Anthony Crislip, /Film Journalist Profile

Articles

A Seven-Day Deadline Miraculously Led To One Of The Twilight Zone's Best Episodes

Feb 24, 2024 | slashfilm.com | Anthony Crislip

For as much as Rod Serling's landmark anthology series "The Twilight Zone" reinvented the genre of science fiction storytelling, many of its best episodes also deal in the world of the fantastical, whether through witches, time-traveling radios, or just plain inexplicable phenomena. What kept "The Twilight Zone" consistent through it all is its focus on human nature and irony, the idea of following desire ultimately leading to one's downfall.
Every Naruto And Boruto Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

Feb 5, 2024 | slashfilm.com | Anthony Crislip

It's not unusual for the movies to come out of manga and anime series to feel a little off. The stories are often non-canon or otherwise abridged adaptations of ongoing story arcs, and the best thing you can hope for as a viewer is that a given movie captures some hint of what you enjoy about the series. While the movies may not hit the heights of the series, they can still deliver excellent character moments and action. Whether or not the "Naruto" films deliver on that is up for debate.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi's Yoda Backlash Never Made Sense To Frank Oz

Jan 27, 2024 | slashfilm.com | Anthony Crislip

As the line goes, "Nobody hates 'Star Wars' more than 'Star Wars' fans." For a series that encourages viewers of all ages to imagine vast fantastical landscapes and stirring narratives of revolution, it has always drawn the ire of some of its loudest fans. After the original trilogy closed with 1983's "Return of the Jedi," fan negativity has been a constant.
Fox Executives Ruthlessly Recast Futurama At The Very Last Minute

Jan 27, 2024 | slashfilm.com | Anthony Crislip

When Matt Groening and David X. Cohen's animated sci-fi comedy "Futurama" began to be developed in the late 1990s, it was not treated with the respect one might expect for a follow-up to "The Simpsons." Where Groening's previous cartoon dealt in the classic sitcom setup of a dysfunctional family, "Futurama" was a harder sell, set in the year 3000 but in a world that largely looked like the late '90s. Only with aliens and spaceships.
Fox Executives Ruthlessly Recast Futurama At The Very Last Minute

Jan 27, 2024 | flipboard.com | Anthony Crislip

Jan 16Better Call Saul set an Emmys record on Sunday, but not the good kind of record. More of a “Buffalo Bills lost four Super Bowls in a row” kind of record. The Breaking Bad prequel (and postquel) was nominated 53 times during its incredible six-season run, and lost every one of them. No other show has …
Why A Pivotal M*A*S*H Episode Was Kept On The Backburner For Years

Jan 22, 2024 | slashfilm.com | Anthony Crislip

The groundbreaking television sitcom version of "M*A*S*H" may have been centered on the Korean War, but it famously ran for 11 years, over three times as long as the war. Like a lot of series, the length of its run led to significant tonal shifts as writers and actors left the show and new creatives came on. In particular, "M*A*S*H" went from an acidic, satirical portrait of military cynicism at a mobile surgical unit (the 4077th) to a much more earnestly anti-war show.
Jodie Foster's Taxi Driver Experience With Robert De Niro Was Super Awkward

Jan 7, 2024 | msn.com | Anthony Crislip
Jodie Foster's Taxi Driver Experience With Robert De Niro Was Super Awkward

Jan 7, 2024 | slashfilm.com | Anthony Crislip

For as much as Martin Scorsese's 1976 classic "Taxi Driver" pushes you directly into the darkest parts of the human experience, few things are as disturbing as the character of preteen sex worker Iris (Jodie Foster). Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro), the titular driver, spots her early on in a haunting glimpse from the taxi window, just one horrifying part of the movie's grim and grimy texture.
Why Director Paul King Chose To Make Wonka Instead Of Paddington 3

Dec 19, 2023 | slashfilm.com | Anthony Crislip

When Paul King's 2014 film "Paddington" came out, audiences had reason to be skeptical. The beloved title character, a talking Peruvian bear left alone at London's Paddington station, wasn't necessarily a good fit for a live-action take. Movies like 2002's "Scooby Doo" and 2007's "Alvin and the Chipmunks" were proof that audiences would show up for CGI versions of classic characters, but the movies could also be ugly and loud, the most cynical kind of children's movie.
The Correct Order To Watch The Pink Panther Movies

Dec 16, 2023 | slashfilm.com | Anthony Crislip

1964's "The Pink Panther" is not a complex film. There is little to suggest a full-fledged film series in its story of a jewel with the shape of a panther buried deep within. Somehow, that premise resulted in a series of films lasting decades, with eleven unique (or mostly unique) live-action entries. And the cartoon character who showed up in the title sequence, dancing to Henry Mancini's iconic theme music?