Every day, 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 …
David Cronenberg Says Rotten Tomatoes Is Wrecking Film Criticism by Annalee Newitz. Annalee Newitz reflects upon the famous director’s words regarding contemporary film site’s aggregate-opinion format diminishing the role of reasoned, informed film criticism.
A movie critic’s job is to offer informed analysis of a film, based on an understanding of the medium’s history as a popular art form. Usually this involves judging whether the movie succeeds in a number of ways, from storytelling and acting to sheer aesthetic beauty. A good critic usually has a nuanced enough view of a movie that it might be hard to reduce the entire thing to “thumbs up” or “thumbs down.
Celebrate Nicolas Cage’s 51st Birthday With His 51 Looniest Out-of-Context Dialogue Quotes by Jason Bailey. Jason rummages through the eclectic filmography of Nic Cage and finds the most amusing moments from his career.
Time to unleash the bees, chew the cockroaches, cut the chitchat, and throw on the jacket that symbolizes your individuality and belief in human freedom: it’s Nicolas Cage’s birthday. It’s hard to know how to properly celebrate the Cage-ster’s 51st, since he means so many things to so many people: peculiar hair, bizarre acting choices, inexplicable project selection (seriously, this filmography is full of low-rent movies you’ve never even heard of). But when we think of Nicolas Cage, we think of him as a master of the non sequitur. Like Christopher Walken before him, Mr. Cage gravitates towards characters who mouth odd, left-field dialogue, rendered all the more befuddling by Cage’s… distinctive line readings.
Geena Davis Launches Film Festival to Boost Female Filmmakers, With Help From Natalie Portman and Shailene Woodley by Charlotte Alter. Charlotte Alter covers this fortuitous opportunity for aspiring female directors.
Geena Davis is starting the Bentonville Film Festival, a festival designed to promote women and minority filmmakers that will be the only competition in the world to guarantee theatrical distribution for the winners.
David Cross’ new movie will be the first feature film distributed in a BitTorrent Bundle by Jacob Kastrenakes. Jacob Kastrenakes reports upon the comedian’s innovative strategy to get new film to directly to fans.
David Cross brought his first feature film to Sundance last year, but rather than selling it to a distributor and having them release it, he’s decided to bring it straight to fans in two different ways.
Film Review: ‘American Sniper’ is quintessential Clint Eastwood by Jake Coyle. Jake Coyle describes why the veteran director’s new film is a prime example of his aesthetic.
Eastwood has, of course, long been drawn to stories about violence — necessary if regrettable — in meting out justice and the cost to those that carry its heavy burden. The question is if the mythical rending of “American Sniper” fits its more complex basis of reality.
Video of the Day: The LEGO Movie — Creating the Bricks
