In light of Mark Zuckerberg's testimonies before Congress this past week, Mike Crowley, the excellent YouTube video creator of his You'll Probably Agree channel, hit me up with the idea of looking back at David Fincher's The Social Network. Fincher's film has evolved from a tell-all biopic of sorts to a cautionary tale with an impact that is still growing. Mike and I think the film holds up and we went the social media route to record a video chat of our conversation.
Read MoreI may not be a full-on gearhead, but I do love a great car in a film! Car leasing company OSV has created an interesting and engaging infographic detailing the 10 most memorable cars to have graced the silver screen in the last 50 years. From Steve McQueen’s Mustang GT390 in Bullitt to Vin Diesel’s Dodge Charger from The Fast and The Furious, these are mean machines that really stand out from the crowd.
Read MoreOn behalf of The Wilmette Theatre, I owe a big thank you to Wilmette Life, The Chicago Tribune, and freelance Pioneer Press reporter Dan Dorfman for the kind and positive coverage of our ongoing "Kids Klassics" series! We had our first screening of five covering Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Enjoy the news story and some pictures from the event.
Read MoreDo you want to kill at parties or learn to talk like a pro gambler at CasinoSites? Hollywood might help there! This little infographic below gives you 99 insane facts about some of the most popular gambling movies of all time. Like, the box office take for Casino Royale looked like the GDP of a small, developing country at around $599 million. Or that over 250 movies have been filmed in Las Vegas over the last seven decades.
Read MoreEverything nowadays gets scored and ranked against everything. As an educator with accountability to assessment and achievement, I can respect that and gladly drink that Kool-Aid. With the annual NCAA March Madness tournament going on in full swing, a pair of movie-themed brackets have been surfing the Facebook waves and I couldn't help but be intrigued. One challenge is for the youthful casual fan and one is for the somewhat more serious cinephile.
Read MoreI know I love a good gambling film. The anticipation and setup of a clever bet, con, or rouse can crack with cinematic excitement. If I had to add one to this list, it would the football skybox scene in 2015's Will Smith vehicle Focus. Here are some other winning moments. Enjoy this fun infographic from vegasslotsonline.com!
Read MoreThe melodramatic preposterousness of Colors of the Wind is two-fold. The first layer is good old-fashioned stage magic, everything from card tricks to disappearing acts. The second comes from the notion of doppelgangers, the fanciful term for doubles, ghostly counterparts, and alter egos that have been a storytelling trope before in film. Both elements create spirited and soapy intrigue in the film when combined with the romantic destiny of star-crossed lovers.
Read MoreWith Black Panther showing no signs of slowing down, what films coming in 2018 can make similar dents in our wallets? What blockbusters could put up big time numbers? Can anything catch Black Panther? I know the oddsmakers and informative websites like Sports Betting Dime can be a great resource for answering those questions and examining the field. In a quick list and editorial, let’s handicap and predict 10 contenders that could rule the 2018 box office.
Read MoreThe Wilmette Theatre is excited to announce a new, curated film series for children and families starting this spring. KIDS KLASSICS is a themed film series screening some of the most beloved classics. Each screening will be followed by a fun and educational talkback to engage young audiences to think about films in a new way. Hosted by Chicago film critic for Every Movie Has a Lesson and educator Don Shanahan, who will lead an interactive discussion.
Read MoreEvery Movie Has a Lesson joined Ian Simmons and his "Kicking the Seat Podcast" to travel nine billion miles across the universe in the blink of an eye alongside David Fowlie of Keeping it Reel! Our destination was Ava DuVernay's A Wrinkle in Time, the blockbuster adaptation of Madeleine L'Engle's beloved children's science fiction novel. Ian continues in his show to talk about the Music Box Theatre's upcoming "Sci-Fi Spielberg" retrospective.
Read MoreCheck out this fun infographic on the real-life costs of some popular movie cars. The folks over at NerdWheels have done some "movie math" and put proof to their math (see below after the graphic). I don't know who can foot the bill on some of these price tags, but, boy am I tempted to start buying lottery tickets. Enjoy the fascinating information and thank you for sharing, NerdWheels!
Read MoreWouldn’t it be great if you could just click your fingers and change location spontaneously? Think how much time we’d get back! No more delays at the airport check-in, no more rushing to the station to catch the train. Well, if you live in Harry Potter’s world, and have the magical skills, there’s a whole bunch of ways to get from one place to the next. Here are some of OSV’s favorites
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