TJ Draper

TJ Draper

TJ is a Senior Developer at Caddis Interactive and enjoys writing HTML and CSS, then making it all work together with his favorite Content Management Systems (ExperssionEngine, Craft, and Statamic). Prior to that, TJ worked as a freelance film/video editor and videographer, as well as a web developer in and around the Nashville area. TJ was also privileged to work for a small film company, Franklin Films / Franklin Springs Family Media in Franklin, TN for seven years. His experience there included documentaries, television commercials, promotional videos, music videos, television production, as well as keeping up the website and online store and more.

Over the years TJ has cultivated an appreciation for cinema which began sometime shortly before his career in film-making when he began noticing techniques, styles, motifs, editing, music, and many other nuances of film-making. Plus the fond memories of movies and television from child-hood spurred him to an interest in a movie and TV related podcast and website. And on most nights it is not uncommon to find TJ with his wife curled up on the couch after the kids have gone to bed watching a good movie or TV show.

TJ’s interest in podcasting, writing for the web, and front end web development led him to create MovieByte.com. It has allowed him to bring together his unique set of skills and utilize them all on a single project. This is where he does, writes, and talks about the things he loves!




 

Recent Reviews by TJ

Tak3n
2 of 5 stars
2-3-2015
Paddington
4 of 5 stars
1-27-2015
Into the Woods (2014)
3.5 of 5 stars
1-20-2015
The Imitation Game
4.5 of 5 stars
1-6-2015
Birdman
4 of 5 stars
12-2-2014
Big Hero 6
4.5 of 5 stars
11-18-2014
Interstellar
3 of 5 stars
11-11-2014
The Judge
4.5 of 5 stars
10-21-2014
The Equalizer
3.5 of 5 stars
10-15-2014
Galaxy Quest
4 of 5 stars
8-20-2014
Guardians of the Galaxy
4 of 5 stars
8-6-2014
A Most Wanted Man
4 of 5 stars
7-29-2014
Earth to Echo
2 of 5 stars
7-8-2014
Transformers: Age of Extinction
1.5 of 5 stars
7-2-2014
Edge of Tomorrow
4 of 5 stars
6-11-2014
Maleficent
3.5 of 5 stars
6-3-2014
X-Men: Days of Future Past
4 of 5 stars
5-28-2014
Godzilla (2014)
3 of 5 stars
5-20-2014

 

Recent Entries by TJ

Writing Hiatus

Writing Hiatus

Short version for those of you who won’t read all this: The MovieByte Podcast will continue, but I’m taking a break from writing.

The written portion of MovieByte is going on hiatus. I really hate to do it. I love writing reviews, and finding news to make witty and/or sarcastic comments about, and I love doing MovieByte in general. But in all candor and honesty (which I always strive for) I have not been able to get any traction with the site. Readership is lower than it has ever been. In fact, I doubt many will read this and even fewer will care. The most visitors the site had last week was…

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‘Insurgent’ Trailer — Shailene Woodley Fights Back

‘Insurgent’ Trailer — Shailene Woodley Fights Back

So this is a trailer, or whatever. Honestly, nothing about any of the trailers for Insurgent have interested me much. The first film was passable, I expect this to be a hot mess.

How ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ Should Have Ended

How ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ Should Have Ended

Great, as always. Look, I loved X-Men: Days of Future Past, but it was not without it’s plot flaws. Most of the great movies have plot holes you could drive a semi-truck (or three) through. The good ones just make you not care, and I didn’t care when I was watching the film.

I do love how HISHE is becoming a self-aware parody of itself with the super cafe. Great stuff.

Cinderella Trailer 2 (Starring Cate Blanchett and Lilly James)

Cinderella Trailer 2 (Starring Cate Blanchett and Lilly James)

I’m back to thinking that this is not going to be a great film. This trailer really makes it look formulaic and like it has nothing to add to the lore of the Cinderella story. As such one wonders why it is being made. I enjoyed the re-telling of Sleeping Beauty from Maleficent’s perspective far more than I thought — but that is chiefly because the film surprised me and was not (as) formulaic as it might have been. I don’t think we’re going to end up getting the same thing here. And the modern song underscoring the entire trailer was very unpleasant. If that’s the way the music for the film…

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Jon Stewart is Leaving ‘The Daily Show’

Jon Stewart is Leaving ‘The Daily Show’
Russ Fischer — /Film

The most trusted name in fake news is preparing to walk away from his desk. During the taping of tonight’s The Daily Show, host Jon Stewart told his studio audience that he will be leaving the show. Tweets from those who attended the taping first spread the word, and Comedy Central quickly followed with an official statement. Read that below.

This is disappointing, but not entirely a surprise. Stewart has been at this a long time.

I’m not being (very) facetious or satirical when I ask the question: where will be turn for real news and fearless reporting.

Oh, I know! I know! We’ll get our…

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Clark Reviews ‘Jupiter Ascending’

Clark Reviews ‘Jupiter Ascending’
Clark Douglas — 365 Movie Guy

The term “space opera” gets thrown around every time a big-budget fantasy set in space rolls into theatres, but Jupiter Ascending actually earns the title: whatever you may think of it, there’s no denying that it’s pretty damn operatic. There’s a pure-hearted earnestness here which might have felt run-of-the-mill thirty years ago but feels fairly bracing in 2015. It’s a movie filled with flying dinosaur soldiers, shape-shifting aliens, genetic splicing, bonkers performances, grandiose concepts, political statements, royalphile bees, anti-gravity roller blades, Brazil references and a metric…

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Four MCU Films Shift Release Dates In Wake of ‘Spider-Man’ Deal

Four MCU Films Shift Release Dates In Wake of ‘Spider-Man’ Deal
Rob Keyes — Screenrant.com

Marvel boss Kevin Feige and soon-to-be-ex-Sony-boss Amy Pascal will be co-producing thew new Spider-Man venture and after the character makes his introduction in the MCU, he’ll get his own movie on the release date previously held by Thor: Raganarok. To fit it in, Marvel’s Phase 3 plans – as announced in October 2014 – have now shifted back to accommodate the change with the exception of the third and fourth Avengers installments which will hold their summer opening dates in 2018-19. Four movies change dates.

Here’s a screen shot of the previous release dates timeline, followed by a…

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Sony and Marvel Reach ‘Spider-Man’ Deal

Sony and Marvel Reach ‘Spider-Man’ Deal
Marvel.com

Marvel’s Kevin Feige to Produce Next Installment of the Spider-Man Franchise with Amy Pascal

Sony Pictures Entertainment and Marvel Studios announced today that Sony is bringing Marvel into the amazing world of Spider-Man. 

Under the deal, the new Spider-Man will first appear in a Marvel film from Marvel’s Cinematic Universe (MCU). Sony Pictures will thereafter release the next installment of its $4 billion Spider-Man franchise, on July 28, 2017, in a film that will be co-produced by Kevin Feige and his expert team at Marvel and Amy Pascal, who oversaw the franchise launch for the studio…

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‘The Guts of Jaba’ Documentary (slimy piece of worm-ridden filth!)

‘The Guts of Jaba’ Documentary (slimy piece of worm-ridden filth!)

Some of these old “making of” documentaries are so great. While Return of the Jedi is easily the least of the three original Star Wars films, it’s still quite good. Among the good things is the fact that they just didn’t have access to modern CGI filmmaking and so were forced to do things that were physical, and in my opinion, more real. In fact, in this documentary, they say that even at the time, George Lucas wanted to use CGI but they just couldn’t do it because of the limitations of the time. He was unhappy with the look and the puppetry. Well, I have to tell you that Jaba looks the most…

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‘Jupiter Ascending’ Flops to ‘SpongeBob’ Success

‘Jupiter Ascending’ Flops to ‘SpongeBob’ Success
Kevin Jagernauth — The Playlist

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water” opened to much larger than expected $56 million dollar haul this weekend, far beyond the expected $30 million folks predicted.

...

But the bigger headline belongs to “Jupiter Ascending.” With a price tag in the neighborhood of $175 million, the first whiff of trouble arrived last year whenWarner Bros. abruptly pushed the film from a scheduled summer slot, just weeks before it was due to be released. The line trotted out was that more time was needed on post-production, but it would seem the studio had good reason to be worried for the movie.…

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