Category: Lists
My Top 10 Danish Films
What better time to (re-)discover the nationalist in yourself than the Fifa World Cup? Besides football the only other time I feel particularly Italian is when I watch Italian films. In that spirit I’ve decided to start a series of top tens centered around some of my favorite countries for cinema. Denmark is one of the first countries that came to mind. Danish cinema has gotten considerable attention in the last few years namely because of directors such as Lars von Trier, Thomas Vinterberg and Nicolas Winding Refn. Continue reading
20 of the Most Visually Stunning Films of the 20th Century
Increasingly I hear people referring to any film made in the last century as old. Nobody likes “old” movies. It seems that most people don’t even really like black & white. I used to be like that, but of course you can’t call yourself a real cinephile and not have a basic knowledge of the great classics. I’m here to help you. How? I’ve selected 20 of my favorite films of the 20th century. My hope is that these films will help you appreciate the fact that there are gorgeous looking pictures throughout any decade. Moreover these films aren’t just pretty to look at, but they’re also some of the best movies ever made. Continue reading
Five Favorite Films Starring My Favorite Swedish Man: Stellan Skarsgård
I love Stellan Skarsgård! I don’t really need an excuse to talk about him, but today also happens to be his birthday. It’s a very happy birthday indeed for Skarsgård’s career. Lately, he’s been finally getting the attention he deserves and working on big budget Hollywood blockbusters which should help him make a name for himself in the mainstream and popular culture. Not that I care about any of those movies, but it’s nice to finally see one of my favorite actors getting noticed and recognized by people, which I hope will translate in more great collaborations with more visionary filmmakers as well. Continue reading
Five Favorite Films Starring Willem Dafoe
One of my favorite actors, Willem Dafoe, is showing up in some great movies this year. You can see him in Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel and Lars von Trier’s Nymphomaniac: Vol. II. He has worked with some of my very favorite directors and has the most unique and iconic face. Nobody looks quite like him and you wouldn’t mistake any actor for him, because nobody looks like Willem Dafoe, except for Willem Dafoe. What makes him such a remarkable actor and why does he get to work with the best directors? Continue reading
My Favorite Films of 2013
Premise: This list includes only films that had a 2013 release date according to IMDb. If you’re stunned that some films aren’t on this list it’s probably because they are on the 2012 list. My top ten will probably change and be updated, as more (foreign) films get released. As of right now I still haven’t seen Sono Sion’s Why Don’t You Play in Hell?, Catherine Breillat’s Abus de faiblesse and Gia Coppola’s Palo Alto. Yes, that last one was included purely because of the family name. Continue reading
Top Ten Favorite Opening Sequences of All Time
Wow, that doesn’t sound like an ambitious title at all. It’s actually more like “ten of my favorite opening/title sequences that I can thing of right now in chronological order”, but that’s not really a catchy title. During the last couple days, after watching Claire Denis’ Beau Travail, I’ve been thinking about my favorite movie endings. Since those are difficult to discuss without spoilers, I thought I’d take a moment to mention a few of my favorite beginnings. I am going to post a clip for every movie I mention, unfortunately some of those are in really low quality, but it’s more “just in case” anyway. Continue reading
Five Film Clichés We Blindly Believe or Stuff We Simply Absorb From Cinema
What better time to discover the philosopher within yourself than the holidays? Increased alcohol consumption, a relaxed atmosphere, lot of time to think about your life. In that spirit I found myself thinking about ideologies or philosophies that filmmakers knowingly or subconsciously work into the stories they tell. A lot of these world views have become so popular, that they almost became staples of storytelling itself, genre tropes, clichés even. Some of those are easy to detect and unmask, like the famous happy ending. Some are more subtle and insinuate themselves into the film through the back door if you will. Continue reading
Thirteen Most Visually Stunning Films of 2013
Yes, this is a beauty contest. It’s not about the overall quality of the film. This is just about the look of the film. So mostly the way it was shot, the cinematography, the framing, the camera angles, the film stock, the sets, the costumes, the actors, the makeup, the landscapes. In short: The visuals. I know this may sound shallow, but if movies are primarily a visual medium after all. The aesthetic qualities of a film are where a lot of our enjoyment of a film comes from, whether we pay attention to it or not. The great thing about it is that you don’t really have to explain it: The picture speaks for itself. Continue reading
Ten Favorite Film Posters of 2013
Since it’s a bit early for a top ten of favorite films (still waiting for some possibly great films to be released), I thought I’d start the yearly retrospective with a list of favorite posters. I haven’t seen all the films on this list, so I don’t know if some of these are actually good. Also, that’s not really important. This is about film posters, so it’s about who created the coolest artwork to prompt their picture. Film posters are usually a big part of what gets me excited for a film. Since I try to stay away from trailers as much as possible, most of the times I prefer “static” marketing like stills and posters. Continue reading
Ten Favorite Films With a Christmas Setting (An Unconventional List)
Christmas movies. Hate them, love them, ignore them: Fact is they exist. Personally, I don’t know what to do with all the stereotypical “Oh I was a shitty person the whole year, but I’ll suddenly change over night and become a decent human being for once in my life” type of movies. They’re nauseating and phony. I can’t believe people watch them, but who am I to judge? In true Christmas spirit I’d like to however briefly bring up some of my favorite films that have a Christmas setting. Continue reading
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