It would be simple to begin summarizing Brooklyn’s story here but that would rob future viewers of a special experience. Having worked on an extensive personal genealogy, I was often struck by the number of children, men and women, that emigrated alone, from their homeland, in order to find a better life than their family… Continue Reading
Loved but not lost: David Lean’s Brief Encounter and Dr Zhivago
Brief Encounter was laughed at by audiences when first released, and Dr Zhivago was scorned by critics. Now, argues Michael Newton, we can appreciate them as two of the greatest love stories committed to film. Check out The Guardian column. Continue Reading
Indiewire’s Walter Murch interview
Check out Indiewire‘s Emily Buder’s excellent interview with film editor and sound designer Walter Murch http://bit.ly/1NllCwr From “Apocalypse Now” and “The Godfather” to “The English Patient“, “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” and “Cold Mountain” Walter Murch has contributed to some of the most memorable films of our time. Listen to Murch’s comments on move from film… Continue Reading
Suffragette – Accents and handheld overwhelm
I would love to be able to provide a legitimate analysis of Suffragette. To the extent that I could make out what the actors were saying, I was left with no emotional attachment to the film. Since I wear hearing aids I asked several others around me at the theater for their reaction and all… Continue Reading
CIFF – In Jackson Heights – Offers lots of Whine
Frederick Wiseman’s documentary could easily be called schizophrenic. The camera vibrantly shows the diverse nature of a neighborhood that hosts people speaking 167 languages. There are beautiful shots of the streets, stores and homes. The dialogue, however, is over 3 hours of complaining by a number of factions from the transvestites to small business leaders,… Continue Reading
Son of Saul – A highly successful cinematic risk
Son of Saul had its solitary showing at the Chicago International Film Festival (CIFF) Thursday evening. Saul is the first feature-length film for director László Nemes and the first acting performance for the star Géza Röhrig, a poet by trade. Sony is set to release the film in the U.S. on December 18th with a… Continue Reading
CIFF Weekend Report
Saturday I got to see 45 Years starring Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenoy. Great acting, super cinematography, smooth editing, appropriate music. The movie opens and closes with Smoke Gets In Your Eyes. Definitely a message song. Excellent use of soft focus during close-ups. A couple of times the speaker was blurred with the listener in… Continue Reading
Chicago International Film Festival (CIFF)
I am attending the Chicago International Film Festival over 14 days. Because I am due to view 24 films over that period I will not be doing full analytical blogs on each. I will post periodic reports with one paragraph reports covering several films in each. The Festival opened Thursday nite. Over 150 selections. Opening… Continue Reading
Sneak Preview: Chapter 1 available
Chapter 1 of my book Vibes From The Screen: A guide to enhancing your appreciation of the art of film is now available . Click for PDF Continue Reading
Time Out of Mind – A neo-realist treat
There has never been a universal agreement on exactly what “neo-realism” is or was. Generally, its emphasis has been on contemporary subjects in a real environment and a focus on the poor workers. Film historians Thompson and Bordwell point out that “Another position emphasized the moral dimension of the films, suggesting that the movement’s importance… Continue Reading