Features
Soundtracks are often not given enough credit in the film world, from us as critics and film lovers, but they have a stronger effect on the audience than you’d think. I have found that those pivotal goose bump moments occur when the music over the image is perfectly fitting; culturally and emotionally, allowing us to feel more involved with the movie. Since soundtracks aren’t often conversed I thought I would shine a light on the under-discussed element of which soundtracks really absorb you into the film and make you feel like you’re fighting alongside Jack Sparrow on the Black Pearl, or you’re beating up Edward Norton in Fight Club.
What is it about the fantasy genre that we find so fascinating? Is it the lure of escapism, the feeling of delight one finds being transported to the various textured habitats of places such as Middle Earth, Westeros, or Hogwarts? Or marvel over the depictions of fabled historical retellings that have taken on mythic qualities over the years?
Unless you have been living under a rock for the fortnight or so (or have no interest in the genre), you may have noticed that the first teaser for The Avengers: Age of Ultron has been released. As well as setting off a whirlwind of fan response and a more than considerable amount of excitement, it should be mentioned that it was a master-class in how to create a teaser trailer, or indeed any trailer.
Every year horror film enthusiasts unite to watch their favorite scary films. New movies come out around Halloween season, endlessly trying to be more graphic and push the shock factor a little further. But what is it about these films that keep us wanting more?
Film Noir stems back to the earlier days of Hollywood, starting with the Humphrey Bogart classic The Maltese Falcon in 1941. This film, the first from cinema great John Huston, established many of the trademarks we associate with the sub-genre today. The term Film Noir literally means “black film” and refers to how dark and shadowy the films tend to be.
Every time you look for new horror movies the same ten titles show up. The Shining, Jaws, The Exorcist, The Haunting, Psycho, Nightmare on Elm Street, Alien, Halloween, The Ring, and Night of the Living Dead. Not to say that these aren’t great films, they’re on the best lists for a reason; they’re classics!
Remake. The very word can send a shiver down a film fan’s spine. It’s just a further sign that Hollywood is no longer original, that they must pillage classics for ideas to recycle.
Something about Halloween just makes you want to be scared. It’s the one time of year when it feels truly fitting. And nowhere is that more easy to accomplish than with a horror movie.
It is easy to be a bit cynical about the state of modern commercial filmmaking. So many of today’s wide-released movies are either remakes of a remake of a remake or star a buff white dude fighting crime (usually in a cape or police uniform). With big studios investing so much money in the big movies we see today, they cannot afford to take huge risks.
An independent filmmaker wears many different hats: director, writer, producer, investor, et cetera. Now add to this list social media manager.
The word “gritty” is often used by reviewers to describe films which portray graphic physical violence, lone wolf characters, and probably a line of coke or two. While I feel that’s accurate, my own personal definition for a gritty film differs slightly. If I describe a film as gritty, expect it to be both emotionally and physically violent and draining.
Jon Lovitz is a name most young folks don’t know or remember. He is an alumni of Saturday Night Live way back from 1985 to 1990. If you don’t know him from there then maybe you remember him as this guy.
If you ask somebody about the war films they’ve seen, the first titles that come to mind are usually large-scale epics that feature scenes of combat and violence. These films effectively depict the horrors of war. However, the level of action in some of these films can be distracting and compromise our emotional involvement with the characters once we see how quickly they can vanish, and the level of violence that can occur.
Now that the summer sun has set and winter is on the way, it’s as good a time as any to reflect on the best that cinemas had to offer for those who wished to hide away from the heat in darkened screening rooms. Without further ado, here are my top five kings of summer blockbusters 2014. 5.
Chilean Filmmaker Pablo Larraín never mentioned the word Trilogy when he embarked on creating Tony Manero (2008), Post Mortem (2010) and No (2012), however, these three films do act as part of a whole: Larraín’s vision regarding Pinochet’s military coup of 1973 and the ensuing dictatorship. Tony Manero and Post Mortem are both grim parables of folks stuck in a moral stupor, wandering the streets of a Chile that no longer knows itself, that silently witnesses the arrest and disappearance of hundreds of people every day, violence and torture a common thing and a convenient shroud for the crimes of civilians.