Category Archives: Chapter 8

Listening to Movie Music

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Ralph Hanson

Years ago, back when my Dear Wife and I lived in Arizona, we saw film composer Jerry Goldsmith conduct an evening of his music with the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra. Now, more than 25 years later, I still think about what … Continue reading →

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Is There Ever Grace For Being Stupid on Social Media?

Posted on July 28, 2018 by Ralph Hanson

Last week, Disney fired director James Gunn from the Guardians of the Galaxy movie franchise over a number of offensive tweets he posted dating back to 2009.  Though the tweets were not hidden, they were brought to people’s attention when … Continue reading →

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Guest Blog Post: Overlooked Women in Movie History

Posted on March 8, 2018 by Ralph Hanson

Saw an interesting post on Facebook this morning about women in the movie industry from my friend Dolores Hill Sierra. Dolores is retired from teaching communication classes at Blackhawk Community College in the Quad Cities area of Illinois where she … Continue reading →

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In the Battle of Disney vs. The Press, The Press Won

Posted on November 7, 2017 by Ralph Hanson

As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog post, Disney recently entered into an ill-advised battle with the Los Angeles Times because the media conglomerate didn’t like how the newspaper was covering the company’s business relationships with the city of Anaheim. Disney (aka … Continue reading →

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Questions Worth Asking (Maybe) – All-Disney Edition

Posted on November 6, 2017 by Ralph Hanson

How many African-American writers does Hulu have working on their series? Zero, none, zip, nada. (And just 4.8 percent of all TV writers are black.) Behind-the-camera diversity can be as important as in-front-of-the-camera. (Disney is one of the major owners … Continue reading →

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How watching a movie leads to Facebook ad

Posted on October 4, 2017 by Ralph Hanson

I recently watched the movie The Fifth Element on TV at home, and I don’t believe I posted anything about it, though I certainly searched it for cast and crew information. Fascinating to see that such a low level of … Continue reading →

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A few more thoughts on the Bechdel Test

Posted on October 4, 2017 by Ralph Hanson

The Bechdel Test is a fairly simple test for the presence of women in movies.  It asks three simple questions: Are there two or more women in the movie who have names? Do they talk to each other? Do they … Continue reading →

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Twitter Responses are the New Autograph (All media are social)

Posted on September 21, 2017 by Ralph Hanson

Updated 10/9/17 We all have our moments that David Letterman called a “brush with greatness,” moments where our lives intersect with someone famous. In the past, when you met a movie star, musician or famous author, you might ask for … Continue reading →

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Questions Worth Asking (Maybe)

Posted on September 15, 2017 by Ralph Hanson

What do Americans know about their constitution? Not much, according to a new survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center. Good story from CNN’s Chis Cillizza. (Also, good analysis from the libertarian Volokh Conspiracy) 37% couldn’t name a single right … Continue reading →

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Images of the Twin Towers in Cinema

Posted on September 11, 2017 by Ralph Hanson

Reposted from Sept. 11, 2011. Before 9/11, the silhouette of the twin towers of the World Trade Center were one of the quickest ways movie makers had of establishing that we were looking at the NYC skyline.  Here’s a beautiful … Continue reading →

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