Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto Spine #14 Year: 1954 Director: Hiroshi Inagaki Whenever you seem lost in this lonely world, or feel your life is heading down the wrong path, I'd recommend sitting down to begin the journey of Takezo, aka the legendary Musashi Miyamoto (Toshirô Mifune). This is easily my fourth of fifth time starting … Continue reading Criterion Project #24: SAMURAI I – MUSASHI MIYAMOTO (1954)
Pan's Labyrinth Spine #838 Year: 2006 Director: Guillermo del Toro As I ponder this write-up, I won't pretend to know the history of the atrocities depicted in this film. Title cards at the outset inform us we've been transported to Spain in the year 1944, which places the events after Franco's fascist regime had overthrown … Continue reading Criterion Project #23: PAN’S LABYRINTH (2006)
In every film there are little moments that can serve the story in a multitude of positive or negative ways, from fusing together themes, scenes, and/or characters, etc, to subterfuge or flat-out self-sabotage. Personally, I love when a bridging moment or scene can nourish the transitive nature of Hollywood film structure in the Eisenstein-ian way. … Continue reading Anatomy of a Scene: 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU (1999)
Today is the day! The 92nd Academy Awards are tonight and I'm excited....a little. I'm usually amped up for the Oscars, so why am I only a little excited? Well, most of the major categories seem to be pretty well wrapped up, with the same actors and filmmakers winning award after award in the build-up … Continue reading Predictions for the 92nd Academy Awards!
Oscar nominations came out last week and, therefore, the complaining about who was a surprise and who was snubbed has been going on for days. This gives me two thoughts, one about how to spice up the nominations themselves, and one about how to get the nominations right. First off, announcing the nominees should be … Continue reading Quick Oscar Nominations Fix
The sacred texts handed down from Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell following their cult horror trilogy, Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, and Army of Darkness, are no more tarnished following Fede Alvarez's 2013 update of the original film than if Mel Brooks produced a spoof titled "Get the Chainsaw, Idiots!" There are homages, oceans of … Continue reading Re-watch Theater: EVIL DEAD (2013)
Within the horror genre there exists a varied range of sub-genres, which are mostly defined by their antagonist(s): zombies, vampires, werewolves, malevolent ghosts, haunted houses, gnarly creatures, and of course, slashers. The latter came to prominence in the years following the rabid success of John Carpenter's Halloween in 1978. Most people are familiar with the … Continue reading Troubling Themes in Slasher Horror: PIECES (1982)
In the process of crafting a simple tale of a masked killer stalking babysitters on Halloween night, director John Carpenter and cinematographer Dean Cundey made a bold decision to shoot their seminal slasher classic, Halloween, in Panavision widescreen (2.39:1). Which, as you may have guessed, presents a wider image than the standard (1.85:1). Those numbers … Continue reading John Carpenter’s use of space in HALLOWEEN (1978)
*Quick note from the writer: This article was supposed to have been posted last year. Somehow it got lost in my drafts. I've re-read it and still stand by my summation. To say the least, mother! is a film you experience. Narratively speaking, the film is sparse. There really isn't a story or a defined … Continue reading Thoughts on the cinematic style of MOTHER! (2017)
A selection of alternative films to watch that were not recognized by the Academy for one reason or another.
This Is Your Brain On Film 
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