This is part three of our five-part video essay series on the summer movies of 1984 and 1989. Parts four and five will be posted on Thursday and Friday of this week.
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The Evolution of the Modern Blockbuster: Part 5
Our epic video essay series on the summer movies of 1984 and 1989 concludes with The New Sincerity, as rediscovered in the hallowed teen-movie triumvirate of Heathers, Dead Poets Society and Say Anything, released within three months of each other twenty years ago.
Aug 28, 2009
The Evolution of the Modern Blockbuster: Part 4
In part four of our five-part series on the summer movies of 1984 and 1989, we watch feel-good sequels ape the spirit of '84 while the heroes of Lethal Weapon II and The Abyss flip out, and the unprecedented Batman taps into the decayed American city.
Aug 27, 2009
The Evolution of the Modern Blockbuster: Part 2
In part two of our five-part series on the summer movies of 1984 and 1989, we take in Steven Spielberg's society of the spectacle, the rise of sadism and cynicism in the blockbuster movie, and the influence of the PG-13 rating. Also starring Indiana Jones, Red Dawn, and gremlins. Lots and lots of gremlins.
Aug 25, 2009
The Evolution of the Modern Blockbuster: Part 1
In this video essay, part one of a five-part series on the summer movies of 1984 and 1989, we go in search of the origins of MTV editing and post-Boomer cynicism. Also starring Ronald Reagan, John Hughes, semi-gratuitous T&A, synth-pop videos, The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, and Prince.
Aug 24, 2009
Do the Right Thing Is About More Than Just Race
On the twentieth anniversary of its release, a video-essay look at the all-too-human human conflicts behind fireworks of Spike Lee's American masterpiece.
Jul 4, 2009
