A STAR IS BORN (1954, Cukor)
Here's an "exciting" reenactment of a shot from a classic movie. I was strolling around Warner Bros. yesterday with my friend Cloe, a major film buff and studio veteran with endless stories (if you want to learn film history, walk
I AM CUBA (1964, Mikhail Kalatozov)
One of the most insanely long and exciting shots I've seen is from the beginning of I am Cuba, a lushly lyrical fever dream of a movie. (Two movies have felt like fever dreams to me, this and Coraline -
UGETSU (1953, Mizoguchi)
Today's shot is a beautifully haunting trick shot from Japanese master Mizoguchi, who's my third favorite Japanese director from the 50's, after Kurosawa and Ozu. This from the lyrical ghost story and cautionary parable Ugetsu. I love a good execution of
BAMBOOZLED (2000, Lee)
Happy 55th birthday to Spike Lee! My favorite films of his are the classic, provactively brilliant, and Shakespearianly epic Do The Right Thing, and the lesser regarded, but I think no less important Bamboozled. Thanks Tim Grierson and Indiewire for giving
DIARY OF ANNE FRANK (Stevens, 1959)
Today's shot is a remarkably sweet and surprising moment from George Steven's film of the famous Pulitzer prize-winning play The Diary of Anne Frank. Stevens was transformed by the war. A successful Hollywood director, he joined the US Army Signal
WAR STORY
War Story, which L.A Weekly declared, if I may mention, "triumphs on all fronts" (L.A. Weekly review here). This is the film I was referring to in my post on Chaplin's film Pay Day. When I was first inspired to make this
Shot4Shot VLOG
Youtube yanked the sample video of Temple of Doom (and others), so I was inspired to create my own, hosted by yours truly, to take advantage of Fair Use laws, and to maybe start expanding Shot4Shot into a youtube channel:
ROYAL WEDDING (1951, Donen)
I love a good in-camera effect, and the ol' spinning set technique is one of my favorites. Whether it's in a musical number (Royal Wedding), an action sequence (Inception) or a horror film (Poltergeist), it's always a thrill. Today's shot
WAR GAMES (1983, Badham)
Man, I love this movie. It really holds up. This shot is more of a subtle, but very significant, moment. With War Games, the clever script and direction manage to stay on the believable side of far-fetched, no easy task.
THE SHINING (1980, Kubrick)
I can't get enough of The Shining right now - Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall's kabuki performances included - so much so that today's shot isn't even from the movie. I wanted to make a case study of it, so