Honestly, if we are talking about true masterpieces of the genre—and I say this as a genuine sci-fi enthusiast—nothing quite touches the greatness of *The Visitors from Galaxy* (or whatever the exact title was) based on the work by Dušan Vukotić. It’s such a standout piece of American sci-fi history, especially considering it featured a ten-year-old René Bitoraj. Isn't it just incredible when you think about it?
It has been quite some time since I last listened, yet the melodies remain etched vividly in my memory. Ah, yes, if I recall correctly, it was R.A.F.'s revenge!
Life here in the States is quite rewarding. The conditions for filmmaking are truly exceptional, ranging from the availability of high-end equipment to a massive population of film students. There is constant production happening; just this past quarter, there were forty senior thesis projects alone, which means you can gain experience on an incredible number of sets in whatever role you desire. For instance, during the last quarter—from January through March of this year—I served as the Director of Photography on three short films: one shot on 16mm (running about 15-20 minutes), one on Super 16 (about 10 minutes), and one on 35mm (seven minutes). This is despite the fact that I do not consider myself a cinematographer, nor do I intend to pursue it as a lifelong career.
As I previously mentioned, the student body is vast. Of course, this does not imply that everyone is a genius; there are certainly plenty of amateurs and individuals lacking in talent—people whose entire cinematic vocabulary consists solely of *Pulp Fiction* or *Snatch*. However, amidst that large mass of film students, one can still find many highly talented individuals who are a genuine pleasure to work with.
The faculty continues to improve, drawing from a diverse international pool. We have instructors from Turkey, Slovakia, and a Russian professor who teaches screenwriting starting this term 🙂, as well as a visiting professor from Wales and, naturally, Americans. Some professors maintain an avant-garde or experimental approach, though they remain in the minority; others lean toward independent styles or more traditional Hollywood methods. This diversity is quite healthy.
The college also boasts a massive department dedicated to 2D and 3D animation, as well as visual effects and compositing. Consequently, it is remarkably easy to find skilled collaborators to assist with your masterpiece—often at no cost at all.
Since the college is focused on art and design, collaborating with other departments is seamless, though few students actually take advantage of it. One can easily integrate students from graphic design, fashion, photography, or media and performing arts into various aspects of a production.
In Savannah, Georgia, people still get excited when a film crew arrives. Securing location permits is straightforward, and often you don't even have to pay for them. This stands in stark contrast to major metropolises like NY or LA, where students are mostly forced to shoot on public streets or within their own apartments and those of their friends.
Another distinct advantage is that because this is a smaller city, the unions aren't constantly breathing down our necks. In larger hubs, the unions can be quite difficult for students in NY and LA. Did you know that NYU students have to rent all their gear from commercial rental houses? It isn't because NYU lacks the funds to acquire state-of-the-art equipment, but rather because the University is restricted by union regulations.
Regarding equipment, we have access to about forty 16mm cameras—ranging from Bolex and Aaton to Arri SRII—as well as Super 16. We also have three 35mm cameras (two Movietechs and one Arriflex 2C). On the digital side, we have everything from DVCAM and DVC PRO (including several 16x9 units) to high definition. The lighting kits are excellent, and we have Avid Symphony workstations for editing, among other things.
Directly across from the building for the department of Cinema Studies (which was renamed just last week from Film and Video—I honestly have no idea what will be printed on my diploma 😢), there is the Savannah Cinema post. They handle 16mm and 35mm negative development, including standard processes like pushing, pulling, cross-processing, and bleach bypass, as well as Telecine services using a new DaVinci system for color grading.
All in all, we have everything we could possibly need. However, the primary challenge remains the fact that students must personally shoulder the costs of film stock, processing, and transfers.
I would also suggest adding the term "post-rock" to the list. It seems even more scattered and disjointed than "post-modernism" itself... perhaps there is some sort of fatal attraction at play here? (Forgive my heavy-handed use of these fancy terms and my sudden reliance on Anglicisms; one can clearly see the influence of my years spent reading academic journals.)
I recently came across a documentary by a French filmmaker who spent several months embedded within the inner circle of the former regime in Iraq, moving between Saddam and his top officials. For those who might be unfamiliar with the backstory—this director actually gained quite a bit of media attention here in the States just two months ago—he managed to convince the Iraqis to let him film promotional footage highlighting the grandeur of Saddam’s architecture and similar propaganda. This gave him unprecedented access to the archives of CNN, allowing him to uncover footage of the Iraqi president that has truly never been seen by anyone in the West before. The filmmaker barely managed to escape Iraq at the end of his trip because the authorities began to grow suspicious of his presence.
As for the documentary itself, it is frankly quite poor; it was produced with a very amateurish touch. However, can one really pass up the chance to see such rare footage of Saddam swimming or catching him in the middle of telling jokes? It is certainly worth watching for those moments alone.
I was just sitting here watching the behind-the-scenes footage for her latest music video, and I have to say... there is just something about it. Honestly, isn't there something far more captivating about those old clips of Jenny back when she was living in the projects, long before the fame, the wealth, and the perfectly sculpted physique? They were shot on Hi8 video, and man, you really have to see it to believe how much soul those grainy shots had.
On a different note, I happened to pick up some information from some rather reliable sources suggesting that Jenny goes in for an ass waxing once a week.
I find myself wondering if both Rules of Attraction and American Psycho—both penned by Easton Ellis—actually capture the essence of the nineties much more than the eighties. Or perhaps it is merely my own subjective perception of their atmosphere?
Anyway, Arthur Sanchez64, I hope all is well with you..!
The distributors here in the States tried their hardest to market it as some shallow Teen comedy, leaning heavily on sex appeal and those flashy MTV-style promos to sell it... In my estimation, however, the film completely crashed and burned—a genuine shame, if you ask me.
Shannyn Sossamon is absolutely worth seeing $6.75. I am planning to catch the 6:00 screening . On a more serious note... I view Rules of Attraction as a sort of "anti-teen" film, much in the same way that Jim Jarmusch’s Dead Man serves as an "anti-western." Perhaps that comparison is a bit unrefined—it might feel slightly irreverent to group a James Van Der Beek project with a Jarmusch masterpiece—but hear me out! Roger Avary didn't disappoint me at all, considering he was the mind behind Killing Zoe, such a raw and gritty film from about seven or eight years ago. Rules of Attraction possesses that same rawness, yet it feels a bit more coherent and ultimately stands as a very solid adaptation of Easton Ellis. The technical flourishes, such as the reverse filming and the dual-segment shots, are quite clever, even if the film leans into them a little heavily at times. There is one particularly beautiful shot featuring James Van Der Beek and Shannyn Sossamon that begins as a split-screen POV, followed by a ninety-degree camera pan where the two frames seamlessly merge into one.
I haven't had a chance to sit down and watch that piece yet, but if it happens to be effective at curing the nausea I get from my own cooking—because, let’s face it, when you're whipping up lunch by yourself, things can go sideways—then I will certainly give it a look, perhaps even twice. Watching it three times, however, would feel like a blatant political provocation, and frankly, we shouldn't let them bait us like that.
Good grief. I have finished reading through that, shall we say, particular thread. To be perfectly honest, I feel as though I have learned next to nothing about the film itself! However, I must admit that I am quite impressed by how Dante synthesized everything—so much so that I find myself feeling rather inspired to give the movie another viewing... we shall see.
Perhaps I should answer my own question.. And there is one more thing I feel compelled to add. Even if the film didn't fully resonate, I believe certain fragments managed to linger in my mind..
The scene where Leigh's taxi driver borrows money from his daughter carries a profound weight, but there is one specific shot that remains etched in my memory above all others. It might be the most poignant moment in the entire film: when the mother is informed that her son has been hospitalized. The camera remains static, positioned at a distance, observing from afar. She is working as a cashier in some nondescript, nameless supermarket, completely absorbed in the rhythm of her routine—scanning prices and performing the mundane tasks of her job. Then, one of the employees approaches her to deliver the news about her son... that singular instant when she realizes what has actually happened is incredibly powerful. It is quite possibly one of the most masterfully directed sequences I have witnessed in a very long time..
But, in the end... I suppose I simply couldn't connect with All or Nothing..
I honestly can't say. It just didn't resonate with me... It failed to move me in any capacity, and here I am, three days after watching it, struggling to even recall the details—which is a rare occurrence for me. The entire narrative felt incredibly transparent. The music is overwhelming, creating a sense of drama for the sake of drama, without any actual substance to back it up. The lead actor possesses such an inherently expressive presence, which only serves to amplify his performance... As far as the teenagers in the film go, I did find their transformation quite compelling... They evolve from screaming brats—essentially just caricatures—into individuals who end up being far more mature than their own parents. The film handles their development with great skill; their restlessness isn't merely a byproduct of adolescence, but rather a response to genuine, deep-seated frustrations.
Furthermore, the plot remains painfully obvious. That scene where the taxi driver retreats into nature because he’s seemingly fed up with life—well, we understood that motivation from the very opening credits. Leigh makes sure to hammer that point home repeatedly. It feels almost too typical, teetering right on the edge of being a cliché. The final hospital scene suffers from the same predictability. The French woman's character remains a complete mystery to me. She felt entirely superfluous, uninteresting, and once again, quite predictable (granted, she has her own struggles, despite her comfortable lifestyle). It felt like cheap manipulation—using the son's heart attack as a device to force the family together.
Darkness, darkness, and nothing but darkness... is there truly nothing beautiful left in the lives of the working class? Not even a fleeting illusion of beauty? Why didn't the film play with that concept? There must be something that sustains a man like Leigh's taxi driver. That is precisely where the tragedy lies. Perhaps whatever fulfills him is something profoundly modest and simple—just the small things. Such an illusion must exist somewhere in his mind just to allow him to survive day after day. Within the context of his circumstances, that could be a incredibly powerful theme.
Just because someone had the audacity to make a film about ordinary people and wasn't Ken Loach doesn't mean the film is actually good. In my opinion, it is terribly overrated.
One should pay attention to the art direction, though. The way the colors of the furniture, the clothing, and the walls all harmonize is quite impressive. Truly, that is the only thing that will stick in my mind after All or Nothing.
Pontecorvo's Battle of Algiers is the absolute winner here! It remains one of my all-time favorites. Similarly, Wexler's Medium Cool is just magnificent...
If we take a closer look, Y Tu Mamá También serves as much more than a simple coming-of-age story; it explores themes of dying—friendship, love, and literal mortality—while functioning as a political film that manages to remain remarkably subtle...
As for the extent to which Hollywood films are politicized—whether unconsciously, consciously, or through some strange mixture of intention and accident—that is a subject better suited for an entirely different discussion. However, I am suddenly reminded of that rather mediocre film K-19, if I recall correctly (the one featuring the submarine starring Harrison Ford). Perhaps the movie merely reflects its era—a period defined by the looming dread of catastrophe—but I suspect it goes deeper than that. To me, the film tells a story of Russian tragedy! That seems quite unusual for a country like the USA, where Russia was their most cherished adversary until just over a decade ago. Yet, as the USA increasingly attempts to find common ground with Russia, such cinematic experiments no longer come as a surprise to me...
"Three Days of the Condor." Perhaps it doesn't fit the mold of a traditional political drama; it feels more like a high-stakes thriller... could it possibly be superior to anything Pollock has directed? (I wonder if he even worked on this one?)
Has anyone here had the chance to watch "The Quiet American" starring Michael Caine?
I have always held a profound appreciation for political cinema. They are certainly a rare breed, yet when they hit the mark, they possess such a vibrant, pulsing energy! Costa-Gavras's "Z".
One might interpret the intentions behind Dogme 95 in two distinct ways, both of which hold significant merit:
1. We could view it as blatant propaganda. It feels like a clever blend of strategic marketing paired with certain "artsy" exaggerations—after all, if the artist doesn't sign their name, how are we supposed to know it was you, Lars? This reliance on Hand-held camerawork and a quasi-documentary style has been a staple since the era of Direct Cinema and Cinéma Vérité, and it has almost always been tethered to the most elitist forms of filmmaking under the guise of "seeking the truth." A raw, uncompromising manifesto naturally attracts an audience, particularly those aspiring intellectuals who wish to be seen as such. Regardless of whether individual films are officially signed, they are universally recognized as the work of the Dogme 95 group, which serves as perhaps the most effective way to promote a collective of authors as a singular, iconic entity.
2. If we set aside the question of propaganda (for one must sell a film somehow if anyone is ever meant to watch it, right?), perhaps we are actually looking at internal guidelines designed to facilitate simpler, more cost-effective filmmaking with smaller crews. In fact, this echoes one of the core tenets of the French New Wave's auteur theory, though it is frequently misunderstood. It acts as a safeguard against falling into the trap of over-reliance on new technology, encouraging a focus on the story and the performances. When you strip a screenplay of all the trivialities used to mask narrative flaws, you are forced to confront the actual quality of the material. If one commits to such demanding parameters from the very beginning, then every ounce of concentration is directed solely toward the story, the acting, and the essential elements that form the backbone of a truly great script.