The devil’s in the details. Short essays on small elements in films that make a big impressions.
The following contains significant plot spoilers for the movie. The link between rain and catharsis is a staple of cinematic storytelling, often representative of a release of tension, a moment of acceptance, or some other instance of resolution. From Rutger Hauer musing on memories like "tears in rain" as his Roy Batty shuts down at … Continue reading Minutiae: The Rain Dance in Kotoko
There are a handful of directors who compete, in my mind, for all-time greatest. Kelly Reichardt, David Lynch, Yasujiro Ozu, Abbas Kiarostami... Abbas Kiarostami. The late Iranian master who, between 1987 and 1994, directed three interconnected films that came to be known as The Koker Trilogy (a moniker he allowed but didn't coin). The three … Continue reading Minutiae: The Zig-Zag Path in The Koker Trilogy
This week sees the UK blessed with a bluray release of Samuel Fuller' 1964 film The Naked Kiss, added to the Criterion Collection's slowly growing roster on this side of the Atlantic. It's a most welcome opportunity to rediscover one of the more outrageous and sensational films in the director's canon. While not my personal … Continue reading Minutiae: The Opening Scene of The Naked Kiss
As a new generation of filmmakers - particularly horror filmmakers - emerges in the states, John Carpenter's influence continues to grow more and more significant. Not only are modern directors eager to try to reproduce the suspense and terse unease of Carpenter's signature pictures, but they are also heavily influenced by the threadbare synth scores … Continue reading Minutiae: The Silence in The Fog
It's pretty much a note of permanent record on this little site of mine that, in spite of the blog's ill-thought-out name, my favourite David Lynch film (and favourite film of all time) is Mulholland Drive. It's the film that got my obsessing over film. It changed my perspective. Obsession is accurate, as every little detail … Continue reading Minutiae: The Use of Coca-Cola in Mulholland Drive
Josh and Benny Safdie's Heaven Knows What didn't make much noise when it landed in the UK. Indeed, none of the duo's films quite managed to break into public consciousness until Robert Pattinson starred for them in 2017's Good Time, and even then the fanfare generally remained squarely within the cinephile community waiting to embrace it. That's … Continue reading Minutiae: The Kubrickian Cut in Heaven Knows What
This week Ennio Morricone was reported to have taken potshots at Quentin Tarantino in an interview with claims that he called the director a 'cretin' whose movies are 'trash'; something Morricone has since vehemently denied. Whether he did or not, it seemed like a viable time to take a look back at my favourite moment … Continue reading Minutiae: The Smile in Death Proof
Today I saw Ridley Scott's Alien on the big screen for the first time. I've seen it countless times before, but this was the first as it's supposed to be seen, making the screening a small personal landmark for me. It's one of my all time favourite films. That it was the theatrical cut pleased me … Continue reading Minutiae: The Curled Collars of Alien
