After viewing the recent crop of movies (specifically, The Master, Cloud Atlas, Anna Karenina, Life of Pi, Silver Linings Playbook, and Holy Motors), film critics, Manohla Dargis and A.O. Scott discuss the recent trend of these movies and others like it that dispense with traditional Hollywood narrative conventions of familiar plots and established genres to attempt a more interesting and personal kind of storytelling.
Each year we review movies that teasingly or didactically, successfully
or not, dispatch with either the whole or part of the mainstream
storytelling playbook: they don’t seem to have three (or four)
well-defined acts or characters who seem particularly motivated. They
(movies and characters both) drift along rather than shift into drive;
in other words, they look a lot or a little bit like art films. This
fall, though, within a couple of months, there have been more than a few
such movies — some released by small companies like IFC Films and
others by big studios like Warner Brothers — that, in different ways,
appear to aspire more to the art house than the multiplex. I don’t think
we are witnessing the emergence of a lasting break with the old,
durable Hollywood ways, but we are seeing an exciting level of
playfulness.
The critics are happy to see this kind of "playfulness" happening in Hollywood even if it isn't always successful.
If you went to film school, you more than likely read David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson's textbook, Film Art: An Introduction, in your Film 101 class. Through blogging, essay writing, researching, visiting festivals, reviewing films, teaching class and holding lectures and discussions, they have dedicated their lives to advocating for cinema as an artform. And if you visit their blog and read their usually lengthy entries, you can see that they not only know their stuff but they still enjoy watching films. You'd think people who have watched so much might be jaded by now but Mr. Bordwell and Ms. Thompson are still fighting the good fight.
Film Art now comes packaged with videos on directorial techniques and film clips thanks to David, Kristin, Criterion Classics and Janus Films. Unfortunately, you have to buy the book or be a student to watch them. Fortunately, David has heard our praise (and our cries) and is offering new videos for the mass public. Below is the first one on constructive editing, well worth the time.
Hopefully, there will be more.
Here's the video for "Lights Out" from Menahan Street Band composed of members from The Dap-Kings, Antibalas, Budos Band and The Expressions.
http://menahanstreetband.com/
http://www.facebook.com/MenahanStreetBand
http://twitter.com/MenahanStBand
A favorite latest from my favorite youtube music video channel, Noisey:
Here's the video for "Nightingale" from about-to-blow-up London quartet Clean Bandit. Fusing classical, electronica and hip-hop beats, and calling on an array of vocal collaborators, this catchy little track is unlike anything you'll hear today.
Video directed and made by Clean Bandit (Clean Film), with additional camera work from Ben Millar Cole and stunt driving from Ruth Chatto.
"Luke had to learn the drum beat backwards and half-speed to film this. At the end, he is surrounded by Kandaka (singer of A&E) and two of her brothers, dancing. We filled the birds (Christmas decorations) with gunpowder emptied from fireworks and set them alight. Nikki, our singer (Nightingale, A&E), is very good at riding a bike with no hands. Filmed in and around South Kilburn Studios, where the song was written and recorded too."
Pre-order Clean Bandit's first EP, 'A&E' here: http://bit.ly/WaWldU
Thanks!
http://cleanbandit.com/
https://www.facebook.com/cleanbandit
https://twitter.com/cleanbandit
Part of keeping up with your fight game, besides training and working out is watching videos; they're entertaining and instructive. Today I present top submissions.
No. 2 is my favorite.
This video (Best Submissions by Technique) is worth watching all the way through even if the quality of some clips is old or low-res. Kick ass job compiling this, ix3623.
And cuz it never gets old, here's one more list...
