Category: guide to cinema
A guide to cinema – animation
| March 11, 2012 | Posted by Sep Gohardani under guide to cinema |
Animations have to be treated with caution. Too often they are a nice little medium to broadcast sentimentality and threadbare storyline, drawing the occasional sympathetic, shallow tear. Admittedly, the target audience of a large majority of this genre’s films is children, but I am adamant that you can make films that have value for all ages, or at least make it enjoyable for the adults forced to sit through these things. Maybe these films have their place, but they won’t feature here. Instead, we get the following: 5. Fantastic Mr Fox (2009) (Dir. Wes Anderson, Starring: George Clooney; Meryl Streep; Jason Schwartzman; Eric Chase Anderson; Bill Murray; Michael Gambon; Owen Wilson, Certificate PG) Bringing stop-motion back, Wes Anderson’s adaptation of the… more
A guide to cinema – science fiction
| February 17, 2012 | Posted by Sep Gohardani under guide to cinema |
As a genre, science fiction gives the prospective film-maker the opportunity to experiment with themes that might not be as accessible in other genres. Sure enough, most of the best sci-fi films are heavily philosophical, and use the pseudo-science as a medium to bring to light many of the most important philosophical questions. Others provide a fantastic social commentary and warn us of the future of humanity, so it isn’t all hovercrafts and aliens. Not quite. 5. Blade Runner (1982) (Dir. Ridley Scott, Starring: Harrison Ford; Rutger Hauer; Sean Young; Daryl Hannah; Edward James Olmos, Certificate 15) A film that Ridley Scott has never quite managed to equal, Blade Runner, based on the Philip K. Dick novel Do Androids Dream… more
A guide to cinema – war
| February 10, 2012 | Posted by Sep Gohardani under guide to cinema |
As a genre, war has unmistakeably produced some of the best films ever to have graced cinema, but it is also a genre prone to cliché and, at times, a lack of originality (Pearl Harbor, anyone?) It has, however, produced a large number of good quality films that give an insight in to how it was and is both for soldiers and civilians in times of war. As a result this selection proved a lot more difficult than the previous two with a lot of my favourite films being encapsulated here. I have, after much deliberation, picked my favourite five and I will be mentioning a couple more at the end. Now, without further ado: 5. The Pianist (2002) (Dir. Roman… more
A guide to cinema – horror
| February 3, 2012 | Posted by Sep Gohardani under guide to cinema |
The horror genre, like the western, is prone to such systematic following of convention that a large majority of them can be called bland and, most importantly, not scary. In modern times, ‘horror’ films have largely become associated with relentless blood and gore, most of which just serve to sicken the viewer rather than provide the frights that most viewers are looking for (I refer you to The Human Centipede as an example. Such clever storytelling). Sifting is once more required, and as the vast expanse of sludge disappears into the metaphorical sink, a nugget or two of gold remains. I’ve done my best to find a few, and here they are. 5. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) (Dir. Tobe Hooper, Starring: Marilyn… more
A guide to cinema – the western
| January 27, 2012 | Posted by Sep Gohardani under guide to cinema |
The large majority of westerns are unoriginal, simply recycling the formulae of their equally dismal predecessors, but within the sea of corny cowboy remakes there is the odd gem. In the first part of my new series, A Guide to Cinema, I will look at my five favourite westerns and detail exactly why you should watch each one. So without further ado… 5. True Grit (2011) (Dir. Joel and Ethan Coen, Starring: Jeff Bridges; Matt Damon; Hailee Steinfeld, Certificate 15) This film makes the Coen Brothers look like they’ve been major players in the western genre for a long time, but in actual fact this is only their first western. Nevertheless it’s just as fantastically made as any of their previous films, complete… more
