classic topic of your own!

Did you know that an arrow on a sign in Jurassic Park changes directions and that the trails of the Maverick missiles fired at a bridge in True Lies looked obviously computer-generated? Well, avid film-goer Jon Sandys spotted those gaffes, noticed there was nowhere on the web that focused on cinematic errors... and Movie Mistakes was born. He launched the site a dozen years ago and has gone on -- with the help of his members -- to detail tens of thousands of errors in 5,700 films (and counting).

So far, Apocalypse Now wins the prize for most mistakes: 395 to date. And Star Wars contains the most egregious error, according to the site's fans -- there is no corresponding noise when a stormtrooper hits his head on a door frame. (The oversight was corrected in the film's DVD release.) The site stays current: Recent releases Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Nim's Island and 88 Minutes are already accounted for.

Continue reading "Site of the Week - Movie Mistakes" »

The Talk forum this week had numbers on the brain: 007, to be precise. Writes HED P.E., "Non-Stop Bond marathon needs a home like AMC! I 'like' all of them, but From Russia With Love - Her Majesty's Secret Service - Diamonds Are Forever - Thunderball - You Only Live Twice would be my top 5." Mistermysterio amended the recommendation stating "I'd actually say, we should have a Roger Moore Bond marathon. He's so overshadowed by Sean Connery and it would be great to give the guy some love."

Meanwhile the forum is pondering the legacy of John Wayne. Said socialmom, "John Wayne is different from most actors because he was a shameless American patriot. He loved America, for better or for worse, it was powerful and came across on the screen, there was something genuine and original in him," while jausten309 listed a few of his favorites: "Angel and the Badman, Red River, The Searchers...These are all classic westerns that are shown and reshown with old and new audiences."

Log onto the Talk forum to join in any of these conversations, or to start a Future of Classic topic of your own!

Reg Seeton, creator of The Deadbolt, brings years of experience to the table. His journey online started, as many do, while he was working at a coffee shop in the '90s. One of my co-workers was writing for the Web and asked if I wanted to join the team," he explains. "I had no idea I was joining one of the most popular entertainment websites online [Coming Attractions] at the time." Now, several years and sites later, Seeton hopes to make The Deadbolt equally successful.

Continue reading "Site of the Week - The Deadbolt" »

The Talk forum this week was mourning the passing of Charlton Heston. "There will never be another actor of the stature and class of Charlton Heston," said Wishawk. "Our loss is heaven's gain." Socialmom echoed the sentiments, saying "Charlton Heston was the last of the 'power-hitters' in Hollywood. He was strong, beautiful, introspective and unpredictable. He always gave more than he took in scenes. He made me cry every Easter."

Other commenters focused on Mr. Heston's accomplishments as the President of the National Rifle Association. "In this country many of our rights are being taken away slowly one at a time," said LB. "America means we choose with the freedom to do so. That was what Mr. Heston was standing behind." Added Ddemis: "His performances were legendary! I will miss Mr.Heston dearly. As a Life Member of the NRA and a fan of his movies I must say, so long old friend."

Log onto the Talk forum to join in this conversation, or to start a Future of Classic topic of your own!

Neil Miller is living the American dream -- or, at least the movie geek's version of it. As executive editor of Film School Rejects, he gets paid to watch movies and talk about them. While other film fanatics moved to Hollywood or applied to USC (proven ways to break into the industry), Neil's strategy involved moving to Columbus, Ohio, working at Best Buy and launching a movie review blog to get free films. Now, while they're stuck in traffic or paying off school debt, he's "24-years-old, sitting on top of a pretty cool movie website, working with some of the best writers on the face of the planet and meeting famous people all the time."

Continue reading "Site of the Week: Film School Rejects" »

The Talk forum this week continues to debate whether another actor could hope to fill John Wayne's boots. Vicmackey, perplexed that anyone would presume to try exclaimed, "There is not a single actor that even comes to mind that will ever come close to the Great John Wayne. He was not only a great actor, but also a great American. He set the standards so high, no one will ever come close." McGillicuddy proffered, "I don't think anyone is disputing that John Wayne's attributes made him singularly unique. I would never presume to try to replace John Wayne, but I would certainly love to find a piece of him in one of our modern actors."

Next week, the forum will be discussing what movie star we think would make the best President of the United States. Should Martin Sheen reprise his role on the West Wing in real life, or is it time for the U.S. Constitution to make room for the Governator? Log on to the Talk forum to join in any of these conversations, or to start a Future of Classic topic of your own!