8 years ago
Lists (10 posts found)
Settling the Score: The Music of Michael Mann
A film’s score can make or break that film. In instances like Drive or the recent Foxcatcher where less emphasis is placed on dialogue and the audience’s attention is drawn to the silence between characters, the ambience the soundtrack curates as an experience...
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Crybercrimes and Misdemeanors: The Best Hacker Films
Hackers, as Hollywood has proven over the years, make for very interesting subjects in film. Stereotypically young and anarchic in nature, it was conceptually easy to fabricate a world full of teenage cyber terrorists fighting against rogue capitalists or gove...
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Under the Box: 4 Great Home Releases of David Fincher’s Films
Today sees the home release of Gone Girl on DVD and Blu-ray. I’m excited to check out the Blu-ray release of the film as it will come with a small “Amazing Amy” book, as well as a commentary track from director David Fincher. As far as special features go, tha...
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Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Posters of Michael Mann
It doesn’t take an in-depth analysis of his films to figure out which themes Michael Mann has devoted his whole career to. He keeps his film titles simple, precise, usually one or two words: Thief, Manhunter, Heat, Collateral. Most of his posters feature men p...
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The Michael Mann Guide to Crime
If the work of Michael Mann can be identified by anything it's a meticulousness and almost obsessive pursuit for authenticity. In a filmmaking resume that has often forayed into the world of professional criminals he's inadvertently provided some stellar advic...
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Consider the Starman: 5 Cinematic Moments of David Bowie Fueled Awesomeness
One of the most powerful elements a film can employ is music. A strong soundtrack creates tone, stirs up atmosphere, and reflects the film’s material. Most brilliant directors have a keen ear for what music will compliment and fuel the aesthetic of a cinematic...
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Paternal Instincts: 5 “Dad Action” Films That Came in the Wake of “Taken”
When Taken made Liam Neeson a bankable action star at the prime age of 56, it not only reinvigorated the geriaction genre, but also sparked a new trend of action films that I’m going to dub “dad action.” All these films revolve around dads who can kick ass, bu...
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I Will Find You, and I Will Mock You: The Best “Taken” Parodies
Liam Neeson shoots, karate chops, and broods his way back into the hearts of moviegoers everywhere on Friday, January 9th. Yes, folks, we are but mere hours away from the release of Taken 3 (originally Tak3n, changed for those confused by the use of a "3" in l...
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(Special S)Kill List: 5 Films to Watch If You Like “Taken”
This Friday, Liam Neeson once again gears up as the former government operative turned rogue vengeance seeker Bryan Mills in the third installment of the Luc-Besson-penned action franchise Taken. Like the first two films, Taken 3 brings Mills out of retiremen...
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To Half and Half Not: The Films to Remember from 2010 – 2014
The end of the year is, undoubtedly, a time of reflection: what we’ve experienced, what we’ve learned, how many resolutions we broke and what we’re going to do to rectify that, etc. It is also the time of lists. Lists, lists, lists. The internet in mid to late...
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