Tuesday, August 29, 2017

BEST ACTING PERFORMANCES EVER

Ever since I turned 20 I stopped checking actors and started following directors.

However, I remember a bunch of acting performances that I can’t forget and I really doubt they will ever be bettered.

Chronologically:


 1)     Pierre Lorre – M

 2)     Orson Wells - Citizen Cane

 3)     Humphrey Bogart – Casablanca

 4)     Ingrid Bergman – Casablanca

 5)     James Stewart – Rope

 6)     ToshirĂ´ Mifune – Seven Samurai

 7)     Cary Grant – North by Northwest

 8)     Jack Lemmon - The Apartment

 9)     Liv Ullmann – Persona

10)    Marlon Brando – The Godfather 

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

WHY CINEMA IS DEAD

The “Godfather of Gore” Lucio Fulci predicted in the early 90s “Cinema won’t survive this era. Why? It can only be made for real in America since the real money is there. But they have no ideas. From now on you will only see remakes and sequels”

The one and only George Romero was asked last year “Why modern directors don’t make movies that show their personal view anymore?”. Romero answered in a flash “Why would they? Nobody cares what they really think. Besides, they know very well if they look for a budget they need to propose movies which don’t upset anyone. When they look for a distribution they know far too well what kind of product is likely to be financed”. 

Only real Independent Cinema can make real films: movies which look for something more than pure revenue (i.e. Art concept).

The problem for Independent Cinema is

1)     To exist a movie needs to be seen.
2)     To be seen a film needs a distribution
3)     Distributors just look for money (isn’t it Netflix?) so won’t take risks, they won’t show real movies, those which dare. That’s it.

Hence: Cinema is dead, long live the Cinema...

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

ABOUT ROCK & ROLL

”You said rock&roll comes before everything else for you, why?”. 

Joe thought this through for a few seconds before responding “I was 17 and I’d never listened to rock & roll. During a student assembly I was on my own, as usual. A couple of class-mates came over with a Walkman: ‘Check this out!’. ‘What’s that?’ I asked. ‘Just try it’. I put skeptically the earphones on and it all happened in a flash: a pure explosion of sensations, expressions, happiness. Above all a relief, a Nirvana feeling: no matter what your age is you’re not the only one. It all started then and there was no return. You see I can stay away from everything in my life: I didn’t watch movies for a decade, I didn’t read books for years, I didn’t even meet any human being for months but if I didn’t listen to rock & roll a few hours a day I wouldn't get out of bed”.

The interviewer looked at the novelist with a puzzled face “If music is so important to you why do you write instead of playing?”.  Joe looked away for a few seconds then back to the guy and smiled sly...