01.24.13 |
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SlashFilm‘s David Chen:
It is a fact that many people will leave this film thinking that torture, in some way, helped lead to the killing of Osama Bin Laden. That’s what political pundits are getting upset about — the fact that people think torture was effective at all. And if the pundits are correct in saying that the film sends people out of the theater with an understanding that torture was effective, then who is wrong? Filmgoers for not understanding what the film is trying to say? Or Bigelow for depicting torture irresponsibly? As usual, I think the answer lies somewhere in between.
I don’t fully agree with David’s stance here, but his writing and the evidence behind his arguments is excellent.
01.22.13 |
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Really solid, deep analysis of PT Anderson by Kevin B. Lee over at BFI. You can see a steady change in Anderson’s direction: early works (e.g. Hard Eight, Boogie Nights) tend to be far more kinetic and Scorcese-like, while later films (There Will Be Blood) use the Steadicam in a more restrained fashion.
01.21.13 |
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I’d argue Pumping Iron is ranked too high, but I can’t fight much with film critic Matt Singer; dude has his Schwarzenegger knowledge down cold.
01.20.13 |
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Cool breakdown at BoxOfficeQuant by stat major Edmund Helmer on what colors dominate modern film trailers.
01.18.13 |
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Legendary photographer Steve McCurry (probably best known for his National Geographic ‘Afghan Girl’ shot) was given the last roll of Kodachrome film ever produced. He took a trip around the world to shoot those last 36 frames.
If there’s any sign of technology’s rapid progress, it’s in the switch in photography (and now film) from analog to digital. But McCurry’s shots highlighted here – from New York to India – are powerful, and still illustrate the warmth of ‘real’ film that will be gone forever.
01.17.13 |
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Somehow this amazing dance film completely illuded me through all of 2012. But now it’s 2013 and there’s no excuse: if you dig Girl Talk, dance, or just great DSLR driven cinematography all over NYC, you should check out this film.
01.17.13 |
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Film critic Scott Mendelson on Zero Dark Thirty:
All because [director and writer] Bigelow and Boal didn’t spoon-feed their opinions to the audience in a way that made for easy digestion. They didn’t have a fictionalized scene where a character explicitly explains to the audience how they got each piece of vital information over the eight years during which the film takes place. They trusted the audience to make the connections… One must remember that the film initially began back when Bin Laden was still alive and it was presumed that he’d never actually be caught. It was initially a Moby Dick-esque story of futile obsession, and I’d argue the film still stays on that path even with the new ending.
Moral ambiguity. Presenting complex issues without trying to fall on one political side or another. Forcing you, as the audience, to engage, debate, ponder what we’ve been doing with our foreign policy for the last twelve years. That’s what Zero Dark Thirty is all about (and at least partially what makes it great) and I agree with Mendelson regarding the Bigelow snub. Ridiculous.
01.16.13 |
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This Slate feature always crops up this time of year and never disappoints. At the time of this writing they have already had six entries and the writing team is really solid: Dana Stevens from Slate, Wesley Morris from Grantland, and freelancers Keith Phipps (formerly a senior writer at The A.V. Club) and Stephanie Zacharek (most notable for her writing at Salon and The New York Times).
01.11.13 |
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Leave it to Reddit for someone to mashup the Swedish original with director David Fincher’s English remake. Nice side by side via animated gifs.
01.10.13 |
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As a YouTube commenter points out, it’s pretty rare to get interviewers that can keep up with Tarantino’s rapidfire thoughts, but Furguson does a good job. Watch to get Tarantino’s thoughts on Prometheus, Hatfields & McCoys, kids movies and more.