It’s been ten years since Quentin Tarantino’s first western film, Django: Unchained. The film is the second “reboot” in name only that he’s done, the first being Inglourious Basterds. The original Django, released in 1966, is a shining example of the Spaghetti Western that became iconic in the Dollars trilogy by Sergio Leone. Continue reading Flashback Flicks – Django: Unchained 10 Years Later
Set in 1990s Detroit, Eminem stars as Jimmy Smith Jr., aka Rabbit, in 8 Mile—a gritty and realistic underdog story in the hip hop scene.
Loosely based on the events of Eminem’s life before fame, the story follows a talented rapper who can never find the courage he needs when he reaches the microphone on stage.
Departing from the comedic style that characterized many of their recent films, No Country for Old Men is an iconic drama-thriller that hearkens back to the Coen brothers’ early crime films. Continue reading No Country for Old Men 15th Anniversary
After the run of success from his first three films, all of which fall under the genre of giallo, Italian director Dario Argento didn’t want to confine himself to the horror box. So, he followed up his acclaimed Animal Trilogy with The Five Days, a Sergio Leone-influenced historical drama-comedy about the Italian Revolution. There is a world where this movie made a fortune at the box office and where Argento would continue to make films that drift away from the horror genre. Fortunately, this didn’t happen – and Argento was forced to make a return to giallo films, where he crafted maybe his most definitive entry in the genre. Continue reading Flashback Flick – Deep Red: A Symphony of Sleaze
October 11th is the 20-year anniversary of Punch-Drunk Love, a movie directed by the renowned Paul Thomas Anderson, starring Adam Sandler and Emily Watson. It revolves around a strange emotionally volcanic man and his quest for companionship. Continue reading Punch-Drunk Love 20th Anniversary: Gut-Punch Cry-a-Bunch Love it so Much
You know a movie has got to be bold when the title is just a one word synonym for ghost. Released in 1982, Poltergeist is known as one of the scariest movies ever made due to its top-of-the-line special effects, clown dolls, and creepy little girls. When this movie came out, the American audience was weaning off the Amityville haunted house type of movie, and instead moving towards slasher flicks with Friday the 13th and Halloween. Poltergeist was an example of a subgenre going out with a blast (much like the implosion of the house at the end of the movie). Continue reading Poltergeist at 40: It’s Heeeeeeere!
To kick off the Fall 2022 semester, the crew at FIU Film Studies would like to introduce you to our new series: Flashback Flicks. Every week, one of our editors will select a favorite film or cult classic that we recommend to you, our readers. This week’s pick is Steven Spielberg’s 1981 film, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Continue reading Flashback Flick: Raiders of the Lost Ark