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Woody Allen's Form & Legacy In Contemporary Cinema With CAFÉ SOCIETY
Woody Allen’s Form & Legacy In Contemporary Cinema With CAFÉ SOCIETY

It now appears to be a given that every few years, Woody Allen produces a film hailed by critics as a “return to form”. In keeping with relatively recent late period offerings such as Blue Jasmine, Midnight in Paris and Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Café Society has also been afforded that accolade. Is this lazy journalism or a concise way of communicating that he has again crafted a film that bears the hallmarks of this aging auteur’s better judgement?

How Wes Anderson Is Influenced By The Peanuts
How Wes Anderson Is Influenced By The Peanuts

A distinctive and imaginative style plays a part in every Wes Anderson film. His influences range from French New Wave films to Jacques Cousteau’s books and films. One influence in particular intrigues me:

The Beginner’s Guide: Nicolas Winding Refn, Director

One of the most controversial directors currently working today, Nicolas Winding Refn is a provocative force to be reckoned with. He has an utterly distinctive voice that couldn’t ever be mistaken for anybody else. Each of his films is widely divisive, almost always opening to heated opinion from audiences.

10 Japanese Movies Featuring Summer as a Character

Japanese cinema has a distinctive style that has been consistent since the days of silent film, when directors where drawing from classic kabuki theater to inform their burgeoning filming style. That is not to say that there’s anything limiting about a cultural pattern in Japanese cinema, seeing as they have given the film world anime, jidaigeki, yakuza, cyberpunk and multiple other notable sub-genres. One recognizable aspect of Japanese cinema is the use of seasons in certain films:

Second (Or Third) Time Around: 10 Superior Sequels

With 2015’s blockbuster season kicking off with two box office smashing sequels in Fast & Furious 7 and The Avengers: Age of Ultron, the film industry now, more than ever, lies at the behest of the big-budget follow-up. Star Wars:

Paul Thomas Anderson
The Beginner’s Guide: Paul Thomas Anderson, Director

Stories are built around characters. No matter how complex and fascinating a narrative may be, the only way to make people care is by implanting interesting characters to whom we can relate, root for, loathe, or sympathize with. Character creation is a skill that too few filmmakers possess today.

Why Film Noir Should Come Back With a Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

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.