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Cold War Fears in American Espionage Thrillers

admin — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The Cold War era inspired some of the best action-espionage films of the 20th Century. With the threat of nuclear war between the West and Communist forces of the USSR and China, “Fail Safe”, starring Henry Fonda, addressed this concern head on. The Philby Conspiracy scandal in the UK stoked many Fifth Column fears of double agents, and “The Manchurian Candidate”, with Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey and Angela Lansbury explored how brainwashing could turn even a war hero into the enemy. The James Bond franchise and its various spy genre spinoffs, mined the Cold War from the glorified trenches of espionage in films like, “From Russia With Love.Get more information here. http://le0pard13.wordpress.com/2011/09/30/the-hunt-for-red-october-film-review/”

As the Soviet Union began to weaken during the Reagan years, the Cold War took on a different tack, with sympathy for those under the oppression of the Communist system. “White Nights”, starring Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gregory Hines, criticized the Communist regime’s stranglehold on artistic and personal freedoms, as exemplified by opposite side defectors: a Russian ballet star and an American tap dancer. “The Hunt For Red October”, adapted from the Tom Clancy bestseller, delved deeply into the murky waters of high tech military submarine warfare and tactics, as Sean Connery’s Captain Ramius covertly attempts to defect with a prized Soviet nuclear sub, and Alec Baldwin’s CIA analyst, Jack Ryan, is the only one who can assist him.

Akira Kurosawa and an Introduction to Classic Japanese Cinema

admin — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

In a career that spanned 57 films over 30 years, Akira Kurosawa became the face of Japanese cinema. In his early years, Kurosawa was subjected to the early deaths of two of his brothers and an earthquake that leveled his home city of Tokyo. These events led the future director to look differently both at life and the budding film industry. By the time he became a director, Kurosawa refused to shy away from touchy or difficult subjects. His films became masterful studies of both the good and the bad of mankind.

From 1948 to 1950, Kurosawa would dominate the Japanese film industry by making films that were both gritty and retrospective to the struggles of a rebuilding country. From the film, Drunken Angel which displayed occupying forces in a negative manner to Scandal which attacked the Japanese media’s approaches to news reporting. The 1950′s and 1960′s would bring international success to Kurosawa and allow him to push boundaries in his films. Rashomon was the first of this wave of films as it depicted the rape of a samurai’s wife from many different characters’ viewpoints. With each success, Kurosawa brought more international attention to himself and the Japanese film industry.

How the Spaghetti Western Genre Came to Be

admin — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The Spaghetti Western is a genre of film that was originally panned by critics, and is now citied as the inspiration for the current generation of Hollywood directors. These were usually helmed by Italian directors and featured characters and plots based on the American Western frontier .
The beginning of the Spaghetti Western as a recognizable genre is generally considered to have begun in the 1960′s, although some argue for a much earlier date. A director by the name of Sergio Leone adapted a Japanese samurai film and cast Clint Eastwood in the starring role. Sergio and Eastwood would go on to partner in several famous westerns of the period, many of which are considered essential and defining movies in the Western genre. Other directors of the period also began to enjoy success by casting B list American actors and filming on location in Europe.
The success of the Spaghetti western lies in the fact that the primarily European directors and film writers saw the historical stories from a fresh and different angle. The films tend to be somewhat sparse in dialogue, and are action oriented. Many are epic tales told with an almost operatic sense of drama. This high sense of tension and drama are what ultimately earned them their place in film history.The information party rocks on: Why We Love These Movies: Clint Eastwood

3 Films You Can Actually Find

admin — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

We get a lot of requests her for film recommendations that people actually have a chance of finding. See, sometimes we’re so high-brow we recommend stuff that can’t be found at Blockbuster or DIRECT tv so here are a few great indie flicks we think you’ll love that are also attainable:
500 Days of Summer: Sure it’s got a slightly obnoxious song scene right in the middle but the acting and narration features of 500 days make it something special. Joseph Gordin Levitt and Zoe Deshanel don’t hurt the eyes, either.
Memento: It’s an oldie but a goodie and you can still catch the Guy Pearce classic on air. If you like twists and turns with your black and white dramas you’re going to love this movie. Watch with friends so you can discuss later.
Amelie: It’s way more mainstream now than when it began but France’s version of a romantic comedy is still worth its weight in gold. It’s charming and well-produced and the subtitles will make you feel like you’re watching something extra fancy.

The American Adaptations of New and Old Foreign Films

admin — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

How should one feel about American remakes of Foreign Films, both old and new? One on hand, I personally believe American Filmmakers doing a remake of a foreign film is a waste of both money and resources. If a foreign film is good the first time around, why was the money to recreate what has already been done? I do not see why Hollywood sees the need to rehash a foreign film for the sake of the American audience if the film was successful the first time around. I find it wasteful for a major film studio to recreate a foreign film for the sake of profit to an American audience. In fact, the resources used to create the remake could have been used to dub or subtitle the foreign film into English
However, there is some benefit to American remakes. One example of this benefit is that may be cultural differences within the foreign film that may confuse American viewers, there to get past this, an American remake would do good to avoid these problems. Another benefit would be allowing American audiences to obtain an American perspective of the same film. Thus, giving the film another means of observation.

Finding Art House Films and Theaters near You

admin — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Some people think that to step into any art house cinema that you would have to be some sort of snob. This is not the case at all as many cinema enthusiasts have simply grown tired of mainstream product. Art house cinemas are no longer a well kept silver screen secret as more people are turning to them to watch films that are truly independent (not like the blockbusters in disguise released by the studio’s indie divisions), classic films and even rare cult films. These are types of movies that might have never been experienced for some patrons without the help of their local art house.

The best place to find the closest art house is going to be the web. Not only can a search engine be useful but many people like to use one of the many sites that are dedicated to art house listings. Talking to other people with similar cinematic interests can also be of great assistance. If an art house cinema is close enough, it might even be in the yellow pages!

It is important that readers remember that art house theaters are not waiting around every street corner or within every shopping mall like the studio owned multiplexes are. Typically the closest city or very large metropolitan region is going to be where the nearest art house theater is found; however after one visit many cinema fans find that it is well worth the drive!

Tracking Down Hard to Find Film Classics

admin — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Any true film buff will tell you that part of the fun of being a fan of classic films is trying to track them down. Sometimes the hunt can get a little frustrating if you don’t know where to start. Keep in mind that film classics doesn’t usually refer to popular titles. Anybody can find a copy of Citizen Kane or Gone with the Wind.

A good place to start is eBay. You want to be cautious though. If you are new to the world of classic films you want to be sure you are purchasing an authentic version. Ask the seller a few questions if their listing isn’t clear. If you have some more time, garage and yard sells can be a good way to track down some hard to find films. Do a little research ahead of time though and try to find out what kind of items are involved before you make the trip.

Try starting a blog about classic films. This is an excellent way to pull your resources together and find some classic films you are looking for and get suggestions for others you may want to check out. There are also several classic film websites where you can post your list and get help from others with similar interests.

Do a little research on the classic films you are looking to find. If you know the city where the movie was filmed, the local library in that town may have a copy. Some larger libraries may also be able to help you track down a copy of a hard to find film. Remember though, if you acquire it through the library it will not likely be a copy you can own. Happy hunting!The hits keep comin’: Citizen Kane Gets the Digital Treatment

The Effects of Classic American Films on Bollywood

admin — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Classic American Films were what set the standard for what cinema should be. This was in the days before computer special effects and excessive violence as these Classic Films displayed that great films did not need any form of controversy to become classics. Instead Classic American Cinema placed the standard at being good acting, good story telling and good directing were what made a film a classic. It was not how much violence or special effects a movie could contain, it was how well the film entertained movie goers in general.
If Bollywood film makers wish to create films as memorable and classic as the films of Classic American Cinema, then perhaps these Bollywood film makers should emulate the tactics used by the classic films of Hollywood. No excessive carnage or any form of controversial materials and more emphasis on story telling and directing. The latter is what made cinema superb in its Golden Age, not how much violence a movie could contain. I say its time for Hollywood to return to its roots of what made films great in the first place and for Bollywood to emulate the tactics of Golden Age Hollywood Films: Emphasis on storytelling and directing.