15 Masterpieces of Alfred Hitchcock Every Film Fan Should See During his lifetime, Alfred Hitchcock was thought of as a master showman who kept his audiences entertained with suspenseful movies and quirky TV shows. Since his death in 1980, Hitchcock’s legacy has been reappraised by both scholars and the general public, and he is now thought of as one of the most significant – if not THE most significant – filmmaker of the 20th century. Blending humor, suspense and drama with a genuine understanding of the foibles of the human condition, Hitchcock’s films have continued to rank higher and higher on the list of most critics and filmmakers, culminating with Vertigo’s selection in 2012 as the #1 film of all time in the Sight and Sound Critic’s Poll. These then are the 15 essential films that anyone must see in order to begin to understand Hitchcock’s work and complex filmmaking technique. His career was divided into two distinct periods, the British (pre 1940) and American films, and this list is made up primarily of the American films. 15. 14. 13. 12.
2014: A new sound for cinema Each loudspeaker has its own unique feed, enabling many new front, surround, and even ceiling-mounted channels for the precise panning of select sounds – such as a helicopter or rain. The animated feature "Brave" was the first film to use Atmos in 2012, and more recent examples include "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug," "Gravity" and "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." In total, over 85 features mixed with Dolby Atmos have been released or announced for release in 2014, and there are around 300 cinemas worldwide capable of rendering Atmos sound. "What we felt the industry wanted was more control over where sound is placed in the auditorium. These 'objects' are layered on top of the more traditional sound 'beds', used in standard 5.1 or 7.1 cinemas, to create an intricate soundscape. Glenn Freemantle, sound designer for box office hit Gravity, said that even in the early stages of production, Gravity had Dolby Atmos written all over it.
Couple Recreates Classic Movie Scenes With Cardboard And Their Baby [14 Pics] Lilly, Leon, and their baby Orson enjoy making “homemade creations of some of your favorite movie scenes built from some of our favorite domestic junk.” Here are some examples from their “Cardboard Box Office“… The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou Star Wars IV: A New Hope The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Die Hard Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom Pirates of The Caribbean Back To The Future Home Alone Cast Away The Terminator 2: Judgement Day Alien Jurassic Park Apollo 13 Jaws The 20 Best Neo-Noir Films Of The 1970s Film critics, film writers and ardent fans are bound to disagree as to what films should be classified as being part of a particular genre. Arguments over what films should be called horror films or suspense thrillers are commonplace as are disputes over what films should fall into the category of film noir. Naturally these disputes extend to films in the modern film noir or neo-noir classification. In selecting the best neo-noir films from the very fertile and revered years of the 1970s, We picked the finest crime films that share the same grim preoccupations and the same dark heart found in classic film noir pictures of the 1940s and 1950s such as Jacques Tourneur’s Out of the Past, John Huston’s The Asphalt Jungle and Robert Aldrich’s Kiss Me Deadly to name just a few. As is the nature of genre labeling, it should be noted that a number of films mentioned in this article could also be classified in other genres such as heist film or suspense thriller of moral confrontation. 1. 2. 3.
The Spielberg Oner: How Spielberg Uses "Wallflower" Long Takes in His Films I wasn’t planning to come back that quickly with an article about Long Takes, but Tony Zhou just shared a smartly made and informative video demonstrating how Steven Spielberg uses Oners (long takes of around one minute) without his audience noticing, all the while moving his story forward. Here is what Zhou says : One overlooked aspect of Spielberg is that he’s actually a stealth master of the long take. From Duel to Tintin, for forty years, he has sneakily filmed many scenes in a single continuous shot. Long takes bring a feeling of wonder and tend to grab the viewer, but what I thought was interesting here was to see how low-key Spielberg’s long take are and yet, how creatively he used them, including several shots in one take in Raiders of the Lost Ark, or using a movie truck instead of moving the camera in Jaws etc. The Spielberg Oner – Eight Lengthy Examples from Tony Zhou on Vimeo. The Spielberg Oner – Twelve Quick Examples from Tony Zhou on Vimeo. [thanks to Gary King] Related
24 Short Films Of Famous Directors You Can Watch On Youtube Every director needs to start somewhere. You don’t start your career with a mega-hit but work up to it. Despite having some big name films to their credit, these famous directors were still nobody when they made the short films presented here. It’s interesting to watch the very first films made by these great directors. Because all of these films were made as very low budget films, some were even made when they were film school students, the video quality of some shorts are very poor. 24. We will never see this movie in it’s full glory. This is a Tarantino movie alright. 23. Robert Rodriguez is largely known for the story behind his first movie (El Mariachi), but before he broke in, he was a feverish auteur of small comedies mostly featuring his family (they’re cheap and available, you see). Bedhead follows his daughter, Rebecca, who sustains a head injury while trying to take revenge on cheeky brother David for vandalising her doll. 22. 21. 20. 19. 18. 17. Pages: 1 2 3
15 Great Films With Distinctive Visual Style Style in cinema can be the ultimate creative expression. Every great film has a distinct style, and many times the most memorable movies are those that give the viewer an experience that let them see and feel things they couldn’t normally do. Whether it be an action scene that simultaneously breaks the laws of physics and inspires a true “wow” out of the audience, or a love story with a real sense for expressive visuals – stylistic touches in film can elevate material and garner attention towards unique filmmakers. Every auteur to step behind the camera has looked at their story in a different and unique perspective, and the ones that translate that perspective to their storytelling and visual methods are the ones that leave a true mark. Sometimes, style can overwhelms substance, and the film becomes emotionally vapid, but when balanced right, the two can create a sensational, wonderful and unstoppable force. 15. 14. Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman is all about style. 13. 12. 11. 10. 9.
The Secrets Behind 44 Classic Cinema Sound Effects, Feature | Movies - Empire The art of sound began in 1927, when Universal employee Jack Foley helped turn the film studio’s "silent” Show Boat into a full-on musical extravaganza. Because microphones could only pick up on dialogue, Foley had to add in the other sounds later. He projected the film onto a screen and recorded the footsteps, the movement, the props – all in one track. He walked with a cane to create the footsteps of three people. He acted out the film, all over again. As it turned out, Foley gave his name to an industry of post-production sound design, where aural artists “footstep” every character just as Jack did (utilising wardrobes full of shoes). “Foley is an interesting world,” actor Toby Jones mused, coming off his character’s own off-kilter audio post-production experience on Berberian Sound Studio. Berberian Sound Studio (2012) Effect needed: Melon smashingActual sound: Wet cloth and bits of woodSource: Spoiler Alert Radio listen to ‘01 Berberian Sound Studio - Melon Smashing’ on audioBoom
24 Mind-Bending Movies That Will Melt Your Brain Movies are meant to entertain. You pay $8 for the opportunity to tune out the real world and escape your droll existence with 24 frames of colorful adventure per second. Though I occasionally enjoy turning my brain off while watching movies like Transformers or Predators for sheer thrills, these films aren’t the reason why I fell in love with cinema. On the contrary, the most fun that I’ve ever had at the movies has been when I’ve been challenged by the material and required to question the characters, their motives and the narrative itself. Here are 24 mind-boggling movies that made us think hard. 24. The Movie: So, one minute you’re flying missions in Afghanistan, the next you’re in some other guy’s body on a commuter train that’s about to explode. Mind-bending Moment: After all this, Captain Colter is informed that even if he stops the bomber, everybody on board still dies. 23. 22. 21. 20. 19. Pages: 1 2 3 4
10 Great 2015 Movies That Won’t Get Nominated For The Academy Awards Every year, a bunch of truly great films fly way under the Academy’s radar, so it’s about time we start making our own lists of movies that were worth our time in 2015. This year was especially good for independent and genre pieces, so the number of possible (and certain) snubs in the Oscar ballot is even higher. These are all unique films, driven by their authors’ quirky vision of a theme, a trope or a genre – and watching them is an experience no one should miss, especially not because the smug voters of the Academy can’t recognize them. 10. Slow West (John Maclean, 2015) John Maclean’s very peculiar western made waves in the indie festival circuit on the beginning of last year, and for good reason. The story follows Jay Cavendish (Kodi Smit-McPhee, the absolute stand-out in a cast stacked with great actors), a British boy looking for his beloved in the vast deserts of the American West. 9. 8. 7. 6. Pages: 1 2