Film club

If you have seen my post in the Obi-Wan thread, then you know I thought that show was visually tepid. This probably wasn't helped by the fact that I was watching three films around the same time that are the exact opposite. Given the fact that they fall into the same vein of films that George Lucas has made over the years, I thought I'd recommend them all to you. George has said that his films are like paintings in that he builds the film out of different elements, filming them separately and then combining them into the final product (sets, live actors, miniatures, CGI, or stop motion animation, puppets, etc).

The Thief of Bagdad features some early use of blue screen compositing and shares similar themes to Star Wars.

The Thief of Bagdad (1940)



These next two films, by Karel Zeman, really take the mixed media approach that Lucas uses to the max. His films are like silent films/storybooks. Right up Lucas's alley. When watching these films one realizes that what George was doing on the Prequels has always been done, George just merely pushed it into the digital space. He is in great company.

The Fabulous Baron Munchausen:



An Invention for Destruction



All three are available to stream on The Criterion Channel.

Just because you use a silencer doesn't mean you aren't a sniper.

xD

And yes, I love her more. I literally have a shrine to her in my closet. 

I recently saw Steven’s latest movie The Fabelmans- wonderful movie about his childhood. I imagine it is one of Ingram’s favorites this year

Check out this 320 part interview with Walter Murch!
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVV0r6CmEsFzCodipONmNiROhYCUWyz_U

Lawrence Kasdan's 1981 erotic thriller Body Heat FREE on the internet archive.

archive.org/details/7.4-8.2-body-heat-1981

Happy Valentine's Day 🌹💖🌹

Not bad. Kubrick apperantly wanted to destroy every copy of the film, but I think it's a valuable piece of film history. The acting and editing are a little corny at times, but for its time the concept is very unique and clever. I recommend it.

And the soldier definitely gave me Temuera Morrison vibes.

Wow, I can't believe The Fall us on yt. A surreal epic, by David Fincher and Spike Jonze. I've been meaning to see this for awhile.

youtu.be/ZRRrrePA5AE

I watched Koyaanisqatsi. The way the landscapes and vistas are presented in a more expansive and lavish way in the SW prequels compared to the more constrained originals feels like it is inspired by this movie. Naboo and the canyons on Mos Espa look almost like they belong here. The shots of traffic streaming also brought to mind the way the air traffic on Coruscant was presented, especially in TPM. TPM has the most expansive locales out of any of the SW films, and feels particularly like a digital version of Koyaanisqatsi, with the juxtaposition of the green Naboo vs. the grey Coruscant. Lucas always said that he employed a documentary style for the Star Wars films, and I think that is most true for the prequels, which really went out of their way to establish a living flora and fauna. The whole theme of the balance of nature vs. technology is also the strongest in TPM. I see a lot of parallels between the two films.

Shots like this feel almost out of Koyaanisqatsi:

I'll definitely look for it. I might buy the Blu-ray trilogy set. I'm a sucker for physical media and these movies are a great addition to my collection.