Film Buffs

For many film fans, there is nothing like having a chill run down one’s spine when watching a movie. Filmmakers have understood this for generations, which is why film noir became so popular in the 1940′s and 50′s.Why does an American film style have a French name? It wasn’t until French critics in the 50′s and 60′s celebrated these B-movies so much that they begun to have an identity. Figures like Jean Luc Godard later to have his own spectacular career as a director saw the artistry in these often dashed-off American films.How can fans get inside this terrific, often bone-chilling style of moviemaking? For one thing, you can simply go by decade.1940′s: The Maltese Falcon. Considered by many to be the first film noir, The Maltese Falcon has it all: Humphrey Bogart in the lead, Dashiell Hammett with the story and John Huston as the director. Read more »

When it comes to choosing how to spend your hard-earned money, sometimes it helps to enlist the help of a professional or the consensus of the group. Nowhere is this more obvious than with movies. If you count on a single film critic in the local newspaper, you might find yourself disappointed a lot of the time. After all, a critic probably has completely different priorities than you do when it comes to heading to the movies. If you want to read a specific person’s opinions on the latest blockbuster films and art house sensations alike, it makes more sense to go online and check out a particular blog or official website instead.Of course, there are better options for those who aren’t quite cinephiles, but who enjoy a nice trip to the theater every so often. If you’re less interested in epic cinema and don’t know your Fellini from your George Lucas, it might make more sense to look towards the consensus of popular opinion. After all, there are those who see the cinema as a chance to focus on advancing at, and there are those who could care less what happened in Germany or France 60 years ago to change the film movement. The fact is that there are just as many films being made right now in America that focus on entertaining, and that’s often the main purpose for those who simply want to know which flick is best for the whole family on Friday night. Read more »