The world, it can be safely said, is roughly divided into those people who take a flying leap off a metaphorical cliff, hoping for the best as they sail through the air, and those who tiptoe trepidatiously to the edge, peer over, say “Nope!” and edge away, never to Continue Reading
Movies
A Quiet Place — Telling a Story with Sound (video essay by Michael Tucker)
Snapshot Sound always plays a particularly important role in the horror genre, but A Quiet Place takes this a step further, making sound itself a key element of the story. For this video I had the opportunity to talk to the sound designers of the film, Erik Aadahl and Continue Reading
Die Hard compared: What are the differences between the film and the book?
Did you know that Christmas classic Die Hard – yes this is a hill I am prepared to cinematically die on thank you very much; for it is festive in ways that transcend eggnog and tinsel – was based on the book Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp? Perhaps you Continue Reading
The short and the short of it: The surreal delights of Melt Down’s body-less boy
SNAPSHOT Melt Down was my senior year film at Pratt Institute. It’s a surrealist narrative story about a body-less boy who doesn’t want to go outside, among other wacky characters in a world where people melt from stress. (synopsis via Vimeo) There is no denying that life can be Continue Reading
Movie review: Hearts Beat Loud
Life throws a myriad of challenging-to-navigate moments our way on a regular basis – you could well argue it’s the overweening predilection of a universe seemingly at odds with the idea of an easy passage to anything – but perhaps one of the greatest obstacles is that faced by Continue Reading
Weekend pop art: The imaginative wonder of Matt Gaser’s sci-fi worlds
Advanced though our current digital age may be, and replete with all kinds of wonderful benefits denied to people past (benefits I love and use frequently), you can’t help feeling that we’ve also lost something in this rush to progress – a sense of magic and wonder, that feeling Continue Reading
I Think We’re Alone Now … or are we? (poster + trailer)
SNAPSHOT The film follows Del (Peter Dinklage) who finds himself alone in the world, literally, after the human race is wiped out. He’s content in his solitude – until he discovers Grace (Elle Fanning), an interloper on his quiet earth. Her history and motives are obscure, and worse yet, Continue Reading
Movie review: Crazy Rich Asians
At this stage in the mostly rich and august history of cinema, you could be forgiven for wondering if there is anything new under the genre sun. Specifically, if romantic comedies, traditionally one of Hollywood’s favoured genre sons, has anything new to contribute to a long line of member Continue Reading
Video essay by Michael Tucker: Black Panther — Creating an Empathetic Villain
Black Panther is hands down one of the best films of the year. (Not just Most Popular OK Oscars, thought it is that, but BEST FILM.) Part of the reason it is so damn watchable, among so, SO many reasons, is that it took the time to not simply Continue Reading
Aubrey Plaza wants A Night With Beverly Luff Linn … and you will too
SNAPSHOT After getting fired by her scheming husband Shane Danger (Emile Hirsch) from his cappuccino shop, dissatisfied Lulu Danger (Aubrey Plaza) is stunned when a TV commercial for “An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn For One Magical Night Only” reveals a mysterious man from her past (Craig Robinson). When Continue Reading