Category Archives: Chapter 8

Go See Coen Bros. Movie “Hail, Caesar”!

Posted on February 17, 2016 by Ralph Hanson

Went to see Hail, Caeser! the latest movie from the Coen Brothers last night. Here’s my take on it: It is a wack job of a movie.  But I mean that in a good way.  There is almost no way to … Continue reading →

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What kind of cancer was it? And why do we care?

Posted on January 22, 2016 by Ralph Hanson

If you’ve been following the recent series of deaths in the entertainment world, you likely noticed that both Alan Rickman and David Bowie died of cancer.  What kind? The otherwise very specific obits did not mention that fact. The Washington … Continue reading →

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Remembering Alan Rickman Singing “Pretty Women”

Posted on January 15, 2016 by Ralph Hanson

We lost another great performer to the Big C this week – actor Alan Rickman.  Although he is best known for playing Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films and the definitive villainous EuroNasty Hans Gruber in the first Die Hard film, for … Continue reading →

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Star Wars VII tops Avatar as #1 North American Box Office

Posted on January 7, 2016 by Ralph Hanson

And we’re back for 2016. Hope you all had an enjoyable holiday break! So it really isn’t any surprise that Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens is now the number one movie moneymaker of all time for the North American … Continue reading →

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Looking back at the original 1977 Star Wars

Posted on December 17, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

Thirty-eight years ago, in a movie theater not that far away, I saw the original Star Wars movie during the summer of 1977.  It was between my junior and senior years in high school, and the movie was the talk … Continue reading →

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When is a meme inappropriate?

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

Long time readers here will know that I’m more than a little obsessed with the Star Wars movies. So the release of Star Wars VII – The Force Awakens directed by the ever brilliant J. J. Abrams on Dec. 18, … Continue reading →

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Sex and the News

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

Over the last several weeks sex has been finding its way into the news in a variety of ways.  Here’s a quick summary of a couple of these stories: Duke students object to having Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel  Fun Home on … Continue reading →

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The Joy of a Great Movie Theater

Posted on August 5, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

Forty-seven years ago my parents drove our family from small-town Iowa to Des Moines so we could see the movie 2001 – A Space Odyssey at the River Hills 70 mm theater. For you too young to remember, that was … Continue reading →

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Celebrate the 4th of July with Neil Finn singing about dogs

Posted on July 5, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

So I’m trying to be back in the habit of posting weekly to the blog, and I’m also trying to finish up my grading for my summer class, so I’m going to cheat and just post two Neil Finn (of … Continue reading →

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Everyone’s Gone to the Movies

Posted on June 25, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

We’re headed into the heart of summer, and that makes this a great time to talk about the movies. Film composer James Horner dies in plane crash James Horner, best known for his score for Titanic, died earlier this week from … Continue reading →

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