Posts Under Lists Category
Cinema is an art with endless possibilities. It moves you to tears, it makes you laugh, it even stops you from sleeping for a whole week. Some movies, more than others, hook us from the very start. “What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where… Read more »
There have been many brilliant scenes in the 21st century thus far, but this list will be strictly focused on the performances. The acting of the actors at play in that one scene could be in the beginning, middle or end, or the final or first time we see the character on screen, in a group or alone. Here are… Read more »
The difference between genius and skill can be difficult to recognize at first. Both can be used to make a great movie, but only one can be counted on to reliably repeat the results. A director with only technical, learned skill might create a masterpiece if every other contributing factor merges at just the right moment. But a director of… Read more »
When it comes to movie trilogies, the second part is usually the best. Not only does the success of the first film grant its sequel a healthier budget, it also offers the filmmakers a chance to improve, expand, and build on what came before. If each trilogy keeps raising the stakes with each subsequent entry, then the second part is… Read more »
With so many movies released in a given year, it’s hard to remember that the format is a true art form. Morphing sound and movement, and colliding music and ideas, film is truly one of the most important creations throughout time. For entertainment value and to put life itself in a microcosm, there are many things that film represents for… Read more »
Art house can almost be considered a film genre itself, despite it being more of a style. Of course, there are common elements found in many art house films; existential questions of one’s place in society, how film can enhance a scenario outside of acting and dialogue alone, and usually an outsider perspective on an already-observed scenario. Art house cinema… Read more »
Horror films tend to be shorter. It doesn’t matter if it’s a commercial release supported by some major studio or some independent filmmaker’s obscure arthouse film project. They just happen to be short. Who knows why. Sure, recently almost every kind of film gets to be shorter for financial reasons and to not bore general audience (and seriously these days,… Read more »
One doesn’t require any rigorous education in the field of cinema or any long-running practice to instinctively appraise the importance of the opening and the closing shot of a film. The first must be a hook that lodges itself deeply into the spectator’s psyche, while the second is very similar to the final note of a musical piece: it is… Read more »
Love him or hate him, Arnie is a cultural icon. Incredibly recognizable in both stature and voice. People of all ages are aware of him or familiar with his work. Everyone seems to be born with their own impression of the man. He his a true phenomenon and the ultimate proof that the ‘American dream’ is possible. He has, however,… Read more »
With some films, one viewing just isn’t enough to understand the whole picture (lazy pun intended). There are those films out there that trickle information so steadily to the spectator that it takes one entire viewing just to start to grab the essence of the film, by which time the movie is over and we’re left wanting more. Or sometimes,… Read more »
Most of the times, dreams appear on the disfiguring nocturnal surface of our subconscious as bizarre idols of thoughts, fears, and aspirations. Poets are the ones who experience such illusions during the day and have the ability to translate their garbled message into words. Despite their surreal aspects, dreams and illusions reveal the most deeply hidden truths of a mind…. Read more »
Traditionally, the Hollywood Western was one of the most preeminent and stirring of genres. Set in the late 19th century, attentive to Old West myth-making, folk heroes, and morality tales, it was an altogether American invention. In Hollywood’s Golden Age the Western was exceedingly popular, nothing else was as rootin’, tootin’, and crowd pleasin’. Directors like John Ford and Howard… Read more »
These are the most revolutionary films in cinema. Every one of these films has advanced the language of cinema in one way or another. This is most evident either through their undeniable influence, or through their style that has pushed the boundaries of cinema. 1. Yi Yi This is a film that is so revolutionary many people aren’t even… Read more »
“The original was so much better!” That’s typically what you expect to hear whenever you discuss the latest attempt by Hollywood to successfully remake an old movie. And there’s a good reason for that: very often, the new version is vastly inferior to what came before it, so much so that you wonder if the filmmakers involved truly understood the… Read more »
The history of storytelling is a riveting tale as old as civilization itself. From the earliest cave drawings to the screens we stare at today, sharing stories has been an essential element of human development. But while the vehicles of the narrative have changed drastically, the intent remains the same: through the use of a communicative medium, people can relate… Read more »
An old adage says that everything is political. I hope that’s not true, because I don’t want everything to remind me of America’s political situation. According to the great Director Douglas Sirk, a political film can only work if its message is smuggled into its story, rather than made plain for the audience. For better or worse, these ten films… Read more »
