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 …
5 Stories You Didn’t Know About Fargo, As Told By The Movie’s Main Villain, by Todd Van Luling. Luling reveals unknown facts about Fargo.
“It has been debated as to whether “Fargo” is actually based on a true story, as the opening sequence claims. The conventional wisdom is that the story was made up by the Coen brothers…”
China’s film industry and its Bollywood future, by Ben Simpfendorfer. Simpfendorfer looks at film’s business end and how China can learn from India.
“There’s a crucial difference between the two markets. India’s film industry is highly fragmented and tailored to local markets – Hindi-language Bollywood films account for less than half the total market.”
Irresistible TV, but Durst Film Tests Ethics, Too, by Jonathan Mahler. Mahler discusses the ethical situation around Durst’s crimes and the filming of the HBO series.
“When had the filmmakers shared their most incriminating discoveries with law enforcement officials? Had justice been delayed — and a suspected murderer allowed to remain free — for the sake of their story?”
Fragmentation games: the return of the portmanteau film, by Nicholas Barber. Barber writes about the success of Wild Tales and a revived love of short stories.
“If you don’t happen to enjoy one particular section, you know another will be along in a minute. The only trouble is that there aren’t enough portmanteaux being made.”
Maika Monroe, of The Guest and It Follows, is horror’s new Scream Queen, by Kristen Yoonsoo Kim. Kim makes a call that Monroe is hitting all the right notes.
“If Maika Monroe’s name bears a resemblance to a famous Hollywood starlet of the past, then her blonde locks and natural beauty should really help to drive that point home. Play her cards a certain way and this newcomer could easily turn herself into a classic Tippi Hedren type.”
