Roger Ebert's Little Movie Glossary

I recently had the pleasure of discovering Roger Ebert's (Bigger) Little Movie Glossary. In this book Ebert assembles a list of film tropes, conventions, and clichés. Many of these insightful and hilarious terms can be found here.

Some of my favorites include Baked Potato People, the Engine Equalization Law, and the Law of Economy Characters.

I'm not sure why, but sorting entertainment tropes into easily referenced categories like these holds a strange appeal for me. Check out the book or the sample list above and see how many movies you can name that included one or more of these clichés.

He Is Legend

Richard Matheson died this week. My limited verbal powers cannot adequately describe the impact of this towering figure on the science fiction and horror genres. We shall not see his like again.

I encourage you to celebrate Mr. Matheson's life and career by enjoying at least one of his works in the coming days.

I Am Legend

Stir of Echoes

The Legend of Hell House

"Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"

The Incredible Shrinking Man

Duel

What Dreams May Come

The Endgame

Despite receiving multiple recommendations from friends and family for years, I delayed reading Ender's Game until just last week. I really wish I'd taken their advice sooner.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is one of those rare books that leaves a deep impression long after the reader turns the last page. While reading it I kept flashing back to my junior year of high school when I developed a voracious sci-fi habit. Back then I mostly turned to Frank Herbert, Timothy Zahn, and Kevin J. Anderson for a fix. I can't help thinking that Ender's Game would have found an honored place on my book shelf.

People who've read my work say it has noticeable Dune influences. I heartily concur. Herbert had the most enduring impact on my storytelling sensibilities during that formative period. I can only speculate about how Card's magnum opus might have shaped my adolescent view of science fiction.

That's not to say that it won't have an effect now. In the last fifteen years I've learned to consciously mine the works of better writers for new techniques. Card's additions to my literary arsenal remain to be seen, but I doubt they'll be negligible.

Have you read Ender's Game? Are you looking forward to (or dreading) the film version? Let us know.

Contemplating Oblivion

I recently took in the new Joseph Kosinski film Oblivion. It's the director's second feature film after Tron: Legacy, and his creative sensibilities are already showing marked growth.

I enjoyed the Tron sequel--mainly for its rich visual style. Despite lacking the name recognition of a readily identifiable franchise (or perhaps because of this fact), Oblivion is the superior film. Sure it's a Tom Cruise vehicle, but those have a surprisingly good track record. After all, Cruise has proven himself a shrewd businessman with a keen eye for winning scripts. Even his critical failures almost always turn a hefty profit. The fact that he chose to appear in a risky sci-fi feature by a rookie director hints at the film's appeal.

Oblivion is Kosinski's second major release, but it's the first he's written. Here the comparisons to Tron: Legacy are most striking. The Tron sequel was a mix of disjointed, poorly paced scenes populated by a bland ensemble of stock characters upstaged by a dazzling visual setting. Oblivion is a mix of familiar yet serviceable science fiction tropes convincingly held together by characters who actually have something relatable at stake, and whose inner and outer conflicts are directly relevant to the breathtaking backdrops (Oblivion's visual design gives Prometheus a run for its money).

For all its strengths, I can't give Oblivion unreserved praise. Like I said, its plot is fairly contrived and salted with cliches. Every ten minutes or so you'll get the nagging suspicion that you've seen all of this before (and if you've seen The Time Machine, Independence Day, and The Matrix, you have).

It is with more dismay than excitement that I recommend Oblivion, if only for the fact that this film stands alone among the recent crop of corporate-engineered marketing and incoherent, nihilistic ramblings bandied about as serious science fiction. It's easy to see how Oblivion could have ended up like its more vapid genre mates, and it avoids total self-indulgence only through narrative meditation on a verse of ancient Roman poetry (go figure).

Final analysis: there are worse ways to spend two and a half hours than seeing Oblivion. You've already seen most of it, but the action is grounded in believable characters, good performances, and genuinely beautiful visuals that reinforce the narrative instead of detracting from it.

Have you seen Oblivion? If so, feel free to share your thoughts.

Vin Diesel Working for Scale in Third Riddick Installment

For the second week in a row, I have movie news that should interest Mick. Honestly, I didn't even know that a third movie in the Chronicles of Riddick franchise was in production until Total Film reported this story on the star's pay cut.

It seems that in order to avoid a repeat of the furor over the second movie's PG-13 rating, director David Twohy has promised to make the third film a solid R. For some reason, doing so means that Vin Diesel must work for scale.

Regarding the movie itself, it's planned to begin shooting this summer and will feature a reduction in scope from its predecessor's epic scale to focus on more traditional horror elements.

The Passion of St. Bill

As far as movie adaptations of his books go, William Gibson ranks close behind Stephen King on the disappointment scale. New Rose Hotel was good, if not very accessible. There were two X-Files episodes: one decent, the other...wanting. Then you have the tragic rejection of his script for Alien III, especially considering what we got instead. What's to be said when your best-known film is Johnny Mnemonic?

Now, after a long hiatus, news of a new film project based on a William Gibson book has surfaced--and not just any book; but the seminal story that is perhaps the jewel in the sci-fi author's crown. Word from the Cannes Film Festival is that Gibson's breakthrough novel Neuromancer has been picked up for production. Some healthy skepticism is natural at this point, but the few reported details seem to hint at light on the horizon.

The first promising sign is that Vincenzo Natali is attached to direct. Considering his work on Cube, it's hard to imagine someone better qualified to helm this project. Also intriguing is the fact that Tokyo, Istanbul, and London; all of which are either visited or mentioned in the novel, have been cited as shooting locations.

If anyone is holding his breath over the outcome of this project, it isn't Gibson. The iconic author responded to the news via his Twitter account, advising fans to quit worrying about Neuromancer in favor of preparing for the impending eschaton.