On the AFI List
Short of some the completely disposable bottom 50, the AFI 100 Years, 100 Movies 10th Anniversary List did what it was supposed to do. It made up for many of the glaring mistakes from the 1997 list, like positioning both Vertigo and Raging Bull in the Top Ten, while moving Singin’ in the Rain into a better place. The AFI, did make an interesting about face with the inclusion of D.W. Griffith’s Intolerance and the exclusion of the silent film master’s Birth of a Nation. Griffith said that he didn’t make Intolerance, an epic telling four stories of bigotry through history, because he made the notoriously racist, but historically important Birth of a Nation. I’m sure the AFI contributors will say that Intolerance is the better film (which it is), but I’m sure there were political reasons to keep...
Read MoreThe Summer is HOT
Not that I think the crowd-pleasing Pirates of The Caribbean: At World’s End won’t be a huge box office smash, but it’s interesting to consider the expectations of that success. If Pirates 3 doesn’t quickly out gross Spider-Man 3 people will start discussing the failure of Pirates 3. I never thought I would see a day when any $100 million+ weekend could be considered a disappointment. I’m glad it’s here, though. When someone like Lucas says the era of the big movie is over, three movies come along in one month that stand in direct contradiction of that statement. May 2007 will likely be the best month in box office history and this summer is shaping up to be bigger than 2004. That’s big money for big movies. Stay tuned. TFC’s June preview is on it’s...
Read MoreFemale filmmakers are more independent
The war being waged against the Hollywood mainstream by independent filmmakers may be an arduous battle, but thanks to the growing number of female warriors, indie film’s army is getting a little bigger. Take Megan Holley for example. The female director has gone around the country screening her cloning drama, The Snowflake Crusade, at festivals and was at Penn State Erie last October to participate in the Screen Visions Independent Film Series. Since then, Holley has been actively preparing for the production of her second feature film. In her travels, Holley hasn’t run into many other female filmmakers, but she thinks the traditionally male-dominated profession is just “something women don’t think of going into.” Holley, who currently lives in Richmond, Va., didn’t originally think of going into it either. A long-time love affair with the cinema lead to her joining...
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Lord of the Greenbacks
I was wrong. I said two months ago that The Return of the King didn’t stand a chance in the Best Picture race, but the third Lord of the Rings film took home the Best Picture trophy. The fantasy film also won an award for each nomination as it became one of only three films to win 11 Academy Awards, the most in Oscar history. After a week’s worth of contemplation, I’m willing to say the film deserved its awards, just as much as any other Oscar-winning epic. For the Academy, a billion dollar film and Hollywood’s golden god was a match made in heaven. The union of a popcorn blockbuster and the elusive Oscar is easily acceptable considering their special night was the most commercialized Oscar ceremony in history. While only Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson overtly advertised their film Starsky and Hutch,...
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