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Hitchcock again: 3.9 steps to s-u-s-p-e-n-s-e
Henry Edwards; Alfred Hitchcock. DB here: My previous entry reminded you that Hitchcock was notorious for distinguishing between suspense and surprise. To achieve suspense, he maintained, the...
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An evening with Mr. Smith
Dad’s Stick (John Smith, 2012). DB here, from London: Last week we held another annual meeting of the Society for Cognitive Studies of the Moving Image. I think it’s safe to say that a hell of a time...
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Il Cinema Ritrovato: The advantages of leaving home
Kristin here- David and I are in Bologna for Il Cinema Ritrovato. Once again there is an overwhelming choice of films on offer, demanding a patient acceptance of the fact that one cannot possibly see...
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Wisconsin Film Festival: Cutting to the chase, and away from it
Nocturama (2016). DB here: Despite my recent jab at D. W. Griffith, I gladly give him credit for making crosscutting a central technique of narrative cinema. Using editing to switch our attention from...
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One last big job: How heist movies tell their stories
The Underneath (1995). DB here: The announcement of Ocean’s Eight (premiering, when else?, on 8 June next year) reminded me of the staying power of the heist genre, also known as the big-caper film. I...
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Catching up with the past: Recent DVD and Blu-ray releases
Behind the Door (1919). Kristin here: David and I have moved house recently, which has caused a long lag in my getting around to doing a DVD/Blu-ray roundup of recent releases. Some are not so recent...
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Venice 2018: Big films on the big screen
Roma (2018) Kristin here: The Venice International Film Festival has a way of making the time fly–despite the occasional feeling when standing in line for a film that the doors will never open. It...
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Balancing three protagonists in THE FAVOURITE
Kristin here: Given the current year-round feverish speculation about the Oscars, it was perhaps inevitable that the campaign for performer-awards nominees for the three leading ladies of The...
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Vancouver 2019: Happy endings, art-film style
Tehran: City of Love (2018). Kristin here: The Vancouver International Film Festival has several strong threads running through it: world art cinema, documentaries, Canadian cinema, and films about...
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Vancouver 2019: Tales of oppression and resistance
Bacurau (2019). Kristin here: Examinations of social problems and portrayals of downtrodden people are fertile ground for makers of art cinema. This year’s festival saw many films from around the...
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