3/8/2010
Every Oscar Movie Ever
Cracked made a great, great movie trailer for “every Oscar-winning movie ever.” It gets so many things exactly right. Watch it here.
It reminds me of the literal music videos.
2/10/2010
The Hitchcocks That Never Were
Back in Episode 21, we did a Top 6 Movies We’ll Never Be Able To See list, which discussed movies that were lost or never completed. When I made my list, I hadn’t seen this list of 13 aborted Alfred Hitchcock projects, or I’d probably have picked some of them. The list is interesting not so much for the plot synopses (which say little to nothing about how the finished film would have been) but Hitchcock’s stated reasons for why they didn’t get made.
Learning about stuff like this, especially from a director I love so much, is always interesting and a little sad — because, wow, some of those projects look great and might have turned into masterpieces. Ultimately, though, it’s hard to have any regrets. If Hitchcock had made No Bail For the Judge with Audrey Hepburn (a fascinating prospect), we wouldn’t have had Psycho. On the other hand, I’d have taken Mary Rose for Topaz in a heartbeat.
1/20/2010
Spider
Here’s a great short film from 2007. It’s earned a slew of film festival awards and a high rating on the IMDb, but it’s virtually unknown, for no better reason than that there isn’t a commercial delivery system for short films anymore. I love it because in the span of just nine minutes, it manages to cover a wider range of emotions than most full features do. For that matter, it tells a more complete story than many do, too. Shorts like this demonstrate just how much you can do with so little.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgYykXgwl20
12/7/2007
Scorsese Does Hitchcock
This short film is about ten minutes long. The less said about it by way of introduction, the better — but it’s absolutely wonderful.
http://www.scorsesefilmfreixenet.com/video_eng.htm
8/23/2007
Queasicam
I recall exactly how long I’ve been disgusted with the practice of quick cuts and jerky hand-held shots. The Rock annoyed me with it first, though I liked the movie. Armageddon annoyed me with it most, and I hated it. There are sequences in Armageddon where the narrative of the action is quite important, yet completely indecipherable.
Since then, things have gotten worse, as other directors have jumped on the bandwagon, many of them perhaps because they come from music video backgrounds, where fast cutting is part of the form. Television shows do it, too.
The practice itself can be employed well, as in Saving Private Ryan or Moulin Rouge. But more often I find the way it is used no better than outright incompetence. In the hands of a lesser cinematographer or director, it’s like giving a violin to a three year old and turning him loose. Excruciating.
David Bordwell is more diplomatic and thoughtful on the subject than I am. It’s a wonderful read. Check out his post on the Queasicam here.
7/18/2007
Alternate Endings
I ran across this wonderful essay about endings, twist endings, and alternate endings. It contains spoilers for The Sixth Sense and Casablanca, and you do not want to spoil those movies for yourself if by some miracle you do not already know how they end. But if you have, check out this article. I would actually recommend skipping down to the spoiler warning and read from that point, unless you’re interested in talk about dinner theater.
7/4/2007
The Best Trailer Parody In a While
This summer… he’s hungry for justice. Video after the jump.
5/30/2007
100 Numbers from the Movies
Here’s a great video of 100 movie quotes that count themselves down. I love the selections.
