Category Archives: Features

Features

Why ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ Was the Best Marvel Film of 2014 (Sorry, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’)

Last year, Crooked Table made the somewhat controversial decision to declare Pacific Rim the summer movie event of 2013. That Guillermo del Toro film, of course, secured enough of a response from fans to warrant development on a sequel, but it was far from the universal slam-dunk that Legendary Pictures was likely hoping for. However, this year has been perhaps best defined by one studio and one studio only: Marvel.

The 2014 release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy has proven to be the biggest one-two punch for Marvel Studios thus far. Both films have earned more than $700 million worldwide and stellar reviews of over 90 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Guardians has particularly been the big story this year (and we’ve hashed out our thoughts on the film), considering its impressive feat of transforming a relatively obscure title into this generation’s Star Wars, but is The Winter Soldier actually the better film?
Continue reading Why ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ Was the Best Marvel Film of 2014 (Sorry, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’) →

Features

The Essentials: Kevin Smith

The Essentials is a series of feature articles focusing on the big-screen contributions of one individual, whether behind the scenes or on camera. Selections are evaluated for their critical and financial success, significance to the individual’s career and representation of the breadth of his or her talents.

Tusk may not have lit the box office on fire since hitting U.S. theaters last month, but if there’s one thing the entertainment world knows, it’s that writer/director Kevin Smith may be down, but he’s never out. Over the past 20 years, Smith has delivered has shaped his career with one daring film after another, including a recent turn towards the macabre. With recent news that his long-awaited sequel Clerks III is finally set to begin filming next June (and the Table’s blatant appreciation of Smith himself already clear), let’s take a look back at the man’s five most unforgettable films: Continue reading The Essentials: Kevin Smith →

Features

Should Novelists Adapt Their Own Books into Films?

The bookshelf has historically been one of the first places Hollywood has turned to for inspiration. Early classics like Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz are just two examples of screenwriters turning popular books into award-winning box office hits, and of course, this trend is as popular as ever, with literary adaptations often considered automatic Oscar bait and franchises like The Hunger Games among the highest-grossing films in recent years. Yet, even with the increasingly high-volume of published works being mined for film ideas, an intriguing trend is developing. Continue reading Should Novelists Adapt Their Own Books into Films? →