Platonic love is something that almost everyone has gone through. It’s a type of love, or close relationship that is nonsexual. It is named after Plato, though the philosopher never used the term himself. Platonic love as devised by Plato concerns rising through levels of closeness to wisdom and true beauty, from carnal attraction to individual bodies to attraction to… Read more »
The genre of horror makes its profits from the exploitation of real human fears and unimaginably disturbing events. Using established and innovative techniques with cinematography and soundtrack to amplify patterns of human fear, films of this genre make their success by knowing what will really make their audience cringe. Thematic subgenres of natural/eco-horror, serial killer thriller, monster movies, and more… Read more »
A minimalist film score is something that uses a repetitive rhythm and pattern, some being prolonged and others being quick and neurotic, but nonetheless still important to a film. The small additive that even a simple score can add to a film is boundless and can resonate with the viewer more than the actions on the screen might be able… Read more »
Fictional characters often serve as stepping off points for us to better understand both ourselves and the people around us. After all, Rodion Raskolnikov’s moral struggles in Dostoyevsky’s “Crime and Punishment” has been known to give readers a more impactful insight into depression than many a psychology textbook. The more vivid, specific and intimate a character’s development is, the greater… Read more »
The title of a film is perhaps its most important marketing tool. How many times have you wanted to watch a film solely based on its cool, mysterious, or unforgettable title? Even if you aren’t that adventurous, there’s no denying that the title of a film plays a part of importance. Of course, a terrible title won’t deter anyone from… Read more »
It’s fair to say that sci-fi cinema has enjoyed a renaissance in recent years. Once deemed fodder for children and little more, science fiction has lost its baby teeth, grown up, and gotten big and this has never been more evident than in the last few years with big hits like Arrival (2016), Gravity (2013), Interstellar (2014), and The Shape… Read more »
Labeling a film ‘ahead of its time’ before allowing it to breathe in the collective consciousness can be a bold endeavor. All that can be extruded are the themes and motifs working towards the possibilities of a brighter or more dismal future. Who are we, where are we going, and why? It is true that art reflects life and life… Read more »
When making a film, the director has something to say, express or use the cinematic language as their canvas. Sometimes a film needs to be of epic proportions such as length or time to make that statement bold. On the contrary, some filmmakers are gifted in a way they can express and / or state what they want in 90… Read more »
Mickey Rourke is one of the most fascinating living figures of American cinema. Many actors – Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, Matt Damon, Adrien Brody and many more idolize him, Elia Kazan called his Actors Studio student audition as the best audition piece he’d seen in 30 years. He didn’t rise up to the straight stardom in 80s but he had… Read more »
As far as film genres go, the thriller is one of the easiest to define. It does what it says on the tin – it thrills the audience. Thriller movies are pitched somewhere between action movies and horror movies. They’re exciting, they make your heart race – they can even be quite grisly and shocking. Thriller filmmakers like Paul Greengrass… Read more »
The twenty-first century has given audiences some truly terrific cinema. Discussed below are some examples; films so special that they are often considered masterpieces. Of course, there are many films that could have made the discussion, however, the list was narrowed down to these ten for the very reasons detailed below. Whether you, the reader, agrees or disagrees, just know… Read more »
Who still uses IMDb, anyway? It is still a great database, but when it comes to ratings, the system it uses should not be misinterpreted. The rating is based on the voting system it has with its users, and while that is less likely to be scammed (see, for instance, all the controversy about Rotten Tomatoes), it is still very… Read more »
Who knows exactly why some great films catch fire in popular culture while others languor in obscurity? More puzzling still is how some classics seem to just fall off the map over time, while initially unheralded works slowly gain a life of their own and linger in our memories. Public opinion is a fickle factor, and finding the magic ingredient… Read more »
The horror genre has its roots in Gothic literature. Accomplished works like Mary Wollstonecraft (Godwin) Shelley’s “Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus” and “The Vampyre” by Dr. John Polidori have been the inspiration behind the genre as a whole. Then came the movies of Georges Méliès and James Whale. Science fiction and horror have been complimenting each other for a long… Read more »
By their very nature cult films can be a challenge to come across, and it can often take years for a film to find its niche audience of oddballs and adherents who will give it the appreciation and plaudits it deserves. And so this short list looks to spotlight some sensational films by the likes of Walter Hill, Bob Rafelson,… Read more »
When we attend the theater or more so nowadays, watch a film from the comforts of our own house, we want a film we can connect to. When asked ‘What is Cinema?’ to Samuel Fuller, he summoned it up in one word: ‘Emotion’. And that is the simplest term that as film lovers, cinephiles or audience members want, we want… Read more »
