The State I'm In

Again, updates have been spotty here at Ye Ol' Blund'rb's.  Apologies, and I hope to get myself back on track.  I've had a lot of shit going on, and I just wanted to let my loyal readers in on where my head's at right now.

Michigan, much like the rest of the country, is getting scarier by the day.  Governor Rick Snyder is getting some crazy laws passed, and the future wife and I are looking at escape routes.  Current best option?  Pittsburgh, PA.  Yeah, the Gov's a Republican there as well, but Pennsylvania seems to be weathering the financial crisis much better than some other states.  I like the centralized location between my parents/homies and the East Coast.  Pittsburgh itself is a beautiful city, with lots of interesting stuff to do.  And, as someone who's slightly against Big City life, it's nice that it's surrounded by so much nature.  The move ain't gonna happen till late 2012, so we'll have plenty of time to mill it over.

Sticking true to my resolution, I've continued to avoid mediocre films this year.  I was slightly tempted by Red Riding Hood, given that it stars Oldman and Seyfreid, and the photography looks nice, but the universally horrible reviews are diverting me away.  Theater wise, I've been going to see Chaplin flicks.  The Michigan Theater has been showing a film of his every week, so I made it a point to check out The Circus, and dragged the lady along (She came quite willingly) to City Lights and The Great Dictator.  Looking forward to Modern Times next week!

I (very briefly) attempted to make this a movie news site, but I've frankly been quite bored with the recent crop of films coming out, for the most part.  As such, I'll be getting back to reviews of older films (and a few good new ones), and also turning this into a more relaxed, biographical type of blog.  Which, given my nature, will primarily focus on movies.  I've come to realize that the best movie discussions I've ever had HAVE been extremely casual, and amongst friends, so hopefully this format will lend itself to even better insights.

This weekend, I'll be checking out a sneak preview of Your Highness, featuring a "Meet and Greet" with Danny McBride and David Gordon Green.

Till then. . .

The Twenty Greatest American Film Directors: Part Two

Second verse, better than the first.


10.  PHILIP KAUFMAN

AKA:  The Lothario
BORN:  October 23, 1936 Chicago, IL
STRENGTHS:  Explores American society through both epic and intimate tales of culture clash and sexual politics.
WEAKNESSES:  Hasn't made many films, and most of them haven't been particularly financially successful.
ESSENTIAL WORKS:  The Right Stuff, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), The Unbearable Lightness Of Being
YOU CAN SKIP:  Twisted, Rising Sun


9.  JOHN HUSTON

AKA:  The Adventurer
BORN:  August 5, 1906 Nevada, MO
DIED:  August 28, 1987 Middletown, RI
STRENGTHS:  Brought his vaudeville, painting, and "hard living" experience to bear in stories of real men doing real things.
WEAKNESSES:  Often bucked the system, infuriating his producers.  Somewhat inconsistent.
ESSENTIAL WORKS:  The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre, The Maltese Falcon, The Asphalt Jungle
YOU CAN SKIP:  Casino Royale (1967), The Bible: In The Beginning


8.  DAVID LYNCH

AKA:  The Dreamer
BORN:  January 20, 1946 Missoula, MT
STRENGTHS:  Can send the viewer into a liminal state between reality and fantasy.  Films are dreamlike in nature, sometimes shifting suddenly into intense nightmares.  Wholly one-of-a-kind; "Lynchian" has become a term for anything undefinably odd.
WEAKNESSES:  Made an interesting play at mainstream entertainment, which could have led to a more diverse "One for me, one for them" kind of career, but has since retreated back into the comfortable solidarity of Lynchworld.
ESSENTIAL WORKS:  Blue Velvet, Eraserhead, Dune, The Elephant Man
YOU CAN SKIP:  Inland Empire


7.  JOHN FORD

AKA:  The Cowboy
BORN:  February 1, 1894 Cape Elizabeth, ME
DIED:  August 31, 1973 Palm Desert, CA
STRENGTHS:  Productivity - The dude made over 100 films in his lifetime, ranging from good to brilliant.  A visual innovator, and, most likely, the favorite director of your favorite director.
WEAKNESSES:  Kinda hung up on westerns.
ESSENTIAL WORKS:  The Searchers, Stagecoach, The Grapes Of Wrath, My Darling Clementine, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
YOU CAN SKIP:  Mogambo


6.  SIDNEY LUMET

AKA:  The New Yorker
BORN:  June 25, 1924 Philadelphia, PA
STRENGTHS:  An "Actor's Director" with a background in the theater.  Makes New York based, and flavored, films outside the stifling influence of Hollywood.
WEAKNESSES:  Low-key stories have left him under the radar of mainstream audiences.
ESSENTIAL WORKS:  12 Angry Men (1957), Network, Dog Day Afternoon
YOU CAN SKIP:  Q&A, Guilty as Sin


5.  ROBERT WISE

AKA: The Chameleon
BORN:  September 10, 1914 Winchester, IN
DIED:  September 14, 2005 Los Angeles, CA
STRENGTHS:  The Lon Chaney of directors; he could alter his style completely based on the material, leaving almost no trace of himself.  Equally adept at musicals as he was at sci-fi or horror.
ESSENTIAL WORKS:  The Haunting (1963), The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), West Side Story, The Sound Of Music, The Sand Pebbles
YOU CAN SKIP:  Rooftops, Audrey Rose


4.  ORSON WELLES

AKA:  The Thespian
BORN:  May 6, 1915 Kenosha, WI
DIED:  October 10, 1985 Los Angeles, CA
STRENGTHS:  Has the distinction of being considered one of the greatest directors of all time AND one of the greatest actors of all time.  His debut film, Citizen Kane, is usually pointed to as "the greatest film of all time".
WEAKNESSES:  Had studio trouble from day one, and ended up working from the margins for the rest of his career.  If he'd been able to make more films, or ones that the studios didn't end up chopping to pieces, he would most certainly rank even higher on here.
ESSENTIAL WORKS:  Citizen Kane, Touch of Evil, F for Fake, Othello, The Lady From Shanghai
YOU CAN SKIP:  Nothing.  Even hacked up, his films are brilliant.


3.  MARTIN SCORSESE

AKA:  The Historian
BORN:  November 17, 1942 New York City, NY
STRENGTHS:  Vast knowledge of film history mingled with a fiery passion for storytelling.  Displays more energy in his ripe old age than most of the thirty-something directors out there.
WEAKNESSES:  Despite range, tends to get stuck on certain themes, which occasionally get stale.
ESSENTIAL WORKS:  Taxi Driver, After Hours, Gangs of New York, The King Of Comedy, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Departed, Mean Streets, The Last Temptation of Christ
YOU CAN SKIP:  Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Cape Fear (1991)


2.  JOEL AND ETHAN COEN

AKA:  The Odd Ducks
BORN: November 29, 1954 (Joel) and September 21, 1957 (Ethan) St. Louis Park, MN
STRENGTHS:  I'm the first guy in the room to say "Too soon".  That's how fucking good these guys are.  And their "lesser" works are often the ones that I like the most, like A Serious Man.  Their dialogue, casting, story choices, and camerawork are always unique and fascinating.
WEAKNESSES:  Snarkiness bordering on a complete lack of sentimentality at times.
ESSENTIAL WORKS:  The Big Lebowski, Blood Simple, Miller's Crossing, Raising Arizona, Barton Fink, No Country For Old Men, Fargo
YOU CAN SKIP:  The Ladykillers (2004)


1.  STANLEY KUBRICK

AKA:  The Photographer
BORN:  July 26, 1928 New York City, NY
DIED:  March 7, 1999 Harpenden, Hertfordshire UK
STRENGTHS:  Absolute mastery of lighting and framing.  Interest in diverse, and boundary-pushing, types of stories.  Elevated the medium to new heights.  Often imitated, but never duplicated.
WEAKNESSES:  Slow pace left too many potential masterpieces unmade.  Spielberg directed his unmade treatment, A.I., embarrassing everyone in the process.
ESSENTIAL WORKS:  2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Dr. Strangelove, Barry Lyndon, Lolita (1962)
YOU CAN SKIP:  Spartacus


That's it, kids.  Did I leave anybody out?  Write me back!

The Twenty Greatest American Film Directors: Part One

I present to you, dear reader, a list of whom I consider to be the "greatest" feature film directors to ever have been spawned from betwixt Sea and Shining Sea.

By what measure do I define the "Greatest American Directors"?  For one, they have to have been born in this country - no matter how long they eventually ended up working in Hollywood (Sorry Billy Wilder, Alfred Hitchcock and Frank Capra).  Secondly, I graded them using my own, special recipe:  It's a mixture of pure craftsmanship, artistic merit, originality, influence (positive), consistency, range - and, of course, a bit of personal preference.

This isn't simply a list of the innovators of the medium (though a few certainly are).  Nor are they simply the critical darlings, the populist favorites. . .  nor favorites of mine, who are often extremely hit-or-miss and unpopular (Sorry John Milius).  It's a mix that blends all of those elements together.  If you feel like I've left someone important off (and I have had to make some Sophie's Choices with the last few slots), feel free to make your own list, or tell me who I'm missing.  There's no right or wrong answers here.  Ultimately, the way I look at the list is:  If a film layman were to ask me "Which American directors works should I check out?", this is the list I would hand to them.


20. FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA

AKA: The Godfather
BORN: April 7, 1939 Detroit, MI
STRENGTHS: A strong visual storyteller, equally as adept at colorful operatics as he is at muted intimacy, and full of ambition.  Made a few of the best films of the 1970's, often considered the best decade in movie history.
WEAKNESSES:  Perhaps a bit too ambitious; After a couple expensive failures, he spent the better part of the last three decades cranking out Hollywood hokum, mostly in an effort to pay off his debts.  If he'd pulled that trigger in, say, 1980, he might have earned a higher spot on this list.
ESSENTIAL WORKS: The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, The Conversation, Apocalypse Now
YOU CAN SKIP: The Godfather Part III, Jack


19.  HAL ASHBY

AKA:  The Hippie
BORN:  September 2, 1929 Ogden, UT
DIED:  December 27, 1988 Malibu, CA
STRENGTHS:  A master satirist, who deftly skewered the morals and mores of American society in a series of films that balance comedy and drama in equal measure.
WEAKNESSES:  Drug abuse and an unhealthy fear of doctors.  He died, riddled with cancer, at the relatively young age of 59.
ESSENTIAL WORKS: Being There, Harold and Maude, Coming Home, The Last Detail, Shampoo
YOU CAN SKIP:  Second-Hand Hearts, The Slugger's Wife


18.  JIM JARMUSCH

AKA:  The Ur-Hipster
BORN:  January 22, 1953 Cuyahoga Falls, OH
STRENGTHS:  An independent film pioneer.  As strong of a writer as he is a director; has crafted some highly quotable dialogue.  Has the ability to make you care about the misadventures of charming losers and lovable lunatics.
WEAKNESSES:  One Jarmusch film often feels much like another in tone.  Depending on your thoughts about Auteur theory, this may not be a weakness.
ESSENTIAL WORKS:  Stranger Than Paradise, Down By Law, Dead Man, Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai
YOU CAN SKIP:  The Limits of Control, Coffee and Cigarettes


17.  TERRY GILLIAM

AKA:  The Madman
BORN:  November 22, 1940 Medicine Lake, MN
STRENGTHS:  Seemingly boundless imagination, and a strong visual sense carried over from his animation background.  A mastery of the wide-angle lens.
WEAKNESSES:  Partly through his own tempestuous nature, and partly through plain bad luck, several of his films have been met with tragedy.  A documentary, titled Lost In La Mancha, follows him around as his adaptation of Don Quixote falls apart.
ESSENTIAL WORKS:  Brazil, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Monty Python and the Holy Grail
YOU CAN SKIP:  The Brothers Grimm


16.  BLAKE EDWARDS

AKA:  The Absurdist
BORN:  July 26, 1922 Tulsa, OK
DIED:  December 15, 2010 Santa Monica, CA
STRENGTHS:  A great deal of range, but best known as a comedic genius, particularly of the slapstick variety.
WEAKNESSES:  With minor exceptions, he seemingly had no artistic ambitions.  He was "simply" an entertainer.
ESSENTIAL WORKS:  A Shot in the Dark, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Experiment in Terror, The Pink Panther Strikes Again, The Party, Days of Wine and Roses
YOU CAN SKIP:  The Man Who Loved Women, Son of the Pink Panther


15.  JOHN FRANKENHEIMER

AKA:  The Lone Gunman
BORN:  February 19, 1930 New York City, NY
DIED:  July 6, 2002 Los Angeles, CA
STRENGTHS:  Coming from a television background, he had the ability to work fast and cheap.  Specialized in intense thrillers and action movies.
WEAKNESSES:  Due to his speed and thrift, he was often the go-to guy for "fixing" troubled projects.  As such, his name is attached to a number of sub-par films (Though usually made with his trademark flair).
ESSENTIAL WORKS:  The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Seconds, Birdman of Alcatraz, Ronin
YOU CAN SKIP:  Prophecy (1979), The Island Of Dr. Moreau (1996)


14.  STANLEY DONEN

AKA:  The Dancer
BORN:  April 13, 1924 Columbia, SC
STRENGTHS:  First as a dancer, then choreographer, and finally director, Donen was intimately involved in several of the most important musicals of the 40's through the 60's.  He matched the movement of the performers with the movement of the camera in a style that modern, balletic action films make a direct homage to.
WEAKNESSES:  His star began to fade after the demise of the big Hollywood musical, though he still had a couple of brilliant non-musicals in him before his retirement.
ESSENTIAL WORKS:  Singin' In The Rain, On The Town, Seven Brides For Seven Brothers, Charade, The Pajama Game, Damn Yankees!
YOU CAN SKIP:  Saturn 3, Blame it on Rio


13.  TERRENCE MALICK

AKA:  The Poet
BORN:  November 30, 1943 in ? (No one seems to have a clear answer on this.)
STRENGTHS:  Creates haunting, almost transcendental tone poems to a particular time and place, be it Jamestown in the 17th Century, or Guadalcanal during WWII.  Eye for photography that is only matched by the director who made the #1 spot on this list.
WEAKNESSES:  Not the most productive filmmaker - Since his feature debut in 1973, he's only made four movies, with a fifth coming out this year (The Brad Pitt and Sean Penn starer The Tree Of Life).
ESSENTIAL WORKS:  Badlands, Days Of Heaven, The Thin Red Line (1998), The New World
YOU CAN SKIP:  Ummm. . .  I listed everything already!


12.  NICHOLAS RAY

AKA:  The Existentialist
BORN:  August 7, 1911 Galesville, WI
DIED:  June 16, 1979 New York City, NY
STRENGTHS:  Made troubled youth and crime pictures that functioned perfectly well as simple stories, but had themes of sexual freedom, social isolation, and institutional failure simmering just beneath the surface.  Brilliant use of color and framing to help convey theme and mood.
WEAKNESSES:  Heavy drug abuse, and lack of hit films, eventually made him a liability.
ESSENTIAL WORKS:  Rebel Without A Cause, Johnny Guitar, In a Lonely Place, Bigger than Life
YOU CAN SKIP:  55 Days at Peking, King of Kings (1961)


11.  BUSTER KEATON

AKA:  The Quiet One
BORN:  October 4, 1895 Piqua, KS
DIED:  February 1, 1966 Woodland Hills, CA
STRENGTHS:  As a director, a great mind for hilarious, and dangerous, stunts.  As a performer, having the brilliant comic timing and absolute fearlessness to perform them.
WEAKNESSES:  Signed with a major studio in the late 20's, which ended up stifling his creativity.  Went into semi-retirement in the early 30's, with only occasional acting work.
ESSENTIAL WORKS:  Sherlock Jr, The General (1926), Three Ages
YOU CAN SKIP:  Speak Easily, What! No Beer?

The Frederick Collection - Vol 1: Out Of Sight (1998)

Ever hear of the Criterion Collection?  It's a super high-end, uber-pretentious series of laserdiscs, DVD's, and Blu Rays for hard-core film snobs.  Naturally, I love it, and by extension want to appropriate it.  No, I don't have the bread to buy the rights to films, digitally remaster them, and sell them online for $40 a pop.  But I can make a list.

I present The Frederick Collection. An ongoing series of articles about classic, negligible, and moderately entertaining films that have one thing in common;  I consider them all to be essential viewing.

THE FREDERICK COLLECTION (1)

OUT OF SIGHT (1998)

THE BACKSTORY

In the late nineties, Steven Soderbergh needed a hit.  A decade prior, he had become the face of the Indie Film Movement with his debut feature, "Sex, Lies, and Videotape".  His follow-ups, such as Kafka and Schizopolis, were even more intriguing and experimental.  Unlike the directors of today, he was not using his indie success simply as a springboard to mainstream entertainment.  But he was a man who wanted to expand his scope, and not work solely in the world of arthouse.

In the late nineties, George Clooney needed a hit.  Following his breakout success on ER, his Hollywood career was a bunch of middling tripe; One Fine Day, The Peacemaker, Batman & Robin.  Nothing memorable or noteworthy.  And, having seen the fall of David Caruso before him, he knew there was a time limit on jump-starting his film career. . .

In the late nineties, Elmore Leonard was a hit.  His crime novels were a primary inspiration for writer/director Quentin Tarantino, who used that inspiration to craft one of the most influential films of all time - Pulp Fiction.  Appropriately enough, after the success of Pulp Fiction, Elmore Leonard's books became highly sought after material for adaptation, with Tarantino himself turning Leonard's book Rum Punch into his follow-up film, Jackie Brown.

So, after some initial hesitation, Soderbergh jumped at the chance to direct an adaptation of Leonard's 1996 crime romance novel Out Of Sight, which was being produced by the sure hand of Danny DeVito (Pulp Fiction, Get Shorty, LA Confidential).  It turned out to be the right choice for everyone involved:  While not being a big hit, it was critically acclaimed, and it proved that not only could Soderbergh make a solid piece of mainstream entertainment, but that Clooney had the chops to be this generation's Cary Grant.

THE SYNOPSIS

Jack Foley (George Clooney) is a professional bank robber on the lam.  Karen Sisco (Jennifer Lopez) is a tough-as-nails US Marshal.  It's an unlikely romance, and one that could end up getting the both of them killed.

WHY IT'S ESSENTIAL

People, when describing Elmore Leonard's work, often use the term "cool".  This is completely accurate, but "cool" can be interpreted several different ways.  The film version of Get Shorty had a "hyper-stylized, super slick" kind of coolness.  Tarantino's Jackie Brown was a "hanging with record store hipsters, listening to obscure Motown" kind of cool.  And Out Of Sight?  It's a "having a beer with your best friend in the world" kind of cool;  a truly chilled, laid back vibe.  Never has gunplay and criminal behavior felt so relaxing - and never has the tone of a Leonard book felt so accurately represented.

Not to say that it's a straight lift from the novel:  The book is told in a fairly straightforward, chronological fashion; whereas screenwriter Scott Frank begins the film with a contextless scene of Clooney exiting a building, ripping off his tie, and proceeding to rob the nearest bank.  While constant time-shifts in films can be extremely gimmicky (see 21 Grams), here it's used in a dramatically effective manner.  Even scenes within scenes are chronologically shaky, as evidenced by Soderbergh's cross-cutting between Clooney's tryst with Lopez, and their eventual sexual liason.  That sex scene, in which hardly anything is shown, is quite possibly one of the most erotic moments in cinema history.

Leonard specializes in "tough guy" banter, in the tradition of Hammett and Chandler, and the actors chosen for this - Clooney, Rhames, Cheadle - are some of the few in Hollywood who could actually pull it off.  In lesser hands, a character like Maurice Miller would be cartoonish (Imagine him as played by Zeus "Tiny" Lister), but as portrayed by Don Cheadle, he's believable, funny. . .  and sometimes really scary.

Veteran editor, and multiple Academy Award nominee (winner, in fact, for Lawrence Of Arabia) Anne V. Coates does an effective job of jumping smoothly between multiple characters in multiple time periods.  David Holmes, best known at the time for his album "This Film's Crap, Let's Slash The Seats", drives the score with propulsive, jazzy/hip-hop beats and quiet, sensuous sonaral immersions.  Cinematographer Elliot Davis, who had previously worked with Soderbergh on a couple of films, helped to redefine and solidify Soderbergh's style with this one (Grainy photography; hand-held, documentary style camerawork), before, ironically, never working with him again.

IN CONCLUSION

There's a huge difference between "trying to be cool" and "being cool", and this movie just IS fucking cool.  Whether it's effortless or not, it certainly feels that way.  And while it often feels like Soderbergh's more financially successful latter career has been in an attempt to chase this particular dragon again (This is nothing if not a model for the Ocean's 11 series), he's never quite been able to match its "off the cuff" feeling.

So sit back, pop this baby into the machine, and give it a watch.  Forget Jennifer Lopez's horrible pop music.  Forget George Clooney's continued reuse of this archtype.  Forget how Steve Zahn's career completely went to shit.  Watch a cinematic jazz song, in which every note is exactly where it should be.

How you gonna do me like that, Criterion Collection?!

I thought we were boys.

The Criterion Collection, in case you're unaware, is a pretentious, and delightful, company that brings high quality versions of "important classic and contemporary films" into the loving hands of film geeks worldwide.  In the last year, they've expanded into streaming content, releasing around 100 titles on Netflix Instant, a few at a time, and just a handful of titles on Hulu.

In a completely unexpected move (by me, anyway), they've decided to stop streaming films on Netflix, and will exclusively be streaming their content on Hulu's pay version, "Hulu Plus".  As of yesterday, they've dumped a full 100 films on their site, with another 700 on the way!

But why Hulu?  In their press release, Criterion stated that they've been unsatisfied with Netflix's set-up; specifically citing the lack of a dedicated Criterion section, or even any way to directly search for Criterion titles.  It's a valid complaint; I fucking love Netflix, but they aren't exactly user friendly.  There have been a few different versions of The Matrix released on DVD, but it's listing on the Netflix Queue doesn't indicate which version you're going to get.  I got Silence Of The Lambs in the mail, and not only wasn't it the Criterion version, it was a crappy pan-and-scan edition.  The Instant movies are also a crapshoot:  You've got some beautiful transfers for a lot of the films, but any of the Starz Play ones (which often aren't labelled) are extremely pixelated and terrible looking.

Small quibbles, but worth noting.  I understand Criterion's frustration.  But, again. . .  Hulu?!  Maybe it's just my lack of inexperience with it, but I haven't been terribly impressed by Hulu so far.  The ads in the middle of the show are annoying (Which, apparently, you'll still sit through even with the pay service!  The caveat is that Criterion movies will only have ads at the beginning of the film).  The video quality is "Meh";  the higher end Netflix transfers I've seen are WAY beyond anything I've watched on Hulu.  And the interface, other than having a "dedicated Criterion section", isn't any less awkward than Netflix. In fact, I'd say it's even harder to find things!

They're charging $7.99 a month for Hulu Plus, which, when you consider the 800 Criterion movies soon  to be at your disposal, doesn't sound too bad.  But there are a couple of problems, for me at least.  Mainly,  that everything else on there is shit.  Netflix Instant is a movie service that happens to have some television; Hulu is a television service that incidentally has some movies.  And it's not even GOOD television.  I mean, I guess it's cool that every episode of Psych is at my fingertips, but since I'm never going to watch that show, it doesn't do me much good.  I would be purchasing the service solely for the Criterion movies.

I don't know.  Maybe I'll try out the free trial, and get back to you guys with a review.  Unless one of you Criterion hounds out there has already taken the plunge?

Beyond Intellectual Property: Story Archtypes That Have Developed A Life Of Their Own

The creation of any story is the combination of several influences.  Life.  Imagination.  And, quite often, other stories.  So it comes as no surprise that we often read about rapscallions very much in the mold of Huckleberry Finn, and watch the serialized television adventures of lawyers who could be kith and kin to Perry Mason.

But there are certain imaginary worlds which have made such an impact, that they've been wrestled from the grasp of their makers.  The creators, or often creator, of these concepts can no longer hold sole claim to them.  They have, due to their resonance, become part of the creative lexicon.

I present an admittedly incomplete listing of the complex story types that no longer require the slightest degree of exposition, despite having no tangible connection to the real world.

THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE

There certainly exists folklore about zombies, originating from Caribbean Voodoo practices, and there have been legends and stories about the walking dead feasting on the living, in novels such as Dracula and I Am Legend.  But the public perception of what a zombie is in the 21st century is completely the creation of one man:  George A. Romero.  With his films Night Of The Living Dead (1968), and later Dawn Of The Dead (1978), Romero created an entire post-apocalyptic landscape, and a terrifying monster complete with it's own set of "rules".  Ask any random Grandmother that you run into, one who's never seen a horror film in her life, and she'd be able to tell you that you have to kill a zombie with a headshot.

TOLKIENIAN FANTASY

The name practically explains itself:  Any fantasy novel, movie, comic book; etc, that has directly, or indirectly, been heavily influenced by J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece, The Lord Of The Rings (1954).  A story itself inspired by ancient legends, such as the stories of Gilgamesh and Beowulf, and certainly following the works of other writers, such as Robert E. Howard (Conan the Barbarian) and George MacDonald (The Princess and the Goblin), but it solidified the concept of a somewhat-medieval, rich-in-history, and filled with magical races fantasy world.  Some concepts became standard and expected as genre conventions:  Elves are noble and wise, usually divided into "woodland" and "high" classes.  Dwarves hearty, and obsessed with mining.  The race of man being flawed, but somehow central and important (You see that theme in modern science fiction quite a bit, as well).  From Dungeons & Dragons to World Of Warcraft, Tolkien's legacy is unmistakeable.

THE INTERGALACTIC EMPIRE/REPUBLIC

This one is more difficult to cite a direct source for:  It's a combination of the traditions of Planetary Romance (A sci-fi adventure story in the "lost world" style, ala the John Carter Of Mars novels), and Space Operas (Similar in style, but focusing more on interplanetary travel).  It's a short-hand, widely-accepted concept that in the far future (or far-flung, distant past, in some cases), the known galaxy will be populated by a coalition of several different kinds of space-faring races, all working together (to some degree or another).  Often, as in Tolkienian Fantasy, the human race is given some special trait, such as the ability to have more than one type of personality amongst the entirety of their species.  Pulp characters such as Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon laid the foundation for this, which was further solidified in Frank Herbert's epic novel Dune (1965).  Dune itself actually features very few non-humans, but it grafted the concept of a Galactic Civilization into the public consciousness.  The television show Star Trek (1966-1969) and the film Star Wars (1977), expanded the concept to a much larger audience than ever before.

A WORLD OF SUPERHEROES

In the beginning, there was Superman.  Then came Batman, The Flash, and Green Lantern, all entertaining children with their separate comic adventures.  In All-Star Comics # 3 (1940), DC Comics came up with the idea of a team of superheroes, sharing the same universe.  From that point forward, and more-so following the superhero Silver Age of the 1960's, it became standard practice for superheroes to inhabit an entire world filled with thousands of different superheroes, supervillains, and other sci-fi concepts.  Not only are the X-Men living in a world that fears and hates their fellow mutantkind, but also in a world that has Gamma-irradiated monsters, shield-wielding unfrozen soldiers, and flying-surfboard riding aliens.  This is perhaps the most bizarre shared concept of them all, since it relies on several different kinds of characters all coincidentally gaining superhuman powers from a statistically improbable amount of separate, unrelated sources.

IN CONCLUSION

This list could go on and on (and I might be inclined to sequelize it), but I just wanted to give you a taste of how we take certain conventions for granted.  These worlds, these concepts, don't actually exist, so it's interesting to see how we almost subconsciously react to them as if they had.

NEW X-MEN TRAILER!!!!

I'll just let this speak for itself, for starters.



Doesn't give you too much;  Given the rushed production schedule, I'll guessing they still have a ton of FX work to do.  As it is, though;  looking good.  Winter's Bone's Jennifer Lawrence looks appropriately creepy.  I love the retro vibe.  It's interesting. . .  This "era" of the X-Men is almost entirely a creation of the cinema.  Yes, Magneto and Xavier did once work together, and Magneto even led the X-Men at one point, but the mutants they're using, and the plots, are all being mixed together in new and interesting ways.  It's a lot more exciting then watching another tired "Why can't I remember Weapon X?" plotline.

Looks like McAvoy captures a bit of Patrick Stewart's timbre, at least, but Fassbender is just like "Fuck it.  Magneto's Irish in this.  Deal with it."

The 16 year old living inside me is geeking out hardcore about this!