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Comics & Media: A Special Issue of Critical Inquiry
Alison Bechdel, Hillary L. Chute, Patrick Jagoda and Lynda Barry
Book
The past decade has seen the medium of comics reach unprecedented heights of critical acclaim and...
Suswatibasu (1702 KP) rated Casting JonBenet (2017) in Movies
Aug 27, 2017
Beautifully shot but no way as good as other true crime documentaries
Netflix is an absolute master when it comes to true crime documentaries. However, unlike Making a Murderer and The Keepers, this is a standalone film and it does not explore the crime in detail. As a result it falls short in comparison to the others.
The film is about the notorious 1996 case of a six year old beauty pageant participant, JonBenet Ramsey, who was found dead in her own house even though her family said she had been kidnapped.
One of the most important things about this documentary in particular is the fact that it is completely in the perspective of random people who have no connection really with the crime itself. Instead by creating a fake film about this true crime, they reveal the actors' own perceptions and prejudices against the case and against the people involved.
It is also vital to notice while the other documentaries were created to raise awareness and educate the public about levels of corruption in society and institutions - this seemingly does nothing but instead actually is a bit of a mockery towards the young victim of this crime. The actors throw out wild theories instead, and so you know little about what actually happened.
On the upside it is shot absolutely beautifully, so it looks like an art film. A bit disappointing really.
The film is about the notorious 1996 case of a six year old beauty pageant participant, JonBenet Ramsey, who was found dead in her own house even though her family said she had been kidnapped.
One of the most important things about this documentary in particular is the fact that it is completely in the perspective of random people who have no connection really with the crime itself. Instead by creating a fake film about this true crime, they reveal the actors' own perceptions and prejudices against the case and against the people involved.
It is also vital to notice while the other documentaries were created to raise awareness and educate the public about levels of corruption in society and institutions - this seemingly does nothing but instead actually is a bit of a mockery towards the young victim of this crime. The actors throw out wild theories instead, and so you know little about what actually happened.
On the upside it is shot absolutely beautifully, so it looks like an art film. A bit disappointing really.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Divine Order (2017) in Movies
Mar 10, 2018 (Updated Mar 10, 2018)
It's not that uncommon for a certain kind of feminist film to turn up in art-house cinemas in the UK - these are usually about the struggle for self-determination as experienced by women in traditionalist societies around the world. What is unusual is to see this sort of story taking place in a recognisably modern European setting, as is the case with The Divine Order. The year is 1971, the setting is rural Switzerland, and a vote is looming over whether women should be given the right to vote. Yes, 1971; yes, Switzerland. Young housewife Nora finds herself almost by accident leading the women of her village in a campaign for, if not equality, then at least recognition.
A solidly scripted and involving film; not too heavy or worthy, it finds time for plenty of lighter moments along the way, though the mood is generally as serious as you might expect. Slightly manipulative, but then that's always the case with this type of film - there is a welcome degree of subtlety, compared to some (one of the leading opponents of women's suffrage is female, for instance). Sofia Helin gets a brilliant cameo as a visiting advocate of 'Yoni Power' (google it if you don't know; I'm not going there in a film review). The version we saw was let down by some inept subtitling but this is still an engaging and well-made drama, not just historical agitprop.
A solidly scripted and involving film; not too heavy or worthy, it finds time for plenty of lighter moments along the way, though the mood is generally as serious as you might expect. Slightly manipulative, but then that's always the case with this type of film - there is a welcome degree of subtlety, compared to some (one of the leading opponents of women's suffrage is female, for instance). Sofia Helin gets a brilliant cameo as a visiting advocate of 'Yoni Power' (google it if you don't know; I'm not going there in a film review). The version we saw was let down by some inept subtitling but this is still an engaging and well-made drama, not just historical agitprop.
Realizing the Witch: Science, Cinema, and the Mastery of the Invisible
Todd Meyers and Richard Baxstrom
Book
Benjamin Christensen's Haxan (The Witch, 1922) stands as a singular film within the history of...
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) in Movies
Aug 15, 2019
As real as a donut
once upon a timeinhollywood is slow paced, tight methodical, uplifting & intricately woven look into the life of a hollywood star in the late 60s. I have to say im not overly a big Tarantino fan (with Inglorious bastards & the hateful eight being my favourites of his) so I wasnt really that excited about seeing this but once I stopped being on edge waiting for something bad to happen & finally sat back letting the film pull me in I knew this wasnt the usual Tarantino movie & I found that strangely compelling. While slow 90% of the run time the film never drags or ever stops being interesting & fascinating. Characters just drip cool are all likeable well fleshed out & distinguishable with every performance absolutely killing it even people that arnt in it much. It just all feels very human, relatable, down to earth & real. Sets are crafted with such perfection & filled with so much painstaking detail that you would swear the film was actually shot in the 60s creating an atmosphere & believability like no other. Accompany that with a smooth soundtrack you have a movie that just pops with style constantly. While everyone does a fantastic job its brad pitt that owns the film, his character is so deep, inspirational & the true hero of the film. Overall I saw this film as a more chill ed out & about how every day life for us all most of the time is way more exciting, thrilling, full of drama & strange events day to day making our lives just as exciting & as watchable as going to the movies & if we all just stopped worrying/stressing for just a second about technology, love, being successful etc life would fall into place, be stress free, we would be healthier & happier. Masterfully filmed, inteligent, mature & well executed this is not only a true love letter to the art of film making but a tribute to movies & how inspiring they can be in general. So sit back enter the decade & relax it may all seem very anti violence at first but the violence does come with time & when it finally hits its shocking & nasty but it feels earned & perfectly timed.
Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated Paths of Glory (1957) in Movies
Mar 3, 2020
Meanwhile, producer Kirk Douglas had met a promising young director he liked called Stanley Kubrick. Douglas, whose humanitarian work was also becoming a big part of his life around this time, was looking for a script that championed pacifism over the gung-ho attitude of American heroism that he found distasteful. The rest is history. Possibly the one film in his career that can still be called perfect. Again, it was way ahead of its time, and therefore unfairly shunned as an Oscar contender. Shot in stunning black and white, it is an economical film of great power, replete with memorable moments and striking dialogue. The evidence of Douglas’ increasing skill at the quiet moments is all the better for the big pay-off when he erupts, calling out his superiors on their morality and cowardice. Of all films on this list, this is the one most likely to endure as a work of pure art.
The Cinema of Oliver Stone: Art, Authorship and Activism
7.0
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Book
This book analyses the work of Oliver Stone - arguably one of the foremost political filmmakers in...
The Thrill of Repulsion: Excursions into Horror Culture
Book
This collection of carefully curated lists, articles, and interviews celebrates the beleaguered...
Homosexuality and Italian Cinema: From the Fall of Fascism to the Years of Lead
Book
This book is the first to establish the relevance of same-sex desires, pleasures and anxieties in...
CI
Cinema in Muslim Societies
Book
This book collates a comprehensive range of fascinating essays by leading authors on film from...