Visual Films: The Fall

The Fall

(2006)

Directed by Tarsem

Visual Films: Kamikaze Girls

Ah!  I went a little bit overboard with this Visual Films post.  But who cares, it’s Kamikaze Girls. Who doesn’t like Kamikaze Girls? Answer: No one.

Visual Movies: Down With Love

Directed by Peyton Reed (2003) Starring: Renee Zellweger, Ewan McGregor, Sarah Paulson, David Hyde Pierce

I really love this movie.  It’s the right amount of ridiculousness and retro-charm.  Down with Love is a parody of the comedies starring Doris Day and Rock Hudson.  It also has innuendo dripping off the screen.  The art department on this movie had a lot of fun with the costumes and set design. Plus, Ewen McGregor and David Hyde Pierce make everything better, case closed.

And hey, Peyton Reed’s from NC! Love love love.

 

Things To Cheer About

Only twenty more days to go until Halloween (almost nineteen!).

Visual Films: 28 Days Later

28 Days Later

(2002) Directed by Danny Boyle

I’m a bit surprised at how much I loved the visuals for 28 Days Later, but in retrospect that makes perfect sense.  The atmosphere of an empty, post-apocalyptic world is really created through images to show that emptiness.  It’s hard to convey it otherwise.  So a shot like the one with the windmills has the big open sky with one lone car.  The sequence at the beginning is Jim (Cillian Murphy) looking around a nearly empty London for people.

Absolutely love how text got used in these visual shots, beginning with the graffiti from the church scene, the heartbreaking letter from Jim’s parents, to the STOP outside the Big Set Piece.  That said, the last third or so of the movie is over-represented in this post, since it is the Big Set Piece.

Visual Films: Richard III

According to the Netflix envelope, Richard III (1995) was nominated for Academy Awards in Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction- Set Direction. All I can say is– damn straight! This movie is incredible for the eyes. Literally the kind of cotton candy costume drama that I want and need in my life.

On a few notes, it’s curious that they picked a Fascist time period for this adaptation of Richard III instead of, say, World War I era imperialism, since there’s a distinct similarity between Richard and Kaiser Wilhem (in terms of physical-personality resemblance, not so much in how he got a hold of power). At the same time, Richard III (played by Ian McKellan) has the personality of your typical fascist leader: Charismatic, well-spoken, and a little bit insane.

Visual Movies: The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover

(Is it wrong that I want that dress?)

Bitchin’.

The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover

(1989)

Directed by Peter Greenaway

Starring: Richard Bohringer, Michael Gambon, Helen Mirren, and Alan Howard

It is so wrong that the DVD is out of print.

Visual Movies: The Legend of 1900

Here’s an idea: Expressing movies as selected images.  That’s basically what they are, but by allowing the blogger freedom to pick which images they think is important, there lies the individual opinions that blogs are all about.

I chose The Legend of 1900 for the first of this project because it’s a strongly visual film.