Paul Thomas Anderson seemed to leap from southern California fully formed as a filmmaker. His first short-film,which was financed by his father, a girlfriend’s credit card and other donors, was accepted into the Sundance Film Festival and landed him funding for a full length feature. Since then and over the course of six films he…Read On
In the last year, I’ve tried to enlist several friends to write for FilmFisher, and on more than a few occasions, one of those friends has hesitated, “I’ve never written a movie review.” For any number of reasons, people are intimidated by the idea of writing a film review because it seems an unfamiliar genre…Read On
This week, FilmFisher writers were asked to make a list of the 5 best movies they saw this year. Some made lists of movies which came out in 2014, some made lists which included both 2014 as well as films from previous years which they only got around to seeing this year. Please feel free…Read On
This week, five movies that do a fine job exploring race relations. Sean Johnson: 1. Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner 2. To Kill A Mockingbird 3. Glory 4. O Brother, Where Art Thou? 5. ET James Banks: 1. The Last of the Mohicans 2. Gran Torino 3. Cry, the Beloved Country 4. The Outlaw…Read On
The chiasm, or chiastic structure, is a pattern of organizing ideas in a narrative that was commonly used in ancient Hebrew scripture. Put simply, a chiasm follows the following structure: A B C D C’ B’ A’ The idea or action presented in A is repeated with a slight variance in A’. The idea or…Read On
This week, movies that are so bad that they’re good. A few of these selections will probably be offensive. Joseph Gross 1. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter- Abraham Lincoln fights a vampire on top of a stampede of horses and reveals that his ax is also a shotgun. 2. Battlefield Earth- “Crap-lousy ceiling! I thought I…Read On
This week, Interstellar rocketed into the top 20 spots on IMDB’s Top 250. Our writers were asked to make a list of the best sci-fi pictures of the last 25 years. As is the new way of things, first come, first serve. No repeats allowed. Elizabeth Stinnette 1. Back to the Future 2. The Matrix…Read On
This week, greatest cameos. Joshua Gibbs 1. Steve Martin in The Muppet Movie: “Would you like to smell the bottle cap? 2. Dustin Diamond in Made: “Did you just let… Screech in the club?” 3. David Bowie in Zoolander: “If nobody has any objections, I believe I might be of service.” 4. Bruce Springsteen…Read On
Christian Leithart: I’ve heard people say that Quentin Tarantino is a master of building suspense in a scene. Haven’t seen it, but apparently Inglorious Basterds is a good example. I’ve also heard that in terms of dialogue, plot, and general chutzpah, amateur filmmaking still hasn’t escaped from under Pulp Fiction‘s shadow. Thomas Banks: I’d say…Read On
This week, the best heist/burglar/theft films of all time. No repeats was instructed, but not always followed (perhaps in keeping with the theme of stealing). Heat was assumed by all. Thomas Banks 1.Sleuth (Olivier/Caine version) 2. Ronin (which also should be assumed) 3.To Catch a Thief 4. Arsene Lupin (John Barrymore version) 5.The Great Muppet…Read On
This week, five films that deal well with hot button issues. Five films that aren’t preachy, and yet treat on contemporary social and political issues with a light touch. For each film, please put in parentheses that subject you believe the film does well with. Remy Wilkins 1. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days (One…Read On
At the beginning of the week, FilmFisher writers were asked to come up with lists of great movies for adolescent boys to watch. The editor suggested: I’m thinking 12 to 14 here. Movies young boys ought to watch to get a grip on the world, to tame bland instincts for violence and leather catsuits. Movies…Read On
This week, FilmFisher writers were asked to produce a list five fine date movies, and were asked to not repeat any entries their colleagues had already listed. Here is what they returned, in the same order in which the lists were returned on our message board: Elizabeth Stinnette 1. While you Were Sleeping (1995) 2…Read On
This week, our writers made lists of the best films for children age 5 to 8. Here is what they turned up with: Elizabeth Stinnette 1. Beauty and the Beast 2. Toy Story II 3. Mary Poppins 4. The Sound of Music 5. Chicken Run Remy Wilkins 1. Jungle Book (1967) 2. Wall-E 3…Read On
This week, FilmFisher writers were asked to make a list of the five greatest cinematic sidekicks of all time. Some of us got cute. Timothy Lawrence 1. Tuco (The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly) 2. Rey (The Rover) 3. Eduardo Saverin (The Social Network) 4. Bruno (Bicycle Thieves) 5. Clarence (It’s A Wonderful Life)…Read On
13th of July, 4:50 pm. I’m sorry. I know that means little at this point, but I am. I tried, I think you would all agree that I tried. To be true, to be strong, to be kind, to love, to be right. But I wasn’t. And I know you knew this. In each of…Read On
This week, a list of five movies wherein the setting is especially well presented, well used in the plot and theme. Thomas Banks 1. Blade Runner (futuristic Los Angeles) 2. Heat (Contemporary Los Angeles) 3. The Quiet Man (Rural Ireland) 4. Fargo (” “) 5. The Town (Boston) Timothy Lawrence 1. Collateral (Los…Read On
This week, the five greatest movie montages of all time. Timothy Lawrence 1. The baptism montage in “The Godfather” 2. The opening scene of “Apocalypse Now” 3. The married life montage in “Up” 4. The ending of “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” 5. Gordon’s ending monologue in “The Dark Knight” Honorable mention: The ending of “American…Read On
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At the beginning of the week, editor Joshua Gibbs sent out this prompt to FilmFisher writers: This week, five films which embody the Shakespearean ethos and spirit, but weren’t inspired by or adapted from originally Shakespearean material. After clarification was requested, he posted this: I often hear this or that comedy or drama described as…Read On
This week, writers made lists of the five greatest dream sequences in motion picture history. Here is what they returned: Joshua Gibbs 1. The judgment of Papillon in Papillon 2. Ariadne’s instruction in Inception 3. Briony’s novel in Atonement 4. Rob responds to Ray in a variety of ways in High Fidelity 5. The world’s most difficult…Read On
