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10 great natural history films
Favs/dislikes: 0:0. In 1910, audiences were mesmerised by the spectacle of a sepia- and cobalt-toned series of flowers bursting into bloom, their petals unfurling in what appeared to be real time. The Birth of a Flower (1910) by F. Percy Smith (1880-1945) was a watershed moment in the use of what we now know as timelapse, or ‘time magnification’ as this pioneer of British natural history filmmaking referred to it. Since then, filmmakers have deployed an array of techniques for bringing the natural world closer to human perception, from macro- and micro-cinematography through to illustrative animations and computer models. The camera has transported viewers to places they cannot go, from the deepest ocean floors to the sun-baking heat of the most arid deserts. Smith, however, filmed most of his material in the grandiose-sounding Southgate Studios – actually his own home, a terraced house in Enfield, north London. For him, of equal importance to the phenomena that fell beneath his lens was the technology used to fix it on film. Both aspects were the subjects of the trio of books he co-authored, Secrets of Nature (1939), Cine-Biology (1941) and See How They Grow (1952), which explain the motivation, methodology and science behind his cinematic probings of the natural world. Many of Smith’s films are included on the BFI’s Secrets of Nature DVD release from 2010. Now they have been repurposed by Stuart A. Staples and David Reeve for an immersive and hypnotic new work, Minute Bodies: The Intimate World of F. Percy Smith, featuring a suitably free-flowing and otherworldly original soundtrack by Tindersticks with Thomas Belhom and Christine Ott. This new film presents a hidden universe that is sensual, abstract and alien, yet strongly resonates with our own perceptions of the ecosystem around us. The release of Minute Bodies on Blu-ray and DVD prompts an opportunity to cast our eyes to some of the more revolutionary endeavours in the field of natural history filmmaking over the past century. -
10 Movies Inspired By Urban Legends
Favs/dislikes: 0:0. Horror flicks can easily be about anything that makes our skin crawl. From maniacs with masks and sharp objects to haunted houses populated by vengeful spirits, finding something frightening is as easy as knowing where to look. But when it comes to certain members of the genre, they need to look no farther than human superstition. Urban legends and campfire tales have been with us since the birth of language itself, so it makes sense that they would transition well from the campfire to the screen. Tales of curses, strange creatures, and boogeymen have populated the genre for decades. So let's look at ten flicks inspired by urban legends. -
10 Movies with The Best Uses of Point-of-View Shots
Favs/dislikes: 0:0. A point-of-view (POV) shot is one where the camera is positioned in such a way to give the audience the impression that they are viewing the scene as a character in the film. It creates the effect that the viewer is immersed in the action, as if he/she were directly taking part in the movie itself, as opposed to a deep-focus or master shot where the viewer is placed outside of events, passively observing like a “fly on the wall”. There are various types of POV available to the film-maker: the ‘subjective viewpoint’, for example, can be used to replicate the first-person narrative of a novel by showing the action through the eyes of the central character, whereas a more objective experience may be achieved by placing the camera cheek-to-cheek with another actor in the film to show what that character is able to see without implying that the viewer is actually taking part in their place. These kinds of shots are often followed immediately by a close-up of the character in order to show his/her reaction to what they (and the audience) have just seen — an editing combination known as “shot, reverse-shot”. A similar type of POV angle, regularly used in action movies, is where the camera is placed close to ground level alongside one of the wheels of a speeding car, adding excitement through a feeling of participation in the drama of a chase scene. POV shots have been used by directors since the dawn of cinema and they are a standard part of the film-maker’s toolkit. One of the earliest well-known uses of the technique is in Napoleon (Abel Gance,1927) when the camera was wrapped in protective padding and then violently punched around the set by a group of actors in order to recreate the ordeal of the central character being beaten up. Orson Welles originally planned in 1939 to film an entire version of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (later transplanted to the Vietnam war and shot from regular angles by Francis Ford Coppola in Apocalypse Now) entirely as a first-person narrative from the protagonist’s perspective. He discarded the idea as impractical, however, and concentrated on Citizen Kane instead; although he did later revisit the technique in 1952 when he used POV in his 1952 adaptation of William Shakespeare’s play, Othello. Some directors, such as Alfred Hitchcock, are famous for using point-of-view cinematography in many of their works to build suspense or add to the sense of fear they are trying to instil in the audience. The technique is especially beloved of horror and thriller filmmakers who can use it to show the villain’s actions without revealing the identity of the culprit. Nowadays, POV photography is everywhere and has become totally ubiquitous as just about anybody can go out and buy a Go-Pro camera, strap it to their ski- or bike-helmet and start filming away; Facebook and YouTube are full of first-person accounts of thrill-seekers hurtling down black runs or bumping along single-track mountain trails. It is the more memorable cinematic examples, however, that shall be examined in the following list. -
100 best russian films by Afisha
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200 Most Disturbing Movies
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25 Best Japanese Anime TV Series by Film.ru
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35 best Perestroika films
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All Jules Verne Films
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The 10 Best Micro-Budget Movies of The 21st Century
Favs/dislikes: 0:0. The term “microbudget” may seem a little vague, and while many authorities on film can’t quite agree on what amount of money qualifies as a microbudget film, this list will focus on feature films made for less than $250,000 USD (or equivalent). I will mostly discuss first-time films and/or features that established their respective directors as a “new voice” or gained them a much wider global audience. With the advent of affordable, accessible and powerful filmmaking tools such as the DSLR and DV cameras and even the iPhone, an entirely new generation of filmmakers have been granted the power to make a feature film without the help of a major studio or major financial investors. While the 1980’s and 90’s saw the rise of self-funded films such as The Evil Dead, Clerks and El Mariachi, the turn of the new millennium saw the rise of the video-maker, and movements such as Mumblecore, which, spurred on by the Dogme 95 movement in Europe, led to a much wider acceptance of not only digital cinema in general, but also the use of consumer-grade cameras within mass cinema culture. Below are some of the best, most influential and most groundbreaking microbudget films made since the year 2000. While only three were shot on actual celluloid film, all are remarkable pieces of cinema that have left a lasting impression on audiences and moviemakers alike. All serve as a reminder that no matter your budget, you can craft a great movie from little more than the resources at your disposal and an iron will to create. The films are in no particular order. -
The 10 Best Movies Influenced by 20th Century Occultism
Favs/dislikes: 0:0. Aleister Crowley, an English novelist, poet, artist and “ceremonial magician” has had a acute influence on art. However, this influence is woven within the context of his philosophical religious movement, Thelema, and the impact that it has had upon its adherents (both past and present). Thelema’s influence throughout the last century is an influence that is one that persists within the shadows of culture. It developed as a re-imagining of renaissance-era philosophical law/logic that originated within the secret societies of Europe, such as Francis Dashwood’s Hellfire Club, The French Club des Hashischins (Hashish-User’s Club), the philosophy of Francois Rabelais (a Franciscan Monk, most known for his synthesis of Christian humanism with the ideals of the Greek Stoic philosophy), as well as the influence of various other hermetic orders such as the Freemasons. Crowley, influenced by the ideals of Dashwood and the humanist philosophy of Rabelais, decided to embark on a path toward the design of a hermetic order that would combine the organizational structure of such previous groups with the philosophical underpinnings of Rabelais. In this way, Crowley believed he could revive interest into what was termed ‘Magick’, a ritual practice different from stage performance what is generally termed by Thelemites as “magic”. To Crowley, the performance of ceremonial Magick was essential to the process of self-discovery and self actualization. He described the process of Magick as being the act of : “[finding out for oneself], and make sure beyond doubt, who one is, what one is, why one is …Being thus conscious of the proper course to pursue, the next thing is to understand the conditions necessary to following it out. After that, one must eliminate from oneself every element alien or hostile to success, and develop those parts of oneself which are specially needed to control the aforesaid conditions.” This process of self-discovery actualized by the practice of Magick has found its way into experimental film, blockbusters, comic books, novels, television and performance art. Thelema, though not as popular as an organized religious practice as it was in the past has seeped its way into the creation of popular media by creators like Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, H.R. Giger and Alejandro Jodorowsky. The following list of films expresses the impact that Thelema and its occult antecessors have had on film culture. -
10 Almost-Great Screenplays
Favs/dislikes: 1:0. An almost-great screenplay can be more frustrating than a really bad one. The potential is strong and the execution is almost there, but something went wrong at the final hurdle. Of course, it’s easy to pick out flaws in retrospect or to credit (or blame) the writer for something that wasn’t their idea. So many things can go wrong on a script’s journey to the screen that it can feel like a miracle there are any almost-great films in the first place. The problem is, as author and screenwriter William Goldman famously said: “Nobody knows anything…… Not one person in the entire motion picture field knows for a certainty what’s going to work. Every time out it’s a guess and, if you’re lucky, an educated one.” With all that in mind, and judging from what made it into the finished films, for this list we focus on 10 almost-great screenplays, what flaws each script has and how, with a few tweaks, they could have been great. -
10 Classic Films That Are Ideologically Inacceptable Today
Favs/dislikes: 1:0. The history of film is the history of mankind from 1895 to the present day. Cinema has documented everything from the palpable and the general (conflicts, geo-political changes, significant events, remarkable destinies) to the impalpable and the intimate (thinking movements, behavioral adjustments, deaths, rebirths and emergences of values). More deeply than finance, more covertly than artistry, it is ideology that was, is and will always be the backbone of cinema. Therefore, it is only natural that films would form an extraordinarily accurate map of the changes that occurred in their makers’ and their audiences’ mentalities. The 20th century has been a period of intense questioning, during which practical philosophies have dislodged one another with stunning rapidity. Here are ten films that illustrate how greatly morals have shifted during this brief lapse of time that is called contemporary period. -
10 Creepiest, Yuckiest, Ickiest Bug Horror Movies
Favs/dislikes: 1:0. Horror movies have a wide, potentially endless range of things that can be manipulated and shaped into terrifying objects, threats, and nightmares. Something that requires very little work on the part of a film/filmmaker to make creepy and disturbing, though, is our innate fear and disgust of bugs. It’s an easy jump from seeing them onscreen to imagining them crawling all over our skin, and horror movies know it. For our look at the ten best examples of bug horror on the big screen, we decided on a single rule: we’re ignoring the fact that spiders aren’t actually bugs. I know, we’re terrible. It’s not like we went nuts with it, though, as spiders only headline two of the ten films. Three feature ants, three are about roaches, one squirts worms in your eyes, and one of them stars carnivorous slugs. Which reminds me, neither worms nor slugs are bugs either. Anyway… for the duration of this post, let’s just remember that spiders — and worms and slugs — are “bugs.” Now please join me and the crew (Chris Coffel, Valerie Ettenhofer, Kieran Fisher, Brad Gullickson, Meg Shields, Anna Swanson, Jacob Trussell) as we point our magnifying glass towards ten of the best bug horror movies! -
10 great body horror films
Favs/dislikes: 1:0. “The term ‘biological horror,’” David Cronenberg once said, “really refers to the fact that my films are very body-conscious. They’re very conscious of physical existence as a living organism, rather than other horror films or science-fiction films which are very technologically oriented, or concerned with the supernatural, and in that sense are very disembodied.” As the Canadian maestro returns to the big screen with Crimes of the Future (2022), a film pitched in the press – if not by its director, who has long shied away from applying the term to his own work – as a return to the realms of ‘body’ or ‘biological’ horror, we’re taking a look back at some great films that deal in the treacheries of the flesh. Referring to a distinct subgenre in horror cinema that variously trades in aberration, mutation, transformation and a loss of conscious control over the human body – often accompanied by generous volumes of squicky corporeal trauma – body horror usually requires a certain level of tolerance for on-screen yucks. The genesis of the term itself can be traced back to a 1983 essay by the Australian academic Philip Brophy – who would go on to practise what he preached by directing the 1993 feature Body Melt – but its conceptual tropes stretch all the way back into the realms of gothic literature. While biological horror movies offer boundless opportunities for the greatest FX artists in the business to let their imaginations run wild, the subgenre has long proved fertile ground for its political potential, where questions of bodily integrity and autonomy are inherently foregrounded. Here are 10 greats that you might not want to watch on a full stomach. -
10 great films about making a fresh start
Favs/dislikes: 1:0. Each new year comes with tantalising scope for self reinvention. The turn of the calendar presents an illusory milestone that lures many of us into hoping we can somehow force a step-change in our character or situation that will bring us closer to being the person we really want to be. Yet, however big or small the resolutions we make for ourselves, the change is fraught with the pitfalls of simply relaxing back into the person it’s always been easy to be – with the same shortcomings and neuroses. In films, turning over a new leaf comes so much easier. All the same pitfalls and setbacks are there, of course, but the arc of a satisfying story depends on forward movement and the sense that the characters are ending in a different place from where they began. Hopes can and will be fulfilled. In Eric Rohmer’s spellbinding 1986 film The Green Ray, change comes not in January but at the height of summer. Parisian secretary Delphine (Marie Rivière) has been dumped by her boyfriend just prior to holiday season. Her plans abandoned, she flits from one destination to another, joining friends, striking off on her own – but it seems there’s nothing anyone can do to awaken her from her sadness and sense of isolation. It’s easy to take against Delphine. She’s self-absorbed and prickly to engage with – refusing to do much to help her situation. But therein lies the truthfulness of her character. Despondency makes a mountain of starting over and pulling your own socks up. Yet, while completely naturalistic in its 16mm filming and improvised acting, there’s a sublime, almost mystical feel to Rohmer’s film. It’s something about the wind in the trees, and the playing cards that Delphine finds from time to time abandoned in the street. And hope will come in the strangest place: in an overheard conversation about an optical illusion (the ‘green ray’ of the title) which – on rare occasions – can be glimpsed as the sun sets over the sea. When, like Rohmer’s heroine, you need inspiration for taking a new step, these 10 films offer 10 possible paths to fresh horizons. -
10 great films about recluses
Favs/dislikes: 1:0. From the broody loners of gothic literature to the rugged pioneers of survivalist documentaries, recluses have long been a source of fascination for artists and audiences alike. We’ve all heaved a sigh of relief after escaping tedious company, but to leave society forever? Humans are fundamentally pack animals, so when one separates from the herd and wanders off, we can’t help but plumb the depths of their psyche for answers. Defining a recluse isn’t as straightforward as it seems. It’s a person who lives a solitary existence, of course, but there also needs to be an element of self-determination, otherwise any old prisoner will do. Dae-su Oh in Oldboy (2004)? Prisoner. Carol in Repulsion (1965)? Recluse. The incarcerated children in Dogtooth (2009)? Prisoners. Miss Havisham of Great Expectations? Recluse. You get the idea. Prisoners and recluses have very different motivations and mindsets; conflating the two would be a mistake. Marie Lidén’s new documentary Electric Malady is about William, a man who believes modern life – and specifically, electricity – is making him ill, and his only option for survival is to live in a log cabin deep in the Swedish woods. Whether or not William’s electrosensitivity is real or psychosomatic (something Lindén tactfully explores in the documentary), his pain is real. It’s a key theme among the films on this list, many of which feature recluses whose impetus is a push from society, rather than a pull towards solitude. -
10 Great Movies That Are Difficult To Discuss
Favs/dislikes: 1:0. Film is a delicate art form. It can be used as a tool for entertainment, spawning massive box office franchises that earn billions of dollars. While other films are made to be social commentary, looking at the fringes of human existence to reflect on mankind. Film is one of those rare forms of artistic expression that can be crowd pleasing and thought-provoking within the same spectrum. Through over 100 years of moviemaking, the process has matured and changed, creating ideals on form and element that are taught at a mature academic level. Cinema has a rich history. There have been triumphs and failures, but above all there has been difficulty. Whether from controversy, density, or confusion, film can be astoundingly polarizing to their audience. History’s reflection on cinema can be very hostile. Films can be loved in their time, then despised as they are discussed throughout time. Whether the cultural and political consciousness has altered or the content has been deemed “offensive”, filmmakers have been persecuted and misunderstood for their creations. Filmmakers can challenge audiences’ perceptions down to very soul. This can result in abstract or dense pieces that could take years for adequate reflection. Politics change, national feelings change, and storytelling can develop, but these films have found themselves at a crossroad that make them a great challenge. -
10 Great Movies That Are Made from Dumb Premises
Favs/dislikes: 1:0. This past weekend, The Emoji Movie opened in theaters to rave reviews. And by rave reviews, we mean alarmingly negative reviews from stark raving mad critics. With a surprisingly generous 6% on Rotten Tomatoes, The Emoji Movie is perhaps the most universally hated movie in recent memory. It is certainly the most critically hated film to come out this year so far. The sad part is that despite its wacky and dumb premise, it actually had some potential. Look, before you say anything and start shaking your head, think about it for a second. Despite what popular belief may think, every single movie in the metaphysical cinematic stratosphere within this world has potential to be a great one. Yes, we all groaned in heavy unison the moment that The Emoji Movie was announced and it turns out we were all in the right to write this movie off immediately. However, that is not so easily the case with every movie riddled with a stupid synopsis. There are several movies out there which have been released over the years that opened up to low expectations because their plot sounded bad, but managed to exceed expectations because the execution of those films were so well done. No matter how bad a movie may sound on paper, it is bound to make for a good film if it has an exceptional cast and crew working behind it. There are numerous examples of such films that fit this criteria throughout movie history, but for the sake of time and convenience, we are going to stick to talking about 10 just for this list. Without further ado, here are 10 dumb movie premises that surprisingly made for great movies. -
10 Great Movies That Explore Human Alienation
Favs/dislikes: 1:0. Some of the best movies ever made have been inspired by loneliness and isolation. There is still something to be said for the film that shines a light on the theme of alienation. By returning to this timeless concept, and taking a look at all the different lonely characters in film, there are lessons to be learned for our own lives. Here are 10 of the best films that explore human alienation. -
10 Great Movies You Need To See To Really Understand BDSM
Favs/dislikes: 1:0. When most people think of “BDSM”, they might immediately have an idea in mind about what it means. In the world of film, however, BDSM isn’t all whips and chains. Relationships can be depicted in different ways that are not heteronormative, often to great results. Before the recent popularizing of Fifty Shades of Grey, there were several other films that made use of nontraditional relationships. This list includes a few of the best to tackle to subject successfully. -
10 great puzzle films
Favs/dislikes: 1:0. “What’s in the box?” wails Brad Pitt’s panicked detective to Kevin Spacey’s implacable serial killer at the end of David Fincher’s pitch-black thriller Se7en (1995). Soon enough Pitt, and the audience, learn the horrific truth about Spacey’s special delivery. It’s testament to the enduring power of mysteries – the who-, why- and how-dunnits – that we always need to know, no matter how awful the solution might be. And those that can still pull one over on game and experienced armchair sleuths – Rian Johnson’s Knives Out (2019) and its upcoming sequel are fine recent examples – are valuable indeed. Of course, those are just one type of ‘puzzle’ movie. Some don’t so much contain a riddle to solve as much as the film itself is constructed as an enigma that defies easy answers, or any definite answer at all. This could be the interlocking double timeframes of Christopher Nolan’s Memento (2000), which tries to replicate its amnesiac protagonist’s short-term memory lapses. Or the playful narrative diversions and roundelay of shifting identities in certain Jacques Rivette films. Peter Greenaway’s breakthrough feature, The Draughtsman’s Contract (1982), appeared 40 years ago and immediately put its own deft, acerbic headspin on British period films. It tells of the titular, entitled 17th-century draughtsman hired to make 12 drawings of a landowner’s country estate by his wife. In return, and in addition to his fee, she will satisfy his pleasures. But that’s only the start of a series of covert transactions, concealed vantage points and hidden motivations to be teased out by the viewer from Greenaway’s precise tableaux. The director would go on to make even more oblique, enigmatic work (often structured around a particular key or code), one of which features below in a selection of cinema’s most beautifully, often hypnotically, baffling brainteasers. -
10 great walking films
Favs/dislikes: 1:0. Cinema loves journeys. As a structuring tool, creating a long or short journey is one of the commonest occurrences in film; one that provides a physical beginning and end to a narrative. While a multitude of directors and genres have toyed with the potential mapping various journeys via transport – the road movie in particular – there’s something far more dramatic in showing characters that determinedly walk to where they want to go. Whether using it as a visual tool, just as British director Alan Clarke did in his many famed walking shots, or building whole narratives around a walk, as in many films by French directors Éric Rohmer and Agnès Varda, walking has always been a powerful way to not simply explore place and geography but also to explore character. Considering the slow pace, at least in comparison to other possible methods of getting from A to B, walking can make for surprisingly powerful and dramatic visuals on screen, whether traipsing across dangerous industrial zones, guarded national borders or simply down the busy street of a capital city. As the new British comedy The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry sends Jim Broadbent on an epic traipse from Devon to Berwick-upon-Tweed, here are 10 films it follows in footsteps. -
10 Movies From The 2010s With The Best Dialogue
Favs/dislikes: 1:0. We all know the show “don’t tell” rule when it comes to film. However, certain filmmakers and films use dialogue so specifically that it creates its own poetry. These words tie into the visuals, become a motif for a character, or truly drive the story. Here are the best films of the decade that use dialogue to the fullest. -
14 of the best horror movies for testing surround sound
Favs/dislikes: 1:0. While the nostalgia of mono audio and grainy low-budget pictures may be a part of the attraction of the genre's history, it pays for today’s horror films (and the increasing number of restorations) to look and sound their best. After all, why wouldn't you want to feel like you’re in an old, creepy haunted house? With the lights off... stood in silence... waiting for a killer to strike? We've rounded up 14 (because 13 would have been just too meta) of the best horror movies with soundtracks dead-certain to send shivers down your spine and also give your surround sound system a run for its money. Just don't throw a remote control at it out of fear. Lights down, volume up, baseball bat on standby... -
15 Best Horror Movies Set In The Woods
Favs/dislikes: 1:0. As simple a setting as it may seem, woodlands and forests are one of the most effective backdrops for horror stories, and, in the case of movies, they can sometimes have a menacing natural beauty to them. Horror movies set in the woods also tend to be lower budget features, reducing studio oversight and freeing filmmakers to be more provocative, shocking, and experimental with their ideas. Some of the most well-known horror movies set in the woods are counted as some of the best horror movies of all time, they span various distinct sub-genres of horror and can boast some of the finest casts and memorable characters within the genre. From cult slasher favorites to critically acclaimed modern classics, the best horror movies set in the woods demonstrate how one genre can take one type of location and use it in so many different and effective ways. Whether searching for gore, ghosts, monsters, psychological horror, or even post-apocalyptic survival horror, genre fans are spoiled for choice when it comes to these films. Many of the best horror movies set in the woods are also available on free streaming services, meaning that–truly–anyone can enjoy them if they're prepared for plenty of eerie scares.
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