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In this internet savvy age, successfully avoiding spoilers for movies and TV shows is a talent we all wish we had. All it takes is a brief glance at Twitter after an opening day or a TV air-date to find that what you’ve been waiting to watch for ages has been spoiled before you’ve even been granted a chance to watch it. Yet these overly enthusiastic tweeters aren’t exactly the biggest threat to my enjoyment of a film, even if they do deserve a slap across the face for making me enjoy it far less; the biggest threat is the trailers for the films themselves, which increasingly spoil crucial elements of a movie before it even opens.
Have you ever noticed that many films are released to theaters around the same time as another with a very similar theme? They are called Twin Films, or “films with the same, or very similar, plot produced and/or released at the same time in two different studios.” I often thought it was lazy; that filmmakers are running out of ideas, so they’re all trying to out-do one another with the better story.
Guardians of the Galaxy broke records this year when its soundtrack reached number one, making it the first soundtrack in history to reach number one with no new songs on the album. This got me thinking about great soundtracks and the use of popular music versus composition. There’s a time and a place for both, and sometimes a time for none.
This week, the suicide of Robin Williams shook the entire world to its core. Robin Williams, famous for his stand-up comedy and acting in numerous films, touched many people’s lives and hearts. The team of Film Inquiry too, was greatly saddened by the magnificent actor’s death, and we would like to pay our tribute to him by all sharing some of our fondest memories of him and his work, and the impact he had on us.
For the next 30 days, Amazon own my soul. This isn’t the first time – in fact, whenever I subscribe to a new movie streaming service, I have a habit of trying to watch everything I want in that 30 day window so I cancel before I start having to pay. There are plenty of good reasons to stay subscribed to a website (and I’m not saying you shouldn’t), and there are a plethora of good streaming services available, but if you’re on a tight budget taking advantage of a free trial is the only option.
Author’s note: I set out to write a very simple article looking back on Tarantino’s work and I wound up on a truly head-spinning journey into the mad world of Quentin Tarantino’s film universe. I believe I’ve come out of the rabbit hole more informed and slightly dazed, but with some interesting things to say.
Guardians of the Galaxy, the latest instalment in the Marvel cinematic universe, has just smashed box-office records on its way to being number one, raking in almost five times as much as its nearest competitor. It continues the highly successful “phase two” of the studio’s cinematic output which is timetabled until at least 2019. On the face of it, their films are among the safest bets in Hollywood – it is taken for granted that Marvel equals success.
Cinema is one of the few areas of modern life where the word ‘cult’ can conjure up positive connotations: more Rocky Horror and Fight Club than Charles Manson. Screenings of ‘cult’ films gather huge, enthusiastic crowds and each have their own strange rituals and practices, such as the hilarious habit of spoon-throwing during showings of The Room.
Earlier this week, the British government announced that after years of trying to make it work, they were finally giving up what was already a losing battle. From 2015, it will no longer be illegal to file-share in the UK, to the fears of the entertainment industry. Instead, certain internet providers will email their customers just four warning letters per year informing them at how their killing the industry, to which they’ll probably reply with a shrug and will continue to download the latest episode of Game of Thrones without a second thought.
The hottest and most popular film genre is the superhero genre. Since the late ’90s, thanks to DC Comics and Marvel Pictures, they have consistently produced superhero films that bring audiences in big masses to theaters. So far this year, there have been three films from that genre, and we are still waiting for the much-anticipated release of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy on August 1st.
Every month, the team of Film Inquiry is posed a question. This month, the question is “what is your favorite film theme, and which movie did it best?” You can read the answers of the individual team members who chose to participate below!
In today’s age of digital and IMAX cameras and big-budget post-production in film, no one would argue that cinema is very much a visual experience. Movies are, by definition, the recording of images to tell a story. But for those that are unable to see, whether they are born that way or became blind later in their lives, films can still be entertaining and immersive.
As I type this, Matthew McConaughey is the most in-demand actor in the world. The recent “McConaissance”, as this wonderful era will now and forever be known, has turned the once maligned rom-com regular’s reputation on its head and tapped into exactly what critics and audiences around the world want to see. So when Hollywood’s “it guy” says that television is the best way to create modern, character-driven stories, an alarm is set off.
And why is it your favorite? Below, the team members of Film Inquiry answer the question, and we encourage you to do the same – join in the discussion in the comments section! For your information, we consider a movie an “oldie” when it’s older than 20 years.
Escape From Tomorrow is a nightmare in black and white. From the opening moments to the final scene, the story unfolds in the most mind-bending ways. I grew up with very little black and white film.