Defining a realistic war movie is no easy matter. In some cases there will be excellent realism mixed with complete fantasy. Other try to be extremely gritty and bloody, but miss on the attitudes, tactics, even the weapons! Some are so close to an individual soldier or small unit that it’s impossible to get the idea of what’s going on… Read more »
During a drive from Chicago to Los Angeles, Jonathan Nolan told his brother, Christopher, about a story he was working on—a story that would change both of their lives. It was a tale of vengeance shadowed by loss: The saga of a man incapable of making new memories hunting for the criminal who murdered his wife. Jonathan’s story (which was… Read more »
Are you sick of superhero movies yet? Well, too bad, because Hollywood is hell bent on giving us even more of them next year. Black Panther, New Mutants, Infinity War, Deadpool 2, The Incredibles 2, Ant-Man and The Wasp, Venom, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, an untitled animated Spidey-flick … hell, we’re getting to the point that come 2020, practically every other… Read more »
Texan filmmaker Wes Anderson has always been a conundrum Hollywood has never been able to solve. On one hand, his precocious curiosity and deft economy has manifested itself in singularly authoritative, humble and mischievous stylistic inclinations that have gifted us with gems of American independent cinema that have not only some of the best uses of color, costumes, narrative quirkiness… Read more »
Almost two decades into the 21st century, some may think the cinema is in decline. At times there’s the impression that this century’s best films are products of nostalgia. For example, La La Land is a homage to Golden Age Hollywood and French New Wave musicals, or the works of Quentin Tarantino are mere pastiches of old B-movies. To prove… Read more »
One reason why you see so many ghost and found footage movies at your local multiplex is that they’re incredibly cheap to produce. Paranormal Activity cost $15,000 to make, made $193 million worldwide and gave Paramount Pictures another horror franchise. The studio realized how profitable cheap horror films could be back in 1980 when it jumped on the slasher bandwagon… Read more »
“Crash is a movie De Sade would have adored.” – J.G. Ballard Always crashing in the same car “Film for film,” writes film critic and historian J. Hoberman, “[David Cronenberg] is the most audacious and challenging director in the English-speaking world.” Certainly 1996’s brassy and grotesque fever dream Crash exemplifies such an idea and with an appetite. A polarizing… Read more »
Following the downfall of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, as well as their defeat in World War II, the Mediterranean power of Italy stood in a peculiar position by 1943. War-torn, humiliated, and unstable, Italian society and culture lay in disarray. Art, and cinema in particular, was no exception – Mussolini’s Cinecitta studios had been heavily damaged during the war, leading… Read more »
You might find it hard to believe, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) will soon be turn 10-years-old. Since 2008, the universe has grown on a monumental level, and it has changed movies forever. Having all of these incredible characters live in the same world, crossing over and teaming up, was something that had never been done before. It’s also… Read more »
The 1990s ushered in a darker, edgier tone in films. With the newfound popularity of indie filmmaking, which operated outside the traditional Hollywood system, filmmakers found a new freedom in the types of films–and the sort of subject matter–that could be produced. In this atmosphere, dark comedy thrived, particularly edgy satires of social and political mores. And comedy can often… Read more »
Picture the scene. You’re sitting in a movie theatre, counting down the minutes, as the film you’ve been excited to see for months is finally about to start. You’ve seen all the trailers, you’ve read the articles, and you’ve pre-ordered your ticket weeks in advance. This is the moment you’ve been waiting for. You’ve got your popcorn and an over-sized… Read more »
Filming a motion picture is similar to waging war, because, like a military response, a film crew is departmentalized like a military regiment. The producer funds the endeavor; writers piece together the story and dialogue; the director brings all the elements together to tell a cohesive story; actors play out the roles, giving life to the story; the cinematographer photographs… Read more »
In the new millennium, science fiction films continue to flourish, commanding massive box office receipts, inspiring our dreams, and all while making technological innovations along the way. Franchises remain popular, and so many of the big event films have SF underpinnings, but so too, do creative indie films and art house fare as the influence of masters like Kubrick and… Read more »
Mel Brooks, one of the funniest people on the planet, has recently turned 91. It’s an incredible age and in seeing his recent interviews, it’s remarkable how much energy and clarity he still has. But it’s hard to not fear the headline news, reading that another one of your heroes has passed on, and Brooks has been defying the reaper… Read more »
It’s a given that even good directors will make at least one bad film throughout their career. Quentin Tarantino famously stated that he’ll like to retire after his 10th film because he’d like to maintain some consistency in his filmography, and he has a point – there are some directors who’ve never made a bad film (depending who you ask),… Read more »
The place of satire in cinema is a most welcome one, as film has often been a medium through which society and politics is represented and archived while simultaneously mocked and reshaped. While satire has been a part of cinema since its inception, from The Great Dictator to Dr Strangelove, it has by no means faltered since the turn of… Read more »
