Monday, May 20, 2019

'The Crow': A classic that will never be forgotten

My name is Joe Cianciotto, and I’ve been a movie buff for as long as I can remember. Like many of you, I love a well-made superhero movie. As we know, not all films based on comic books are made equal. Some are just better than others. And one movie that in my mind, stands out from the rest is 1994’s "The Crow."

Image source: mentalfloss.com

Based on James O’Barr’s exquisitely dark graphic novel, "The Crow" has become one of the biggest cult phenomena in film history. And director Alex Proyas deserves a standing ovation for bringing the dark world of O’Barr’s masterpiece to life.

However, a huge part of the success of "The Crow" belongs to the late great Brandon Lee who like his father, the legendary Bruce Lee, lost his life way too soon. In Brandon’s case however, he was killed while shooting a scene from "The Crow" from a bullet in a gun that wasn’t supposed to be there.

Image source: slashfilm.com

Lee’s death only served to deepen the lore of the film and create an aura of darkness and tragedy which a huge part of the film’s appeal is built upon.

Add to that a soundtrack filled with rising angst and fading hope, and you have one of the, if not the most iconic, unforgettable, and heart-wrenching comic book movie of all-time. It surely has the Joe Cianciotto seal of approval.

Joe Cianciotto is an architect based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Aside from architecture, Joe loves movies. Read more about his passion on this page.

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Salute: Remembering 'Band of Brothers'

My name is Joe Cianciotto. I’m a movie fanatic, but I also love a well-made TV show. Probably, the most well-made single-season TV show I’ve seen is "Band of Brothers."

Image source: hdwallsource.com

Steven Spielberg’s "Saving Private Ryan" is my number one war movie of all-time, and "Band of Brothers" complements it and adds so much more.

Produced by both Spielberg and Tom Hanks and released by HBO in 2001, "Band of Brothers" takes us all on the journey of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. At times harrowing, sometimes introspective, this brilliant and stunning series has left me in tears more than times than I can imagine watching a series.

Image source: hbocanada.com
The episodes take us through the training, and afterwards a number of the most important operations of Easy Company. They conduct recons and raids and hold their ground against all odds in the rain and the murdering winter cold. They gain ground but lose scores of their brothers while fighting for the Allies in the greatest war humanity has ever known.

I don’t personally know a WWII veteran, but I feel now like I do. Because of the series, I’ve gained a different insight into what it means to be a soldier, fighting for what you believe is right, and what it means to have brothers who are in no way related to you by blood.

Do you like "Band of Brothers" too? Message me, Joe Cianciotto, on the comment section below and let’s discuss more epic TV series.

Joe Cianciotto is an architect based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Aside from architecture, Joe loves movies. More musings from him here.

The 10 greatest action movies of the ‘80s

I’m Joe Cianciotto and I love movies. I believe every era offers a general treatment unique to the times. One of my favorite eras is the ‘80s. I’ve already written blogs about fantasy films of the decade. Now, here are my top ten action movies from the ‘80s (in no particular order)

Image source: imdb.com


Aliens (1986): James Cameron’s finest in my opinion, and the best of the franchise (sorry, Ridley Scott).

Die Hard (1988): My favorite Christmas movie ever, “Die Hard” is one of the best action vehicles, ever.

Top Gun (1986): This is the film responsible for catapulting Tom Cruise into superstardom. And what about that soundtrack.

Image source: blacklst.com

Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back (1980): The decade of film opened with a bang with the greatest film of the Star Wars saga. Definitely a Joe Cianciotto favorite.

Lethal Weapon (1987): The gold standard in buddy-cop films. I’ll never be too old for this.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): Spielberg and Lucas create magic with an exhilarating adventure.

Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (1989): Spielberg and Lucas create magic once again, on an even larger scale.

Big Trouble in Little China (1986): A cult classic from horror master, John Carpenter.

Blade Runner (1982): Ridley Scott’s stunning, unsurpassed vision of the future.

Predator (1987): Pure testosterone versus the most ruthless hunter you’ll ever come across.

Joe Cianciotto is a San Francisco Bay Area-based architect. He is a movie buff and enjoys a diverse selection of genres, including superhero films, independent science fiction, mumblecore, and Golden-age dramas and epics. Read more on this page.