Leones Directed by Jazmín López Argentina/France/Netherlands, 2012 An assured debut feature from Argentinian director Jazmin Lopez, Leones free-floats between complementary realms of the natural and supernatural. The entire movement, comprised of very few long, tracking shots within 80 minutes, chugs through the barely navigable forest of an unknown location, as six teenagers make their way …
Christopher Doyle is without a doubt, one of my favourite directors of photography in world cinema. His incessantly moving camera and manipulation of light, colour and shadow are unmatched, and his artistic contributions to the films of Wong Kar-wai, Gus Van Sant and Zhang Jimou, among others, has earned him many disciples over the years. In The Mood …
My Own Private Idaho Written by Gus Van Sant Directed by Gus Van Sant USA, 1991 Though he has made his share of more conventional dramas like Good Will Hunting and Milk, and received Oscar nominations by doing so, Gus Van Sant always seems to fall back to a more sedate style, such as that …
Promised Land Written by John Krasinski and Matt Damon, based on a story by Dave Eggers Directed by Gus Van Sant 2012, USA, imdb, Josh Spiegel’s much more positive review I walked out of the theatre disliking Promised Land and the more I reflect on the film, the less I like it. On paper, there is a …
Promised Land Directed by Gus Van Sant Written by John Krasinski and Matt Damon USA, 2012 When people suffer through desperate times, someone is always ready to capitalize on their fear and confusion. This person, a con artist even if they have a fancy-sounding job title, has the offer of a lifetime, the promise of …
At the start of awards season, THR assembles actors, actresses and directors involved in some of the most critically acclaimed films of the year, and sits them all in one room for a roundtable discussion about their careers and their movies. Joining the directors roundup this year is Ang Lee (Life of Pi), Tom Hooper …
Opening titles sequences can indeed be viewed as an afterthought, but they are in fact extremely important to a show’s success. The opening title sequence of a television series can easily attract or repel viewers, and effect their decision as to whether or not it will be worth their time to invest and watch, or …
Restless Directed by Gus Van Sant Screenplay by Jason Lew 2011, USA Gus van Sant is a very dynamic filmmaker that has tried his hand at many kind of genres and types of films. His latest, Restless tells the story of Enoch, an angry teenager who withdraws from the world following the deaths of his …
Busybody James Franco is at it again. Franco’s latest project had him reteaming with Gus Van Sant to produce two films, one of which totals a staggering 12 hours in footage! You may recall that Franco and Van Sant previously collaborated in 2008’s Oscar winning film Milk. Van Sant helped Franco prepare for that role …
Before I get to number 49 I feel the need to list fifty honorable mentions. This is a very personal list and I am confident that I could have easily chosen 100 foreign language films or 100 independent art house films and skipped out on all the Hollywood flicks, but I decided to go with …
5 – The Ring (2002) Considering I didn’t find the original scary, it’s impressive that I was thoroughly creeped out by the nearly shot-for-shot remake. There is always something a little more interesting in the exploration of the unknown, so if your senses have been dulled by the formulaic slasher film, then its quieter take …