Tag: Kathryn Bigelow

Reviews

DETROIT

Michael J. Casey

Detroit — the latest film from Academy Award-winning director, Kathryn Bigelow — opens with as much promise and technical brilliance as any feature made this year. Starting with a brief animation depicting the White Flight of the 20th century, Detroit opens on the early morning of July 23, 1967, with a speakeasy raided by police. An informant is roughed up, arrests are made, a crowd gathers. The cameras, seemingly omnipotent, cut back and forth from multiple perspectives, stitching together bits of action from all over; not to give an abstract picture, but to construct a complete one. This is how … Continue reading DETROIT

In Their Words

Born On This Day – November 27

Michael J. Casey

“If you hold a mirror up to society, and you don’t like what you see, you can’t fault the mirror. It’s a mirror. […] The environment still needs reexamination so you don’t forget it when the lights come up.”  “Once you’ve opened the window on topical material, its very hard to close it. Holding up a contemporary mirror is more attractive to me now than ever.” –Kathryn Bigelow “I try not to make a big deal about the camera, to let it get between me and them. I’ve seen a lot of cameramen go in and treat the subjects like … Continue reading Born On This Day – November 27

Movie Beat

Movie Beat – 01.11.13

Michael J. Casey

The biggest movie news of the week are the Oscar nominations, but just because there are a bunch of movies from last year that you need to catch up on, doesn’t mean that there is some fresh fun out there today. Take a look and judge for yourself. $ellebrity – Kevin Mazur, who has made his living as a rock n’ roll photographer, puts together a collection of interviews, clips, and Cinema Verité style footage into a documentary about fame, celebrity, and most importantly, the voracity at which the public consumes it. This isn’t a documentary that provides an answer to the problem, because … Continue reading Movie Beat – 01.11.13

Movie Beat

Movie Beat – 12.19.12

Michael J. Casey

Amour – From acclaimed writer/director Michael Haneke comes this year’s Palm d’Or winner. Georges and Anne are two retired music teachers, in their eighties, and living comfortably. One day, Anne has an attack and their relationship is thrown into despair. Watching a love one slip away in this manner is excruciatingly painful, and Haneke is not going to let us look away. Mankind has the benefit and the curse of knowing that life is temporary, and that one day we will die. How we approach the finish line and cross it, defines us just as much as how we got … Continue reading Movie Beat – 12.19.12