EVERY MOVIE HAS A LESSON

by Devin Caldwell

The story of a great white shark that terrorizes a New York coastal town, Jaws was the original summer blockbuster. Until Star Wars came along two years later, it was the highest-grossing movie of all time. It came to exemplify what a summer movie should be and launched Steven Spielberg's directing career. However, its success was by no means guaranteed. In fact, the production was so fraught with difficulty that the cast and crew, as well as the director, had legitimate fears that it would turn out to be a flop.

by Devin Caldwell

Hollywood is no stranger to the concept of the remake. For decades, films and television series based on pre-existing media have been quite popular for big studios to churn out. While viewers are generally split on whether or not this is a good trend, it doesn’t seem to slow down the onslaught of remakes and reboots that are filling theaters and dominating television screens. One big example that made headlines was the live-action movie Ghost in the Shell, which itself was a type of remake. There are many differences between the new movie and the original source material.

by Gerald Nelson

The world of Hollywood is a strange place. It's where dreams are made and broken. And when you're in a business-like Hollywood, the slightest change in technology can completely cripple you or boost your fame to new levels.

by Kevin Gardner

The story of Jackie Robinson has been documented in books and documentaries like Ken Burns’ Baseball, but the pioneering ballplayer was never given the big screen treatment until 2013’s 42. In 1995, Spike Lee had planned to write and direct a biopic on Robinson and wanted to release the film in 1997 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Robinson breaking the color barrier. However, the project fell apart, and after an unsuccessful attempt by Robert Redford to produce the story, Legendary Pictures acquired the rights to the story and released the film in 2013.

by Kevin Gardner

Upon its original release over 10 years ago, "Inception" dazzled and challenged audiences. Entire theaters of people were inspired to applaud the film at the end despite the fact that the people responsible for making it were not present and had no way of hearing them. A genre-blending film by Christopher Nolan, "Inception" was a remarkable work of cinematic art, unlike anything anyone had ever seen before. Over a decade later, "Inception" is still recognized as a timeless masterpiece that continues to astound audiences around the world. Here are some of the reasons why it has held up so well.