Opening Acts highlights the best pieces of writing on film, television, and literature published around the Internet. Please share if you like what you see.
For your reading enjoyment …
Hey Bro, Let It Go: How The Frat Pack Fell Apart, by Benjamin Lee. Lee writes about how the kings of modern comedy have fallen by the wayside.
“Ben Stiller wisely chased those who now only went to the movies with their kids, with family-friendly franchises such as Madagascar and Night at the Museum. When he aimed his laughs at those nearer his own age (remember Tower Heist?) the response was much more muted.”
Riley Stearns On Diverting Expectations With Faults,by Tasha Robinson. Robinson interviews the director on his debut feature.
“I still see the entire film as a comedy. I think it varies in levels. It starts more on the comedic side, and as it goes along, it gets a little darker, but I think there’s always an underlying sense of humor, and I didn’t want to lose that.”
The Complete Guide To Adam Sandler’s Acting, by Bilge Ebiri. Ebiri compiles GIFs from across Sandler’s career to show the best of the actor.
“Over the course of his career, he’s managed to convey a surprising degree of emotions with the limited tools at his disposal. How does he do what he does?”
It Follows And The Suburban Sprawl, by Josh Oakley. Oakley discusses the horror film’s landscape and compares it to common perceptions.
“Somehow, Mitchell also manages to shrug off any cynicism about suburbia, one instilled in the collective consciousness by countless heavy-handed dramas. The area offers plenty to like from the comfort of familiarity to close friends who always stand up for one another. That element is fairly revelatory in the horror genre.”
Taking The Outback To The Cinema, by Sarah Ward. Ward writes about the impact Outback mining town Broken Hill still has in Australia’s film industry.
“A specific vision of the Australian outback is etched into the minds of moviegoers worldwide, one dry, desolate, harsh and unforgiving. Red desert landscapes stretch as far as the eye can see, without water or greenery in sight.”
