The Adventures of Tintin is the film that Steven Spielberg has always aspired to make. Combining 3-D and motion capture technology, the director actions action scenes which defy physical and leap from the screen in the realm of absurdity. The film cannot capture the audience’s imagination because it goes well beyond that; Tintin is action for the sake of action, innovative because it showcases scenes few had conceived before. Though many current films may follow the same mantra of “watch now, think later”, they cannot replicate Spielberg’s panache. For better or worse, the film entertains consistently throughout its concise 144 …
Bell Lightbox Screenings, Part I: The Godfather
The reason that we screen films at the Bell Lightbox is so we can better appreciate today’s films. It’s not solely a matter of enjoying the film that is shown – although that is also a significant factor – but to understand its impact on the films that followed it. The Godfather is one of the best films of all time and it is always satisfying, despite the condescension dripping from Lightbox staff and the crowd of jackanapes who had smuggled six-packs into the theatre and insisted on quoting every famous line aloud. Those drawbacks were trivial relative to the …
The Hidden Fortress
The Hidden Fortress is a great action comedy movie that puts all others to shame. It’s scandalous that today’s audiences have to tolerate clichéd Lethal Weapon-type dialogue and excessive explosions; this film shows that a director can do both well, along with the usual Akira Kurosawa theme of how does one act morally in an immoral world. Is the ultimate goal profit or the greater good? Each character tries to discover this during the film. Is the ultimate goal DVD sales, audience enjoyment, or greater a work that stands out as one of the greatest of all time? Kurosawa accomplishes …