The Last Duel [REVIEW]

This might be one of Ridley Scott’s best films to have come out in a long time. No doubt he was assisted a lot by the writing that Affleck Damon and Nicole Holofcener have provided with real complex characters and a strong foundation to support it

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Drowning in Directors Cuts – The Decline of Historical Epics

You’re reading part 3 of our Historical Epic series. Read part 1 here! Period dramas have been the kinds of films directors have pushed themselves to make. Hollywood was also in the same vein looking to try to make the next Gladiator. There has been a string of historical films with some of the same talent such as Mel Gibson’s The Patriot and Russell Crowe’s Master and Commander. However, after the mid-2000s there has been a gradual decline of such films, at least theatrically. Some of them however have found a new lease on life when they reach DVD and

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Fantasy and De-Mystifying Legends

You’re reading part 2 of our Historical Epic series.Read part 1 here! The filming techniques and writing that was prevalent in Braveheart and Gladiator help make Fantasy possible on the big screen. This cinematic formula reached its zenith when the Lord of the Rings trilogy hit theaters in 2001-2003. While Lord of the Rings is far from historical, there are elements from history that seep into it. Obviously, it is a medieval-esque world but with actual wizards and mystical creatures. Aragon is clearly a William Wallace type character as he serves the role of reluctant hero who fell into his

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Star Wars: Visions – Episode Ranking

There were many elements that inspired George Lucas in Star Wars, from westerns to gangster flicks to Flash Gordon. Of course, what truly inspired Lucas was Japanese cinema, most notably citing Hidden Fortress and Yojimbo as influences. Jedi, essentially being Samurai with lasers, his universe was built for anime. Independent animators have delved into this possibility before but never had any major backing from any studio, until now. What amazes me about this series is that is does a great job treading the line from canon and non canon, as many of their stories cleverly tie into the overall history

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