Cate Blanchett’s best: ‘Blue Jasmine’

 

(2013 – Director: Woody Allen   Cast: Cate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin, Sally Hawkins)

Woody Allen, the hardest working man in Hollywood, has churned out a gem from his “make-a-movie-every-year-factory.” Allen, of course, has long solidified his sense of storytelling and with it, a rigid fan base loyal to his career. It’s films like Blue Jasmine that remind everyone why he’s among film’s elite.

Discovering filmmaker Krzysztof Kieslowski: ‘Blue’

 

(1993 – Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski   Cast: Juliette Binoche, Zbigniew Zamachowski)

Blue paralyzes you with its insistence on showing, not telling, action. It’ a great example of how action based screenplays force audiences to find their own way to connect with characters.

Shepherd’s first movie

This week I decided it was time. It was time for my 17 month old son to finally be introduced to the magic known as the movie theatre. I went into this adventure very apprehensive. Shepherd has never been one to enjoy watching what’s on our TV at home. Occassionally he likes what’s on the screen (especially if it has upbeat music) but for the most part he tends to ignore it. I can’t tell if it’s because he’d rather play with his other toys or read books, or if what tends to be on TV (usually news, wheel of fortune, sports) just bores him. But the other week the Disney Channel was airing Cars, of course, to promote the newly released Planes. And Disney doesn’t need me to tell them that their movie is a marketing genius. Shep’s attention perked straight up when he saw Lightning McQueen talk and go real fast. That got my attention. I decided it was time to take my little guy to see his first movie.

The end of innocence: ‘East of Eden’

 

(1955 – Director: Elia Kazan   Cast: James Dean, Julie Harris)

East of Eden is a balance of good and bad. The script takes a truncated version of John Steinbeck’s novel and emphasizes the biblical allegory that Cal (Cain) and Aron (Abel) represent.