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Memos to Hollywood
May. 5th, 2009 02:10 pmI'm a bit in love with this article called Memos to Hollywood
Several memos in the style of "urgent, eyes-only communiqués to Hollywood, fully confident that they will be carefully and thoughtfully ignored."
A few of my favorites are:
To: Filmmakers, especially under 40
From: Manohla Dargis
The tripod is your friend. Few filmmakers can pull off florid handheld camerawork because most aren’t saying all that much through their visuals, handheld or not. (Also: Shaking the camera does not create realism.) Though it’s a cliché of contemporary cinema, fiction and nonfiction both, handheld camerawork that calls aggressive attention to itself tends to make empty images seem even emptier. If you want us to notice your cinematography, make sure you have something to say, like the French filmmaker Olivier Assayas ("Demonlover"), whose restlessly moving images convey a searching intelligence. He isn’t just waving the camera around; he’s saying something about the world and the people in it.
----
To: John Lasseter
From: M.D.
I’m psyched that you and the guys at Pixar Animation Studios are finally making a movie with a girl as the lead character and with a woman as director, no less — another first for you! Congrats! Of course we have to wait until 2011 to see "The Bear and the Bow," but on behalf of 51 percent of the population, I salute you.
----
To: Members of the Writers Guild of America
Cc: M. Night Shyamalan
From: A.O.S.
You may think that slipping a doozy of a third-act surprise into your screenplay — a shocking twist that no one could possibly see coming — might make you look smart and the audience feel dumb, but please consider that the reverse might actually be the case.
Several memos in the style of "urgent, eyes-only communiqués to Hollywood, fully confident that they will be carefully and thoughtfully ignored."
A few of my favorites are:
To: Filmmakers, especially under 40
From: Manohla Dargis
The tripod is your friend. Few filmmakers can pull off florid handheld camerawork because most aren’t saying all that much through their visuals, handheld or not. (Also: Shaking the camera does not create realism.) Though it’s a cliché of contemporary cinema, fiction and nonfiction both, handheld camerawork that calls aggressive attention to itself tends to make empty images seem even emptier. If you want us to notice your cinematography, make sure you have something to say, like the French filmmaker Olivier Assayas ("Demonlover"), whose restlessly moving images convey a searching intelligence. He isn’t just waving the camera around; he’s saying something about the world and the people in it.
----
To: John Lasseter
From: M.D.
I’m psyched that you and the guys at Pixar Animation Studios are finally making a movie with a girl as the lead character and with a woman as director, no less — another first for you! Congrats! Of course we have to wait until 2011 to see "The Bear and the Bow," but on behalf of 51 percent of the population, I salute you.
----
To: Members of the Writers Guild of America
Cc: M. Night Shyamalan
From: A.O.S.
You may think that slipping a doozy of a third-act surprise into your screenplay — a shocking twist that no one could possibly see coming — might make you look smart and the audience feel dumb, but please consider that the reverse might actually be the case.
Who needs realism anyway?
May. 4th, 2009 05:25 pm3:10 to Yuma
At one point in 3:10 to Yuma Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) is beaten repeatedly in the face with a shotgun. The guy hitting him is enraged to the point that the others almost have to drag him away, and when they do we see dark blood trickle out of Wade’s mouth and down his chin.
( And then....that’s it. )
Quo Vadis
This is one of those epic sword and sandal epics, with Romans in tiny skirts and women with anachronistic hairstyles. Since Quo Vadis is from 1951, the women sport 1950’s hairstyles – except the evil empress who looks like something out of sci-fi film. The men are very good at posing, the women’s breasts are very pointy, and the Technicolor is as garish and wonderful as the rest of the film. I cannot help it – I love these old films with their flim-flam approach to history and boasts of "A cast of thousands!"
( The story is simple )
Francesco, guillare di Dio
If 3:10 to Yuma couldn’t decide when it wanted realism to apply and when it didn’t, and where Quo Vadis possibly went looking for realism in all the wrong places then Roberto Rossellini decides to approach realism from a completely different angel; by casting monks from Nocere Inferiore monastery as St. Francis and his brothers.( The film deals with )
Where Eagles Dare
Where Eagles Dare doesn’t bother with realism. In fact Where Eagles Dare laughs realism in the face and then has Clint Eastwood shoot it with a sub-machine gun. Based on a book and script by Alistair McLean the film is supposedly set during World War II. To be honest it could be set during any war and any conflict, but I suppose the Nazis make for smashing villains. There is a plot – of sorts. Truthfully I cannot sum it up better than the film’s tagline:
They look like Nazis but . . . The Major is British . . . The Lieutenant is American . . . The Beautiful Frauleins are Allied Agents!
( If you to that add a castle )
At one point in 3:10 to Yuma Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) is beaten repeatedly in the face with a shotgun. The guy hitting him is enraged to the point that the others almost have to drag him away, and when they do we see dark blood trickle out of Wade’s mouth and down his chin.
( And then....that’s it. )
Quo Vadis
This is one of those epic sword and sandal epics, with Romans in tiny skirts and women with anachronistic hairstyles. Since Quo Vadis is from 1951, the women sport 1950’s hairstyles – except the evil empress who looks like something out of sci-fi film. The men are very good at posing, the women’s breasts are very pointy, and the Technicolor is as garish and wonderful as the rest of the film. I cannot help it – I love these old films with their flim-flam approach to history and boasts of "A cast of thousands!"
( The story is simple )
Francesco, guillare di Dio
If 3:10 to Yuma couldn’t decide when it wanted realism to apply and when it didn’t, and where Quo Vadis possibly went looking for realism in all the wrong places then Roberto Rossellini decides to approach realism from a completely different angel; by casting monks from Nocere Inferiore monastery as St. Francis and his brothers.( The film deals with )
Where Eagles Dare
Where Eagles Dare doesn’t bother with realism. In fact Where Eagles Dare laughs realism in the face and then has Clint Eastwood shoot it with a sub-machine gun. Based on a book and script by Alistair McLean the film is supposedly set during World War II. To be honest it could be set during any war and any conflict, but I suppose the Nazis make for smashing villains. There is a plot – of sorts. Truthfully I cannot sum it up better than the film’s tagline:
They look like Nazis but . . . The Major is British . . . The Lieutenant is American . . . The Beautiful Frauleins are Allied Agents!
( If you to that add a castle )
wherever the train takes me
Apr. 26th, 2009 01:00 am
I'm currently in love with these 1940's kodachrome photos by Jack Delano found at my beloved Shorpy photo archive. In particular I'm fascinated by his images of the railroads where his choice of angels, light and perspective turn the railroads into near abstract works of art. ( ++++ )
From war to Italian memories
Apr. 24th, 2009 07:06 pmThe Dirty Dozen is one of those films that claim to be about World War II, but none of the historical events of this war is actually central to the films plot. I always feel that all The Dirty Dozen really wants is a war scenario, and it chooses WWII simply because it is easy, at the time of the film’s production already mythified and because the Nazis make great villains.( The plot is simple.. )
Tora! Tora! Tora! is somewhat the opposite to The Dirty Dozen, in that it takes its strive for historical accuracy so to heart that it adopts an almost documentary style. The film is a Japanese & American co-production about the attack on Pearl Harbour.( ++++ )
My favourite scene in Amarcord is when the Fascists hold a rally, and as part of the celebration they run around the town all while talking to the camera about how glorious everything is. In the background is giant head of Mussolini that looks like something out of Monty Python cartoon. It all looks terribly silly and you find yourself laughing at the strange fascists. Then a quick turn of events later ( ++++ )
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Films seen in 2009.
Tora! Tora! Tora! is somewhat the opposite to The Dirty Dozen, in that it takes its strive for historical accuracy so to heart that it adopts an almost documentary style. The film is a Japanese & American co-production about the attack on Pearl Harbour.( ++++ )
My favourite scene in Amarcord is when the Fascists hold a rally, and as part of the celebration they run around the town all while talking to the camera about how glorious everything is. In the background is giant head of Mussolini that looks like something out of Monty Python cartoon. It all looks terribly silly and you find yourself laughing at the strange fascists. Then a quick turn of events later ( ++++ )
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Films seen in 2009.
Return of the Penguins
Apr. 24th, 2009 04:26 pm
Clearly BSG got it wrong. The bird of robotic choice is not a pigeon, but Robotic Penguins! Made by a German firm called Festo the robotic penguins - seen above - use sonar to navigate and are extremely flexible. I can't help it. I want one.
( penguin robots on video - you know you want to )
WWII - coming to a cinema near you....
Apr. 23rd, 2009 01:00 pm
Saints and Soldiers
Saints and Soldiers is a low budget film that tells the story of four American soldiers and one Brit who tries to get back to the Allies, after escaping the massacre of Malmedy. The film was made in 2003, and the aesthetics of the film makes me believe it was very much inspired by Band of Brothers. The fact that it takes place during The Battle of the Bulge intensifies the similarities. There is even a troubled medic as one of the main characters, but this medic is far more cynical than Doc Roe.( The film, as the title suggests.. )
Young Lions
Somewhere in Young Lions there is the story of World War II, but it is one of those war films that uses WWII as a backdrop for moral reflection more than a historical re-enactment. At least I think that is the films intention. Sometimes it is hard to say.. ( Apparently Irwin Shaw... )
In Harm's way
In some sense this is "John Wayne does the Pacific", but the saving grace is that he does it well. Directed by Otto Preminger and starring pretty much everyone from Kirk Douglas, Dana Andrews to Henry Fonda, and is one of those solid pictures where you go "oooh..that was an interesting turn of events" or "Where have I seen this guy before?". I like those kind of pictures, and so I really liked In Harm's Way. ( The story starts with Pearl Harbour.. )
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Films seen in 2009.
Max Manus is a film about the Norwegian Resistance fighter and saboteur by the same name. He was part of the resistance group based in the capital during the Second World War, and his main task was to plant bombs and blow things up - be it supply ships or registers used by the Nazi bureaucracy. The film based on his exploits premièred in Norway just before Christmas, and quickly became one of the highest grossing films in Norwegian history. We do love our history in this country - particularly WWII.
Flammen og Citronen
Apparently Scandinavia is caught up in a trend of producing excellent films about WWII. This is fine by me. This is the Danish film Flammen og Citronen (it means the Flame and the Lemon, the aliases of main characters), and deals with the part of the Danish resistance that effected liquidations of Danes suspected to be collaborators. ( spoilers )
The Kingdom
Perhaps I should have known better than to watch a Peter Berg film about an FBI team investigating a terrorist attack on the American compound in Saudia Arabia – aka The Kingdom. But the mean fact is I had to. You see the Kingdom claims to fall under the banner war films, and therefore watching it was part of my job.
Thankfully The Kingdom isn’t one of those "so bad I want to stab my eyes out to avoid the pain" type of films. But it is a bit peculiar.( +++ )
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Films seen in 2009.
Ten Favorite Film Characters
Apr. 17th, 2009 07:46 pmI'm stuck writing a boring paper, so for some recreational amusement I was inspired by the meme floating around on LJ and the blogsphere about your Ten Favorite Film Characters.
Captain Renault (Claude Raines) from Casablanca
He may only be a poor, corrupt government official, but he is easily the best thing about the whole film. Largely because his cynical and realistic stance is a good balance to the film's more dramatic, ideological moments, but also because he applies the same clear sighted cynicism to himself as well. And of course:
Renault: I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in this establishment!
[a croupier hands Renault a pile of money]
Croupier: Your winnings, sir.
Captain Renault: [sotto voce] Oh, thank you very much.
( the other nine )
Captain Renault (Claude Raines) from Casablanca
He may only be a poor, corrupt government official, but he is easily the best thing about the whole film. Largely because his cynical and realistic stance is a good balance to the film's more dramatic, ideological moments, but also because he applies the same clear sighted cynicism to himself as well. And of course:
Renault: I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in this establishment!
[a croupier hands Renault a pile of money]
Croupier: Your winnings, sir.
Captain Renault: [sotto voce] Oh, thank you very much.
Historical doom and gloom
Apr. 15th, 2009 01:30 pm
The Virgin Spring
Based on my experiences I would say the wise thing to do would not be to watch Ingmar Bergman’s "The Virgin Spring" right before going to bed. The film is sure to leave you with dreams of a gloomy, barbarous medieval Sweden, all in black and white with scary religious symbolism. That said the films is brilliant, in large parts because of all that scare and gloom, but it is far from comfortable viewing.
( ++++ )
Il Gattopardo/The Leopard
The film is based on the novel of the same name by Tomaso di Lampedusa, and tells the story of Don Frederico,( ++++ )
One of the reasons I loved this film might have been that I just finished a great book called The Force of Destiny – the history of Italy since 1796 by Christopher Duggan, which deals with just this period. The book is wonderful and utterly fascinating (
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queenofthorns? Have you read this? It made me think of you, with your love of history and Italy). A central point in Duggan’s book is the conflict between North and South Italy, a conflict still apparent to this day. This conflict is also a central point in Il Gattopardo, but more than that it is the story of changes and the reality of these changes.List of films watched in 2009.
(no subject)
Apr. 14th, 2009 06:32 pmHappy Birthday maddeinin!
May it be a great day with lots of cake and photogenic cats in good light. :)
maddeinin! May it be a great day with lots of cake and photogenic cats in good light. :)
Queen Ragnhild's dreams...
Apr. 12th, 2009 01:50 pm
The Sagas tells it like this: The Queen Ragnhild had great dreams, she was a wise woman. Once she dreamt that she was in her garden, and pulled a thorn from her dress. The thorn fell to the ground and a tree started sprouting. At the roots the tree was blood red, the trunk and lower branches were green, but the upper branches were white. The tree was so great and large that it seemed to the Queen it stretched out over all over Norway.
That story appears in Halvdan the Black's Saga, one of the first sagas in Heimskringla, or kringla heimsins meaning the circle of the world. It was written by Snorri Sturlason around 1230 and is a compilation of the Old Norse Kings' Sagas.
During the peak of the Norwegian independence movement, from around 1890 to cessation from Sweden in 1905 - these old sagas became a focal point in the emerging national sentiment. As a result of that a special edition of the saga was published - lavishly illustrated by the who's who of Norwegian artists at the time.
( +++++ )
Michael Bay eating a bowl of cereal
Apr. 9th, 2009 03:38 pmAs someone who cannot stop watching a Michael Bay film once I've started (Armageddon, I'm looking at you!) I found this hilarious. It is what the title says Michael Bay Eating a Bowl of Cereal.
( slow-mo cereal )
( slow-mo cereal )
There is this strange Scandinavian tradition to read and watch crime stories during Easter. In fact, the bloodier the better. Why this is I have no idea, but in honour of this morbid tradition have a look at this creepy, wonderful video by Swedish artist Fever Ray.
Fever Ray is the solo debut of Karin Elisabeth Dreijer Anderson, better known as part of the duo The Knife. With Fever Ray she has taken the dark, disturbing bits of The Knife and enhanced it. The video is also something to watch, with its feel of Carl Theodor Dreyer's creepy symbolism meeting the twisted world of David Lynch. Enjoy.
( If I had a Heart )
Fever Ray is the solo debut of Karin Elisabeth Dreijer Anderson, better known as part of the duo The Knife. With Fever Ray she has taken the dark, disturbing bits of The Knife and enhanced it. The video is also something to watch, with its feel of Carl Theodor Dreyer's creepy symbolism meeting the twisted world of David Lynch. Enjoy.
( If I had a Heart )
Into Great Silence and Homeric Proportions
Mar. 9th, 2009 02:50 pmAs part of my job is watching a lot of movies (oh the hardship...)I figured I might as well make a list of what I have seen, and write a snippet or two about them. For some strange reason I decided to begin with a film about hermit-monks.
In some sense continuing the monastic trend from a precious post, though this time instead of adorable dancing Franciscans there are silent, meditative Carthusians.
The Carthusian order are followers of the rules of St. Bruno, and are considered one of the most ascetic orders in western monasticism. The goal with their monastic existence is to live a life of constant prayer, and to do so solitary and in a strange sense a hermit-like community. Documentary filmmaker Philip Gröning released Into Great Silence in 2005, claiming the film was "an intimate portrayal of life in Grand Chartreuse". The film uses no non-diegetic sound, it has no voiceover or any form of explanation and this has caused many to laud the films near meditative qualities.
( pictures and such )
The official web-page is here. ETA: The trailer is on YouTube, which gives you an idea about the use of sound and perspective in this film.
+++++
The great blog Self-Styled Siren has an absolutely wonderful post about George Sanders, described by one of his wives as possessing "caddishness of Homeric Proportions, here. I quote:
Then there's Sanders, determined to rid himself of second wife Zsa Zsa Gabor, arranging to break into her bedroom on Christmas Eve with a detective and a photographer in hopes of catching the Hungarian beauty in flagrante. Sanders climbed through the window. Flashbulbs popped and Zsa Zsa's lover sprang, too late, for the bathroom. Sanders held out a gift and boomed, "Merry Christmas, my dear!"
Since Sanders was and remains my favorite part in All About Eve I read this with glee. If you know who Sanders is then run and read, and if you haven't yet had the pleasure (?) then please do the same.
In some sense continuing the monastic trend from a precious post, though this time instead of adorable dancing Franciscans there are silent, meditative Carthusians.
The Carthusian order are followers of the rules of St. Bruno, and are considered one of the most ascetic orders in western monasticism. The goal with their monastic existence is to live a life of constant prayer, and to do so solitary and in a strange sense a hermit-like community. Documentary filmmaker Philip Gröning released Into Great Silence in 2005, claiming the film was "an intimate portrayal of life in Grand Chartreuse". The film uses no non-diegetic sound, it has no voiceover or any form of explanation and this has caused many to laud the films near meditative qualities.
( pictures and such )
The official web-page is here. ETA: The trailer is on YouTube, which gives you an idea about the use of sound and perspective in this film.
The great blog Self-Styled Siren has an absolutely wonderful post about George Sanders, described by one of his wives as possessing "caddishness of Homeric Proportions, here. I quote:
Then there's Sanders, determined to rid himself of second wife Zsa Zsa Gabor, arranging to break into her bedroom on Christmas Eve with a detective and a photographer in hopes of catching the Hungarian beauty in flagrante. Sanders climbed through the window. Flashbulbs popped and Zsa Zsa's lover sprang, too late, for the bathroom. Sanders held out a gift and boomed, "Merry Christmas, my dear!"
Since Sanders was and remains my favorite part in All About Eve I read this with glee. If you know who Sanders is then run and read, and if you haven't yet had the pleasure (?) then please do the same.
Franciscan Road
Mar. 6th, 2009 12:50 pmWhile in Rome I caught up with one of my friends, and she is currently writing about the Franciscan Monks. She kept insisting that the Franciscans had wholeheartedly adopted popular culture, and since I at first didn't quite believe her she presented proof:
This is the record cover made by by the Community of St. Saviour's Monastery in Jerusalem. (from here)
( Right this way for the Franciscan version of So you think you can dance )
This is the record cover made by by the Community of St. Saviour's Monastery in Jerusalem. (from here)
( Right this way for the Franciscan version of So you think you can dance )
The Pacific
Jan. 15th, 2009 09:32 pmFirst real sneak peak at the series The Pacific, aka the new WWII series by the team that made Band of Brothers. Due for release in 2010. Why, yes - I am excited.
As far as I know it is based on Eugene B. Sledge's book "With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa" which is pretty good as far as WWII-memoires go.
( The Pacific )
As far as I know it is based on Eugene B. Sledge's book "With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa" which is pretty good as far as WWII-memoires go.
( The Pacific )
Photochrome fjords
Jan. 12th, 2009 08:40 pmNow this is just cool. The US Library of Congress has uploaded hundreds of old tourist photos from Norway. Not only are they from around 1890 to 1900 but they are in photochrome! Please, allow me to geek out and be a nerd, but I love the strange colours of photochrome.
But the most fascinating thing is that the tourist images of the 1890's are more or less exactly the same as the tourist images of today. With a few of these images all that differs from the modern postcard are the strange colours and the odd font exclaiming: "Wish you were here!"
And of course there are more images behind the cut. ( the fjords are alive etc )
But the most fascinating thing is that the tourist images of the 1890's are more or less exactly the same as the tourist images of today. With a few of these images all that differs from the modern postcard are the strange colours and the odd font exclaiming: "Wish you were here!"
And of course there are more images behind the cut. ( the fjords are alive etc )
Mad Men art
Jan. 7th, 2009 12:49 pmI might be late to the party here, but I love, love, love this artist's take on Mad Men
( images images images )
These and more to be seen on the artist's Flickr account. Be aware that it contains spoilers for season one and two!
( images images images )
These and more to be seen on the artist's Flickr account. Be aware that it contains spoilers for season one and two!
