A genre nearly as old as filmmaking itself, the western thrived throughout the years of the studio system but has zigzagged across rough terrain for the past forty or so years. For the last fifteen-ish years, the struggling, commercially unfriendly genre was either manifested in a neoclassical nostalgic form limited in potential mass appeal (Appaloosa, Open Range) or in reimagined approaches that ran the gamut between contrived pap and inspired deconstructions (anything from Wild Wild West to The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford). But last December, True Grit – a bona fide western remake that relied on the opportunities available in the genre’s conventions rather than bells, whistles, or ironic tongues in their respective cheeks – became a smash hit. Did this film reinvigorate a genre that was on life support, as the supposed revitalization of the musical is thought to have done a decade ago, or are westerns surviving by moving along a different route altogether? Three westerns released so far this year – Gore Verbinski’s Rango, Kelly Reichardt’s Meek’s Cutoff, and, as of this weekend, Jon Favreau’s Cowboys & Aliens – suggest mixed directions for the dusty ol’ genre.

Every day, come rain or shine or internet tubes breaking, Film School Rejects showcases a trailer from the past. Just like a beautiful woman, the trailer today begins by flaunting an outward appearance of grace and flawlessness, but soon that inner ugly comes crashing out alongside some fantastic 80s computer graphics. This isn’t about television commercials. It’s more than that. They’re killing all the perfect girls. Most likely this Michael Crichton-directed flick was the forerunner for S1m0ne, but please don’t hold that against it. Check out the trailer for yourself:

Steven Spielberg has always had a thing for pirates, and Michael Crighton. Meet the intersection of those two passions…

Today brings a bit of sadness to the entertainment — and more notably the sci-fi community as outlets across the country are reporting that “Jurassic Park” author and ER creator Michael Crichton has passed away.

This Memorial Day A&E would like you to ditch the celebrations and quarantine yourself in front of a TV to catch their two night, four hour miniseries adaptation of Michael Crichton’s The Andromeda Strain. Click in to see some production images and get more information about this Science Fiction event.