Another link I found in early 2013, was a series of videos an auteur named Matt Shapiro has put together for the last seven years called The Cinescape. It’s pretty amazing craftsmanship, and even though none of the films he spliced together are original works, the way he did it is. It’s masterful and brings to mind how movies, even in their most mundane form, can be filled with wonderful images and themes. Sometimes I feel as if there’s a boredom of abundance. There’s just so much high-quality filmmaking these days, that even the worst of the Hollywood dreck can be filled with amazing facets.
The Cinescape above also reminds me of how movies feature variations on a theme, and that the tropes can get tedious after a while. So, there’s a sense of wonder and disappointment as I flip through all seven of these and start to see some of the tricks filmmakers use to emotionally and visually connect.
I’ve got to admit my attention span is not short enough to process much of this. The movie that is stilled for the video before it starts is “The Hunter” which is one of my favorties of 2012 (even though it strayed greatly from the darker, post-modern book).
I also loved Beasts of the Southern Wild, which I did not see any clips from in this, and Moonrise Kingdom, from which I think there was one clip, though I can’t even be sure.
I agree that so much of Hollywood is short on storytelling sophistication. Much of this has to do with the consequences for making a flop in the business, so I blame audiences that get lazy and watch crappy action and comedic films and feel good drama films. Not to be too hypocritical, as I did see the Hobbit (though part of that is enjoying taking Eliot).
One film I would be interested in hearing about from all of you is a film called The Words with Bradley Cooper. If you have seen it or do see it let me know what you think. I thought there was an open quality to the narrative, though I know some of it was melodramatic. It’s about writing and truth and has some interesting moments.