By grace of the particular brand of her presence in Bong Joon-ho‘s Okja, it is clear that “The Tilda” is a distinct genre unto itself, from Doctor Strange to the films of Derek Jarman to Michael Clayton, Broken Flowers, and more. 
And beyond the power of Tilda Swinton, there is much more to explore, clearly, in the newest work by one of the most dynamic of 21st century directors, Bong Joon-ho (Snowpiercer, Mother, and The Host).
Archive for the ‘Directors’ Category
The Tilda
Posted in Chapter 5, Directors, tagged Bong Joon-Ho, Broken Flowers, Derek Jarman, Doctor Strange, Michael Clayton, Okja, Snowpiercer, The Host, Tilda Swinton on June 30, 2017| Leave a Comment »
Jonathan Demme, American Maverick – Part 2
Posted in Directors, tagged Jonathan Demme on April 30, 2017| Leave a Comment »
Hahaha, as if Jonathan Demme were ever to make a “Part 2” movie! This video should be very moving for American movie lovers, and cinephiles from around the world.
Despite possible temptation, here’s to not phoning it in.
Posted in Chapter 1, Directors, tagged Mekado Murphy, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Tim Burton on September 30, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Yes, it might seem obvious, “Oh, Tim Burton is directing Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” — how sweet. At mediateacher.net, we’ve explored Mr. Burton’s beguiling cinescapes before.
The powerful inspiration that Mr. Burton’s works have given to many young (and not-so-young) people for over a generation seems to renew its promise with this new feature. And here is an answer to the “not phoning it in” title above: The Making of a Film Fable, an article by Mekado Murphy.
Gondry Protocol
Posted in Chapter 5, Directors, tagged Be Kind Rewind, Charlie Kaufman, City Lights, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Jack Black, Michel Gondry, Microbe and Gasoline, Mos Def, The White Stripes on September 19, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Michel Gondry, one of the most inventive and utterly unique motion picture wizards of our time, has delivered again. In an original gesture, he went and made a video on his own for the White Stripes song “City Lights” as a gift to Third Man Records (having made a number of legendary music videos together, including the Lego classic “Fell in Love with a Girl” and the Meg White-inspired masterstroke “The Hardest Button to Button“). Lessons to learn from his music videos in general: a hefty dose of vision; planning, then planning and practice and planning; and execution. And throw in a few dashes of visual and sonic magic.
Gondry’s book The Be Kind Rewind Protocol is great food for thought for filmmakers and educators alike, and of course there are his movies, notably that one featuring Mos Def, Jack Black, and Danny Glover; Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, his exceptional collaboration with screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (and which I feel gets even better with age); The Thorn in the Heart, a documentary that grew out of a family story; an episode of Flight of the Conchords; and the mix of music videos, shorts, commercials, and odds and ends that have made up his twisting and turning career.
Of Inspirations and Pins and Needles
Posted in Chapter 1, Directors, tagged Akira Kurosawa, Gareth Edwards, George Lucas, Hidden Fortress, Rogue One, Seven Samurai, Star Wars on August 12, 2016| Leave a Comment »
I am guessing that THIS will be the Seven Samurai reference (okay, it’s six, but go with it) that will be remembered from this year.
The new trailer for Star Wars: Rogue One debuted during the Olympics coverage yesterday, and it looked pretty amazing. (And it was even more enticing than the initial teaser, which already had fans energized.) Just one point that I feel needs to be made for teachers gearing up for a new year of media literacy: Kurosawa.
The foremost acknowledged influence on Star Wars is Akira Kurosawa’s Hidden Fortress. Any student of moving images or educators who wish to explore the vital contemporary Star Wars universe is well advised to explore the singular power of director Akira Kurosawa and his influence on George Lucas. For me, there appears to be some major inspiration from the universe of the Japanese cinematic master in the trailer for Rogue One (directed by Gareth Edwards), except in this case the references are to The Seven Samurai. Whatever the inspirations, things appear to be looking good for the realm of Jedi, Force, and Dark Side.
Ready to open a franchise?
Posted in Chapter 1, Directors, tagged Doug Liman, Edge of Tomorrow, Jason Bourne, Jaws Summer Blockbuster, Matt Damon, Paul Greengrass on July 28, 2016| Leave a Comment »
In the beginning… (Mondo Poster for Jaws)
It’s beach time again! Every summer, mediateacher.net has featured discussions of the ever-evolving — or oh-so-static — world of the summer blockbuster and the ways in which movie studios work lots of angles to prop up their tent poles, for better or worse. We have discussed super-hero fare and Soderbergh talks, studio pitches, summer classics, and evolving tastes with tech and fx, among many other topics.
The ingredients…
As students think about how stories are constructed and how studios approach the moviemaking process, for this month we recommend a revealing article that discusses “Why Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass Couldn’t Quit Jason Bourne.” One of the high priests of jump cut acrobatics, director Paul Greengrass, and the versatile actor / writer / producer /etc. Matt Damon have returned to the Bourne series after it had begun so many years ago with Doug Liman at the helm. (Hey! You should click that Doug Liman link — it’s an exceptional interview about Edge of Tomorrow and he also talks about The Bourne Identity. Great reading about his work as a director and working in Hollywood. And Limania.)
The Stevens on the State of the Game
Posted in Chapter 5, Directors, tagged Bridge of Spies, Cara Buckley, Matt Zoller Seitz, Steven Soderbergh, Steven Spielberg, The Knick on October 17, 2015| Leave a Comment »
Soderbergh shooting handheld from a dolly
In an earlier post — Soderbergh Raids the Ark — I shared Steven Soderbergh’s very revealing experiment in which he turned Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark into a black & white silent movie. Right now I would like to highlight two recently published articles about these two very different and undoubtedly masterful directors. In Steven Spielberg on the Cold War and Other Hollywood Front Lines, Spielberg discusses his new historically based movie, Bridge of Spies, and many other topics with Cara Buckley of the New York Times. In The Binge Director (in New York magazine), Matt Zoller Seitz visits with Soderbergh on the set of his show The Knick. There are many interesting points for young filmmakers and media literacy educators in both of these superb articles.
