Author Archives: Ted Hicks

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About Ted Hicks

Iowa farm boy; have lived in NYC for 49 years; worked in motion picture labs, film/video distribution, subtitling, media-awards program; obsessive film-goer all my life.

Famous Monsters and Me – Pt. 2: Books and Comics

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Ted Hicks

As I wrote in my first “Famous Monsters” post last May, “…from an early age, as early as I can remember, I was totally in love with science fiction and horror (monsters!) via all their delivery systems; i.e.  books, magazines, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Film, Home Video, TV | 8 Comments

Just Saw Something Great – Again!

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Ted Hicks

Silver Linings Playbook – Saturday, December 1 at the Crosby Street Hotel screening room. Director/Writer: David O. Russell. Loved it! I was with this film from start to finish. At the risk of overstatement, it felt like there was never … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Film | 5 Comments

Tim Burton shorts: “Vincent” and the original “Frankenweenie”

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Ted Hicks

In 1982 Tim Burton had been working as a conceptual artist at Walt Disney Animation Studios for about two years. Samples of his work at the time already reflected a uniqueness, a fairy-tale strangeness. This was recognized by Tom Wilhite, … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Home Video | 2 Comments

Seeing Movies with an Audience

Posted on November 17, 2012 by Ted Hicks

One of the great pleasures of this year’s New York Film Festival was a special showing of The Princess Bride (1987). The film has developed a strong following in the 25 years since its initial release, though I didn’t realize … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Home Video, TV | 7 Comments

What I Saw: “Wreck-It Ralph,” “The Bay,” and “Flight”

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Ted Hicks

Wreck-It Ralph– Friday, November 2 at AMC Loews Lincoln Square. Director: Rich Moore. Writers: Jennifer Lee & Phil Johnston. This terrific feature from Walt Disney Animation Studios is easily my favorite animated film so far this year. I saw it … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Home Video | 2 Comments

Just Saw Something Great!

Posted on September 9, 2012 by Ted Hicks

Beauty Is Embarrassing – Saturday, September 8 at the IFC Center. Directed by Neil Berkeley. This is great! Do I mean it’s “great” like  Citizen Kane or Children of Paradise? No, of course not, but I know I loved it. … Continue reading →

Posted in Film | 1 Comment

“Bond… James Bond.” The First Three Films

Posted on September 7, 2012 by Ted Hicks

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 50 years since Dr. No, the first James Bond film, was released. How is that possible? Am I that old? Then again, it feels like Bond has always been on the scene, part of … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Film, Home Video, TV | 4 Comments

What I Saw: Three New Films

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Ted Hicks

The Bourne Legacy – Friday, August 10 at AMC Loews 84th Street. Director/Co-Writer: Tony Gilroy. I’m a big fan of the Bourne films, especially the second and third directed by Paul Greengrass. I find them immensely watchable, repeatedly so. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Home Video | 1 Comment

Smashed: Alcohol and Drugs in Film and TV

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Ted Hicks

The portrayal of alcoholism and drug addiction in film and television has evolved over time. Early depictions of drinking in films tended to be comic and unrealistic. W. C. Fields is one example. Another is The Thin Man series (1934 … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Home Video, TV | 9 Comments

Terrific Documentaries

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Ted Hicks

Earlier this week I finally saw Jiro Dreams of Sushi, a documentary that’s been showing in NYC since early March. I had intended to see it before now, but other films always got in the way. For instance, I saw … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Home Video | 7 Comments