Featured Articles
Alfred Hitchcock: The Master of Suspense
Alfred Hitchcock is one of the best directors of all time, known for his films that revolutionized the suspense-thriller genre. Truly the "Master of Suspense," most of his films revolved around murder and mystery, with witty dialogues and intelligent plots. Despite his mastery of filmmaking, he never won an Oscar for his work. Rebecca won Best Picture but not Best Director for Hitchcock.... [Read More]
Producing Francis Ford Coppola The Godfather
Francis Ford Coppola's 1972 film The Godfather is based on Mario Puzo's 1969 novel of the same title. A true cinematic epic, the film is widely considered as one of the best films of the 20th century. It spawned two successful sequels: The Godfather Part II (1974) and The Godfather Part III (1990). From its top-rate cast to compelling story, The Godfather is definitely a triumph for Coppola. The m... [Read More]
Quentin Tarantino, Distinctive and Volatile Talent
Think of blood and gore alongside Hollywood and that geeky hipster and motor-mouthed Quentin Tarantino comes into mind. An edgy film director, actor, Oscar-winning screen writer, Tarantino became a household name in the mid-1990s with his nontraditional storylines, campy-ish but edgy dialogues, and stylized violence. His films such as "Pulp Fiction", "Jackie Brown", and "K... [Read More]
Steven Spielberg, Best All-Around Director
Steven Spielberg is one of the most successful directors in Hollywood, having made critically-acclaimed films with box-office appeal. Many of his films such as "Jaws", "Indiana Jones", "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial", and "Jurassic Park" have become part of the American pop culture. His serious and political films like "The Color Purple", "Empir... [Read More]
Oliver Stone, Controversial Director
Oliver Stone is without a doubt one of the most controversial Hollywood directors. His films are exceptional in terms of how he handles his subject matter and the degree of controversy caused by his approach to filmmaking. A quick look at his filmography as a writer and director shows that Stone is into films that comment on socio-political issues America faces. Some of his films that have the Ame... [Read More]
Hayao Miyazaki - The God of Anime
Calling someone a god may seem like the height of folly for some fans but there can be no doubt that for anime there is only one god and that is Hayao Miyazaki. Miyazaki is the creator of many popular anime feature films, as well as manga. Although largely unknown in the West outside of animation circles until Miramax released his film Princess Mononoke in 1999, his films have enjoyed commercial a... [Read More]
Standing Still - The Films of Wong Kar Wai
A handsome young man named Yuddy (Leslie Cheung) stops by a stadium concession stand to buy a soft drink. He approaches the shy, beautiful store attendant and catches her attention by correctly guessing her name as Su Lizhen (Maggie Cheung), and confidently predicts that she will see him in her dreams. One afternoon, he asks her to look at his wristwatch, and after a minute passes, explains that h... [Read More]
Federico Fellini - Reality and Dreaming
8 1/2 weaves fluidly through the visually intoxicating landscape of Federico Fellini's subconscious, seemingly to seek inspiration and validation for his life and work. In an opening scene that symbolizes much of Fellini's films, a suffocating man, trapped inside his car, inexplicably begins to float into the skies, only to be abruptly tugged back to the ground. But it is also an indelible i... [Read More]
The Wonderful World of Tim Burton
Few directors in mainstream Hollywood have managed to keep their own unique vision and still find regular work. For a dream factory the Hollywood way of making movies has always adhered to the tried and tested method of drawing in the crowd. Yet for filmmaker Tim Burton the tried and tested way has never held any hold on him. Tim Burton wasn't the child that everyone thought would become a Hollywo... [Read More]
Jan Svankmajer - The Conspiracy of Madness
Jan Svankmajer’s mind is something that you wouldn’t want to peek in. There are giant carnivorous tree creatures, men with fetishes for objects with rough surfaces and women with a thing for carps. Watching the Czech surrealist’s films there is a question that keeps ringing in our ears: is there a method to Svankmajer’s madness? With his sometimes sadistic, oftentimes weird... [Read More]