Insomnia-Driven Repeat Viewings

Movie: Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
# of Viewing: 4th time
Better or Worse then previous: Better
New/Not so New observation: have gum, will travel


I have had a bad bout of Insomnia this last week. I'd mostly used the unrelenting, sleepless hours catching up on my favorite TV shows, but that can only last for so long. Tonight, or rather, this morning, I decided to watch a movie. When I have insomnia, my brain is at a slower processing rate so I like to rewatch films I really enjoyed. The last few months of my life have been pretty much a downer so I wanted something light, something funny. The perfect choice was Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. You might wonder how I can enjoy the same movie for th 4th time; the answer is simple. A good movie is like a good song. You listen to it as much as possible and it never gets old. After the 4th viewing, N&N still isn't old to me. I love the authentic feel to the film. I feel like I could be friends with those people and could see myself going on an adventure like that in NYC. The places feel more like actual destinations then ripoff sets. The music used in the film seems to fit every image. Its like the film's music is narrating NYC @ night. There's a song in the film by Paul Tiernan called "How To Say Goodbye"; it's a beautiful song and I feel like it truly captures the film's spirit.

Living isn't quite the same
You said to me, it's runnin' away.
If you're scared or tired of what you're scared of
Why should you stay
You love to say goodbye
And always counted all the time
'til he was free
to get up and leave
to learn how to breathe
again...

Slippin' out to have a cigarette
with someone else that he'd never met
Ask her if by the way would you like to
run away and try to forget
Just not to stay
To leave without saying why

To get up and go
To catch the last train
To get in some car and drive out again
To never come back this way
Left to say:

goodbye
so long
farewell
ovwar

goodbye
so long
farewell
ovwuar

Nick & Norah are two people who begin the film stuck in a rut and they make the choice to leave that all behind and start a new chapter in their lives.

Basterds, Alien Robots, & Talking Dogs:The 10 best & worst films of Summer Pt. 2

Now its time for the bad news...

The 10 Most Disappointing films of Summer 2009



10. Angels & Demons - The latest thriller, starring Tom Hanks as everyone's favorite professor of Symbology, Robert Langdon, wasn't bad. In fact, the only thing that disappointed me was the last act of the film. The repercussions of having left a major character out caught up with them and the significant changing of the film's climactic scene spoiled the chances to watch Robert Langdon free-fall from a helicopter, something I'd been excited about seeing on film since I read the book. All in all it was a good, but not great movie. Just enough to disappoint a lover of Dan Brown's Angels & Demons


9. Land of The Lost - A couple hundred viewings (not by choice) of this trailer was all it took to tell me it was a disappointment. Even beyond that, who wants to see Will Ferral ruin another one of their favorite classic TV shows. Don't forget, after he got his hands on Bewitched it was about as "bewitching" as a Witch's wart.


8. The Taking of Pelham 123 - This film was destined to disappoint me; mainly because the original Taking Of Pelham 123, starring Walter Mathou, was just SO GOOD. The one thing positive I can say about the film is they did a good job updating it to fit the current issues facing our society. But, the fact remains, there shouldn't be a giant car chase set piece in any film resembling The Taking of Pelham 123, it just doesn't fit.


7. X - Men Origins: Wolverine - This one just hurt. I was so excited for Gavin Hood's film about the origin of everyone's favorite mutant, that is, until the film had been on for about an hour. The film overflows with cheese. Hugh Jackman is does good with the little he has. The surprise standout though is Liev Schrieber as Victor Creed, the absolute last person I ever expected to be good in this film. The best scenes are in the beginning, when Wolverine is still a part of Stryker's mutant task force. We get a tease of a good movie thanks in large part to Ryan Reynolds too brief appearence as wise-cracking Deadpool. Beyond this though, the movie just fails to deliver. The pacing was so bad it felt 3 hours long instead of 2. Also, someone should remind Gavin Hood that the events surrounding the origin of Wolverine happened a long time before the events of X-Men 1-3, since they didn't do a great job establishing what time period we were in and it all looked too "new millenium".



6. Imagine That - The only reason this makes my list is because I saw it. Why, you might ask, would I subject myself to a film that would obviously disappoint? Well, there just isn't enough to do on a long airplane flight. If I hadn't seen the film, I wouldn't be wishing for almost 2 hours of my life back and would have gone on without thinking about how bad the film was. Eddie, if you're reading this, (hahahah i crack myself up) STOP MAKING FAMILY FILMS. I miss the wise-ass, foul mouthed Eddie Murphy. The Eddie Murphy from 48 hrs who walked into a predominantly white, blue collar bar and pissed off everyone inside, just for the hell of it. I also miss Axel Foley. DID YOU SEE THAT EDDIE, I WOULD RATHER WATCH AXEL FOLEY CHASE BAD GUYS IN WALLY WORLD THEN SEE ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR SHITTY FAMILY FILMS. Ok....moving on....



5. Public Enemies - Its a shame Michael Mann's film about John Dillinger wasn't better, for if it had been, I believe it might have gotten Johnny Depp an Oscar. He was brilliant as Dillinger, too bad the film was, at times, poorly shot and clunky. The worst thing was, at the end of the film, almost nothing had actually happened, save for a bunch of people dying. Bad Chrisitan Bale Summer acting job #1



4. Bruno - I had high hopes for Sacha Baron Cohen's follow up to his hysterical and culturally aware film Borat. Unfortunately, he failed to deliver. Don't get me wrong, the film had several funny moments, but what made Borat so interesting to me was how it was so funny and crude yet so culturally aware at the same time. Bruno only succeeds at being very crude and funny.



3. Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen - Oh Michael Bay, how you suck. As my friend would say, Michael Bay sucked the summer's dick. 149 minutes of loud, dumb movie that was basicaly the same thing he put out in 2007, only the first one was better. The effects were nice, as they were in the first, but the racist annoying robots weren't a welcome addition. Nor were the new annoying human characters. The funny thing is, the movie actually got good for a few minutes when John Tuturro's character showed up. Roger Ebert sums the film up perfectly: "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a horrible experience of unbearable length, briefly punctuated by three or four amusing moments."



2. Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince - Most of my friends who are even interested in Harry Potter have already heard me rant enough. The bottom line is the film focused on the wrong things and left out crucial information needed for the final installments in the films of the Harry Potter books. The film also felt way too much like a wierd fantastical romantic comedy of sorts, something HP should never be.



1. Terminator Salvation - Ok, first the positives. Sam Worthington's performance was great. He single handedly stole the movie from Christian Bale. The effects were magnificent, as was the representation of the bleak world of the future. Everything else was mostly stupid and pointless (im looking at you MOON BLOODGOOD). The film suceeded in the worst thing it could have done: make me feel like I would rather watch the pretty much awful Terminator 3. McG made some good choices regarding the use of prosthetics over complete CGI, but made a terrible choice in having Danny Elfman score the film. When I think of a bleak futuristic Terminator film I do NOT think of Elfman. A Danny Elfman Terminator Salvation score would be best set to images of Terminator robots flashing jazzhands; his music is just too "peppy" for conveying a bleak future. Bottom line, Terminator Salvation was all talk with little deliver. Bad Christian Bale Summer Acting job #2

Basterds, Alien Robots, & Talking Dogs:The 10 best & worst films of Summer Pt. 1

As the outside temperatures begin their downward spiral and the memories of a summer movie season filled with alien robots and basterds begin to fade, I figured it was the perfect time to look back at Summer's 10 best, and 10 most disappointing films. Good news first...

The 10 Best Films of Summer 2009

10. The Brothers Bloom - The Brothers Bloom, the second film written and directed by Maryland native Rian Johnson, was a stylistic and entertaining overhaul of the traditional con-man picture. I loved the look of the film, and the performances from Adrian Brody, Rachel Weiz, Mark Ruffalo, and Rinko Kikuchi.


9. Away We Go - Sam Mendes and "summer comedy" are phrases usually not spoken in the same sentence. This film had such spirit and heart. I loved John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph. I thought Maya Rudolph gave one of the best performances of the summer season.


8. Julie & Julia - When I think of Norah Ephron, I think of charming, yet, simplistic romantic comedies. In 1993 she wrote and directed the timeless "Rom-Com" classic, Sleepless In Seattle. In 1998 she wrote and directed one of my personal favorites, You've Got Mail. Now, in 2009, she delivers another film, but to call it a simplistic romantic comedy would be doing it a great disservice. Julie & Julia feels like two films folded into one. We get the funny story of Julia Child's forray into cooking, the heartwarming story of her relationship with her husband and her quest to finish her cookbook; we also get the story of Julia, a woman seemingly in a mid-life crisis who decides to start a blog as she attempts to cook every one of Julia Child's recipes in 365 days. The film is very funny and proves to be a fun time at the cinema.


7. The Hangover - If there will ever be a PSA of the dangers of Las Vegas, the main characters of The Hangover probably inspired it. Calling this film outrageously crude is being generous, but who cares. It was the funniest film of the summer! Mike Tyson had the funniest cameo of the summer.


6. (500) Days of Summer - The tired, old mule that is the "Rom-Com" got a serious overhaul in this charming, hilarious film. The soundtrack was a huge standout. The creative ways director Marc Webb found to convey Tom's (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) thoughts and emotions were ultimately what put such a fresh spin on an otherwise boring, tired genre of movies.


5. District 9 - Made for $32 Million dollars, District 9 has gone on to make over $100 million at the box office. Why? Because its AMAZING. The story was very well developed and well executed. The film also set itself up for a sequel better then any other film I saw this summer.


4. Up - This is the best Pixar film to date. Now that I got that out of the way, let me just say the film was so heartwarming and entertaining. The animation was first-rate and the voice acting was perfect. My favorite creation in this film had to be the dogs. One of the best running gags Pixar ever came up with. What made me enjoy this film so much was how it wasn't just a kids film. There were some pretty intense adult themes at work here.




(TIE) 1. The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Star Trek - These three films were all too good for me to separate so I have called it a three way tie.
The Hurt Locker was an incredible pressure cooker of a film. The intensity was constantly building until it blew up(no pun intended) all over the screen. Jeremy Renner deserves an oscar nomination for his performance as SSgt. William James. The film also could get a Best Picture nomination. Inglourious Basterds was so much fun! Never have I ever seen a funnier WW2 film. The academy should just give Christoph Waltz the supporting actor statue already, for he was brilliant. I loved every minute of this film. I loved the music, the cinematography, the editing, the writing, EVERYTHING! The film also had the best, most satisfying (albeit nonsense) ending to any WW2 film I have ever seen. Also, Eli Roth proved to be a pretty good actor. I have seen Star Trek 4 times; 3 times in theaters and once on the plane while on my way to Arizona (THANK YOU CONTINENTAL AIRLINES!). Each time I saw the film, I enjoyed it just as much, if not more, then the previous time(s). J.J. Abrams provided the most exciting film of the summer, as well as the most character driven, action packed, summer sci-fi blockbuster(take that Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen!) I have seen in years. The most exhausted film franchise was given new life thanks to everyone involved and the great cast especially. The effects were incredible and the score, to me, was oscar worthy.


This is only the beginning, coming soon..THE 10 MOST DISAPPOINTING FILMS OF SUMMER!

My apologies...

I know I haven't posted in a long time, but that end tonight. I will definitely be posting tonight and probably tomorrow as well. :]

Mini Reviews: The Brothers Bloom, Space Jam, & Good Dick

The Brothers Bloom: Forget everything you know about the standard "confidence man" picture. The Brothers Bloom reinvents the genre. The Brothers Bloom succeeds on pretty much every level. It brings and old time, 1920s swagger to a present day-set confidence man movie. The characters, even the most minor ones, are expertly fleshed out and are so easy to accept because the actors play them so well. Rinko Kikuchi exemplifies this with her character Bang Bang. We are told about her by The Blooms (Brody,Ruffalo) and what they know is what what we come to know. Ruffalo delivers a career best performance. In most of the films I've seen Mark Ruffalo in, I've never bought him as the character he's played.Always thought he didn't fit the character; in The Brothers Bloom, Ruffalo found the character he was born to play and lights up the screen. The Brothers Bloom further proves Rian Johnson to be an amazingly talented filmmaker who is destined to be counted in the ranks of the best. Still need convincing? Go watch Brick in which Johnson reinvents another genre: noir.

Space Jam: What can I say? I have some fond memories of this film. Saw it when I was in elementary school. I remember the days following, me and my friends would go around school quoting the lines and re-enacting our favorite parts. I watched Space Jam again tonight and after 13 years it still holds up surprisingly well. Space Jam was never just a kids movie. Sure, it might look like one but choosing to cast Michael Jordan, and build the story around his decision to retire from basketball and pursue baseball allows the film to play to various age groups. Everyone loves Michael Jordan, and that is ultimately what makes the movie succeed. It doesn't hurt, either, that MJ was so well adjusted to acting and reacting to multiple characters that he couldn't see. You'd expect him to had a hard time acting natural and appear a little awkward. However, Michael plays off the imaginary characters like a seasoned pro. There's plenty here: a good story, good acting from both the live action cast and voice over cast, humor for all ages, Bill Murray, and of course, the icon himself, Michael Jordan.



Good Dick: Even though it has, perhaps, one of the worst, most misdirecting titles of any film I have ever seen, Good Dick was a very well done, emotional film. Rather then just spell out what's wrong with the main characters, Marianna Palka lets you put the pieces together yourself. THis leads to a much better understanding of the characters and you experience the highs and pit-fall lows with them. I couldn't get enough of the brilliant performance from Marianna Palka. She embodied her character and had such perfect expression and nuances. I was also impressed by TOm Arnold, in the brief scene he appeared in. His character is a terrible person, something you wouldn't really expect Tom Arnold to be able to portray, yet he performed brilliantly. In an age where every love story looks the same, Good Dick was a nice, new way to approach love, and all the highs and lows it brings with it.

WATCHMEN: My Review

WOW...there hasn't been, and very well may never be another cinematic experience like this. With Watchmen, Zack Snyder is more like an artist with a brush, vividly recreating the graphic novel. Everything was near perfect from the Cinematography, Editing, Special Effects to the casting and acting. The three standouts had to be Jefferey Dean Morgan as The Comedian; Billy Crudup as Dr. Manhattan; and Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach. I thought Jackie Earle Haley was incredible. Billy Crudup really brought Dr. Manhattan to life well and Jefferey Dean Morgan gave such a complete performance with few scenes. Loved the music and soundtrack choices. One thing I do wish was different was the depth into which Zack Snyder presented Ozymandias. There could have been more about him. As the credits rolled I could only manage one thought besides the epic "WOW" resounding in my head: When could I return and see Watchmen again, but this time in IMAX.

Fox can go F*CK themselves: RIP Prison Break

Fox announced today that after its Spring run, Prison Break will be done. Its a shame this decision has to come late into what myself, and others think is its best season since season 1. Hopefully the show will provide closure, since most shows that are cancelled leave us with brilliant cliff hangers we will never know about (Invasion, DRIVE). So long Scolfields! May your eternal resting place next to every other canceled Fox show be a comfortable one. RIP.

Jack is back! After an excurciatingly long break, 24 returns, bringing with it change, change we need

Last year, 24 got off to a strong start. Jack was brought back from China and ready to die. The latter never happened. Soon after, he killed a former co-worker and friend and then watched as a nuclear bomb exploded in downtown LA. It was all downhill from there. Plot line riddled the season that were contrived or tired or both. The show was in serious critical down spiral. Enter the writers strike. 24 took an extra long break to allow all 24 episodes to be shown without interruption. The wait was worth it. Showcasing a sprawling new location and an array of new characters, 24 kicked off to a strong start this past sunday. The first two hours were great, but the 3rd and 4th hours, which aired tonight, were FANTASTIC. 24 took a big twist, the likes of which haven't been seen since season 5, where President Logan was the key figure in a giant Government conspiracy. I won't say anymore about the new twist, as I do not wish to ruin it, but its good! i have a feeling this year is going to be a big return to form for 24. The show has implemented a big change. In a time where our country is welcoming change wit open arms, it is a good omen. WELCOME BACK JACK!

The Golden Globes: Some Thoughts On The Night

Unless you live under a rock, you should know that every year the Hollywood Foreign Press throws one of the biggest Award shows/parties in Hollywood. The show is The Golden Globes and its open bar, so look out for drunk celebrities! Last night, some very big things happened. Slumdog Millionaire won Best Picture as well as Best Director, Screenplay, and Soundtrack. Anna Paquin won Best Actress in a TV Drama; and Kate Winslet finally won, not one, but two awards for her acting. She made history as the only actor to ever win twice at the Golden Globes for Best Supporting Actress(The Reader) and Best Actress(Revolutionary Road). Her acceptance speech was wonderful. She was genuinely shocked and in tears. She professed her undying (sisterly) love for Leonardo Dicaprio and her undying love for her husband, and Director, Same Mendes. Finally, the other amazing thing that happened...MICKEY ROURKE WON BEST ACTOR FOR THE WRESTLER! This was a truly incredible thing. Mickey had been out of the business for a long time. If you had told me last year if I thought that this year, Mickey Rourke would be in such an amazing movie and that he'd win the best actor Golden Globe, I'd have told you that you were nuts! In his acceptance speech, he kept alive his bad-ass image and at the same time, showed a sentimental side that has never really been associated with him. He thanked his dogs saying that when you're all alone, they can be what keeps you going. So that basically sums up what I thought of the Golden Globes. But I wasn't really watching them, and you will find out why in my next post...

Classic Film Commentary: White Heat

Not long ago, Cody Jarrett robbed a train, and was responsible for the death of four railway men--two of whom he personally killed in cold blood-- but right now, none of that matters; his mom needs help with dinner. In White Heat, James Cagney shows the world a new kind of gangster: an epileptic, capable of the most ruthless things and is every bit as extreme as his behavior suggests; but at the end of the day, he’s also just a guy who loves his mother.
Plagued with epileptic seizures, Cody always keeps his mother by his side. When seizures strike, she cares for him in private, holding him, comforting him and rubbing his head. But, it’s when he sits in her lap that Cody’s Oedipal complex really emerges. It’s his mother alone, whom he permits to see him suffering and vulnerable. Not even his wife is granted access at such times. In fact, his wife often competes with his mother for his attention. Cody doesn’t treat her as well as he should, but that only helps to strengthen his image as a tough man. His Ma is another matter. She functions as his mentor and advisor, and encourages her son never to let anyone but her see him in a diminished state. After one such attack, Cody re-emerges from his room and barks: "What're ya all gapin' at?" All his life, his Ma preached to him about making his mark on the world. This attitude and goal is captured in her mantra to him: “Top of the world, son.” Ma always looks out for him, dotes on him and keeps him out of trouble. For instance, she risks everyone’s safety to go to the market to get his “favorite” fruit: strawberries. On her way home, she realizes she is being tailed, so she evades the Feds to the best of her ability. Also, when Cody and his crew were preparing to leave their hideout after a train robbery, it’s Ma, who reminds Cody that Zuckie, an injured gang member might talk, if left behind. Cody has him shot. Cody’s mother is his lifeline, his protection. So, when she dies, everything changes.
While serving a short jail sentence, arranged with the help of a concocted alibi to avoid charges for the more serious crime he actually committed, Cody learns of his mother’s death. Hundreds of prisoners file into the prison mess hall (in a long shot from an upper tier high above where armed guards patrol the perimeter) - it's a prelude to one of the best scenes in the picture. After they reach their seats, a whistle is blown to signal them to sit. Prisoners are forbidden to speak to each other, although Pardo whispers "tonight" to Cody - the expected time for their planned breakout. One of the new prisoners seated at the end of Cody's table is Nat Lefeld "from the coast mob." Cody relays a message to him from inmate to inmate: "Ask him how my mother is." We watch the message relayed down the row and back, with the camera moving as if it were the message itself. Cody finally gets the news from Reilly, a prisoner seated next to him. It’s as if a fuse had been lit and we’ve traveled with it as it spent its way to the dynamite. When Cody gets the word, he explodes with rage. The guards soon apprehend him and take him away. From this point on, everything changes.
Fueled by anger and a desire for revenge, Cody breaks out of prison. His first order of business is: taking out the trash. He returns home, reunites with his wife (the actual killer of his mother). He then kills Big Ed putting “two in his back” just as his wife has told him Big Ed did to his mother. Cody is done talking. Just as the painful “white heat” of his seizures temporarily blinds and weakens him, so does his rage over his mother’s death. But without her, he also loses his bearings and his judgment. He is unable to see that he has a cop in his crew. He makes the fateful decision not to shoot Fallon when he has the chance, allowing Fallon eventually to deliver the fatal shots that end his life.
White Heat presents Cody’s downfall as a direct consequence of his world becoming destabilized and collapsing around him. In his final seconds, as he stands upon a giant refinery storage tank, Cody looks skyward and triumphantly calls out to his mom, the same mantra repeated to him all his life: “Made it, Ma! Top of the world!” Cody then dies as he lived: in extreme defiance. He ignites and dies in the tremendous ‘white heat’ of a refinery explosion -- a mushroom cloud, apocalyptic blast that shakes the earth. White Heat was, appropriately, one of the last of Warner Bros’ gritty crime film era offerings, and it made a lasting impression. Afterwards, gangsters were rarely dramatized as one-dimensional, ruthless killers. Cagney’s portrayal of Cody Jarrett paves the way for more complicated character development of anti-heroes. In this way, White Heat helped to put gangster pictures back on “top of the world.”

I'd take that "coffee talk" scene to the grave if I had known this was coming out...

One would think that, with such a good cast and the writer of Inside Man, that Righteous Kill would be a really good movie; unfortunately that couldn't be further from the truth. The producers seemed more concerned about getting the two screen legends together than putting together a solid story. It has even been reported that the script was written around Deniro and Pacino and they signed on before the script was written. The film is so chock full of cliches it makes me wonder if, rather than using an idea as a jumpoff point for the script, they simply decided to see how many cop drama cliches they could cram into a movie. Now I want to be fair in this review so I will say, the acting was solid, but was that not to be expected with such a talented cast? Righteous Kill plays out like a tired, crummy magic trick. The audience is led to believe certain things throughout the film that are beat into our skulls as if the filmmaker is overcompensating for his bad film and at the very end, the twist is revealed so suddenly and so randomly it asks the audience to surrender their intelligence and just accept it. The bottom line is, the two greatest actors alive today deserve so much better.

Some Film Review Blurbs: The Spirit, Valkyrie, The Day The Earth Stood Still, Slumdog Millionaire

The Spirit
After about 10 minutes of this lifeless film, i walked out. I could not take any more of the atrocious acting or mind-numbingly bad dialogue. Even the trailers before it were terrible. The Spirit is accurate as far as titles go though. The movie serves a remnants, or rather, "the spirit" of what once could have possibly, maybe, hopefully, been a good movie.


Valkyrie
Iwas very disappointed. The whole point of character development is to show how characters change in huge ways throughout a film and to add depth to it. In Valkyrie, the film starts after the peak of Tom Cruise's character's development. The movie was bland. Pacing was slow, and i wanted it to be over. Also, how can a director like Bryan singer underuse his best asset?! Kenneth Branagh is the best actor in this movie and yet he is given 2 minutes of screentime.


The Day The Earth Stood Still
Once again, I am amazed at Hollywood's ability to take a perfectly good movie and remake it, and desecrate its memory. Looked good on IMAX. Product placement was headache inducing. IT ACTUALLY PUT ME TO SLEEP! Plot was nonexistent. Acting was bad. Keanu phoned it in. EVERYONE PHONED IT IN. Save your money, skip this piece of crap film, go rent the original for $4.99 at blockbusters, its a million times more enjoyable than this.


Slumdog Millionaire
This is the best film of 2008. In a year of so many great films, Slumdog Millionaire rises above the rest. Amazing cinematography and editing as well as score. The actors entrance and act as thought they are seasoned pros. The script is also excellent. The movie is so enthralling and exhiliarating. A+. 4 Stars. Go see it!

You Might Not Get It, But My Film Professor Will...

Hello and welcome to the blog. My name is Zach and I am a film student in Columbia, MD. I'm sure most of you are wondering what "Mis En Scene" means and as the title of this post says, you might not get it, but my film professor will. Mis En Scene literally means "placing on stage." It refers to the arrangement of all the visual elements of a theatrical production within a given playing area- the stage. And has 4 formal elements:
1. The physical setting and décor,
2. The staging of the action,
3. The manner in which these elements are framed.
4. The manner in which they are photographed
A filmmaker can manipulate the viewer’s attention by using contrasts, movement, narrative emphasis, and visual patterns. Using the illusion of three dimensional space, a director can position figures to suggest relative strength or weakness. The screen may be viewed as a window (open form) or as a framing proscenium arch (closed form).

Basically through this blog, my goal is to shed light on various aspects of filmmaking and to hopefully open your mind to films you probably never thought to rent at your local blockbusters. I want to be able to give my opinions on current films in release and give commentaries on the classics. Hopefully, after reading my posts, you will know what movies are good, and what to see on Friday nights when you head to your local movie theatre.