Tag Archives: subtext

Rise of the Planet of the Apes: No War but Class War

Posted on August 8, 2011 by The Filmsmith | 5 comments

The original Planet of the Apes films (numbering five in all) took on various issues of its day, famously nuclear war (the ending to the original Planet of the Apes) and racism. Some have alleged that the recent Rise of the Planet of the Apes discards the original franchise’s penchant for political parable, utilizing weak tropes instead – a re-hashing of Frankenstein, and the ethics of animal cruelty. What most seem to miss, however, is the theme of anti-establishment class warfare.

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Posted in Articles

Tagged allegory, Civil Rights, Class, class warfare, Malcolm X, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, subtext

Why you should be reading “Under the Dome”

Posted on August 22, 2010 by The Filmsmith | 1 comment

Though this blog is titled The Filmsmith, my motto is similar to Rolling Stone: all the news that fits. So I want to talk about Stephen King’s most recent novel, Under the Dome.

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Posted in Filmsmith Faves, Reviews

Tagged Apt Pupil, Carrie, Christianity, Cujo, Different Seasons, Firestarter, George Bush, Hitler, Pet Sematary, Politics, Rage, Stand By Me, Stephen King, subtext, The Bachman Books, The Dark Knight, The Dead Zone, The Long Walk, The Running Man, The Shawshank Redemption, The Shining, The Stand, Under the Dome, War of the Worlds

Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning (pt 3)

Posted on May 30, 2010 by The Filmsmith | 4 comments

:catch Part 1 here and Part 2 here:

Now, about the third film. Yes, Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning is set in the 19th century. Yes, that sounds very silly. How in the hell have two girls dealing with werewolves in the modern era suddenly found themselves stuck in the mid-1800’s fighting werewolves at a Canadian trade post? The answer: there isn’t really one. Toward the latter third of the film there are allusions to reincarnation and curses passed through families, but the film doesn’t force this idea and there aren’t any time travel shenanigans. It just is.

So I’ll say this: if you had never seen the first two films and watched this one, it could stand on its own – which is respectable. Continue reading →

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Posted in Reviews

Tagged 1800's, 19th century, Army of Darkness, Boom Stick, canada, Cinema, female, feminine, feminism, Film, Ginger Snaps, Ginger Snaps 2, Ginger Snaps 3, Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning, Horror, menstruation, Movie, subtext, themes, Werewolf, werewolves, women, X-Files