MetaFilter posts tagged with Cinema

They had me at "1980 something space guy"

AlonzoMosleyFBI — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:34:40 -0800

Today saw the release of the first trailer for The LEGO Movie, and there are some interesting things to note about it. First, it should be mentioned that this is not the first LEGO feature length film. Earlier this year saw the release of a Batman direct-to-video movie and in 2010 there was a new character driven movie called The Adventures of Clutch Powers. Both were completely CGI and looked it, complete with minifig limbs bending as if made of rubber and everything looking very polished. And though there is surely a lot of CGI invloved in this new feature, it seems they have gone with a stop motion appearance that hearkens to all the short films on YouTube made by fans. The movement is slightly jerky and the lighting is more natural. It brings to mind Curse of the Were-rabbit where Nick Park had the animators who did the CGI portions make sure to include random "fingerprints" on the characters and elements that were CGI. Adding to the homemade "kids at play" feel is the inclusion of characters from many of the different LEGO series over the years (including the licensed ones) appearing side by side. So, yes, we will get Superman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the 2002 NBA All Stars all fighting evil together.

You don’t mess with the Cabbage Patch Elvis

AlonzoMosleyFBI — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:57:10 -0800

When it comes to unappealing couples that have been featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000, Arch Hall Jr. and Marilyn Manning are near the top of the heap. Their appearance in Eegah provided rich fodder for Joel and the bots. And yet, only one year after the release of Eegah, Hall and Manning would find themselves together again in radically different roles. Directed by James Landis on a $33,000 budget, The Sadist tells the story of three teachers stranded in the middle of nowhere who are being terrorized by a psychotic teenage couple (Hall and Manning) who are on the run from the law and killing random people as they go. The Sadist is said to have been the first film to capitalize on the Charles Starkweather killings that had occurred only five years prior to its release. Not only is the film the first to tackle Starkweather, many movie buffs view it as a very early predecessor to such landmarks films as Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Last House on the Left and The Hills Have Eyes. The fact that it was made in 1963 is all the more startling. Oh, and this was the first feature film for cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond, who later went on to do Deliverance, The Deer Hunter and win an Oscar for Close Encounters of the Third Kind. You can celebrate the movie's 50th anniversary by watching it on YouTube or download your own copy on Archive.org.

Sadly, there is no information on "A Fish Called Wanda".

AlonzoMosleyFBI — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:23:34 -0800

No Animals Were Harmed is the Film and Television unit of the American Humane Association. Their website provides details on the different kinds of certifications films and television shows earn and how they go about earning it. You can browse recent films (such as Life of Pi and Django Unchained) or page through their archive (which includes everything from Fellowship of the Ring to Rushmore to… (cough)… Apocalypse Now).

Peter Sellers documentary 1969

peacay — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 00:33:00 -0800

Will The Real Mr Sellers Please Stand Up - a rare ~50min film narrated by Spike Milligan and made during the filming of 'The Magic Christian'*via Cinephilia and Beyond. [NSFW - some nudity]

"A weird 1969 Peter Sellers documentary, made to promote The Magic Christian, including appearances by Ringo, Paul and Linda, and John. Most of these appearances are in segment 3. The documentary was never repeated by the BBC, possibly due to the fact that Peter Sellers thought he came across as depressed. Spike Milligan narrates and dissects Peter’s persona in the process. A word of warning: The documentary includes strong scenes (bullfight, open heart surgery, nudity) and language. Peter Sellers lived for 11 more years after this documentary."

via / via / via

The Crime Epics of Louis Feuillade

Iridic — Fri, 31 May 2013 13:37:14 -0800

The Vampires, a secret federation of thieves and killers, rule the Paris underworld through intimidation, murder, and a certain diabolic je ne sais quoi. After the headless body of the police inspector in charge of the Vampire investigation turns up in a swamp, dauntless reporter Philipe Guérande steps up his efforts to bring the gang to justice. But is he equal to the schemes of the protean Grand Vampire and his lieutenant, the cat burglar, assassin, and sometime torch singer called Irma Vep? And can anyone hope to prevail against the rogue criminal Moréno and the unearthly power of his gaze?

Les Vampires (1915-1916), Louis Feuillade's six and a half hour film serial, still communicates the nerve, pace, and delirium that inspired Lang, Hitchcock, Assayas and Maddin. Here are all ten episodes of this "supreme delight of cinema." Three more of Feuillade's best serials wait below the cut. Fantômas (1913-1914) A daring theft in the Royal Palace Hotel proclaims the reign of Fantômas—master criminal, pitiless assassin, the terror with a hundred names! (Based on the book series by Allain and Souvestre.) I: "In the Shadow of the Guillotine" II: "Juve versus Fantômas" III: "The Death That Kills" IV: "Fantômas versus Fantômas" V: "The False Magistrate" Judex (1916) The enigmatic avenger Judex, resplendent in cape and slouch hat, has planned an ambitious program of retribution against the corrupt banker Favraux. But when a pair of international criminals launch their vicious counterplot, not even the aid of Judex's circus folk allies and his pack of ludicrously well-trained dogs may be enough to win the day! ["Prologue" unavailable] I: "The Mysterious Shadow" [part 2] II: "Retribution" [part 2] III: "The Fantastic Dog Pack" [part 2] [part 3] IV: "The Secret of the Tomb" [part 2] V: "The Tragic Mill" [part 2] VI: "The Licorice Kid" [part 2] VII: "The Woman in Black" [part 2] VIII: "The Underground Passages of the Chateau-Rouge" [part 2] IX: "When the Child Appeared" [part 2] [Episodes 10 through 12 unavailable] Bonus: Judex, Georges Franju's 1963 feature-length remake. Tih-Minh (1918) A feverish dream of treasures, revengers, mesmerists, pursuits, escapes, disguises, and betrayals; a great favorite with Rosenbaum and fellow Feuillade fanboy Edward Gorey. The complete serial is infamously rare, but an unrestored five and a half hour cut exists on YouTube. (Feuillade previously)

But does the dog die?

jedicus — Wed, 29 May 2013 20:40:01 -0800

Do you turn off Old Yeller before the end so you can pretend that he lived a long and happy life? Did a cute pet on a movie poster make you think it would be a fun comedy but it turned out to be a pet-with-a-terminal-illness tearjerker instead? Are you unable to enjoy the human body count in a horror movie because you're wondering whether the dog's going to kick the bucket? Have you ever Googled "Does the [dog/cat/horse/Klingon targ] die in [movie title]?" If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then welcome - DoestheDogDie.com is here for you! (via elizardbits's tumblr (often NSFW); FPP text shamelessly copied from the site itself)

Hollywood icon John McTiernan is 1 month into a 12 month prison sentence

shimmerbug — Tue, 28 May 2013 15:34:53 -0800

A very sad tale of one of the most respected action movie directors in cinema history.

Persistence of Vision: Reading the Language of Cinema

kliuless — Thu, 09 May 2013 16:32:53 -0800

2013 Jefferson Lecture with Martin Scorsese (text) more on Scorsese from the NEH: -Scorsese blurs the line between entertainment and art. -The Art of Martin Scorsese -A Selective Filmography -An essay on Martin Scorsese -Martin Scorsese Biography also mentioned... -The Film Foundation -The Red Shoes -Martin Scorsese on Restoring The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

Britain's Greatest Living Movie Analyst?

biffa — Sat, 04 May 2013 14:31:26 -0800

Philip French, Observer Film Reviewer and possibly Britain's Greatest Living Movie Analyst puts down his pencil after 50 years. A living repository of cinematic knowledge, French's ethos is "You should assume your reader is intelligent, but not necessarily as well-informed, since they spend their days doing something else for a living." He will retire from August. To give a taste of his writing, try his top 10 of 2012, 2011, 2010 (all link through to reviews), his Screen Legends column or just browse his significant back collection of reviews and film related articles.

Selections from the BFI's collection of early cinema

The Whelk — Thu, 02 May 2013 07:47:57 -0800

The British Film Institute's YouTube channels offer a staggering amount (previously) of content on historical cinema, shorts, and discussion. Some short selections from the early and silent period of note - The Sick Kitten (1903) - How Percy Won The Beauty Competition (1909) - Tilly The Tomboy Visits The Poor (1910) - Suffragette Riot In Trafalgar Square (1913) - The Fugitive Futurist, in which a man on the run shows a device that can see far into the future (1924) - Vaudevillian legend Billy Merson Singing 'Desdemona'. Widely considered Britain's first sound film - (1927) Charley In New Town - part of an animated series from the Central Office, this one explaining the need for "New Towns." (1948) - Growing Girls, a filmstrip guide to puberty for young women (1951).

Re-Surfacing

Monsieur Caution — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 00:51:23 -0800

In the archives of Cinema Canada (1962-1989), articles about the relationship of Canadian cinema to American genre films, the Canadianization of popular comedy, and "what is 'Canadian film'?" stand out as typical--even commonplace, given their context. They also happen to suggest an interesting mix of obscure and popular films to watch. A few examples, presented in the order in which they are mentioned or alluded to in the articles:

La bête lumineuse (1982; French with English subtitles) - a documentary about moose-hunters in Quebec, directed by Pierre Perrault.
Le chat dans le sac (1964; French only) - a "culturally significant" film in the history of Quebec cinema, directed by Gilles Groulx.
The Changeling (1980) - a quiet but effective ghost story, directed by Peter Medak; winner of the first ever Genie Award for Best Canadian film.
The Pyx (1973) - a supernatural crime thriller, directed by Harvey Hart.
Shivers (1975) - filmed as Orgy of the Blood Parasites and a.k.a. They Came from Within; a body horror film by David Cronenberg.
Death Weekend (1976) - a.k.a. The House by the Lake; a low budget horror/thriller film directed by William Fruet.
Paperback Hero (1973) - a film directed by Peter Pearson, in which a hockey player starts to believe he's a gunslinger in the Old West.
Gina (1975; French only) - a revenge film (trigger warning), directed by Denys Arcand.
Goin' Down the Road (1970) - a film directed by Donald Shebib and "generally regarded as one of the best and most influential Canadian films of all time."
Mon oncle Antoine (1971; French with English subtitles) - a film directed by Claude Jutra; "twice ... voted the greatest Canadian film ever in the Sight & Sound poll ...voted TIFF List of Canada's Top Ten Films of All Time 3 out of 3 times."
Excerpt from Amerika (1972-1983) - a mosaic of experimental short films, directed by Al Razutis.
The Rowdyman (1972) - a "comedy with moralistic overtones" notable for its depiction of life in Newfoundland; directed by Peter Carter.
Death Ship (1980) - a horror film directed by Alvin Rakoff.
The Last Chase (MST3K KTMA episode 20) (1981) - a science fiction film directed by Martyn Burke and parodied by Mystery Science Theater 3000.
Les bons débarras (1980; French only) - a "classic" of Quebec/Canadian cinema and the second winner of the Genie Award for Best Canadian Film; directed by Francis Mankiewicz.
Circle of Two (1982) - Richard Burton and Tatum O'Neal in a film about a teenage girl and a much older man; directed by Jules Dassin.
Scanners (1981) - the classic science fiction / horror film directed by David Cronenberg.

See also the many films available for download at the web site of the National Film Board of Canada mentioned previously.

Steadicam Inventor Honored

switcheroo — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 07:28:44 -0800

American cinematographer Garrett Brown to be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for the invention of the Steadicam (previously).

Leo just kept ingesting sweet crap

The Whelk — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 09:06:07 -0800

Dan Goodbaum edits together selected excerpts from Elvis Mitchell's interview with Quentin Tarantino about the role of food as a indicator of power in his movies (full interview here). Grantland's 20 Best Tarantino Food Scenes

I'll be back

EXISTENZ IS PAUSED — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 07:29:21 -0800

A 'Back-to-the-Camera Shot' supercut, in which a character stands (usually) centre frame, gazing out onto an epic landscape. All film titles are listed, with timecodes, in the 'about' section. [SLYT]

I said Goddamn!!!

cthuljew — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:59:52 -0800

Gorgeous Portraits of Movie Characters & Classic Shots by Massimo Carnevale [slimgur]

"Thank you for being the best readers any film critic could ask for."

alexoscar — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 15:17:03 -0800

Roger Ebert has announced that he has had a recurrence of cancer and will be taking a partial hiatus from reviewing while he undergoes treatment. Ebert, who lost the ability to speak and eat to cancer in 2006, filed a career-record 306 reviews in 2012. The news comes as Ebert plans to revamp his website and is considering a Kickstarter campaign to bring back his iconic show At the Movies. A documentary about Ebert directed by Steve James and executive produced by Martin Scorsese is currently in production.

I feel that cinema should be like a box of surprises, like a magic box

fearfulsymmetry — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 09:54:12 -0800

RIP Jesús 'Jess' Franco, the prolific Spanish horror and exploitation writer and director of films such as Vampyros Lesbos and The Awful Dr. Orloff who was once condemned by the Vatican as one of the most dangerous filmmakers in the world. AV Club interview

Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker!

brundlefly — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 00:45:30 -0800

"Everybody Wants to Kill Bruce" - One action sequence compiled from 39 movies. NSFW. Via.

Kubrick's condensed NYC

Blazecock Pileon — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 12:53:02 -0800

Follow Tom Cruise as he navigates his way around Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut Greenwich Village set [via]

Using the F-word in PG-13/12A movies

reenum — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 20:05:08 -0800

Den of Geek looks at the MPAA rule that a PG-13 movie can contain only one utterance of the word "fuck".

Spring Break forever. Spring Break forever. Spring Break forever. Spring

Rory Marinich — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 06:19:58 -0800

Harmony Korine's new film Spring Breakers [trailer] is "an outrage and an abomination. It’s also some kind of masterpiece." Or maybe it's swill, or just plain old racist. In any event, the movie looks gorgeous, courtesy of cinematographer Benoît Debie, best known for his work on his work on Gaspar Noe's Irreversible and Enter the Void. Actress Ashley Benson thinks the sex scenes were beautiful: "It wasn't raunchy. It was telling a story." Actor Gucci Mane, meanwhile, fell asleep during his sex scene. Korine showed up on Reddit to answer questions, but his responses were somewhat incoherent.

"He breaks off, cackling."

BlackLeotardFront — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 11:02:32 -0800

Christopher Doyle, cinematographer for Wong Kar-Wai's most acclaimed works (and dozens of other movies), calls Life of Pi's Academy Award an "insult to cinematography" in a recent interview. He elaborated: "What a total fucking piece of shit." (Part 1 of the same interview, more informative but less entertaining) [NSFW film posters and language]

Projectors de cinema infantil

flapjax at midnite — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 22:07:33 -0800

Here is a little collection of crude but oddly charming Spanish and French animation, originally created for children's hand-cranked film projectors, from 1932 to 1952. Also from Spain's Museu del Cinema, here's a YouTube playlist of several very short videos showing various early animation machines and devices like the Zoetrope and Reynaud's Toupie Fantoches and more. NOTE: one of the animations included in the collection is, typically for the times, overtly racist in its depiction of grass-skirt wearing, big lipped African "natives". Posting this link should not, however, be seen as any kind of personal endorsement of this kind of racist stereotype.

We, The Aliens.

The Whelk — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:15:11 -0800

In Defense Of Spielberg's War Of The Worlds

The Lafcadio Hearn of Our Time

Ice Cream Socialist — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:20:51 -0800

Donald Richie , American author, journalist, critic and expert on Japan, dies at 88.

Smilingly excluded here in Japan, politely stigmatised, I can from my angle attempt only objectivity, since my subjective self will not fit the space I am allotted . . . how fortunate I am to occupy this niche with its lateral view. In America I would be denied this place. I would live on the flat surface of a plain. In Japan, from where I am sitting, the light falls just right – I can see the peaks and valleys, the crags and crevasses.

-- from The Japan Journals, 1947-2004

Interviews with Mr. Richie from 2009 and from 2001. previously