OFCS members don’t just write film reviews. Here are several articles you might find interesting.
Best of Lists
Skuriels 2012: The Greatest Films Ever
Mark Pfeiffer @ Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema
- Excerpt: My ballot and methodology for the 2012 Skuriels, a film poll like Sight & Sound’s decennial survey of the greatest films of all-time.
Tributes
Tony Scott, 1944-2012
Darren Mooney @ the m0vie blog
- Excerpt: Although Tony Scott’s impact on the action movie genre during the nineties was arguably less obvious than that of Michael Bay or Jerry Bruckheimer, I think the director left his own inalienable mark, both in what viewers came to expect from blockbuster cinema, and in what the studios felt that they could offer.
Oscar Coverage
Oscar Preview: Weekend of Aug. 10-12, 2012
- Excerpt: We look at the Oscar chances of ParaNorman and Sparkle.
Other Articles
5 Black Women Who Can Make Their Own “Expendables” Team
Candice Frederick @ Reel Talk [English]
- Excerpt: While actresses like Linda Hamilton and Sigourney Weaver will more than likely be considered (and with good reason), I’ve compiled a list of five black thespians that hopefully the powers that be in Tinseltown will also take a look at.
Armchair Vacation: How To Watch (Most Of) Criterion’s November Releases Right Now
Joshua Brunsting @ CriterionCast
A Bit Different than the Original, Except for the Propaganda
Dustin Freeley @ Movies About Gladiators.com
Critic or Snarker?
- Excerpt: I once met a distinguished British actress who told me in her plummiest accent that an actor thinks of a critic the way a fire hydrant thinks of a dog. It happened that Mariah Carey’s movie “Glitter” had just opened, so I told her that if I could prevent one poor soul from spending time and money on that disaster, I felt I had made a worthwhile contribution. She laughed and said, “Oh, well if you are going to appeal to my sense of humanity, I can’t argue with you.” I’ve written bad reviews. I’ve been on the receiving end of a few as well. I think Garner is right that critics can and should work to illuminate ideas and provide context for books, movies, music, and other art forms. And I think Lennon is right that art and artists deserve our respect. The movies I am most critical of are the ones that do not respect the audience. The critics I am most critical of are the ones who don’t respect the artists. Artists and critics should both understand that the highest form of respect is to take the work seriously enough to engage with it and challenge it.
Fall Film Preview
Betty Jo Tucker @ Movie Addict Headquarters
- Excerpt: Film critics Richard Jack Smith, A. J. Hakari and James Colt Harrison preview upcoming Fall movies.
Falling for The First Time: When Harry Met Sally…
- Excerpt: I don’t believe that every piece of pop culture cinema stands the test of time. For the ones that I do, I look for someone who has never seen it, so I can get an opinion from fresh eyes. The subject for this entry is Rob Reiner’s 1989 romantic comedy, WHEN HARRY MET SALLY…
Gone With the Wind
Cole Smithey @ ColeSmithey.com
- Excerpt: As much as the film is about North’s devastating defeat of the Confederacy, it is about the doomed relationship between a woman incapable of love, and the a man who foolishly makes the mistake of thinking he can handle her.
Heaven’s Gate
Cole Smithey @ ColeSmithey.com
- Excerpt: “Heaven’s Gate” is an unforgettable film full of heartfelt sincerity and pointed commentary about America’s bloody history of hypocrisy, greed, and racism.
My First Troma
Adam Batty @ Hope Lies at 24 Frames Per Second
- Excerpt: An editorial charting my first foray in to the world of Troma. Class Of Nuke ‘Em High is the film in focus.
The Once Terrifying Hannibal Lecter: Upping Ante on the Anti-Hero…
Darren Mooney @ the m0vie blog
- Excerpt: What happened? When did Lecter become so toothless?
Roundtable: Sight & Sound’s “Top 50 Greatest Films of All Time”
Jason McKiernan @ Next Projection
- Excerpt: A roundtable of Next Projection critics discuss Sight & Sound’s recent list of the “greatest films of all time.”
Seen and Heard 8/23
- Excerpt: NY theater review column that includes INTO THE WOODS, the stage debut of Amy Adams.
Shia LaBeouf and Tom Hardy are Outlaws in the New Red Band Trailer for “Lawless”
Candice Frederick @ Reel Talk [English]
- Excerpt: Goodness knows that, after 2010’s heavily lackluster yet critically lauded True Grit, we desperately need a good western. And that’s just what director John Hillcoat (notably of The Road) hopes to do with Lawless.
Superhuman: Could genetic enhancement as seen in The Bourne Legacy really happen?
- Excerpt: For the last two decades, the secret behind most of our onscreen superhumans, mutants and monsters has been genetic engineering. But can this fast-developing science really create the kind of abilities we see onscreen, and how much of it is possible with today’s technology?
West Side Story
Cole Smithey @ ColeSmithey.com
- Excerpt: “West Side Story’s” magnificent blend of modern dance and Caribbean music, with Shakespearian underpinnings, provides an ideal platform for its dynamic dancing actors to shine.
