Friday, May 29, 2009

A Few Good Films

"A man who dresses up as a bat clearly has issues."

Batman Begins


Featured Films

When cinematography is at its finest, I want to shout it on the rooftops.
Lately it has been my privilege to view some very superior examples of film making: old and new.




First Featured Film: Angels and Demons
Why I Love This Film: Based on the book by Dan Brown, this movie has significance to me because when I first read Angels and Demons, it influenced me to go to library school. It has a lot to do with ancient texts and the preservation thereof. So, I wanted it to be good. Really good.
I was not disappointed. Filmed it Rome, it explores so much of history that has been the story of so many lives. I am not a follower of the Catholic Religion, nevertheless I find secret societies such as the Illuminati fascinating, as well as the marks both these organizations have left on history.
This film is not for the faint of heart. There is a lot of human suffering and evil in it. It is, however, exciting, breathtaking, and unexpected. The book is of course better, but this creation of intellectual to visual was stellar.





Second Featured Film: A Beautiful Mind
Why I Love This Film: Location, music, the right director, actors, and story all come together in this gripping tale of love, sickness, truth, and unrelenting genius. The soundtrack is one of the loveliest I've heard; it casts a spell on me. The old buildings and traditions clash with something very new and unexplored: a great mathematician who must battle with his own mind. Both terrifying and tender, this story will always elicit tears of sadness and joy for me.




Third Featured Film:
Ballet Russes
A history upon the films about the Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo

Why I Love This Film:
The dancers, now retired and quite aged, explicitly outline what is missing in dance today, why it is devoid of passion and spirit and feeling. Their own dancing is rich with warmth, delight, and life. Why? Because they didn't take it too seriously..... to them, it was always, as it should be, play.




The Baby Ballerinas: Balanchine's first innovation that caused the original Ballet Russes to be such a success, causing people to "slather at the mouth." I don't think modern ballet has that effect any more, but it was a very exciting time to be a dancer.


"But I don't want to play games," said Liz.
"Then you can't live in Bali," said Felippe.

Eat, Pray, Love

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