The 1950s are considered the Golden Age of Japanese cinema. The aftermath of World War II and particularly the atomic bomb, and the subsequent American occupation left the country scarred, but filled with inspiration and eagerness to start over. As the Japanese economy started to rise once more, five major studios emerged that shaped Japanese cinema. Toho, Daiei, Shochiku, Nikkatsu,… Read more »
Probably the genre of Japanese cinema that has produced the most well-known contemporary Japanese films, J-horror brought to the forefront the style and aesthetics of the country, which have been somewhat forgotten after the V-cinema era. In the process, franchises that are still present were created, with their impact reaching Hollywood, which produced a number of remakes. However, the genre… Read more »
“Johnny Guitar is surely one of the most blatant psychosexual melodramas ever to disguise itself in that most commodious of genres, the Western.” – Roger Ebert Anyone can play guitar “I’m gonna kill you,” spits a venomous Emma Small, played with evil élan by Mercedes McCambridge, to the legendary Joan Crawford (Forsaking All Others, Mildred Pierce) as Vienna—in a… Read more »
Generally, there is little to no focus on Scandinavian horror movies, and usually for a good reason. The movies are few enough, and there is far enough between them for the mainstream-international audience to simply not notice them. However, for the few good Scandinavian horror movies that exists, they are quite versatile. The sub-genres they are made in can cover… Read more »
Genre theory in many ways can be illustrated as a series of blue prints, aimed at understanding the reasoning for categorization in narrative story-telling. In filmmaking, studying these outlines helps identify common themes used, and why they are persistently reimagined in certain modes of story-telling. Some filmmakers will attempt to navigate around cliches in order to make their films stand-out… Read more »
For whatever reasons, perhaps owing to puritanical societal views and an uptight body politic, films that detail eroticism are thought to be trashy, bottom of the barrel undertakings with little to offer beyond the cheapest of tawdry thrills. But boundary-pushing films needn’t all be about T and A and little else. Why some of the directors on this list include… Read more »
No one should ever die because of the production of a film. However, mistakes happen, and with the moviemaking workforce sometimes going to great lengths to bring us sensational entertainment, lives may be lost in the process. Whether it’s due to horrific on-set accidents, or from illnesses contracted from film productions, or from the filmmaker’s own insanity, not even directors… Read more »
As the millennial generation comes of age, less and less people are interested in organized religion. Though the liberal arts and the arts in general have been neglected in the United States for years, nonetheless, we live in a great time for beautiful and rich film-making. Films are a spiritual experience for many people. Sitting quietly, turning off your phone,… Read more »
Movie-making is a grueling experience under the best of circumstances. Even those productions that go off without a hitch entail hours upon hours of hard work from everyone on board, from the upper-echelon A-lister to the lowly (but essential) craft services guy. So as you can imagine, tempers often flare on-set, with sometimes hilarious results. The following feuds prove that… Read more »
In our film culture, you are either with the critic or you are against them. More often than not, a good critique affects the view of the product whether personally enjoyed or hated. This tends to add a certain bias towards movies that hold consistently negative review. The following list is that of films that aren’t necessarily good, but don’t… Read more »
Now in its 35th year, the 2016 edition of the Vancouver International Film Festival (September 29th – October 14th, 2016) looks to be the brightest, most eclectic and engaging yet. Among the five largest film festivals in North America with screenings from 70 countries, VIFF promises to have something intriguing and exciting for everyone from genre fans to arthouse enthusiasts,… Read more »
Anyone who had the fortune to watch Freddie Mercury steal the show at Live Aid knows that Queen were not a band to be trifled with. A four piece encompassing the live power left behind by Led Zeppelin, Queen were blessed with four technically gifted musicians, three accomplished singers and four versatile songwriters. It´s hard to pigeonhole their oeuvre to… Read more »
The horror genre seems destined to be eternally underrated, as its muscular nature and its impactful and often distasteful imagery seems to overshadow the complexities of a genre that has lived through the artistic tradition of humanity from the beginning of time. Horror is, in some cases, the best genre to analyze some of the philosophical themes of a specific… Read more »
Everyone’s heard about the cliche of the genius artist and his troubling personality. These figures have a certain mythology about them, their eccentricities become our fascination. Some would even suggest that a certain antagonistic personality is required to create high art. It’s often a cliche when we find out that a certain artist was difficult to be around with. It… Read more »
Although directors are in charge of the actors and the crew when making a movie, the reality is that it is the studio that is in charge of a film production. Not every director is Steven Spielberg or Stanley Kubrick who gets final cut, so most directors are indeed directors for hire rather than auteurs. Even other big name directors… Read more »
Whether it’s accidental or intentional, meaningful or just there for its own sake, weirdness is one of the reasons that make certain movies taste sweet, pleasantly sour, exotic, lasting or never-to-be-forgotten. Sergei Parajanov, David Lynch, Guy Maddin, Terry Gilliam, Andrzej Żuławski, Takashi Miike, Mamoru Oshii and Shinya Tsukamoto, amongst the others, could be certified as famous directors able to activate… Read more »
