Jewish filmmakers like to poke fun at Nazis. Spielberg did that with Indiana Jones and Mel Brooks does it here with Spaceballs. But unlike the original Star Wars for which Spaceballs is almost direct parody, Brooks goes onto another level to measure pipis with the Nazis.
The 1970s are an interesting time when it comes to cinema history. It is the time after the code was changed into the MPAA rating system ( allowing more violence, nudity and harsh language on the screen ) and yet before new blog-baster Hollywood was born. 1976's Carrie by Brian De Palma was already released after the 1974 Steven Spielberg sensation Jaws. But still before George Lucas broke the planet with his Star Wars. Everybody knew the movies were intense at that time. Some of the most depressing shit came out at the 1970s. And with it, there was also Carrie. A psycho-sexual revenge-tale about child-abuse.
Gareth Edwards is a type of writer / director that I can relate to. I remember watching the Star Wars movie that he directed Rogue One back when it came out and feeling like I know what this guy is doing. Like I myself want to be that guy. Back in 2016 ( when Rogue One came out ) I still didn't quite give up the Wrong Hate project and what he showed was the stuff that I was aiming for.
I did not expect Spy Kids Armageddon to be any good. It is written and directed by Robert Rodriguez. A guy who doesn't care about quality that much. His view on film-making was shaped by his first filming experience in 1992 when he made El Mariachi. A movie so cheap that it was weird to a lot of people that it was an action film. Rodriguez has this idea that he can cheat his way into making anything at all. Using as he says "creativity instead of money". So most of his movies tend to look like the Star Wars prequels. A lot of pretty noticeable green screen. Tons of CGI where most other people would use practical props. And strange camera work which is probably more dictated by the limitations of his methods, and not by actual directorial decisions.
There are quite some differences between the Scott brothers ( Ridley and Tony ) and the Maximus himself Michael Bay. You can read Troler's observations and then my rant in the comments to see why they aren't quite the same. But specifically Tony Scott films sometimes feels almost like Michael Bay movies. Especially early Tony Scott and early Michael Bay, before both of them knew how similar they are and before they started trying to develop each other into opposite directions. Which happened roughly in time with the 21st century. And yet with all this the Ridley Scott epic Gladiator which was shot at 20st century and released at 21st, bluntly steals one of the shots Michael Bay is known for.
Somehow film-makers stop being nobodies and become somebodies. There is always the first film. There is always something that puts you under the spotlight, allowing you to make the movie you've always wanted to make. Let's look at those first films and how they got to be made. And analyze the patterns. And hopefully find a clue of what to do ourselves.
There is nothing I love more than multilayered storytelling references. Here I am not referring to plot details which have multiple layers of meaning, although that is great too. No, I am referring to the meta-textual references. There is a director whose filmography boasts a considerable amount of referential material. That man is none other that ~Quentin Tarantino}()~ [J. J. Abrams.
People change. People change! People grow. People adopt. People change their minds about things. People learn new things everyday. People form opinions. People change. And so have I. I notice something rather strange about people that come into contact with me without prior knowledge of what I do and how I think. I remember the other day on mastodon being bombarded with hate for seemingly no reason what so ever. I either said something good about Richard Stallman, or said something slightly too vague about one thing or another. I know I held opinions that I'm not proud of today. I know I probably have opinions right now that I will change in the future. People change.
Therefor I decided that it would be a good idea, both for the sake of my mental health and just as an example of said change, to talk to you about myself. To psycho-sexually analyze what I stand for. What I believe in. And most importantly: how I got to this point. How I changed to be where I am today. Yet, in a strange kind of way I am slightly afraid of strangers when it comes to my psychology. It is my private life, after all. And I don't want to reveal everybody everything about me. The good, the bad and the ugly. And then the ugly, the bad and the good. I don't want to give haters the platform to hate. So I suppose this is the perfect excuse to use the fediverse gimmick I came up with, the other day. Basically you have to be at least somewhat of a fan of me and / or my work, in order for me to feel okay with sharing with you all this private, highly emotional, stuff. Don't worry about it. If you are a fan, this is going to be a piece of cake for you. The website will just check that you are, and everything is going to be okay. For everybody else, perhaps, this article isn't for you.
It is far too easy to drown in the flow of information we have to endure. Most with to take a break from it by rejecting it all together. I say, one ought to train themselves by entertaining to a slow dance. It can be a book, or... a movie. One of such movies is Angel's Egg
If you saw 300 or the Snyder's cut of Justice League you know what to expect from Zachary Edward Snyder. A lot of cool ass slow-mo shots. A lot of detailed frames with a lot of particles and stuff. A lot of mood shots that are there probably only for beauty. And a lot of violent violence. Rebel Moon is not an exception. It is very much a Zack Snyder movie.
This is not your average racing film, it is simple, but not average, because it is pleasant to watch. And that is because it manages to control the tension very well.
It is funny that I was just watching Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets while drinking Valerian. I was pissed at Luc Besson because I just watched and reviewed The Fifth Element. That review was more of a ramble about my theory surrounding his personal life. Which ties in neatly into the message of the film "Love". But for some reason I completely forgot to talk about it's qualities. Which I suppose this review will fix. I will compare the two grand space-operas from Luc Besson. And hopefully we will learn something in the process.
You will probably laugh at me right now, but so far I've seen 1973 George Lucas film American Graffiti just twice. First time I stopped at about 25 minute mark, not getting the hype around the movie. This time I decided to get through to the end, no matter what it takes. And believe me, if you are not laughing at me right now, you don't understand. This is fucked up! Holy fucking shit!!! I see it now!!! I see it!
I have a soft spot for J. J. Abrams. His masterpiece Super 8 inspired me greatly to develop film-projects when I was a teenager. But his 2009 other masterpiece Star Trek ( together with 2009'th other Sci-Fi masterpiece Avatar by James Cameron ) is what pretty much started my obsession with space movies.