Great Moments in Movie History (Using Stick Figures): Sharknado (2013)

Sharknado Fever gripped the nation last week. That is to say that an absurd amount of people were obsessed with a movie about a tornado full of sharks. It was the highest point in human history since the History Channel debuted The World Needs Ditch Digging Swamp Truckers or whatever. There’s already a SyFy sequel in the works. But for all of Sharknado‘s bluster, it didn’t really make it big until today, when it became a crappy MS Paint-style drawing with stick figures. I present to you Great Moments In Movie History Using Stick Figures: Sharknado.

Great Moments in Movie History Using Stick Figures: The Avengers (2012)

Summer movie season is officially here. There have already been a few good releases, with many more still to come. Still, I’ll be shocked if I enjoy any of the popcorn movies this summer as much as I enjoyed The Avengers last summer. And that’s why I’ve chosen to memorialize it using stick figures. There are a lot of options for scenes, but there’s one that stands out in particular. Its magic was created with the use of two simple words.

Great Moments in Movie History Using Stick Figures: 2001: A Space Odyssey

In full disclosure, I’ve already done a Great Moments in Movie History for today’s film- 2001: A Space Odyssey. But that version was admittedly a bit of a cop-out. To atone for my error, I’ve decided to re-visit the film with stick figures. This version stays true to (part of) the heart of the film- namely that a sentient murderous space ship is a legitimate threat to the passengers it’s carrying. Here is 2001: A Space Odyssey using stick figures.

Great Moments in Movie History Using Stick Figures: Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

Classics don’t get nearly enough love in the stick figure canon. And I don’t think musicals have ever made an appearance. Today, that all changes. And the source of today’s Great Moment in Movie History Using Stick Figures features a Hollywood legend- Gene Kelly. Modern film historians need only point to Gene Kelly’s August 23rd birthday as proof of his immense talent. All of the world’s best and brightest have been born on August 23rd. The long, illustrious list of August 23rd birthdays includes Barbara Eden, Jay Mohr, and Shelley Long (and me). But I digress. Here’s Singin’ in the Rain, using (usin’?) stick figures.

Great Moments in Movie History Using Stick Figures: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

It’s time again for my oldest recurring feature- Great Moments in Movie History Using Stick Figures. Today’s great moment comes from a much-maligned film- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). There are a lot of scenes that are memorable for all of the wrong reasons. But there’s one scene in particular that I think we can all relate to.

Great Moments in Movie History Using Stick Figures: Boogie Nights (1997)

Since I was fortunate enough to be in college during the 90s indie movie revolution, a lot of the movies from that era are comfort movies to me. Whether it was Pulp Fiction, Clerks, Reservoir Dogs, or Fargo, I was exposed to a lot of great films at the time. Today’s Great Moment in Movie History (Using Stick Figures) is from that era, and “exposed” is very much an operative word.

Great Moments in Movie History Using Stick Figures: Naked Lunch (1991)

For the longest time, I wondered what David Cronenberg’s Naked Lunch (1991) was about. All I knew was that Nelson Muntz had immortalized it on The Simpsons by pointing out that there were at least two things wrong with the film’s title. I finally watched it a few weekends ago, and it’s… something else. There’s really only one way to explain how I felt about it- using stick figures.

Great Moments in Movie History Using Stick Figures: Stripes (1981)

The impetus for this week’s Great Moments in Movie History Using Stick Figures happened last weekend. While hanging out with my friends Ashley and Jeff, Ashley- co-proprietor of the Eat Me in St. Louis blog– asked why I’d never created a stick figure drawing of the classic comedy, Stripes. It was a killer idea. Five days later, here is Stripes‘ most memorable scene in all its stick figure glory.

Great Moments in Movie History Using Stick Figures: Die Hard (1988)

Tomorrow, for the fifth time in human history, people will go to theaters to see John McClane do battle with terrorists as part of the Die Hard series. It’s been a great run for Bruce Willis. Yippee kai-yay, and so forth. But no matter what happens in A Good Day to Die Hard, the latest release, it will be almost impossible to top the first film in the series. And so today, the first Die Hard from 1988 receives the honor of becoming memorialized using stick figures. 

Great Moments in Movie History Using Stick Figures: Hoop Dreams (1994)

Last weekend, I finally watched Hoop Dreams (1994) and was extremely impressed. There were quite a few scenes that stood out. Arthur Agee’s high school advancing downstate to compete for the state championship, William Gates earning a scholarship to Marquette, and Arthur’s mother earning her degree all come to mind. But one scene stands out most. It was a simple look on Arthur Agee’s face that spoke volumes, and it’ll always be one of the first things I think of when I talk about this movie going forward.