This post contains major spoilers for "True Detective: Night Country."
"True Detective: Night Country" isn't afraid to wear its influences on its sleeve. Episode 2 saw new showrunner Issa López borrow directly from David Fincher's "Seven," in which a presumed corpse suddenly wakes up with a jolt, making for the biggest jump scare in the director's 1995 crime thriller masterpiece. In "Night Country," this moment is echoed when the frozen body of a scientist awakens while still immersed in the ice, shocking police gathered around the horrific scene.
But Fincher isn't the only director López borrowed from to create "Night Country" and its eerie, haunting atmosphere. In fact, the fourth season of "True Detective" is notable for its wide array of inspirations, which span everything from John Carpenter's horror classic "The Thing" to the movie that established Jodie Foster herself as a true dramatic force, "The Silence of the Lambs.
"True Detective: Night Country" isn't afraid to wear its influences on its sleeve. Episode 2 saw new showrunner Issa López borrow directly from David Fincher's "Seven," in which a presumed corpse suddenly wakes up with a jolt, making for the biggest jump scare in the director's 1995 crime thriller masterpiece. In "Night Country," this moment is echoed when the frozen body of a scientist awakens while still immersed in the ice, shocking police gathered around the horrific scene.
But Fincher isn't the only director López borrowed from to create "Night Country" and its eerie, haunting atmosphere. In fact, the fourth season of "True Detective" is notable for its wide array of inspirations, which span everything from John Carpenter's horror classic "The Thing" to the movie that established Jodie Foster herself as a true dramatic force, "The Silence of the Lambs.
- 2/19/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
The Arriflex 35 Bl helped to revolutionize filmmaking. “The Shining” director and crazy genius, Stanley Kubrick, utilized this camera together with new Steadicam techniques, to bring this outdenting psychological horror to the big screen.
The Arriflex 35 Bl “The Shining”: A masterpiece e of psychological horror
The Shining is a 1980 psychological legendary horror movie masterpiece produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick. It is based on Stephen King’s 1977 novel of the same name and stars Academy Award winners Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. Story: When writer Jack Torrance (Nicholson)–who has a history of alcoholism and child abuse–takes a job as winter caretaker for a hotel high in the Rocky Mountains, he, his wife (Duvall), and their psychic young son will be isolated until spring. But once the first blizzard closes the road out, the accumulated power of evil deeds committed at the hotel begins to drive Jack mad. Now...
The Arriflex 35 Bl “The Shining”: A masterpiece e of psychological horror
The Shining is a 1980 psychological legendary horror movie masterpiece produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick. It is based on Stephen King’s 1977 novel of the same name and stars Academy Award winners Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. Story: When writer Jack Torrance (Nicholson)–who has a history of alcoholism and child abuse–takes a job as winter caretaker for a hotel high in the Rocky Mountains, he, his wife (Duvall), and their psychic young son will be isolated until spring. But once the first blizzard closes the road out, the accumulated power of evil deeds committed at the hotel begins to drive Jack mad. Now...
- 12/16/2023
- by Yossy Mendelovich
- YMCinema
The evolution of cinematic language in the 1980s was, in large part, due to an invention born in the 1970s.
In the late ’60s and early ’70s, “New Hollywood” looked to challenge the audience, nudging studio filmmaking away from strict adherence to classical storytelling conventions. They embraced a looser approach to narrative that was matched by a rough-around-the-edges filmmaking style, in which a premium was put on “realism.” Directors and cinematographers embraced a grainy, unglamorous look, trading in the locked-down cameras and studio cranes for a more handheld approach to shooting on location.
From his perch in Philadelphia, budding filmmaker Garrett Brown loved the visceral immediacy that filmmakers of his generation, like Martin Scorsese, were injecting into Hollywood films. As a camera operator himself, that instinct to grab the camera and be in the middle of the action was not only strong but “helluva a lot of fun.” But there...
In the late ’60s and early ’70s, “New Hollywood” looked to challenge the audience, nudging studio filmmaking away from strict adherence to classical storytelling conventions. They embraced a looser approach to narrative that was matched by a rough-around-the-edges filmmaking style, in which a premium was put on “realism.” Directors and cinematographers embraced a grainy, unglamorous look, trading in the locked-down cameras and studio cranes for a more handheld approach to shooting on location.
From his perch in Philadelphia, budding filmmaker Garrett Brown loved the visceral immediacy that filmmakers of his generation, like Martin Scorsese, were injecting into Hollywood films. As a camera operator himself, that instinct to grab the camera and be in the middle of the action was not only strong but “helluva a lot of fun.” But there...
- 8/17/2023
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Two-time Oscar-winning editor Pietro Scalia will be honored by the Locarno Film Festival with its Vision Award honoring technical achievements and advancements in film.
Scalia, who was born in Sicily but grew up in Switzerland and studied film at UCLA, has won Oscars for “JFK” and “Black Hawk Down.” Over the past two decades he’s collaborated closely with top directors such as Ridley Scott, Oliver Stone, Bernardo Bertolucci, Gus Van Sant, Rob Marshall, Sam Raimi and Michael Mann. His recent work includes Mann’s upcoming “Ferrari.”
Scalia will receive the Locarno award on Aug. 3 during a ceremony on the Swiss fest’s 8,000-seat Piazza Grande, followed on Aug. 4 by an onstage conversation and screenings of two standout titles from his career: “Good Will Hunting” (1997) and “Black Hawk Down” (2001).
“In the beginning there was the editing, as Eisenstein taught us, and as Hollywood formally defined it,” said Giona A. Nazzaro,...
Scalia, who was born in Sicily but grew up in Switzerland and studied film at UCLA, has won Oscars for “JFK” and “Black Hawk Down.” Over the past two decades he’s collaborated closely with top directors such as Ridley Scott, Oliver Stone, Bernardo Bertolucci, Gus Van Sant, Rob Marshall, Sam Raimi and Michael Mann. His recent work includes Mann’s upcoming “Ferrari.”
Scalia will receive the Locarno award on Aug. 3 during a ceremony on the Swiss fest’s 8,000-seat Piazza Grande, followed on Aug. 4 by an onstage conversation and screenings of two standout titles from his career: “Good Will Hunting” (1997) and “Black Hawk Down” (2001).
“In the beginning there was the editing, as Eisenstein taught us, and as Hollywood formally defined it,” said Giona A. Nazzaro,...
- 6/27/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
“The Shining” has obsessed Oscar-winning Pixar director Lee Unkrich since he saw it in theaters at the age of 12. After years of “The Shining” Easter eggs popping up in Pixar films, Unkrich’s fascination with Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 horror cult classic culminates in his monumental making-of book: “Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining” (Taschen), currently available in a Collector’s Edition of 1,000 copies. (A smaller standard edition has not yet been announced.) The three-volume collection includes hundreds of never-before-seen production photographs from the Stanley Kubrick Archive in London, interviews with cast and crew, and a deluxe set of facsimile reproductions of ephemera from “the masterpiece of modern horror.”
The Kubrick film’s sense of the uncanny and bravura filmmaking (including the innovative use of Garrett Brown’s Steadicam) possessed Unkrich from his first viewing at an Ohio movie theater and ultimately led to decades of rewatching the story of the Torrance...
The Kubrick film’s sense of the uncanny and bravura filmmaking (including the innovative use of Garrett Brown’s Steadicam) possessed Unkrich from his first viewing at an Ohio movie theater and ultimately led to decades of rewatching the story of the Torrance...
- 3/21/2023
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Garrett Brown is among the most important figures in the history of cinematography. His invention of the Steadicam forever changed the way filmmakers approached camera motion. No longer reliant on dollies or cranes to track movement, camera operators could now mount the device to their bodies and walk or run freely to deliver smooth tracking shots. No longer did they have to worry about the bumps and shakes that a hand-held camera caused. Stanley Kubrick was one of the first filmmakers to immediately grasp the benefits of the new technology, professing that "it should revolutionize the way films are shot." The director heavily incorporated the Steadicam when shooting "The Shining," hiring Brown to operate the cameras and further pushing the tech to new limits -- even if it meant endangering his cameramen.
"The Shining" is one of the most storied productions of all time, as illustrated by the new 2,200-page,...
"The Shining" is one of the most storied productions of all time, as illustrated by the new 2,200-page,...
- 3/17/2023
- by Andrew Housman
- Slash Film
When Lee Unkrich was 12, he saw “The Shining” for the first time. He remembers less from the screening than what happened shortly afterward, which set in motion a lifelong obsession with Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece of horror.
On his way to summer camp, Unkrich bought the movie tie-in edition of Stephen King’s novel. “There were photos of Wendy cooking breakfast in the kitchen,” he tells Variety. “I realized that wasn’t a scene that was in the movie. And that got a bug in my head — I wanted to know more about that world.”
For Unkrich, a 25-year Pixar veteran, that deleted scene would beget decades of collecting Kubrick ephemera, a stream of Easter eggs in his work from “Toy Story 2” to “Coco,” a website cataloguing his findings, and now, “Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining,” a 12-years-in-the-making, 2,200-page account of the creation of Kubrick’s film that Taschen...
On his way to summer camp, Unkrich bought the movie tie-in edition of Stephen King’s novel. “There were photos of Wendy cooking breakfast in the kitchen,” he tells Variety. “I realized that wasn’t a scene that was in the movie. And that got a bug in my head — I wanted to know more about that world.”
For Unkrich, a 25-year Pixar veteran, that deleted scene would beget decades of collecting Kubrick ephemera, a stream of Easter eggs in his work from “Toy Story 2” to “Coco,” a website cataloguing his findings, and now, “Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining,” a 12-years-in-the-making, 2,200-page account of the creation of Kubrick’s film that Taschen...
- 3/16/2023
- by Todd Gilchrist
- Variety Film + TV
The history of television has been defined by the medium’s great dialogue writers. The cadence, the wit, and rhythms of characters’ banter is a distinctive trademark of the medium’s best storytellers. As American TV has evolved from being something you need to watch as carefully as you listen to, it has been rewarding to witness one of those master dialogists, Amy Sherman-Palladino, transform the rhythms of her words into filmmaking. Sherman-Palladino is a former dancer, and that is how she thinks of herself as both a writer and director, with Amazon Prime Video’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” being a project conceived of in motion. “We’re doing a story about a woman [Rachel Brosnahan] whose life explodes. Midge is learning all about life, [and] we’re going through it with her,” Sherman-Palladino said. “Her life is about motion and moving forward and she’s not willing to stand still,...
- 7/7/2020
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
“The Shining” is hitting the big screen for Halloween, and to celebrate Park Circus is releasing a short film, “Work & Play: A Short Film about The Shining,” which goes behind-the-scenes of Stanley Kubrick’s horror masterpiece.
For one night only, on October 31, over 100 cinemas throughout the United Kingdom, as well as select European and Latin American countries, will screen the 1980 Stephen King adaptation in several theaters. Before the film, the seven-minute short “Work & Play,” directed by Matt Wells, will give audiences fresh insight into the work that went into bringing the King novel to the big screen.
Read More: Stanley Kubrick Behind the Scenes: Here’s the Director on Set, From ‘Dr. Strangelove’ to ‘Eyes Wide Shut’
“Work & Play” pairs behind-the-scenes photos of “The Shining” with interviews from the cast and crew, including Lisa and Louise Burns, the twin sisters from the film’s infamous hallway scene, Stanley Kubrick’s daughter,...
For one night only, on October 31, over 100 cinemas throughout the United Kingdom, as well as select European and Latin American countries, will screen the 1980 Stephen King adaptation in several theaters. Before the film, the seven-minute short “Work & Play,” directed by Matt Wells, will give audiences fresh insight into the work that went into bringing the King novel to the big screen.
Read More: Stanley Kubrick Behind the Scenes: Here’s the Director on Set, From ‘Dr. Strangelove’ to ‘Eyes Wide Shut’
“Work & Play” pairs behind-the-scenes photos of “The Shining” with interviews from the cast and crew, including Lisa and Louise Burns, the twin sisters from the film’s infamous hallway scene, Stanley Kubrick’s daughter,...
- 10/26/2017
- by Jamie Righetti
- Indiewire
Forty years ago Garrett Brown used his ground breaking new invention, the Steadicam, for the first time a feature film, Hal Ashby’s “Bound for Glory.” It was the first time a camera operator had the freedom of a handheld camera and smoothness of a dolly. It was an innovation that changed filmmaking and became an essential tool used by the greatest filmmakers in the greatest films of the last four decades. To celebrate the anniversary, the Film Society of Lincoln Center is having a retrospective, “Going Steadi:40 Years of Steadicam.” From Scorsese to Kubrick to Pt Anderson, here’s a look at the films and filmmakers who pioneer the use of Brown’s invention and the ones who used it best.
Related storiesTilda Swinton Called Margaret Cho to Discuss 'Doctor Strange' Whitewashing Controversy'Marjorie Prime' Exclusive Photo: First Look at Jon Hamm and Lois Smith in Michael Almereyda's...
Related storiesTilda Swinton Called Margaret Cho to Discuss 'Doctor Strange' Whitewashing Controversy'Marjorie Prime' Exclusive Photo: First Look at Jon Hamm and Lois Smith in Michael Almereyda's...
- 12/16/2016
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
In a career fixated on the machinations of filmmaking presented through both a carnal and political eye, Brian De Palma’s fascinations converged idyllically with Blow Out. In his ode to the conceit of Blow Up — Michelangelo Antonioni’s deeply influential English-language debut, released 15 years prior — as well as the aural intrigue of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation, De Palma constructs a conspiracy thriller as euphorically entertaining as it is devastatingly bleak.
In a fake-out opening — shot by Steadicam inventor Garrett Brown — that combines the voyeurism, nudity, and threat of murder that are De Palma’s calling cards, we see Coed Frenzy, the fifth movie in two years that sound technician Jack Terry (John Travolta) has done for the shlock director employing him. By showing the artifice of the B-movie, this film-in-a-film positions Blow Out as a more mature offering from the filmmaker, explicitly foreshadowed during the split-screen opening...
In a fake-out opening — shot by Steadicam inventor Garrett Brown — that combines the voyeurism, nudity, and threat of murder that are De Palma’s calling cards, we see Coed Frenzy, the fifth movie in two years that sound technician Jack Terry (John Travolta) has done for the shlock director employing him. By showing the artifice of the B-movie, this film-in-a-film positions Blow Out as a more mature offering from the filmmaker, explicitly foreshadowed during the split-screen opening...
- 7/13/2016
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
There are few moments in cinema as iconic as Rocky Balboa bounding up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, with Steadicam inventor Garrett Brown galloping alongside him off-screen. The technology for Brown’s camera stabilization system was new enough at the time that the seminal shot required a crew member to sprint behind Brown with two car batteries attached to the camera via jumper cables in order for the rig to function in the cold Philly winter. Creed, an expansion of the Rocky universe from Fruitvale Station director Ryan Coogler, offers a barometer for the Steadicam’s evolution with its […]...
- 3/14/2016
- by Matt Mulcahey
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Biopics are best when focused on segmented portions of emotional turmoil, professional escalation or some perfect combination of the two, rather than trying to collapse entire lives into just a couple hours time. Hal Ashby’s 1976 retelling of Woody Guthrie’s popular ascent from dust bowl deadbeat to socially conscious folk music figurehead in Bound For Glory coolly pursues the latter with genuinely endearing, authentic feeling results. With David Carradine aptly filling the role of the humbly charismatic, musically driven drifter and a fully stocked catalog of Guthrie songs adapted for the screen by Leonard Rosenman, Ashby’s oddly conventional mid-period picture was in competition for the Palme d’Or, but ultimately lost to Paolo and Vittorio Taviani’s Padre Padrone.
The film was shot by the late, great Haskell Wexler the very same year he took over principal photography from Néstor Almendros on Malick’s golden glazed Days of Heaven...
The film was shot by the late, great Haskell Wexler the very same year he took over principal photography from Néstor Almendros on Malick’s golden glazed Days of Heaven...
- 2/23/2016
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
An interesting effort is coming your way before long, and it’s pulling together a cast that will make it a kind of who’s who of underappreciated actors. Ghost Team, directed by Oliver Irving, has announced its cast, which includes Jon Heder, David Krumholtz, and many more.
Heder hasn’t managed to find material that resonated with audiences since Napoleon Dynamite, at least, not to the extent he deserves, and Krumholtz is almost the poster boy for not getting the recognition that you’d expect. Unfortunately, both actors often play characters that may not seem that difficult, and/or are something of a sidekick.
The new film, about a team of paranormal investigators who find themselves in over their heads, also stars Melonie Diaz, Paul W. Downs, Justin Long, and the woefully overlooked Amy Sedaris.
Though the film can’t mention its own indie status enough, meaning the budget is extremely tight,...
Heder hasn’t managed to find material that resonated with audiences since Napoleon Dynamite, at least, not to the extent he deserves, and Krumholtz is almost the poster boy for not getting the recognition that you’d expect. Unfortunately, both actors often play characters that may not seem that difficult, and/or are something of a sidekick.
The new film, about a team of paranormal investigators who find themselves in over their heads, also stars Melonie Diaz, Paul W. Downs, Justin Long, and the woefully overlooked Amy Sedaris.
Though the film can’t mention its own indie status enough, meaning the budget is extremely tight,...
- 10/17/2015
- by Marc Eastman
- AreYouScreening.com
In this stunning ten-minute compilation of Steadicam shots from the likes of "Kill Bill: Vol. I," "Eyes Wide Shut," and "ER," created by the folks at Refocused Media, characters scale stairs, dance, walk and talk, or drift in and out of the frame—a reminder that the Steadicam, invented by cinematographer Garrett Brown in the 1970s, is one of the most influential developments in film technology of the past 50 years. Allowing for fluid movement without the distinctive shake of handheld photography, the Steadicam, as the video shows, is responsible for more than a few iconic images—Rocky on top of the world at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, for example—from such master filmmakers as Martin Scorsese, Stanley Kubrick, Richard Linklater, Quentin Tarantino, and many more. ["The Art of Steadicam" video via One Perfect Shot.]...
- 10/5/2015
- by Matt Brennan
- Thompson on Hollywood
The five recipients of the 67th annual Engineering Emmy Awards have been announced. The Charles F. Jenkins Lifetime Achievement Award, which honors a living individual whose ongoing contributions have significantly affected the state of television technology and engineering, will go to cinematographer Garrett Brown, whose inventions include the Steadicam, Skycam and DiveCam. The Philo T. Farnsworth Award, honoring an agency, company or institution whose contributions over time have significantly impacted television technology and engineering, will be given to Grass Valley USA, LLC. Also Read: 17 Best and Worst Moments of Emmys 2015 Individual Engineering Emmys are presented to an individual, company or organization.
- 9/29/2015
- by Linda Ge
- The Wrap
In case you weren't aware, Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" turned 35 years old on Saturday, and over the weekend Elstree Studios (where a majority of the film was shot) held an anniversary celebration with several members of the cast and crew, including Steadicam operator (and inventor) Garrett Brown, screenwriter Diane Johnson, executive producer Jan Harlan, Kubrick's daughter Katharina (who worked as a "location researcher" on the film) and, yes, the doomed Grady twins (Lisa and Louise Burns), whose stoic apparitions uttered the now-famous line: "Come and play with us Danny...forever...and ever...and ever." Speaking of the Grady twins, Lisa recalled their time working on the horror classic with an anecdote about Garrett Brown: “It’s so lovely to be with the whole gang again...Mummy wouldn’t let us have a cup of coffee and a donut each, just half a cup and half a donut. But...
- 5/27/2015
- by Chris Eggertsen
- Hitfix
Walter Murch, the acclaimed editor and sound designer of films such as "American Graffiti," "The Godfather" and "Apocalypse Now," will be honored by the Locarno Film Festival with the Vision Award - Nescens for his contributions to cinema. This is the third year the award will be given in Locarno, and Murch follows such honored visionaries as special effects wizard Douglas Trumbull and "Mister Steadicam" Garrett Brown. "Having Walter Murch here, apart from the honor of his presence, also highlights the thinking behind this award, instituted two years ago. As Francis F. Coppola has written, 'He is a true pioneer. A man we should listen to with great attention – and pleasure,'" said Carlo Chatrian, the Festival's Artistic Director. "The way he works goes far beyond conventional notions of collaboration. His work proves that great films are nearly always the outcome of a close working relationship between major...
- 2/4/2015
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
An Oklahoma father is left planning to bury not one but two of his sons after they were murdered by their mother Saturday morning. Rebecca Smith, 48, used a long gun to kill Levi Brown, 25, and Garrett Brown, 24, while they were sleeping at her Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, home. A Muskogee County Sheriff's official tells People that it's still an ongoing investigation. "They were the best kids," their father LeRoy Brown, who was divorced from Smith, tells People. "I never had one problem with them." Levi, who was in the military, returned about nine months ago and was eager to go to culinary school.
- 1/7/2015
- by Caitlin Keating, @caitkeating
- PEOPLE.com
It’s hard to overstate the revolutionary impact of the Steadicam when camera operator Garrett Brown introduced his invention to the film industry in 1975. The camera stabilizing mount didn’t make its onscreen debut until the next year with the trio of “Bound for Glory,” “Marathon Man” and “Rocky,” all of which involved Steadicam shots operated by Brown himself. With the the device's 40th anniversary around the corner, Refocused Media (via FirstShowing) has crafted a roughly 10-minute-long ode to “The Art Of Steadicam.” The video starts with, what else, the iconic Copacabana sequence from the Michael Ballhaus-photographed “Goodfellas” featuring legendary Steadicam operator Larry McConkey (seriously, his IMDb page is mostly Steadicam work with occasional “B” camera work) trailing Henry Hill as he shows both Karen and the audience what a big shot he is. From there, the video is a greatest hits of Steadicam shots...
- 8/14/2014
- by Cain Rodriguez
- The Playlist
Three-time Oscar-winning Steadicam inventor Garrett Brown holds over 50 patents to various inventions that have changed the way we view images. But he may have also unknowingly invented the first viral video, back in 1974, long before YouTube became a household name. Brown, who was making commercials and films for Sesame Street in Philadelphia at the time, was sick of working with a huge bulky camera dolly and wanted to find a solution that let him walk freely yet have smooth images. So he took matters into his own hands and came up with the Steadicam. Brown started
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- 8/13/2014
- by Ariston Anderson
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The use of a Steadicam took filmmaking to a new level. It has become quite an effective tool for filmmakers in helping tell their stories. Refocused Media created a fantastic video supercut featuring some of the best Steadicam tracking shots ever put on film and TV. It's called "The Art of Steadicam," and here's the note that came along with it:
These sequences are accomplished using a Steadicam, which is essentially a balanced stabilizer that allows for smoother and more easily controlled handheld camera operation. Invented by Garrett Brown in the early 70?s, the steadicam shot — or ‘steadishot’ — has become one of the most dynamic and exciting forms of cinematography and is one of the most engaging visual techniques in a filmmaker’s storytelling arsenal. I was inspired to make this homage to the art of steadicam cinematography when browsing the database of “top” clips over at steadishots.org, which are rated by the community.
These sequences are accomplished using a Steadicam, which is essentially a balanced stabilizer that allows for smoother and more easily controlled handheld camera operation. Invented by Garrett Brown in the early 70?s, the steadicam shot — or ‘steadishot’ — has become one of the most dynamic and exciting forms of cinematography and is one of the most engaging visual techniques in a filmmaker’s storytelling arsenal. I was inspired to make this homage to the art of steadicam cinematography when browsing the database of “top” clips over at steadishots.org, which are rated by the community.
- 8/13/2014
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
If you've ever seen a long, uninterrupted tracking shot following characters on a seemingly endless journey through various environments, it was probably created with the magic of a Steadicam. If you don't know what this invaluable tool of cinema is, the Steadicam is "essentially a balanced stabilizer that allows for smoother and more easily controlled handheld camera operation." It was invented by Garrett Brown in the 70s, and has since become the perfect tool for capturing some of the most mind-blowing, long take shots on film. Refocused Media has showcased the cinema tool's greatness in The Art of Steadicam. Watch below! Here's The Art of Steadicam, put together by Larry Wright over at Refocused Media: Wright explains, "I was inspired to make this homage to the art of steadicam cinematography when browsing the database of “top” clips over at steadishots.org, which are rated by the community. After locating what...
- 8/13/2014
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
Garrett Brown operating Steadicam on Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining Refocused Media compiled a video celebrating the great Steadicam tracking (or Steadicam on a crane) shots of classic movies. The supercut features almost 40 films (from Stanley Kubrick to Paul Thomas Anderson) and a couple tracking shots from television (yes, The West Wing). Larry Wright explains […]
The post Votd: The Art Of Steadicam appeared first on /Film.
The post Votd: The Art Of Steadicam appeared first on /Film.
- 8/13/2014
- by Peter Sciretta
- Slash Film
The Locarno Film Festival will show Raiders of the Lost Ark and The 400 Blows as part of its traditional taster screenings ahead of the main event.
The Locarno Film Festival will host two free screenings on the Piazza Grande ahead of its 67th edition (Aug 6-16).
The first chapter of the Indiana Jones saga, Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), directed by Steven Spielberg, will feature on the he first pre-festival evening on Aug 3.
The film was shot by cameraman Garrett Brown, who won an Oscar in 1978 for the invention of the Steadicam, and who will attend Locarno to receive the Vision Award - Nescens.
On Aug 5, François Truffaut’s The 400 Blows (1959) marks the 30th anniversary of the filmmaker’s death. The film’s lead actor, Jean-Pierre Léaud, will attend Locarno to introduce the screening.
The French actor will be presented with Locarno’s Pardo alla carriera on the Piazza Grande the following day.
The Locarno...
The Locarno Film Festival will host two free screenings on the Piazza Grande ahead of its 67th edition (Aug 6-16).
The first chapter of the Indiana Jones saga, Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), directed by Steven Spielberg, will feature on the he first pre-festival evening on Aug 3.
The film was shot by cameraman Garrett Brown, who won an Oscar in 1978 for the invention of the Steadicam, and who will attend Locarno to receive the Vision Award - Nescens.
On Aug 5, François Truffaut’s The 400 Blows (1959) marks the 30th anniversary of the filmmaker’s death. The film’s lead actor, Jean-Pierre Léaud, will attend Locarno to introduce the screening.
The French actor will be presented with Locarno’s Pardo alla carriera on the Piazza Grande the following day.
The Locarno...
- 7/21/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Juliette Binoche - star of Olivier Assayas's Clouds of Sils Maria - and recipient of a career achievement award in Locarno
With special career achievement awards for stellar actresses Mia Farrow and Juliette Binoche and the veteran Armin Mueller-Stahl, as well as a line-up of such diverse talents as Dario Argento, Agnès Varda, Aleksandr Sokurov and Olivier Assayas, the Locarno Film Festival’s director Carlo Chatrian today (16 July) unveiled the cornucopia of delights in store for next month’s bumper 67th edition.
Other names figuring in the cast list include Luc Besson (for the opening film Lucy with Scarlett Johannson), cinematographer Garrett Brown and Spanish director Víctor Erice (both the subject of special focuses and workshop sessions), as well as American star Melanie Griffith, and French actress Julie Depardieu.
The vast 8000-seat Piazza Grande open air auditorium will see a host of international and world premieres among them Jean-Jacques Zilbermann...
With special career achievement awards for stellar actresses Mia Farrow and Juliette Binoche and the veteran Armin Mueller-Stahl, as well as a line-up of such diverse talents as Dario Argento, Agnès Varda, Aleksandr Sokurov and Olivier Assayas, the Locarno Film Festival’s director Carlo Chatrian today (16 July) unveiled the cornucopia of delights in store for next month’s bumper 67th edition.
Other names figuring in the cast list include Luc Besson (for the opening film Lucy with Scarlett Johannson), cinematographer Garrett Brown and Spanish director Víctor Erice (both the subject of special focuses and workshop sessions), as well as American star Melanie Griffith, and French actress Julie Depardieu.
The vast 8000-seat Piazza Grande open air auditorium will see a host of international and world premieres among them Jean-Jacques Zilbermann...
- 7/16/2014
- by Richard Mowe
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Us features Listen Up Philip and Buzzard to play in competition at this year’s Locarno Film Festival, which promises “a strong American independent cinema contingent”.
The Locarno International Film Festival (Aug 6-16) has teased two titles from the line-up of its 67th edition.
Listen Up Philip, from Us director Alex Ross Perry, will receive its international premiere at Locarno, as part of the International Competition line-up.
The dark comedy stars Jason Schwartzman as an anxious author dealing with crises in his creative and personal lives. The film, which debuted at Sundance and co-stars Jonathan Pryce and Mad Men star Elisabeth Moss, was acquired this week by Tribeca Film for Us distribution.
Perry last competed at Locarno in 2011’s Filmmakers Of The Present competition with The Color Wheel.
Buzzard, the sophomore feature of Joel Potrykus, will feature in the Filmmakers Of The Present competition, which includes first and second films. The feature...
The Locarno International Film Festival (Aug 6-16) has teased two titles from the line-up of its 67th edition.
Listen Up Philip, from Us director Alex Ross Perry, will receive its international premiere at Locarno, as part of the International Competition line-up.
The dark comedy stars Jason Schwartzman as an anxious author dealing with crises in his creative and personal lives. The film, which debuted at Sundance and co-stars Jonathan Pryce and Mad Men star Elisabeth Moss, was acquired this week by Tribeca Film for Us distribution.
Perry last competed at Locarno in 2011’s Filmmakers Of The Present competition with The Color Wheel.
Buzzard, the sophomore feature of Joel Potrykus, will feature in the Filmmakers Of The Present competition, which includes first and second films. The feature...
- 6/24/2014
- ScreenDaily
Rome -- The Locarno Film Festival said Wednesday it would honor cinema technology innovator and cameraman Garrett Brown with its new Visionary Award at this year's edition of the festival. The 67-year-old Locarno Fest started the Visionary Award -- honoring those who left a mark on film history through their "inspirations and technical knowledge" -- last year, making special effects wizard Douglas Turmbull its first recipient. Story: Rome Film Fest Sets October Return In the 1970s, Brown is credited with developing the Steadicam, a camera support system that enables a cameraman to move around while still producing a stabilized image. Brown,
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- 2/5/2014
- by Eric J. Lyman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Creator of the Steadicam [pictured] to receive festival’s Vision Award.
Garrett Brown, creator of the revolutionary Steadicam, will receive Locarno’s Vision Award.
The award distinguishes who, through their inspirations and technical knowledge, have left their mark on film history.
Brown created and perfected the Steadicam in the 1970s, revolutionising thinking about and the practice of cinematography. He won an Oscar in 1977 for its invention.
He now holds 50 patents for devices that include the Steadicam Merlin, a miniature version for camcorders, and numerous award-winning cameras for sporting events such as the wire-suspended Skycam.
Locarno artistic director Carlo Chatrian commented: “It is both an honour and a pleasure to welcome Garrett Brown to Locarno; he is one of those artists who has enabled cinema to make a giant step forward, and for reality to be explored in a new way.
“Both fluis and muscular, nimble and precise, his Steadicam has made its mark on the horizons of cinema...
Garrett Brown, creator of the revolutionary Steadicam, will receive Locarno’s Vision Award.
The award distinguishes who, through their inspirations and technical knowledge, have left their mark on film history.
Brown created and perfected the Steadicam in the 1970s, revolutionising thinking about and the practice of cinematography. He won an Oscar in 1977 for its invention.
He now holds 50 patents for devices that include the Steadicam Merlin, a miniature version for camcorders, and numerous award-winning cameras for sporting events such as the wire-suspended Skycam.
Locarno artistic director Carlo Chatrian commented: “It is both an honour and a pleasure to welcome Garrett Brown to Locarno; he is one of those artists who has enabled cinema to make a giant step forward, and for reality to be explored in a new way.
“Both fluis and muscular, nimble and precise, his Steadicam has made its mark on the horizons of cinema...
- 2/5/2014
- by ian.sandwell@screendaily.com (Ian Sandwell)
- ScreenDaily
Blue Is the Warmest Colour, the award-winning French film, is already notorious for its fisticuffs between stars and director. It's the latest in an unhappy tradition of histrionics and control-freakery. Here are some vintage feuds
Directors and actors being what they are, they like a good argument. On one side are obsessive perfectionists, on the other self-involved exhibitionists – or so the theory goes. It's often proved a combustible mix in the past, with what is euphemistically termed "creative tension" often adding to the dynamic of the final film.
The media, obviously, is the silent third partner in all this; though you, the reader, ought to be equally ashamed, gleefully drinking in all the foul-mouthed resentment and high-decibel score-settling. You don't have to look far: actors Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopolous turned on Blue Is the Warmest Colour director Abdellatif Kechiche, accusing him of traumatising them during the extended periods shooting sex and fight scenes.
Directors and actors being what they are, they like a good argument. On one side are obsessive perfectionists, on the other self-involved exhibitionists – or so the theory goes. It's often proved a combustible mix in the past, with what is euphemistically termed "creative tension" often adding to the dynamic of the final film.
The media, obviously, is the silent third partner in all this; though you, the reader, ought to be equally ashamed, gleefully drinking in all the foul-mouthed resentment and high-decibel score-settling. You don't have to look far: actors Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopolous turned on Blue Is the Warmest Colour director Abdellatif Kechiche, accusing him of traumatising them during the extended periods shooting sex and fight scenes.
- 11/22/2013
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
If you have access to amazon.ca (Canada!) then you can own all the Rocky movies in glorious Blu-ray for only $19.99, I am hooking myself up! Here is what it has: Disc 1: Rocky Blu-ray Disc 2: Rocky 2 Blu-ray Disc 3: Rocky 3 Blu-ray Disc 4: Rocky 4 Blu-ray Disc 5: Rocky 5 Blu-ray Disc 6: Rocky Balboa Blu-ray Disc 7: Rocky Anthology Bonus Disc and these features:
Feeling Strong Now! Game Rocky Featurettes: Three Rounds with Legendary Trainer Lou Duva Interview with a Legend – Bert Sugar: Author/Commentator and Historian The Opponents In the Ring: Three-Part Making-Of Documentary Steadicam: Then and Now with Garrett Brown Make Up! The Art and Form with Michael Westmore Staccato: A Composer’s Notebook with Bill Conti The Ring of Truth Behind the Scenes with John Avildsen Tribute to Burgess Meredith Tribute to James Crabe Video Commentary with Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Stallone on Dinah! (1976) Stallone Meets...
Feeling Strong Now! Game Rocky Featurettes: Three Rounds with Legendary Trainer Lou Duva Interview with a Legend – Bert Sugar: Author/Commentator and Historian The Opponents In the Ring: Three-Part Making-Of Documentary Steadicam: Then and Now with Garrett Brown Make Up! The Art and Form with Michael Westmore Staccato: A Composer’s Notebook with Bill Conti The Ring of Truth Behind the Scenes with John Avildsen Tribute to Burgess Meredith Tribute to James Crabe Video Commentary with Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Stallone on Dinah! (1976) Stallone Meets...
- 9/18/2013
- by Graham McMorrow
- City of Films
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... well, Ok, 30 years ago (on May 25, 1983) in our own galaxy, came the theatrical release of "Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi." The installment triumphantly wrapped up the "Star Wars" saga for all time. Or so we thought. Little did we know that the movie's cuddly-but-ferocious Ewoks would soon spawn a cottage industry of spinoffs, or that we'd be getting a trilogy of "Star Wars" prequels in another 16 years, and "Jedi" sequels another 15 years after that ("Episode VII" is due in 2014). Nor did we know, at the time, how close "Jedi" came to being an art-house film (judging by the directors whom "Star Wars" guru George Lucas initially asked to take the helm), or how close we came to losing Han Solo (Harrison Ford), or many of the other secrets of "jedi," which you can read below. 1. David Lynch...
- 5/21/2013
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
Are you tired of all of the found footage and Bourne movies that seem to exclusively use the handheld, shaky camera approach to filmmaking? Many of us seem to have taken for granted the smooth and luxurious power of a Steadicam shot scene in a movie. In fact, I think we often forget that up until 1975, there was no such thing as a Steadicam. We owe a lot to Mr. Garrett Brown who brought the Steadicam to Hollywood. In fact, we never would have gotten movies like Goodfellas or The Shining...
- 3/6/2013
- by Alex Maidy
- JoBlo.com
The invention of the steadicam has helped make cinema all the more engaging and visually striking. Garrett Brown introduced the tool back int he 70s and it has been perfected and tinkered with ever since, allowing for some truly amazing work behind the camera. In addition, the use of steadicam over tracking shots and other such technniques has allowed for some amazing and lengthy sequences to hit the big screen. From the unbelievable, crowded scene at Dunkirk in Atonement to long and moving dialogue takes in Before Sunset, and other such films like Pulp Fiction, GoodFellas, The Birdcage, Boogie Nights and much more, the steadicam gets its due diligence in this supercut The Art of the Steadicam. Watch!. Here's The Art of Steadicam from Reddit via The Playlist: In addition, if you're looking for more shots like the ones featured above, the website Steadishots has an entire listing of films with these kinds of sequences,...
- 3/5/2013
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
First introduced in the 1970s by Garrett Brown, directors and filmmakers have used the steadicam to find increasingly inventive ways to approach an ordinary scene and take it to unprecedented places. Think of the still-talked-about and influential Copacabana entrance sequence in Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas," or Joe Wright's breathtaking, unblinking look at Dunkirk in "Atonement." These are just two more recent examples of decades of work in both the movies and television that have taken the steadicam and made it part of the everyday trade of storytelling. And for those who want to deep dive further, there's the website Steadishots, a site devoted to entirely to the compositions and cameramen (and women) who created them, complete with rankings of the best shots. Well, Refocused Media has taken the top 50 ranked sequences and cut them together in a 10-minute celebration of the technique and long takes the format has allowed.
- 3/5/2013
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Walking and talking, dancing, stalking someone before exacting your revenge, running up some steps at the end of a jog, stumbling drunken down a hallway, closing down a bar for a club you can’t talk about, wandering around a harmless outdoor maze, watching an iconic figure give a speech. All of these things can be made infinitely cooler by using a Steadicam. Introduced to production by Garrett Brown in 1975, the rig earned some serious credibility by 1976 and was then refined by the needs of Stanley Kubrick for a little flick called The Shining (who needs a shot that runs along the floor?). It’s been used heavily ever since, and now Larry Wright and Refocused Media have made a very slick edit showing as much proof that you could ever need that Steadicam shots are the way to go if you need something to look incredibly badass. Pull up some popcorn and enjoy.
- 3/5/2013
- by Scott Beggs
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Steadicam 1. Steadicam is a brand of camera stabilizing mount for motion picture cameras that mechanically isolates it from the operator’s movement, allowing for a smooth shot even when moving quickly over an uneven surface. The Steadicam was invented by cameraman Garrett Brown, and is now a registered trademark of Tiffen. The operator wears a harness [...]
Continue reading: Film Term of the Week: Steadicam...
Continue reading: Film Term of the Week: Steadicam...
- 1/7/2013
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
The Society of Camera Operators invites innovators, businesses, and inventors to submit products and technology that have made a distinct contribution to the art and craft of the camera operator. The awards will be presented by the Soc at the 2012 Society of Camera Operators Lifetime Achievement Awards, on Sunday, February 19th, 2012 at the Leonard Goldenson Theater, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Campus in North Hollywood, CA. Submissions will be evaluated and decided upon by members of the Soc Technical Standards committee. Applications are due no later than Midnight, December 9, 2011. To receive an application for consideration, please contact any of the following: David Emmerichs, Soc; Soc Tech Standards Chair: soctechawards@gmail.com. Past recipients have helped camera operators shoot in every environment, from under the ocean to the surface of the moon. Past awardees include: Arriflex Corporation, Buzz Aldrin and Nasa, Cartoni USA, Chapman Studio Equipment, Cinema Products, Inc. and Garrett Brown,...
- 11/23/2011
- by NIKKI FINKE
- Deadline TV
The Society of Camera Operators invites innovators, businesses, and inventors to submit products and technology that have made a distinct contribution to the art and craft of the camera operator. The awards will be presented by the Soc at the 2012 Society of Camera Operators Lifetime Achievement Awards, on Sunday, February 19th, 2012 at the Leonard Goldenson Theater, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Campus in North Hollywood, CA. Submissions will be evaluated and decided upon by members of the Soc Technical Standards committee. Applications are due no later than Midnight, December 9, 2011. To receive an application for consideration, please contact any of the following: David Emmerichs, Soc; Soc Tech Standards Chair: soctechawards@gmail.com. Past recipients have helped camera operators shoot in every environment, from under the ocean to the surface of the moon. Past awardees include: Arriflex Corporation, Buzz Aldrin and Nasa, Cartoni USA, Chapman Studio Equipment, Cinema Products, Inc. and Garrett Brown,...
- 11/23/2011
- by NIKKI FINKE
- Deadline Hollywood
Ryan Lambie Sep 12, 2016
The Shining's Overlook hotel remains one of the most disturbing locations in horror. Here's its history, and how it tells Kubrick's story...
Cinema is full of set designs so beautiful, you almost wish you they were real. Fritz Lang had vast chunks of city built for Metropolis. Joseph Mankiewicz nearly brought 20th Century Fox to its knees, so huge and sumptuous were his sets for 1963’s Cleopatra.
Thinking back over the course of movie history, how many films can you think of where the set itself is as big a star as the actors that emote within it? In Alien or Blade Runner, perhaps. The impossibly creepy motel and Victorian house of horrors in Psycho, maybe. The set in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, I’d argue, towers over all these.
In no other film has an interior felt so mundane and yet so palpably evil...
The Shining's Overlook hotel remains one of the most disturbing locations in horror. Here's its history, and how it tells Kubrick's story...
Cinema is full of set designs so beautiful, you almost wish you they were real. Fritz Lang had vast chunks of city built for Metropolis. Joseph Mankiewicz nearly brought 20th Century Fox to its knees, so huge and sumptuous were his sets for 1963’s Cleopatra.
Thinking back over the course of movie history, how many films can you think of where the set itself is as big a star as the actors that emote within it? In Alien or Blade Runner, perhaps. The impossibly creepy motel and Victorian house of horrors in Psycho, maybe. The set in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, I’d argue, towers over all these.
In no other film has an interior felt so mundane and yet so palpably evil...
- 11/3/2011
- Den of Geek
The Shining's Overlook hotel remains one of the most disturbing locations in horror. Ryan looks over its history, and how it tells Kubrick's story...
Cinema is full of set designs so beautiful, you almost wish you they were real. Fritz Lang had vast chunks of city built for Metropolis. Joseph Mankiewicz nearly brought 20th Century Fox to its knees, so huge and sumptuous were his sets for 1963’s Cleopatra.
Thinking back over the course of movie history, how many films can you think of where the set itself is as big a star as the actors that emote within it? In Alien or Blade Runner, perhaps. The impossibly creepy motel and Victorian house of horrors in Psycho, maybe. The set in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, I’d argue, towers over all these.
In no other film has an interior felt so mundane and yet so palpably evil – Jack Nicholson...
Cinema is full of set designs so beautiful, you almost wish you they were real. Fritz Lang had vast chunks of city built for Metropolis. Joseph Mankiewicz nearly brought 20th Century Fox to its knees, so huge and sumptuous were his sets for 1963’s Cleopatra.
Thinking back over the course of movie history, how many films can you think of where the set itself is as big a star as the actors that emote within it? In Alien or Blade Runner, perhaps. The impossibly creepy motel and Victorian house of horrors in Psycho, maybe. The set in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, I’d argue, towers over all these.
In no other film has an interior felt so mundane and yet so palpably evil – Jack Nicholson...
- 11/3/2011
- Den of Geek
Seven films by Stanley Kubrick make up this new Blu-ray boxset, two new to the format and each one a challenging and intriguing work of art.
The quality of the films are not in doubt and if you found your way here then there’s a fair chance you know Kubrick’s work so I won’t waste your time on a cursory summary of each, instead I’ll give you an idea of my struggle with the new collection which comprises the later films in the director’s career: A Clockwork Orange, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, Eyes Wide Shut, Full Metal Jacket, Lolita and Barry Lyndon.
It’s been an exhausting week and a half taking in the seven films and as many extras as I could manage; these are not films to have on in the background when other tasks are carried out. They demand (and reward) your complete attention.
The quality of the films are not in doubt and if you found your way here then there’s a fair chance you know Kubrick’s work so I won’t waste your time on a cursory summary of each, instead I’ll give you an idea of my struggle with the new collection which comprises the later films in the director’s career: A Clockwork Orange, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, Eyes Wide Shut, Full Metal Jacket, Lolita and Barry Lyndon.
It’s been an exhausting week and a half taking in the seven films and as many extras as I could manage; these are not films to have on in the background when other tasks are carried out. They demand (and reward) your complete attention.
- 5/27/2011
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Blow Out Directed by: Brian DePalma Written by: Brian DePalma Starring: John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow, Dennis Franz While some might write off Brian DePalma as a poor man's Alfred Hitchcock, I think his obsession with the Master of Suspense has informed his own style, resulting in a body of work that's added to the language of cinema rather than simply repeating it. Blow Out not only indulges in the craft of storytelling but unravels it on-screen, using the power of cinema as a tool to solve a murder. A loose remake of Michaelangelo Antonioni's Blow Up, Blow Out stars John Travolta as a sound recordist working for an exploitation movie studio who's logo -- a bald eagle rested on a ribbon -- is not coincidentally reminiscent of Roger Corman's New World Pictures. The opening few minutes work as a tongue in cheek red herring; a film within...
- 5/10/2011
- by Jay C.
- FilmJunk
DVD Playhouse: May 2011
By
Allen Gardner
Blow Out (Criterion) Brian De Palma’s greatest Hitchcock homage, with a dash of Antonioni thrown in for good measure. John Travolta gives one of his best turns as a sound-effects engineer who unwittingly records a political assassination, then finds himself hunted by a ruthless hitman (John Lithgow, a memorably creepy psycho) after saving the life of the kindly, albeit dim-witted call girl (Nancy Allen, excellent) who was with the deceased. Terrific blend of suspense and very black humor, perhaps De Palma’s finest hour as an auteur. Beautifully shot by Vilmos Zsigmond. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Interviews with De Palma, Allen, cameraman Garrett Brown; Photo gallery; De Palma’s 1967 feature Murder a la Mod; Trailer. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS-hd 2.0 surround.
Kes (Criterion) Ken Loach’s landmark 1970 film is both a heart-rending portrait of adolescence, and a pointed socio-political commentary on life in the North of England.
By
Allen Gardner
Blow Out (Criterion) Brian De Palma’s greatest Hitchcock homage, with a dash of Antonioni thrown in for good measure. John Travolta gives one of his best turns as a sound-effects engineer who unwittingly records a political assassination, then finds himself hunted by a ruthless hitman (John Lithgow, a memorably creepy psycho) after saving the life of the kindly, albeit dim-witted call girl (Nancy Allen, excellent) who was with the deceased. Terrific blend of suspense and very black humor, perhaps De Palma’s finest hour as an auteur. Beautifully shot by Vilmos Zsigmond. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Interviews with De Palma, Allen, cameraman Garrett Brown; Photo gallery; De Palma’s 1967 feature Murder a la Mod; Trailer. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS-hd 2.0 surround.
Kes (Criterion) Ken Loach’s landmark 1970 film is both a heart-rending portrait of adolescence, and a pointed socio-political commentary on life in the North of England.
- 5/9/2011
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Chicago – When Brian De Palma was at his peak in the ’70s and ’80s, he was simply one of the best living directors. Some wanted to write him off as nothing more than an Alfred Hitchcock wannabe, but that was a criticism that I never understood. Yes, he cribbed from arguably the best director of all time. Is that a problem? Watch “Blow Out” in its new Criterion Collection edition and try and complain.
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.5/5.0
“Blow Out” was more directly influenced by Antonioni’s “Blow Up,” but it also clearly has echoes of the man who De Palma was most often accused of being too obviously inspired by in its tale of a man caught up in a deadly situation beyond his control. As sound effects man Jack (John Travolta, giving one of the best performances of his career) stands on that bridge capturing the truth about a car...
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.5/5.0
“Blow Out” was more directly influenced by Antonioni’s “Blow Up,” but it also clearly has echoes of the man who De Palma was most often accused of being too obviously inspired by in its tale of a man caught up in a deadly situation beyond his control. As sound effects man Jack (John Travolta, giving one of the best performances of his career) stands on that bridge capturing the truth about a car...
- 5/2/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Not only is Blow Out Brian De Palma’s best film as a director, it is the finest acting performance in the long career of Saturday Night Fever star John Travolta.
Source: Fango
“In the enthralling Blow Out, brilliantly crafted by Brian De Palma, John Travolta gives one of his greatest performances as Jack, a movie sound-effects man who believes he has accidentally recorded a political assassination. He enlists the help of Sally (Nancy Allen), a possible eyewitness to the crime who may be in danger herself, to uncover the truth. With its jolting stylistic flourishes, intricate plot, profoundly felt characterizations, and gritty evocation of early-1980s Philadelphia, Blow Out is an American paranoia thriller unlike any other, as well as a devilish reflection on the act of moviemaking.”
-New, restored digital transfer, supervised by director Brian De Palma (with DTS-hd Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition)
-New hour-long interview with De Palma,...
Source: Fango
“In the enthralling Blow Out, brilliantly crafted by Brian De Palma, John Travolta gives one of his greatest performances as Jack, a movie sound-effects man who believes he has accidentally recorded a political assassination. He enlists the help of Sally (Nancy Allen), a possible eyewitness to the crime who may be in danger herself, to uncover the truth. With its jolting stylistic flourishes, intricate plot, profoundly felt characterizations, and gritty evocation of early-1980s Philadelphia, Blow Out is an American paranoia thriller unlike any other, as well as a devilish reflection on the act of moviemaking.”
-New, restored digital transfer, supervised by director Brian De Palma (with DTS-hd Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition)
-New hour-long interview with De Palma,...
- 1/14/2011
- by Jason Bene
- Killer Films
Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Stephen King's The Shining (1980) is terrifying for multiple reasons. First and foremost, it deals with two taboos: parricide and filicide. What's terrifying about Jack Torrence (Jack Nicholson) isn't that he's a homicidal maniac; it's that he's a husband and a father who takes that aggression out of his family. In some horror films, such as Halloween (1978), Se7en (1995) or, in the case of Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs (1991), the killer is a homicidal maniac but to the point where he (and sometimes, she) is unable to mask their appetites. While these films are scary in their own way, they also provide a way-out as we, as viewers, can rationalize that "it will never happen to us." Sure, serial killers and masked murderers exist in real life, but they are strangers whose chores thankfully occur few and far between. Yet, this ignores...
- 10/28/2010
- by Drew Morton
Rocky
Times like these, I hate reviewing classic films. What can I add that hasn’t already been said or covered about the 1976 Best Picture winner? Well, other than what film should have won it, but Rocky is a more than worthy candidate for the statue. It sometimes gets criticism for not showing enough of the epic fight at the end, but I feel that’s a brilliant move as we know these men will go the distance. The performances are excellent, the direction is up to par, and the story is a timeless classic. Truthfully, the alternate ending where Rocky throws the fight would have been interesting to see.
9/10
Rocky II
I’d forgotten what a depressing trip this was, which makes Rocky’s eventual win that much sweeter by the end of the film. This marked Sylvester Stallone’s second directorial debut and for the most part he...
Times like these, I hate reviewing classic films. What can I add that hasn’t already been said or covered about the 1976 Best Picture winner? Well, other than what film should have won it, but Rocky is a more than worthy candidate for the statue. It sometimes gets criticism for not showing enough of the epic fight at the end, but I feel that’s a brilliant move as we know these men will go the distance. The performances are excellent, the direction is up to par, and the story is a timeless classic. Truthfully, the alternate ending where Rocky throws the fight would have been interesting to see.
9/10
Rocky II
I’d forgotten what a depressing trip this was, which makes Rocky’s eventual win that much sweeter by the end of the film. This marked Sylvester Stallone’s second directorial debut and for the most part he...
- 11/18/2009
- by Philip Barrett
- ReelLoop.com
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