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The nights are drawing in, the stockings are hanging from the fireplace, and the shops are starting to fill with hordes of panicked shoppers. Yes, it’s Christmas, and that inevitably means it’s time to get into the spirit of the Christmas movie. No other film genre has formed itself more strongly out of a time of year.
It’s always interesting to learn random movie trivia; it’s especially interesting when you learn that a classic or celebrated film tanked at box office upon its theatrical release. If these films are so great, how come they only sparked a mere fizzle when they hit the silver screen? Sometimes the director’s vision is trampled by the producers, and the film is re-edited, compromising the film.
The gripping TV series American Horror Story is taking over everyone’s televisions. Its story-lines have no boundaries, and each week we are shocked by what writer and producer, Ryan Murphy has in store for us. The show is very distinct since each series is (mostly) unrelated to the last, yet they do keep many of the stars of each season and recast them.
It’s no surprise that the Oscars often get it wrong. The list of film legends who have never won an Academy Award is pretty damning on the Academy: from Stanley Kubrick, Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchc*ck to Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt.
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?
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.
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.
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.
Since the market is so flooded with remakes and reboots it can be difficult to sift through the titles to find original material. Sometimes a film can take on new life with a modern makeover. Brian DePalama’s Scarface is a good example.
There is a certain point where our love of literature meets our love of cinema. It happens when a screenplay is so well-written, so insightful, that we can quote from it as we would from any well-respected book. Words that make us think, ponder the world around us, criticize the society we live in, analyze the direction our lives are headed towards, or simply inspire us to take action.
I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t lured me into watching a movie or two: the old “Based On A True Story” tagline. The Conjuring, a recent horror release that is based on the true story, involves possessed dolls and physical apparitions and it’s not necessarily something everyone would believe to be true, so how factual can the story be?
For as long as movies have existed, there have been a slew of gimmicks to lure audiences in. Audiences were drawn into 3D movies as early as the 1920s, and gimmick color effects existed even earlier. Some directors have even taken more clever approaches.