The electricity of live music is like nothing in the world. There is a sense that you are experiencing something direct and raw, a moment that won’t outlive your experiencing of it. To try and capture that energy on film can seem an impossible task, like running into a storm with an open bottle and… Continue reading The Art of the Concert Film
Arnold Schwarzenegger contains multitudes. Action star, 1970’s Mr Olympia, governator, upcoming host of Celebrity Apprentice. But he is also the vessel through which some of the finest action-film writers have funneled their genius. Much like Frank Sinatra, Arnie is not a writer but an amazing interpreter of material, in his case mostly pun-based insults yelled… Continue reading Arnie, The Violent Poet
When Taxi Driver was released in 1976, the demonically violent final act had early reviewers referring to it as an exploitation film, critical shorthand for an easy couple of dollars for the young director. In an interview with Roger Ebert, director Martin Scorsese was appalled by the idea. “Jesus! I went flat broke making this… Continue reading Scorsese’s Art of Murder
The idea of the Russian Epic looms large over popular culture. Russian Epics are created by men with impossibly thick beards and drinking problems. These men are brilliant and depressed and think you should be depressed too. They create massive works that are to be respected from a distance. They are not to be enjoyed.… Continue reading Tarkovsky’s Elevation
Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is a film so simultaneously precise yet ambiguous that countless bizarre theories have blossomed from its smallest details.
The Astor Theatre Blog 