Inside the Screenplay

One of my favorite movies of all time is Pixar's Inside Out. The movie pushing the boundaries of not only kids movies, but movies in general. Pixar's movies tend to be classics but in my opinion Inside Out is in a league of its own. Check this awesome video done by Lesson from the Screenplay analyzing the amazing film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulm7bcB2xvY

The Beauty of Media

I tend to watch movies more than I watch tv and I definitely watch tv more than I play video games. That being said I recently stumbled upon an amazing YouTube channel that is everything that YouTube aspires to be an more. Funny, creative, different, educational, and beautifully made. It combines so many different types of media into a six minute video and it is impossible for me to do it justice. Just watch and enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja9DjLG8paU

The Blockbuster War

The Avengers: Infinity War is set to release on April 27th, 2018. An unprecedented ten years of film making and eighteen films are all leading to this movie. There is no doubt in my mind that the movie will be a blast and the public will love it. On the other side of that coin is super hero fatigue. While I do love movies like Iron Man and Black Panther, seeing something without a Marvel or DC logo in the opening credits is pretty neat too. If I were a betting man I would say that after the Infinity War movies the super hero movie genre will slowly start to decline and we will have a new blockbuster giant. Who could fill that monstrous gap left my the super hero genre? How about a big monster? The recent success of  2014 Godzilla and 2017 Kong: Skull Island shows that the public wants big monster movies like that. On top of that the company that owns that majority of the big monster franchises, Legendary, clearly has plans for a cinematic universe much like Marvel. Then in the horizon we see Pacific Rim: Uprising and Rampage which are causing lots of internet buzz and have lots of star power to help bring in casual fans. The big monster movies are a dark horse in the blockbuster war and I think I have a good feel about the inevitable change. But only time will tell which one truly is the King of movies.

The Shape of Film

I'm a little late to the party on this one but let's talk about the Oscars. Sadly I was wrong about my pick for the Best Picture, but I think that's a good thing. In 2009 the Academy changed the number of nominees in the Best Picture race from five to ten. They did this with the hope of bringing in more diverse films which would result in more people watching the ceremony. While oddball films like District 9, Mad Max, and Get Out have been nominated, sadly they rarely stand a chance to take home the crown since they weren't "Oscar movies". Then along comes Guillermo Del Toro with The Shape of Water. I loved the movie when I saw it but I enjoyed others more so it wasn't even on my radar for the Best Picture winner. That being said, The Shape of Water winning that accolade just might change film as we know it. The movie's story, unorthodox. The movie's style, stunning. The movie's music, magical. Guillermo Del Toro takes an indie story and combines it with a blockbuster budget to give us a story like no other. What does this mean though? This means that original, ambitious, weird, different film making is now "prestige" worthy in the eyes of the Academy. Outside the box movies like these aren't condemned to the cult classic life cycle anymore. They can get the recognition they deserve and change the shape of film making as we know it.

The Best Movie that was never written

One of the best movies made was actually never written. Mad Max: Fury Road is an adrenaline filled wild ride that gave women the hero they deserve. Check this amazing video out that highlights the brilliance that is Mad Max: Fury Road. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u6DwJOs604

-J

Arrival

My favorite movie of 2016 was Arrival. Everything about the movie works on so many levels and the movie only becomes better on the re-watch. Here's a video-essay on the film by one of my favorite YouTube channels. WARNING: There are spoilers for the film in there. So if you haven't seen Arrival do not watch this video, watch the movie Arrival cause it's also really really good. Enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z18LY6NME1s

-J

The Future of Film

The year is now 2018 and the ability to create a feature film is as accessible as ever. All you need to be writer is a pen and paper. All you need to be a film maker is a camera and now everyone's pocket can film 1080p video with no issues. The 2015 movie Tangerine had a budget of $100,000, was filmed on an iPhone 5s, and received high critical praise by the majority of the film community. Beyond the ability to create a film, the distribution of film can now be done within the hour for thousands to see. Netflix, Hulu, Vimeo, and many more are creating their own content then putting it out the second its ready. The game has now changed but I don't think this will kill one medium and the other thrives because of it. Many advocate for big screen theater experiences to preserve the art. While the ones on the other side want to see grounded stories that can be seen on the device it was made from. It's an incredible time to want to be a film maker and I am very curious to see what the future of film holds.

-J