Category: Film

Ranking the Ang Lee Films

Ang Lee is a pretty interesting filmmaker for a few reasons. He followed the classic late eighties/early nineties path of making small indie movies before increasingly being able to make bigger and bigger movies. On the surface, many of his films seem very different, but they are almost always very thematically connected. He has won multiple Best Director Oscars. And perhaps most importantly, his films show that he is one of the very few filmmakers in the world who can consistently make stories outside his comfort zone and manage to capture truth. Continue reading Ranking the Ang Lee Films

Ranking the Christopher Nolan Films

“Don’t try to understand it. Feel it.”

Christopher Nolan is a fascinating director. He is perhaps best understood by comparing his first film (Following) and his most recent film, at the time of original publication (Tenet). Both films best capture what he seems to value most in movies: mood & atmosphere. He is not a plot-detailed oriented director. At least, there is little to no evidence to suggest he values that. He cares about the feeling watching a movie gives you. The story of his films is the pull between that desire to pursue focusing on a film’s vibes and Hollywood conventions that focus more on plot and traditional means of characterization. The results have been mixed to say the least but rarely boring. Continue reading Ranking the Christopher Nolan Films

Ranking the Boots Riley Film & Television Projects

Boots Riley is an unapologetically communist artist who is making art attacking United States capitalism and imperialism. That makes him worthy of admiration automatically. I will be tracking his films and television shows here.

 

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Ranking The Mummy Films

With the inevitable Mummy legacy-sequel in the works, I felt it was best to establish what the franchise has produced thus far. You basically have a great first film, a sequel that is essentially a remake and better in many ways (but missing the feeling of “new”), and then a disastrous follow-up years later.  Continue reading Ranking The Mummy Films

Ranking the Werner Herzog Fiction Films

Herzog Articles
Ranking the Werner Herzog Documentaries
Ranking the Werner Herzog Fiction Films
Review of Werner Herzog’s The Twilight World
Ranking the Nosferatu Films

Still Need to Watch: Signs of Life, Scream of Stone, Invincible, The Wild Blue Yonder, Salt and Fire

Werner Herzog is one the greatest filmmakers ever. He has made some of the most astounding films of all time. I love (much of) his work dearly.

Continue reading Ranking the Werner Herzog Fiction Films

Ranking the Werner Herzog Documentaries

 

Herzog Articles
Ranking the Werner Herzog Documentaries
Ranking the Werner Herzog Fiction Films
Review of Werner Herzog’s The Twilight World
Ranking the Nosferatu Films

Still Need to Watch: The Flying Doctors of East Africa, Handicapped Future, The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner, How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck, La Soufrière, Huie’s Sermon, God’s Angry Man, The Dark Glow of the Mountains, Herdsmen of the Sun, Echoes from a Sombre Empire, Jag Mandir, Bells from the Deep, The Transformation of the World into Music, Gesualdo: Death for Five Voices, Wheel of Time, The White Diamond, Encounters at the End of the World, Into the Abyss, On Death Row, From One Second to the Next, Into the Inferno, Meeting Gorbachev, Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds, The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft

Werner Herzog is one of the greatest filmmakers who has ever stepped behind the camera. I am merely at the beginning of my journey of exploring and studying his documentaries so far, but I am going to share my early findings on what I consider to be his best and most essential work.

Continue reading Ranking the Werner Herzog Documentaries

Ranking the Bradley Cooper Films

In an age where every actor thinks they can be a director, Bradley Cooper is a rare one who has some talent for it. He has got things to say about being an artist and being alive. He has visual and formal ambition. He is – in fact – an artist. He’s not a great director, but he does not need to be. He instead is a director who makes films that are worth watching.

Continue reading Ranking the Bradley Cooper Films