This is a Spinal Readjustment
I have been so consumed with my film project lately that I have only been watching films where the tone seems to resonate somehow with my vision. This is good, in that it helps me clarify how I want my film to look and feel, yet I'm also aware that this process could be problematic: it could engender a susceptibility towards emulation rather than an original vision arising out of, but not constrained by, an awareness of a broad range of techniques and styles in practice. (Woah, why have I suddenly switched into formal, uni writing mode - also known as 'wank'?)
Anyhoo, I don't want my work to be derivative or mannered or become driven by artifice rather than heart, so I recently determined to watch films belonging to genres which are quite removed from the one to which my film belongs. This is an attempt to hopefully cleanse my film palette a bit and to save myself from the trap of being constrained by a certain style or way of doing things.
So recently I have watched:
Mississippi Burning -An amazing film based on the 1964 murder of three civil rights activists in the U.S. At the core of this crime drama are two F.B.I agents, one from the North and one from the South, who go to the small segregationist town where the murders took place and attempt to untangle the mystery and entrap its perpetrators. In order to do this, they have to go up against a community burning with corruption and hatred. The film stars Gene Hackman, Willem Dafoe and Frances McDormand (I love Frances McDormand. She is also in some of my other favourite films: Laurel Canyon, Almost Famous and Fargo)
Glory - An historical war movie set during the American Civil War and based on the true story of one of the first black volunteer infantries to be assembled by the Northern Union. The film is based on the letters of Captain Robert Gould Shaw who commanded the 54th battalion. The performances are brilliant, especially Denzel Washington's, which had me welling up more than once. I have never gravitated towards war movies but this one has my respect for its complex relationships and the way it brings so many elements of this period in history alive. I also really like this film's great tenderness, which seems like a strange thing to say about a war movie but if you watch it you'll understand.
Best in Show: Another film like this one, in that I am obsessed with it but noone else seems to have heard of it. Written, directed and starring Christopher Guest (above), it's a mockumentary set in the competitive world of dog shows. I like it better than Waiting for Guffman, which more people seem to have heard of. Though I am a ridiculous sap over my dogs, I actually fell in love with this film years ago, back before I even had the bears. The characters, for all their ridiculousness, have hearts full of hope beating bravely underneath their eccentric exteriors. I always feel a little sad for Christopher Guest's character.
Here's a clip:
I actually acted in a mockumentary short for the ArtRage 24 Hour Film Festival in Perth a couple of years ago. It was so much fun and I must say I thought of this film when we were shooting. I have always wanted to direct a mockumentary. Hmm... I feel a project coming on...
Best in Show leads me to another great love: This is Spinal Tap - which I came upon after watching Best in Show, which is not the usual way round -Spinal Tap being hugely famous and made in 1984 and Best in Show being not-as-famous and made in 2000. Directed by Rob Reiner, with the overall story coming from him but the dialogue arising from the actors' improv, this is a film I am unashamedly obsessed with and love more every time I watch it. Way back when I used to interview musos, this film very occasionally flickered through my brain and gave me a giggle.
Well, I consider my film palette somewhat cleansed. I am also wanting to see District 9, Harry Potter and Coco Avant Chanel.
Mood: Pyramid Song by Radiohead and ballet stretches
Anyhoo, I don't want my work to be derivative or mannered or become driven by artifice rather than heart, so I recently determined to watch films belonging to genres which are quite removed from the one to which my film belongs. This is an attempt to hopefully cleanse my film palette a bit and to save myself from the trap of being constrained by a certain style or way of doing things.
So recently I have watched:
Mississippi Burning -An amazing film based on the 1964 murder of three civil rights activists in the U.S. At the core of this crime drama are two F.B.I agents, one from the North and one from the South, who go to the small segregationist town where the murders took place and attempt to untangle the mystery and entrap its perpetrators. In order to do this, they have to go up against a community burning with corruption and hatred. The film stars Gene Hackman, Willem Dafoe and Frances McDormand (I love Frances McDormand. She is also in some of my other favourite films: Laurel Canyon, Almost Famous and Fargo)
Glory - An historical war movie set during the American Civil War and based on the true story of one of the first black volunteer infantries to be assembled by the Northern Union. The film is based on the letters of Captain Robert Gould Shaw who commanded the 54th battalion. The performances are brilliant, especially Denzel Washington's, which had me welling up more than once. I have never gravitated towards war movies but this one has my respect for its complex relationships and the way it brings so many elements of this period in history alive. I also really like this film's great tenderness, which seems like a strange thing to say about a war movie but if you watch it you'll understand.
Best in Show: Another film like this one, in that I am obsessed with it but noone else seems to have heard of it. Written, directed and starring Christopher Guest (above), it's a mockumentary set in the competitive world of dog shows. I like it better than Waiting for Guffman, which more people seem to have heard of. Though I am a ridiculous sap over my dogs, I actually fell in love with this film years ago, back before I even had the bears. The characters, for all their ridiculousness, have hearts full of hope beating bravely underneath their eccentric exteriors. I always feel a little sad for Christopher Guest's character.Here's a clip:
I actually acted in a mockumentary short for the ArtRage 24 Hour Film Festival in Perth a couple of years ago. It was so much fun and I must say I thought of this film when we were shooting. I have always wanted to direct a mockumentary. Hmm... I feel a project coming on...
Best in Show leads me to another great love: This is Spinal Tap - which I came upon after watching Best in Show, which is not the usual way round -Spinal Tap being hugely famous and made in 1984 and Best in Show being not-as-famous and made in 2000. Directed by Rob Reiner, with the overall story coming from him but the dialogue arising from the actors' improv, this is a film I am unashamedly obsessed with and love more every time I watch it. Way back when I used to interview musos, this film very occasionally flickered through my brain and gave me a giggle.Well, I consider my film palette somewhat cleansed. I am also wanting to see District 9, Harry Potter and Coco Avant Chanel.
Mood: Pyramid Song by Radiohead and ballet stretches
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