We may say “they don’t make ‘em like they used to!” but the state of American cinema really hasn’t diminished so much as film distribution has faltered. Plenty of contemporary directors continue to deliver high-quality films, breathing new life into a medium that has yet to stop thriving. There will always be room for discussion […]
Day: January 17, 2017
Pulling Focus: Safe (1995)
Being and time The oft antagonistic American indie filmmaker Todd Haynes first forced my attention with his 1995 revisionist art house horror film Safe, and I’ve been a supporter of his ever since. His sophomore film (following his impressive debut from 1991, Poison, and a string of exceptional short films), Safe is a masterpiece of […]
- Features
- ...
4 Reasons Why “Double Indemnity” Is The Best Film Noir Ever
“Office memorandum, Walter Neff to Barton Keyes, Claims Manager. Los Angeles, July 16th, 1938. Dear Keyes: I suppose you’ll call this a confession when you hear it. I don’t like the word confession. I just want to set you right about one thing you couldn’t see, because it was smack up against your nose.” “You […]
Pulling Focus: The Conversation (1974)
“There’s a strong case to be made for The Conversation being Coppola’s greatest film.” – Film4 Paranoia, the destroyer A bright, unclouded afternoon in San Francisco as a busy plaza teems with people in a sharply impressive telephoto shot as outlying music coalesces with electronic intonations. Tracking a circus mime through the bustling crowd […]
- Features
- ...
The 15 Most Unique Movies of All Time
The process of discerning what films are indeed “unique” is a slippery one. When you consider how cinema as a history has gone, films do influence other films, so, it’s quite a task to find exactly which films best disregard influence and exist as wholly their own creations. Therefore, another characteristic of a film that […]
- Features
- ...
The 10 Best Australian Movies of 2016
In the past few years, Australian cinema has been on a grand rise, with big movies like Mad Max: Fury Road of last year and Hacksaw Ridge this year smashing international screens and winning multiple awards throughout festivals. Despite the international spotlight of many of the films, there are many smaller and independent films that […]