Valerian & the City of a Thousand Planets

If there’s one thing we love talking about here at Save the Movies, it’s movies that we feel are underappreciated and unloved. Our selection varies wildly in that regard, and it usually comes down to some film either Scott and / or I feel gets a bit of a raw deal in terms of common wisdom. Maybe it’s because of the always awesome LL Cool J (Deep Blue Sea). Maybe it’s because it’s a flawed masterpiece (Speed Racer). Maybe it’s because one of us really, really loves classic pulp (Sky Captain & the World of Tomorrow). And maybe it’s because it’s a decent giant snake movie with a few interesting elements (Anacondas: Hunt for the Blood Orchid).

The reasons are always subjective. The films we choose spoke to us in some way, and we’re all-too-happy to discuss them with a more appreciative angle than usually expected.

Continue reading “Valerian & the City of a Thousand Planets”

Following Up: Starship Troopers and Motivation

If you write enough fiction and you spend enough time analyzing fiction in all its forms, you start seeing certain patterns and rules that make stories memorable. We might not know it at the time, but stories stick with us because of elements that often lurk hidden in the background. One of those elements is character motivation and interaction.

Continue reading “Following Up: Starship Troopers and Motivation”

The Art of Subversion

One of the things we love seeing here at Save the Movies is the subversion of expectations. Heck, we’re four episodes into this podcast, and it’s safe to say that all of these films subvert expectations, some in simple ways, some in larger ways. If you take away one truth from this site, it’s this: it’s cool to do the unexpected. There’s an added bit there which says, only if you do it well. Continue reading “The Art of Subversion”