Seeing Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman turn into a huge commercial success is a special kind of schadenfreude. Superhero and other popcorn action films have been been particularly resistant to give female directors a chance, even while allowing mediocre white men to fail upwards, from mild indie successes to headlining major franchises. But it’s too easy…
We All Float Down Here at #FanExpo
One of the most horrifying works from Stephen King, his novel IT, has a new film adaptation of the same name coming to theatres on September 8. As a promotion, New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures have created Float: A Cinematic VR Experience, which allows users to encounter Pennywise, the central villain, before his…
Deconstructing Netflix’s Death Note
Death Note Adam Wingard (director), David Tattersall (cinematographer), Louis Cioffi (editor), Masi Oka, Roy Lee, Dan Lin, Jason Hoffs (producers), Charles Parlapanides, Vlas Parlapanides, Jeremy Slater (screenplay), adapted from Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata Nat Wolff, Margaret Qualley, Keith Stanfield, Paul Nakauchi, Shea Whigham, Willem Dafoe (cast) August 25, 2017 The American adaptation…
Backlight: Your Movie and TV News Roundup
Whew it’s been…a week. Joss Whedon, Hypocrite Preaching Feminist Ideals On Sunday Kai Cole, the ex-wife of Joss Whedon, wrote a scalding essay about Whedon’s multiple affairs with both fans and actresses. “I now see how he used his relationship with me as a shield, both during and after our marriage, so no one would…
Backlight: Your Movie and TV News Roundup
Content warning: sexual abuse This week in film and TV was a bit of a rollercoaster. We’ve seen a flurry of activity around projects led by female creators and creators of colour, but we’ve also had some disheartening news about the state of discrimination and abuse within the industry. Remember to support your favourite creators…
We Need to Talk About Mantis’ Abuse in Guardians of the Galaxy 2
When it was announced that director James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy 2 would feature Pom Klementieff as Mantis, I was cautiously excited. In the past I had criticized Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy for its moments of casual misogyny, but overall found the film to be a nice change of pace after the middling…
A Look at GOOK with Justin Chon, David So, and Simone Baker
From April 30 to May 4, 1992, Los Angeles was enraged. What finally set it off was a verdict. Four white LAPD officers were found not guilty of the severe beating of Rodney King, a black man, which was caught on tape. The riots that followed would be remembered 25 years later, and Justin Chon’s…
Valerian Can’t Achieve Escape Velocity from White Supremacy
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets Luc Besson (director), Julien Rey (editor), Thierry Arbogast (cinematographer) Luc Besson (screenplay) from Valerian and Laureline Pierre Christin Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen, Rihanna, Ethan Hawke, Herbie Hancock, Kris Wu, Rutger Hauer (cast) Released July 21, 2017 (US), July 26, 2017 (France)
Review: Lessons from The Woman Fantastic in Contemporary American Media Culture
With an interdisciplinary approach to the portrayal of the “woman fantastic” in contemporary American media, this collection examines her appearance across comics, books, and television.
Sci-Fi Cine: Cinematography 101
It’s in every movie, right in front of you. Sometimes it goes unnoticed. Other times it makes you go “Wow! Look at that shot!” It is what separates an epic film from shit. It is cinematography. Cinematography is the art of making motion pictures. Just like with a painting, a cinematographer (also called Director of…
Dark Tower Forgot the Face of Its Father
It’s really hard to talk about a bad break-up. Especially when you’ve invested so much in the relationship and gotten so little in return. So forgive me as I find the words to tell you all about The Dark Tower movie.
NYAFF Short Reviews: Hong Kong Panorama Films
Soul Mate Director: Derek Tsang Cast: Dongyu Zhou, Sandra Ma, and Toby Lee North American premiere: September 23, 2016