Collateral

                                                   Movie Stills: Collateral

Michael Mann is a director who seems to have a lot of control over the shooting of his films which is something of a turn of to me. I always have a problem with the way he shots his films, it is to calculated, to monotone. The same problem that I have with Michael Mann can also be extended to David Fincher and to a lesser extent Stanley Kubrick. But in Collateral he makes the environment look alive, it's blistering. You can literally feel the energy. Mann also knows here when to make a shot longer then it should be, he shows restraint and also teaches us how to use color in the most effective way (Especially blue) and we will also admire the use of focus as well as the grany look.

P.S The fact that Tom Cruise did not win an Oscar for his performance in this film is bollocks.

The 400 Blows

                 

                                                Movie Stills: The 400 Blows

I watched the classic movie "The 400 Blows" for the first time today and I was happy to see that the acclaim the movie have is well earned. It is a fascinating character study about a young boy and how he just cannot conform to society. It is a very emotionally fueled film anchored by a great performance from Jean-Pierre Léaud. Even though it was a great movie I can't say I was amazed by the cinematography, except from one aspect, how to frame a face. Facial gestures can evoke many things from the viewer so it is importan to know when to show it and how. "The 400 Blows" has some great examples.

Harry Brown

         

                                                   Movie Stills: Harry Brown

"Harry Brown" is one of the greatest shot movies ever. Surprised by my opinion? You shouldn't be. The reason that I believe it to be one of the greatest movies ever shot is because it's grounded in reality. It has simple close ups, medium shots, environment shots. The focus is sharp and only draws attention to one important thing and holds on to it. What people often forget, is that simplicity sometimes has the greatest effect.