Awarding movies with titles like “Best Picture” is a bit of an overstatement when you consider what goes into making a movie. And when you look through the winners over the years it’s frequently a surprise when you see who won, and the films that got snubbed. For example, 1998 is the year when Steven Spielberg shocked us with his WWII movie Saving Private Ryan, and yet Shakespeare in Love walked away with the Oscar for Best Picture.
After watching Chinese movies for 20 plus years, I never expect a complete plot. It’s always more about some human truth, philosophical belief about the way the world works or an awesome visual spectacle. I’m leaning toward awesome spectacle in this instance.
It’s often stated that January and February are the two worst cinematic months of the year, as all of the major new releases are more often than not the terrible movies major studios have just “dumped” there. Yet it could easily be argued that the months leading up to the end of the year (“awards season” or “prestige season”, if you prefer to forget that Hollywood backslapping ceremonies exist) are equally bad. They do usually provide the year’s best movies, yet they also provide the kinds of movies that have been made cynically to get awards.
In their natural state, no animal should be caged. Their world is of freedom wherein they find their purpose in it. For example, sharks police the seas making sure the weak and feeble are eliminated from the food chain.
Every week Film Inquiry publishes the movies that are opening in cinemas! This week: Focus, The Lazarus Effect, Maps To The Stars, ’71, Everly and My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn.
Into The Woods is a big screen adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical of the same name, adapted by the writer of the original musical book, James Lapine, and directed by Rob Marshall (of Chicago fame). The film boasts a number of successful actors in musical roles. When I first heard of the film, this was enough to pique my curiosity, but as the release date approached my enthusiasm for it lessened.
Ever wonder what would happen if Alice brought Wonderland to the real world? Instead of rabbits and mad hatters, though, Abduct gives you creepy shadows and aliens. Oh my!
Director Quentin Tarantino has hit our movie screens with violence, gore, action and thrills. His work creates controversy, and it is those controversial aspects that make him stand out as one of the best leading directors in the world of film. With his new film The Hateful Eight scheduled to be released at the end of this year, we cannot wait to see what the quirky director and writer comes up with next.
Known as an early work of naturalism, Miss Julie is a story of a Baron’s daughter who makes advances toward her family’s valet, Jean. One midsummer’s eve, tensions escalate between three characters: Miss Julie, Jean, and his fiance, Christine.
There has been an almost endless line of award shows over the last few months where Hollywood’s elite have had all the chances in the world to pat themselves on the back. But now the prelims are over. It is time for the main event.
First, think of the most overused plot of an espionage action thriller. Throw in a young, rebellious kid who dares to walk in his father’s once-proud footsteps. Finally, mix in a cartoonish super-villian with unbelievable plans to destroy the world and a super-secret spy agency that is at their wit’s end in their attempts to stop him.
Jauja tells the tale of a Danish father & daughter duo traveling unknown lands and it looks like a visually interesting film. From the opening of the trailer you notice a lack of color saturation. Current Hollywood trends go against this style since it’s outdated.
Dear Mr. Sandler, I was one of the few people who defended your recent movies, citing that people are working because of you. Then Jack and Jill came out.
Over the course of a film spanning a mere two days, the Dardenne Brothers have demonstrated the fundamental characteristics of life, with all of its virtues and vices unabridged. Money as the root of all evil Two Days, One Night depicts the debacle of a Belgian woman named Sandra, who, after taking sick leave to battle depression, is laid off from her job; a decision voted on by her coworkers, who were forced to choose between her and their year-end bonuses. Through an altercation between the foreman, however, who intimidated a majority of the workers to vote against her, Sandra is given a second chance, which would be a re-vote on the following Monday.
My visit to Auschwitz was more uncanny than overwhelming As a child my eyes used to always glaze over when my father watched what he gleefully called ‘boring black and white documentaries’, it was all he ever put on the television. Despite this, I still had an interest in World War 2, it was the most pivotal moment of the 20th century and so many films have been influenced by the event, however the Vietnam War films of the 70’s and 80’s garnered most of my attention in my early teens. By my late teens however, I found my once average interest burgeoning to the point where I was the one incessantly watching the boring black and white documentaries.