If I were teaching film school, I’d lay down a couple of hard and fast rules for budding filmmakers: Tell your story in a linear timeline (i.e. no flashbacks). Don’t set any of your scenes outside at night. Avoid dream sequences. Why? Because these are difficult things to do well. Within the constraints of an [...]

I’ll admit, I’m nervous whenever a book or short story is adapted to film. Double my trepidation when the source material is written by Stephen King. His work has spawned some of the best (The Shawshank Redemption) and worst (The Lawnmower Man) films in history. When director Gerard Lough (Stolen Wings) told me he had [...]

It’s important to remember, when reviewing short films, that not every filmmaker is attempting to create a work of art. While most filmmakers want to focus on character or story (or even special effects), some filmmakers seem to be telling a joke to their friends. Often, this inside joke has a strange (even ludicrous) setup [...]

In the short film, The Stolen Wings, directed by Gerard Lough, a babysitter tells a bedtime story to a little girl who refuses to go to sleep. The babysitter (Natasha O’Brien) tells her story in the sing-song rhyming pattern of many children’s poems. The fact that O’Brien has an Irish accent adds to the fairy [...]

Captain EO, the classic musical spectacular that thrilled Disneyland park guests from 1986-1997, is now open at Disneyland. The attraction’s return to Tomorrowland provides new audiences the opportunity to experience the original 3D production for the very first time, as well as a nostalgic look back for longtime fans wanting to see “The King of [...]