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Top Five: Tim Burton Films | By Ella Wardlaw

Ella Wardlaw — Mon, 14 May 2012 03:46:17 +0000

You know a Tim Burton movie the moment you see one. His films have become so unmistakably recognisable – twisty and dark, yet quirky and fun — that the term ‘Burtonesque’ is now a part of our everyday lingo. Few directors can juxtapose gothic horror with social satire the way Burton can. Sure, most of his films spring from recycled fairytales, horror films, comics and TV sitcoms, but this doesn’t [...]

Funny: DARK SHADOWS bloopers with Johnny Depp | By Anders Wotzke

Anders Wotzke — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:20:03 +0000

When you're Johnny Depp, remembering which eccentric, creepy character you're playing this week can be a little confusing. (This is a parody video, just in case you thought these were actual bloopers.)

Top Five: Female Stars of Tomorrow | By Ella Wardlaw

Ella Wardlaw — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:16:25 +0000

In the cutthroat world of Hollywood, it can be hard to make an impression as an aspiring actor, especially when it comes to escaping the range-limiting teen roles that often kick-start young careers. As a result, many fresh-faced stars fail to make the time-limited transition from child star to mature actor, struggling to deal with the scrutiny that comes with any breakout success. The following five female actors, however, have [...]

Tom’s 20 Best (Unseen) Films of 2011 | By Tom Clift

Tom Clift — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 01:58:39 +0000

In 2011, I made close to one hundred and fifty trips to the cinema. The films I viewed came in all shapes and sizes, genres and languages, and ranged from good to bad to just plain unbearable. It’s a feat I’m both pleased and slightly embarrassed by (and one I suspect I may top before this current year comes to a close).

But even the biggest film buff (and I’m certainly [...]

Top Five: Modern Male Actors | By Ella Wardlaw

Ella Wardlaw — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 05:30:29 +0000

For most actors, the prospects of a lucrative Hollywood career and the lure of superstardom are enough to stick to formula and never stray far from it. The best actors, however, don’t sell tickets solely because of their dashing good looks, or because they’re starring in the latest action epic. No, they sell tickets because they seldom rest on their laurels, challenging themselves with (almost) every film by steering clear [...]

The Death of the Cinematic Experience | By Anders Wotzke

Anders Wotzke — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 09:27:57 +0000

Once upon a time, I would tell anyone who’d listen that the only way to truly experience a movie is in a cinema, plonked in front of a wall-to-wall screen and encased in a circle of sound. I would tell them, unless they can spot the flaws on the faces of the flawless, they haven’t truly seen a movie. And unless they can feel the bass trembling up their spine, [...]

Top Five: Directors That Changed My Life | By Ella Wardlaw

Ella Wardlaw — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 03:01:59 +0000

While we often remember key scenes or characters from the films we love, there is someone we don’t see on screen that shapes our experience the most: the director. Ron Howard once said, “One of the great things about being a director […] is that it can never be mastered. Every story is its own kind of expedition.” Only the ambitionless avoid making mistakes; the directors that aren’t [...]

How to make an EPIC movie trailer! (Video) | By Anders Wotzke

Anders Wotzke — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 05:11:38 +0000

Have you ever watched a trailer for a new Hollywood action film and felt a sense of déjà vu? Like you’ve seen it all before?

Well, you’re not alone. Movie trailers, particularly those for big-budget blockbusters like Inception and The Avengers, tend to follow a formula in their construction. Many of them feature the same array of images, sounds, edits and effects that results in a striking sense of grandeur and [...]

The Mike Leigh Method (Berlinale Report) | By Anders Wotzke

Anders Wotzke — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 01:03:06 +0000

The Mike Leigh method of filmmaking is a bit like the bible: collaboratively constructed, religiously studied and often woefully, disastrously misconstrued. Thankfully, however, Leigh still walks among us, and at this year‘s Berlinale Talent Campus, the British director imparted his candid wisdom to a packed audience of filmmaking apostles eager to learn about his distinctive approach to creating cinematic worlds.

“The distinction between writing and directing doesn’t exist,” began Leigh in [...]

IFFR: The Verdicts | By Tom Clift

Tom Clift — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 00:51:27 +0000

If you’re a regular reader, you probably know that from January 25^th until February 5^th, I had the great pleasure of attending the 41^st annual International Film Festival of Rotterdam. Over the twelve days of the festival, amidst the frequently sub-zero temperatures of a European winter, I watched twenty-three feature films from five continents, hobnobbed with members of the international press, and attended the prestigious Tiger Awards ceremony, designed to [...]