Horror's Head Honcho

I am embarrassed to say I did not even know Mr. Blum's name. but I did know his movies. This is entertaining. My list of favorite horror movies of all time will follow later this week. I  love Halloween (the pop culture version, no real affinity for the historical Halloween).

Horror's Head Honcho

Grandmaster: Never Enough Ip Man

**** of 5 stars. Beautiful cinematography, soundtrack unusual and powerful, fight scenes esoteric-not wuxia at all, Leung is perfect, though Ziyi Zhang almost steals the show. 

Growing up hurts: MUD ****

Slowing moving and gorgeous, MUD was as good as I hoped it would be. Ellis and Neckbone serve as the pure center of the film with a host of damaged, sinful adults around them who are alternately inspired and shamed by the faith of the innocent boys. And me? I was holding my breath, hoping against hope that nothing would rob either of them of their belief in love, and the river, and each other.

They navigate the parallel worlds of the the town and the river just as they ride their bikes between what passes for family and the outliers who invade the town with their own vengeful conflicts.  Every character was finely drawn regardless of their time onscreen. Michael Shannon as  Neck's Uncle Galen, and Ray McKinnon as Ellis' father were my favorites.  McConaughey dazzles, because he plays Mud as a foil to the two boys. It was a good strategy. A coming of age story must be about the individual who will become a man, not the corrupt man who creates the conflict. Ellis does his best given the models around him: his father, Mud, Mud's father (Sam Shepard), Galen, King, Carver. None of them is much good. Ellis and Neck must find their own way.

And they do.

Because it’s a work of art, not a polemic

That's John Hodgman, talking about Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket. I was not aware that some have judged FMJ as a lesser film in Kubrick's canon. So far from the truth! So here is one of the best breakdowns I have ever read about Kubrick and this movie in particular. I have seen it only twice, and it is art, it is perfect, and it is not about VietNam.

http://thedissolve.com/features/the-last-great-movie-i-saw/15-the-last-great-movie-i-saw-john-hodgman-on-full-me/

need to think about this

http://kateoplis.tumblr.com/post/53776794104/earlier-this-month-at-a-symposium-at-the

MASTER CLASS, FILM EDITING, courtesy of Hitchcock

Listening to this video of Hitchcock on the art of editing film made me review the criteria I use to judge a film. 78 pieces of film in the 45-second shower scene in PSYCHO... (starts around 2:30)
See more at http://www.openculture.com/2013/04/alfred_hitchcocks_seven-minute_editing_master_class.html


230

EMPIRE MAGAZINE'S ICONIC MOVIE MOMENTS

Laurence Fishburne: Morpheus in THE MATRIX

Check out Empire magazine's tribute to the most iconic movie moments at http://www.empireonline.com/20/birthday-portfolio/
Seems more like greatest movie heroes to me. (This is just one shot.)
They have since published a book, so I hope the link still works.