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ShaunHuston

Member since 7/6/2007, last signed in 5 days ago.
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Iron Man
Iron Man
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
By ShaunHuston in ShaunHuston filmblog
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 "In Hellboy (2004), writer-director Guillermo del Toro developed his adaptation by stitching together a story from two major arcs in the comics (those collected in Seed of Destruction and The Conqueror Worm)*, and re-imagining the characters (Liz and Hellboy in love, Abe Sapien as a mystical brain-y guy), but without changing their basic qualities (Liz's biography is more or less intact up to the point we meet her, as is Hellboy's, Abe is still a fishman of unclear origin; Bruttenholm dies differently, but is essentially the guy you meet in the books). With Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008), del Toro takes Hellboy and the BPRD and transports them into a world almost entirely of his own making, which is not only within the spirit of the texts, but also produces something unique and special for comic book adaptations: an original story. Most of the time these projects end up being created in the manner of the first Hellboy, that is, built largely from elements taken from the books. T ... " [More]
High Noon
High Noon
Review of new High Noon DVD
By ShaunHuston in ShaunHuston filmblog
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 "I have a review of the new, "Ultimate Collector's Edition" DVD of High Noon (1952) up at PopMatters. Getting to review High Noon is one the upsides of the new film economy, although generally I'm not all that enthused by the practice of turning out periodic new, "special", "definitive", blah, blah editions, especially when there is no particular value or purpose to it (no compelling reason to revisit the film, no new meaningful material, etc.). There's also a certain symmetry to my reviewing this film for PM, as I'm sure I've cited it in no less than three other pieces I've written for the site. PopMatters home.The review. Originally posted on:Short-Circuit Signs " [More]
Star Wars
Star Wars
AFI's 10 Top 10: Science Fiction
By ShaunHuston in ShaunHuston filmblog
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 "The Science Fiction Top 10 is notable for having what is arguably the least disputable number one on all of these lists in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Even after two decades, the film remains gorgeous and convincing-looking, and still capable of provoking debate about technology, the nature of intelligence, and humanity's identity and place in the universe. It has left an indelible mark on how the future, and how space and space travel, is visualized and imagined, especially, but not exclusively, on film. It's a masterful work, and it's difficult for me to think of a more deserving selection for the top of this list. At the same time, this Top 10 has its share of both puzzling selections and curious absences.E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) at number three leaves much to be desired. Not only does the movie not hold up to repeated viewing, but it also barely qualifies as science fiction. True, the AFI's definition of this genre calls for “imaginative speculation”, but it also sta ... " [More]
Dazed and Confused
Dazed and Confused
New project, new videos
By ShaunHuston in Filmmakers Forum
"I've begun production on my first feature length project, a documentary on the comics, as in books, culture in Portland, Oregon, which is at least the second most siginificant location for comics wrtiters, artists, and publishers in the U.S. after NYC. As you might guess, it also home to excellent shops and the local library system has been innovative in adding comics to its collections. You can track the production here and here. Meanwhile, on lo-fi cinema I've posted the last two International Documentary Challenge films I've produced: "8veU" (Flash, Quicktime, and also on YouTube) "Visual Vitriol: The Art of Punk" (Flash, Quicktime). And I've added a fun, experimental re-presentation of a scene from Dazed and Confused (Flash, Quicktime, and also on YouTube). " [More]

Re:My first feature: Sandcastle ...
By ShaunHuston in Filmmakers Forum
"I hope the screening went well. I know how exciting and anxious having your work screened in a darkened room in front of strangers (and friends, of course) can be. " [More]

Re:New online home for my videos
By ShaunHuston in Filmmakers Forum
"[quote user="csprague"] [/quote] Friday Lentils & Rice was fun. I liked the snappy editing. Plus, it looked tasty, which means you probably had good lighting:) Keep us posted with your new episodes and projects. Cheers, Christi [/quote] Thanks for checking out the page. My activity ebbs and flows, so I appreciate the note even more. " [More]
The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz
AFI's 10 Top 10: Fantasy
By ShaunHuston in ShaunHuston filmblog
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 "As with Moonstruck's appearance on the romantic comedy list, I found myself charmed by many of the selections on the fantasy list, even where I may not have made the choice myself. I was particularly happy to see Groundhog Day (1993) on this Top 10, but, like a number of other films here, the more I thought about the idea of “fantasy”, the more I began to wonder if some weren't misplaced or mis-categorized. Groundhog Day, alongside Harvey (1950), Miracle on 34th Street (1947), and It's a Wonderful Life (1946), may be fantasies, but they are more accurately described as “fables”, that is, as stories that are essentially about life lessons rather than the fantastic, though they may use fantasy elements to tell their stories. Where the three older films are concerned, there are questions that clearly can, and are, raised about what the protagonists have experienced or who they actually are. Is George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) actually visited by an angel, or has h ... " [More]
North by Northwest
North by Northwest
AFI's 10 Top 10: Mystery
By ShaunHuston in ShaunHuston filmblog
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 "The mystery list is another one that seems poorly conceived. Unlike animation, “mystery” may be a genre, but the way it is defined and applied in the AFI list leads to a muddled selection of films.The AFI defines mystery as “a genre that revolves around the solution of a crime”. I'm not convinced that that adequately describes the films on the list, or, even if it does, it is absurdly reductive. Most ironically, the definition seems least appropriate when applied to the list's top selection, Vertigo (1958), which does not actually revolve around the solution of a crime at all, but a domestic mystery, and is really about Scottie's (Jimmy Stewart) inner-demons and obsessions in any event. Similar questions can be raised about other movies on this Top 10. For example, the second film on the list, Chinatown (1974), certainly starts with a mysterious murder, but part of the point of the film is that some “crimes” aren't illegal at all, and may even be facilitated by laws. The plot of T ... " [More]
Field of Dreams
Field of Dreams
AFI's 10 Top 10: Sports
By ShaunHuston in ShaunHuston filmblog
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 "The sports Top 10 is a difficult list to assess. How many truly good sports movies are there, and I ask this as a sports fan? Raging Bull (1980) is arguably the greatest film of the 1980s, and Rocky (1976) was a little labor of love, far from the semi-joke blockbuster that it is often remembered as in light of its sequels. They likely deserve their places at the top of the list, especially Raging Bull. As to the rest of the films, I have a lot of affection for Breaking Away (1979) and really, it's a lovely little film that I'd put higher on the list. I also like Hoosiers (1986) and Bull Durham (1988), but they both have obvious flaws (as Anne-Marie noted, the basketball film falls short in its depiction of the on-the-court action; the final is especially poorly paced and shot and edited in an oblique way. I've always thought that Bull Durham's final act stretched on a little too long, needlessly deferring Annie and Crash's final settling in together). For the remainder, well, I don ... " [More]
AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies
AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies
AFI's 10 Top 10: Introduction
By ShaunHuston in ShaunHuston filmblog
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 "Ahh, what would summer be without an AFI list to dish about? Based on last night in our household, these lists continue to be successful as conversation starters, and, secondarily, as pointers or reminders about films that Anne-Marie and I may have yet to see or haven't seen in awhile. Central to their function as points for discussion is their flaws, and so, in some respects, taking issue with this or that selection is somewhat pointless, at least in the sense that lists of these sort, whether generated via the AFI or not, cannot be “fixed” so as to be indisputable. However, discussing the merits of different films, and whether the selections are biased towards or against certain kinds of films, or what is it, exactly, that makes a film “American” in the first place, is still fun and, I think, productive in terms of refining viewers' own evaluations of and exposure to different films. More than previous shows, last night's “10 Top 10” raises que ... " [More]
The Incredibles
The Incredibles
AFI's 10 Top 10: Animation
By ShaunHuston in ShaunHuston filmblog
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 "The animation top ten was the first list and it got the evening off to a shaky start. The problems with this list run much deeper than its rather uninspired roster of, almost exclusively, Disney “classics”. Most fundamentally, animation is not a genre; it's a medium. However, it is also the case that in Hollywood, animation verges on being a genre, but the American animation genre of the 20th century is not the same as the genre in the 21st century except insofar as animation is treated as a medium for children's, or “family”, films. In the 20th century, as ably shown by the list, animation was more or less the new medium for musicals. In this millenium, music remains an important part of animated films, but they are less often actual musicals. They are, however, characterized by hyperreal computer animation and dialogue rich with “clever” asides and pop culture references. Does that make a genre? Maybe, but not one that has much in common with t ... " [More]
Once Upon a Time in the West
Once Upon a Time in the West
AFI's 10 Top 10: Western
By ShaunHuston in ShaunHuston filmblog
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 "The Western Top 10 is the toughest for me. As some of you may know, while I'm hardly Richard Slotkin or Jane Tompkins, I write, teach, and think about this genre on a regular basis, and, as a result, my views are not only fairly strong, but well-informed. And, where certain well regarded classics are concerned, they are also iconoclastic. This is probably nowhere more obvious than with The Searchers (1956), the film that tops the AFI list. This film does not resonate with me on any level. I have never found the ending credible. John Wayne does not portray Ethan Edwards with any of the complexity needed for his embrace of Debbie (Natalie Wood) to ring true after his 118 (or so) minutes of hard, racist ranting about Native Americans and his intent to kill her. I also find the photography and production design to be garish without purpose, and for all of its superficial sophistication about Native peoples, the talk of ritual, the use of indigenous language, it only serves to perpetuat ... " [More]

Lists

2008 Films (17)
A list of films I've seen in theaters in 2008.
Films I've seen (239)
Films I've seen
2008 Films on DVD (19)
A list of films I've seen at home on DVD in 2008.
My favorite films (9)
My favorite films
Geography & Film Class 2008 (9)
A list of the films I will be screening in my Spring 2008 Geography and Film class at Western Or ...
Films I want to see (5)
Films I want to see
2007 Films on DVD (24)
A list of films I've seen at home on DVD in 2007.
2007 Films (34)
A list of films I've seen in the theater in 2007
Canadian Film Class 2008 (16)
These are the films I'm using in my Winter 2008 Canadian Film class at Western Oregon University.
Films I want to buy (53)
Films I want to buy