The seed of existentialism is often addressed to Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, who described the human condition as an individual struggle against time in which angst plays a primary role. Since Kierkegaard, many philosophers have tackled the human condition through philosophy to try to understand the nature of suffering, fulfillment, etc. By the time that cinema became a mature art… Read more »
In April of this year, animation director and pioneer Isao Takahata passed away at the age of 82. This news may have gone over the heads even of casual anime viewers in America, who predominantly associate Studio Ghibli with the elegant fantasy films of Hayao Miyazaki. Although Miyazaki does have a movie slated for a 2021 release, Takahata’s death marks… Read more »
Already we’re at the midpoint of 2018 (where does the time go?), and anyone of the opinion that it’s been a mediocre year at the multiplex just wasn’t looking hard enough. Why even narrowing the titles down to a workable 20 titles was no small feat – I cringe at the many worthy films that didn’t make the cut and… Read more »
Lists made regarding the opinion of cinema critics are one thing, but lists from the audience are another, that’s for sure. We approach the 250 top ranked movies on IMDb bearing that in mind. Even though the site informs us that there is a weighted vote – not all votes have the same importance for the arithmetic outcome – it… Read more »
Even though a normal film is between 90 and 120 minutes, there are films that are other kinds of experiences. The greatness of some of these films relies on building a world that requires a longer period of time to be effective. These films displayed a different rhythm and different styles that let us experience the film in an unusual… Read more »
Dun dun dun da dun da dun dun. The nerve inducing tones of the Imperial March could well have accompanied the making of Solo: A Star Wars Story. Awash with issues from the outset, the film suffered many behind the scenes problems. Not only were original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller fired and replaced with Ron Howard, the film… Read more »
This is a ranking of Leonardo DiCaprio’s films, not his performances, although I do try to take the quality of his performance into account when assessing the quality of the film in question. I’m leaving out “Poison Ivy” (1992) because DiCaprio only appears on screen for a few seconds and has no lines. 27. Critters 3 (1991) Though Stephen… Read more »
This list/article is the fifth in a series arguing that for cinema to-be-and-to-be-taken-seriously as an art-form, it must forgo-and-move-beyond Hollywood-like visual-based ways-of-meaning-formation/understanding into actor-, face-, dialogue-, voice-, emo-tion-, body-, character-, feeling,-, behavior/psychology-, and tone-based ones. Readers are strongly advised to read my four previous articles, especially (though-by-no-means-only) the lengthy-theoretical/aesthetic introduction to the first, which obvious-ly-cannot be reprinted here for reasons… Read more »
There’s plenty of discussion to have about what makes a visually stunning film; some movies manage a harmonious marriage between visual stunts and storytelling, and some prioritize one over the other. Conversely, what some people might consider beautiful, others might consider gimmicky and overall unworthy of praise. In this list, I’ve strived to collect a few films that really place… Read more »
Some might consider putting the words “cinematic” and “television” together in one sentence a heresy. How could a medium largely confined to entertaining an audience that never wants to be challenged, be compared to what is one of the greatest art forms of our generation? How can its fragmented, disjointed, recklessly infantile structuring ever come close to mirroring the meticulousness… Read more »
Violence has been around since of dawn of film, that much is clear. Mankind has always been fascinated by brutality, but of course none would truly explore it lest they be imprisoned and punished by it. As film and its technology evolved, it gave way for filmmakers to revel in the multiple ways they could use this newfound expression to… Read more »
They say revenge is a dish best served cold, but I beg to differ – it’s best served with a side of cinematic genius. In this list, I strive to give to you revenge movies in a host of different genres (horror, drama, western, etc) that are not as well known as they perhaps should be. These are some of… Read more »
When your hear the words “comic book movie”, most people immediately picture an action-packed blockbuster based on the exploits of colorful superheroes and villains. Admittedly, it’s not hard to see why this is the case: the vast majority of comics revolve around the thrilling adventures of these costumed do-gooders – so most big screen adaptations naturally follow suit. But the… Read more »
Some directors are fortunate enough to have two films go into production at around the same time or one immediately after the other. Making one good film is challenging enough, but two, back to back? Now that takes some serious focus, a creative spark, and probably a lot of coffee and energy drinks. Following our actor list with the same… Read more »
Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, “Stalker” (1979) is one of the greatest films ever made. In this story, in a small country there is an area called the Zone and that contains the Room, a place that is believed to be able to grant wishes. In the movie, we follow the journey of a writer and a professor who are guided… Read more »
Horror is a constantly evolving genre, but its purpose is always the same: to scare the living hell out of worldwide audiences using various techniques. Some movies use jump scares, others use gore, others use a creepy atmosphere, all in the name of making our nights sleepless. As the audience we like being frightened and that’s the reason of this… Read more »
