If you’re any kind of modern cinephile, you’ve probably watched at least one film by the Coen Brothers: they’ve become two of the most respected and admired auteurs in contemporary film. A Coen film is typically written, directed, and even edited by the duo. Joel and Ethan consistently work with the same actors, music supervisors and cinematographers, talents which allow… Read more »
What is it? Good question! This web series provides the citizens of the internet with a comical in depth look into the world of cinema. Their mission is to examine ground-breaking films under the intersection of pop culture and nerdism. Taylor Trash Productions brings us along on this wild ride with our host Taylor James Johnson. Taste of Cinema: The… Read more »
Kenji Mizoguchi is one of the three directors considered as the greatest Japanese filmmakers ever, alongside Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu. Mizoguchi is known for his unparalleled mastery of long takes and mise-en-scene, for his films which are reminiscent of a traditional Japanese scroll painting due to his infamous atmospheric long static shots and above all, he’s known and acclaimed… Read more »
Back in the 1900’s, the rise of the star system developed a new Italian film genre based on beautiful female stars. These very famous actresses were known as divas (goddesses). Their movies, known as frock coat films, featured stories of passion and intrigue in upper middle class and aristocratic settings. The situations were unrealistic and often resulted tragic, with eroticism… Read more »
These films of the 2000s have left a mark for generations to come, and while being animated, most of them are not for younger audiences. We can take time to appreciate technicalities along with complex storylines: these films encourage spiritual growth and provide a view of the world that otherwise would be lost in translation. Hollywood, specifically Disney and Pixar,… Read more »
Written and directed by cinematic great Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood is loosely based on Upton Sinclair’s 1927 novel ‘Oil’. Following the rise and rapid decline of self proclaimed “oil man” Daniel Plainview, whose fall from grace is less than noble, this film is known for the haunting, Oscar winning performance of Daniel Day-Lewis in the leading role…. Read more »
Over the years, there have been some remarkable cult movies, such as “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (1975), “Harold And Maude” (1971), “Repo Man” (1984) and many, many others that have bent and twisted the art form that we call ‘cinema’. They are the ‘under the radar’ films that certain factors of film lovers have been proud to call their… Read more »
One of Hollywood’s true legendary directors, screenwriters and actors, John Huston is part of Hollywood royalty. He was the son of Walter Huston, a renowned stage and screen actor, and the father of actress Anjelica Huston. They are the only family that can make the claim of having won Academy Awards in three separate generations as Walter received the Best… Read more »
It goes without saying that the science fiction genre and the term “thought-provoking” go hand in (spacesuit) glove, simply because science fiction deals with concepts and themes that are by and large removed from our normal everyday experience; they grapple with the technology of the future, they play with the space-time continuum, they fiddle with the supernatural, they wrestle with… Read more »
The Sixties, particularly the latter part of that decade, saw morality and standards change dramatically in regards to film content and film making. After a string of costly musicals such as “Star!”, “Hello Dolly” and “Doctor Doolitle”, all of which flopped horrendously at the box office, one thing became clear. The powers that be in Hollywood were experiencing something of… Read more »
Considered by many to be one of the greatest comedic actors of all time, the enigmatic personality, Peter Sellers, created a body of work that spanned three decades and within that time (also) created some of the most memorable performances in the history of film. Most notably Inspector Clouseau and Dr. Strangelove. He was so committed to the characters he… Read more »
Soundtracks are created by mixing together noise and speech (as well as music). Good filmmakers will devote a lot of their energy to the soundtrack of their film in post-production, making such that it sounds rich and interesting, and also making sure that key moments are audible. Bad sound design can make a film seem clunky and boring. Good sound… Read more »
Released in 1984, “Once Upon A Time In America” proved to be director Sergio Leone’s final cinematic statement. Most famous for films like “The Good, The Bad & The Ugly” and “Once Upon A Time In The West”, he spent over ten years planning “America”. Loosely based on a novel called “The Hoods” by Harry Grey, which was purported to… Read more »
Richard Linklater truly is a gem of modern cinema. Not only are his films adroit illustrations of the magic that lurks within filmmaking; they are also imaginatively fresh alternatives to the Hollywood blockbuster material that often dominates the box office. His distinguishing style and attitude have established him as an underground director working with those above; bridging the gap between… Read more »
The Hong Kong film industry is responsible for some of the most influential films and filmmakers of the last 50 years. It’s an industry most renowned for the epic level of martial arts cinema that captured the world’s imagination back in the 70s and 80s, but it’s also been a source of great films in other genres such as gangster… Read more »
In the cinema industry, decline can start for several reasons, such as financial failure, bad reviews from international critics and/or audiences, technological change, end of artistic era, political context, bad luck and controversial subject in film. These difficult times can be overcome, but once decline has started; success is hardly likely to ever be the same. Even though praised as… Read more »
The term Postmodern is quite an oxymoron. It talks about a period which transcends the present. Notions of time, space, reality and existence are all skewed. This ideology became a part of various art forms. We all live in a world where the concept of time and space has become extremely complicated and disorienting because the way technology has affected… Read more »
Of Silent Films’ “Big Three” ( Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd) Buster Keaton is more famous and critically acclaimed today, than he was in the 1920′s (the guy is Box Office Gold, believe me, I’ve seen it!) and the reason is simple: his films still seem awfully relevant and modern, maybe even more so than when they were first shown. Unlike most… Read more »
John Carpenter is arguably one of the most important and influential genre directors of the last forty years. He quickly established a cult following with many of his 1970s and 1980s efforts that have since become classics, but a string of critical and commercial flops in the 1990s led to the director becoming disillusioned with filmmaking and the Hollywood system…. Read more »
