Left Field Cinema - The World Cinema, Independent Film, and Alternative Film Podcast

Overlooked Gem: Julia

Left_Field_Cinema — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 04:47:48 -0700

French director Erick Zonca wanted to make a film which would begin as a portrait of a woman then slowly change gears and become a thriller about kidnapping and violence. Zonca has completely succeeded as his 2008 film Julia is a particularly impressive character piece which organically develops into something rather more generic in its second half.

Contemporary Obscurity: Father of My Children

MikeDawson — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 01:35:17 -0700

Structure is often considered to be of vital importance to the process of creating a narrative. Structure has been meticulously examined and explored in relation to drama for thousands of years. Famously the process began with Aristotle’s Poetics, the oldest surviving analysis of dramatic principles and effectively the birth place of critical theory in relation to literature and theatre, critical theory which would eventually be applied to cinema.

Analysis: The ‘burbs – An Indictment or a Celebration of Suburban Paranoia and Moral Panic?

MikeDawson — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 01:06:08 -0700

WARNING: Contains Spoilers throughout.

There is arguably no single component of film that is lacking in importance, from the art design to the cinematography, from the performance to the direction - every individual element of film informs the whole. The majority of the time the films we consider classics or masterpieces of cinema are the ones that succeed in every area.

Documentary Milestone: Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Inferno

MikeDawson — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 01:29:55 -0700

DVD special features are often filled (or perhaps the correct word is “littered”) with ‘Making of’ documentaries, these frequently self-congratulatory gigabyte fillers are present to help sell the film in question, something to list on the back of the DVD to help convince the viewing public to part with their hard earned cash for the disc in question.

Guilty Pleasures: The Long Kiss Goodnight

MikeDawson — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 00:49:16 -0700

WARNING: Contains Spoilers Throughout

Film is often considered a director’s medium, it is an art form which showcases a number of different artistic, creative and technical talents, but none more so than that of the director. Or at least, that’s the way it appears to most. In the same way that Theatre is considered a writer’s medium, or Reality Television is considered a casting medium, cinema is director-centric and shows no signs of changing.