Sense of Wonder
The voice of Cinefantastique Online. Updates about what is happening on the website, along with opinion and analysis of the state of the horor, fantasy, and science fiction genres.
Thank god – actually, Harryhausen – for my Sense of Wonder
Having spent the better part of the morning posting new articles about Ray Harryhausen, and digging up old ones from the CFQ archive, you would think I had nothing more to say about the revered cine-magician, who passed away today at the age of 92. Yet even after writing an obituary that attempted to asses [...]
Sense of Wonder: Curse of the Quote Whores and Fictitious Film Critics
Note: This is a repost of an article I wrote back in 2001, in response to the scandal that erupted when it was revealed that advertising campaigns from Sony Pictures had included favorable quotes from a critic who did not, in fact, exist. The studio wound up on the receiving end of a class-action lawsuit [...]
Sense of Wonder: Oscars snub cinefantastique – again
Hopefully, the above headline needs no explanation, but in case you have any doubts, we’re talking about cinefantastique the genre, not Cinefantastique, the online magazine of horror, fantasy, and science fiction cinema. Although there have been a few exceptions in recent decades (e.g., a Best Picture win for THE LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF [...]
Sense of Wonder: The Ghosts of Georgia may be haunting Connecticut but not Los Angeles
Wow, they really rolled out the red carpet on THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT 2: GHOSTS OF GEORGIA, which supposedly opens in theatres today: the closest location to me is in Ontario. Well – Ontario, California rather than Ontario, Canada, but still. It turns out that the film is simultaneously available for streaming on Amazon. Didn’t [...]
Sense of Wonder: James Bond at 50
James Bond is 50.1 Wow, who thought the old boy would ever make it this long? After all, the “misogynistic dinosaur” should have been irrelevant after the end of the Cold War, right? Apparently not. In fact, James Bond is probably the longest running franchise in the history of cinema: beginning way back in 1962 [...]
Sense of Wonder: Zombie Apocalypse Averted
I haven’t been paying close attention, but if media reports are accurate, the U.S. just averted the Zomney Apocalypse.
Hopefully, Joss Whedon will not be too disappointed, even though Spam has its own key.
Sense of Wonder: Night of the Living Dead and the Riddle of Racism
While posting “Anatomy of a Horror Film: Night of the Living Dead” yesterday, I was struck by something that has occurred to me several times over the years. In case you have not yet read the article (which was originally published in the printed version of Cinefantasitque magazine – Volume 4, Number 1 – back [...]
Sense of Wonder: Olympic Anticipation Edition
Show of hands:
Watching the Olympic gymnastic events on NBC tonight, how many of you could not help thinking of this sequence from FINAL DESTINATION 5?
When Sense of Wonder meets Senseless Tragedy: Thoughts on the Dark Knight Rises Massacre
I might as well warn you up front that I have nothing original or perhaps even very insightful to say about the terrible tragedy that took place at 12:39am on the morning of Friday, July 20, when James Eagan Holmes opened fire on audience members watching a midnight premier of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES in [...]
Sense of Wonder: The Exorcist Today
Last night I attended one of the nationwide Fathom screenings of THE EXORCIST (1973), featuring the new documentary TO HELL AND BACK, which charts the making of the classic horror film. Never having attended a Fathom event before (it’s a bit like watching television in a theatre, with digital image projected on select screens around [...]
Sense of Wonder: Hatchet II & Horror Movie-Going as Tribal Identifier
Back in a review of VAMPIRES SUCK, I noted that we are in the era of movie-going as tribal identifiers. Purchasing a ticket is less a matter less of seeking entertainment than of supporting the group with which you self-identify. The problem manifest in this approach is clear: bad STAR WARS prequels, indifferent HARRY POTTER [...]
Sense of Wonder: The Real Vampire Files on History Television
In November of last year, I was contacted by representatives of Canada’s History Channel to be interviewed for a documentary they were making about vampires. At long last, the project has come to fruition: THE REAL VAMPIRE FILES will air Tuesday, September 7 at 8:00pm. I haven’t seen it, and the last time I was [...]
Predators: The Summer’s Best Sci-Fi Action Horror Flick – A Sense of Wonder Appreciation
Debased franchise yields a startlingly brilliant gem
With all the artificial hype designed to sell PIRANHA 3D as the horror hit that delivered for audiences (despite a sixth place bow that barely topped $10-million), now is a good time to pay homage to the film that truly delivered for fans of cinefantastique: PREDATORS. Thought the film [...]
