As the movie opens our Grandma Elle’s current girlfriend is subtly trying to manipulate Elle into changing her ways and to tell her that she loves her. Like most attempts at manipulation, it does not work and Elle pushes back harshly in the opposite direction and makes sure the relationship ends. “You were a footnote”… Continue Reading
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Blog site is active
The new blog site www.vibesfromthescreen.com is now active. There are several posts already up. It is connected to both Facebook and Twitter. I will be blogging about film on at least a weekly basis with film analyses (not reviews) and material on learning about film elements. If this is to be successful, please be sure… Continue Reading
Phoenix (2014)
The movie opens and closes with the song “Speak Low” (Kurt Weill). It opens with an instrumental version of a bass accompanied by a piano playing over the titles. It ends with a vocal accompanied by a piano but turning into an a capella rendition. Both renditions are absolutely wonderful but for obvious reasons… Continue Reading
Amour (2012) An example of detailed analysis
Written and directed by Michael Haneke Primary Characters: George and Anne Laurent: Husband and wife; former piano teachers Eva: Their married daughter From the critics: Philip French in The Guardian, November 17, 2012: “Amour will, I believe, take its place alongside the greatest films about the confrontation of ageing and death, among them Ozu’s Tokyo… Continue Reading
The End of the Tour (2015)
The story of the five-day interview between Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg) and acclaimed novelist David Foster Wallace (Jason Segal), which took place right after the 1996 publication of Wallace’s groundbreaking epic novel, ‘Infinite Jest.’. My viewings of this movie were totally unfettered by any knowledge of the characters or their actual writings.… Continue Reading
Analyzing Film Elements
ELEMENTS OF FILM ANALYSIS Although there is no set definition for “tone” within the trade, it is generally thought to be the story’s relationship to reality. Another definition is “A certain quality, mood or atmosphere that the writer establishes through the careful manipulation of the pace, texture and selected images….Tone can be understood as the… Continue Reading
SK1 (L’affaire SK1)
I have just viewed the French film SK1 (L’affaire SK1). The film is billed as a look into the bungled investigation by Paris police into 7 deaths. Eventually after several years, they are all tied togethr and it is determined there is a serial killer. But the film is much more than that. It is… Continue Reading
Film Review or Artistic Analysis?
I have a rule for the movie groups that I lead that they may not read movie reviews prior to seeing a movie. I want them to be able to have a full experience without any preset notions or biases from a reviewer. Do not let yourself be influenced ahead of time either by the… Continue Reading
Why Movies?
We can all agree that movies allow us to escape, but it’s often more than simple escapism. Movies can take us to places we’ve never been and inside the skins of people quite different from ourselves. They offer us a window into the wider world, broadening our perspectives and opening our eyes to new wonders… Continue Reading
The Beginnings
Several years ago as I was leaving the practice of law, I decided I wanted to learn more about my passion – movies. I had always been a cinephile but I wanted to understand the intricacies better with the thought of perhaps becoming a film critic. I returned to my alma mater and audited a… Continue Reading