Children are often fascinated by dinosaurs in movies. A number of animated offerings feature charming renditions of these creatures to entertain kids. Classic movies that showcase these prehistoric beasts can be ideal choices for a family movie marathon. There are also those that serve as historical and educational offerings readily available online -- becoming points of comparison on how the earlier days of cinema and animation have evolved through the decades. "Gertie the Dinosaur" (1914) The general interest in dinosaur characters
Monsters/Creatures
‘Hedgehog in the Fog’ Short Film Critique: The Phantasm of Venturing Into the Unknown
A short essay for my Film Theory and Criticism Class The 1975 short animated film “Hedgehog in the Fog” (Yozhik v tumane) by Yuri Norstein offers an amalgam of terror and pleasure using the phantasm of venturing into the unknown. This evocative work of imagination features the journey of a hedgehog one evening to see his bear cub friend. As he travels in the foggy forest, he encounters many scary things that eventually become transformative moments of wonder. This 11-minute Russian
‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ Film Review: The entertaining fire-breathing excess
"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" entertains with its fiery wave of action and adventure. However, it remains hamstrung by its own middle chapter narrative problems. Clearly forced into a trilogy stretch for the cash-cow potential of a single book, this second "Hobbit" film proves that one can have too much of a good thing when it comes to delivering a quota of thrills, but still end up as yet another ponderous placeholder for the grand finale. At the very least,
‘Pacific Rim’ Film Review: Monstrously nostalgic metallic mayhem
"Pacific Rim" is epic action art for those who love robots and monsters. This monsterfest is a hybrid of just about every major cinematic genre. It showcases the grandest traditions in war, sci-fi, post-apocalyptic, alien, monster, and robot movies. Full of mechanized mayhem, it taps into that primal fondness of seeing two big things tearing each other apart. It may be a generic, familiar, and cliché-ridden piece with cardboard characters, but it still wins its target audience over through the visceral
Blu-ray Review: ‘The Blob’ (1958)
The 1958 cult classic "The Blob" arrives on a single-disc Blu-ray package featuring an alien invasion story set in a small American town. Considered as one of the most successful monster-horror romps of the 1950s, this campy flick directed by Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr. transcended the schlock sci-fi, horror, and teen delinquency genres of the decade. Since then, it has endured as an iconic piece of American cinema. It stars Steve McQueen, Aneta Corsaut, Earl Rowe, Olin Howland, and Stephen
‘Twilight’ Film Review: That willing teen bite
The swoony supernatural romance and the neo-horror motif of "Twilight" can both amuse and bemuse — depending on the type of viewer. From the initial fans of the book to the newly-recruited fans of the Edward-Bella love team, the teen bite of the tale clearly gets deep into their veins. The formula for this movie's charm is very much apparent. It offers that dose of ordinary girl-meets-extraordinary boy who turns out as the prince charming to the damsel in distress. It has
‘King Kong’ (2005) Film Review: A Beastly adventure
This Peter Jackson film pays homage to the original 1933 "King Kong" and actress Fay Wray. "King Kong" proves to be an enduring part of cinema history and legacy. The franchise, even after more than eight decades, still continues to inspire and live up to the legacy of high-end escapist cinema. For this Peter Jackson screen adaptation of the monstrous adventure flick, it exemplifies a sort of personal expressiveness and cinematic mysticism in its storytelling. It maintains itself among the ranks of the world’s charming adventure
‘War of the Worlds’ Film Review: A movie about family and alien invasion
Steven Spielberg's movie version of "War of the Worlds" goes a more family-driven route than the H.G. Wells novel. The cinematic engagement one can get from "War of the Worlds" centers on its being a family story more than the alien invasion plot the title suggests. The narrative focuses more on family relationships while showing a glimpse of some American tanks and aircrafts mercilessly incinerated by three-legged, tripod-looking alien machines and extraterrestrial tentacles grabbing humans toward the worst end. With some blatant