Miracle Mile is a fantastic thriller born of the apocalyptic paranoia of the late eighties — the last vestiges of Reagan-era Cold War. It’s directed by Steve DeJarnatt (whose previous film, Cherry 2000, is a futuristic romance about a guy who discovers love while on a journey to find a replacement for his sex robot) and stars a pre-ER Anthony Edwards and ‘brat packer’ Mare Winningham.

Edwards plays Harry Washello, a young trombone player who “meets cute” with Winningham’s Julie. Harry and Julie have the kind of whirlwind all-in-one-afternoon storybook romance montage that only occurs in movies rapidly needing to get to their Inciting Incident. After museums, carousels, and lobsters, Harry decides Julie’s “the one” and vice versa. They plan their first real date, later that evening. Harry decides to get some shuteye before picking Julie up at the diner she waits tables at, so he sets his alarm clock. [Read more →]

Tags:   24 · After Hours · Alfred Hitchcock · Anthony Edwards · brat pack · Cherry 2000 · Cloverfield · ER · Film Focus · Fred Zinnemann · Great Films You've Never Seen · Hemdale · High Noon · Into the Night · Mare Winningham · Matt Reeves · Miracle Mile · real time · Recurring Themes · Rope · SPOILER ALERT! · Steve DeJarnatt · The Cable Guy · Tony Scott · Top Gun · U-TurnNo Comments.

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure-dome decree : Where Alph, the sacred river, ran Through caverns measureless to man: Down to a sunless sea.” –Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “Kubla Khan, or A Vision in a Dream. A Fragment.”

Perhaps the biggest crime Xanadu, the 1980 Olivia Newton-John/Gene Kelly musical is guilty of is its attempt to serve many masters. Capably directed by Robert Greenwald (who later enjoyed success with the liberal documentaries Outfoxed and Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price), the film certainly had a respectable provenance. It’s based on Down to Earth, a 1947 Rita Hayworth musical that happens to be the sequel to the highly successful 1941 comedy Here Comes Mr. Jordan (Incidentally, Here Comes Mr. Jordan was remade by Warren Beatty in 1978 as Heaven Can Wait, so in a weird, roundabout way, Xanadu is really a sequel to Heaven Can Wait… but I digress). [Read more →]

Tags:   Don Bluth · Down to Earth · Electric Light Orchestra · Gene Kelly · Heaven Can Wait · Here Comes Mr. Jordan · Kenny Ortega · Michael Beck · musical · Olivia Newton John · Outfoxed · Robert Greenwald · The Warriors · Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price3 Comments

We at Cineleet really appreciate a good title sequence, as can be seen in our showcase of designer Saul Bass. A truly effective title sequence should act as a microcosm of the film, delivering all the basic themes in a matter of a couple of minutes, and mentally preparing the audience for what lies ahead. So imagine our delight when we stumbled across Art of the Title.com.

Art of the Title is a film blog solely dedicated to terrific title sequences, in a simple, yet well-designed fashion, with still frames to each sequence presented in a matrix that illustrates their progression. They currently have profiles on about 50 movie title sequences and nearly 20 TV title sequences. I have no idea who runs the site or any additional background, but the site owner’s passion for good title sequences is apparent. I’m going to add it to my bookmarks, and if you like titles as I do, I hope you will as well.

I leave you with Danny Yount’s opening titles to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) which I discovered on this site.

Tags:   ArtoftheTitle.com · credit sequence · Kiss Kiss Bang Bang · main title sequenceNo Comments.

This is a guest post written by Greg Davies. Greg is known in social media circles as cGt2099, and runs the sites The-TrukstoP.com and DayoftheJedi.com

With Universal Day of Jedi set for May 25, Star Wars fans around the globe will be celebrating the legacy of George Lucas; his creative and pioneering vision of what happened a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

Day of the Jedi is, undeniably, specifically a Star Wars celebration; but in many ways it is more than that. It is a reflection of how much impact Lucas’ saga has had upon pop culture around the world. Think about it: can you imagine a world without Star Wars? The movies, books, comics, toys, cartoons, video games, and countless forms of other types of media connected with millions over a few generations. Clearly, what Lucas had accomplished with the series, did more than just touch a nerve.

There was definitely, at one point, a world without Star Wars. Before May 25, 1977, the mythical universe created by Lucas was simply a work-in-progress; something that many in the business-side of Hollywood found challenging to comprehend. The whole concept was weird to them. What the hell was a Wookiee and why did he not have any pants on? What is this Force and who or what is a Jedi? [Read more →]

Tags:   633 Squadron · A New Hope · Akira Kurosawa · Attack of the Clones · Casablanca · Flash Gordon · Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe · George Lucas · George Lucas in Love · Joseph Campbell · Lawrence of Arabia · Once Upon a Time in the West · Return of the Jedi · Revenge of the Sith · Saving Private Ryan · Seven Samurai · Shakespeare in Love · Star Wars · The Dam Busters · The Empire Strikes Back · The Good The Bad and The Ugly · The Guns of Navarone · The Hidden Fortress · The Searchers · Yojimbo · Zatoichi20 Comments