I guess you could say the low point arrived on March 27, 2022, with the broadcast of the 94th Academy Awards. No, the “slap heard ’round the world” wasn’t it—though that cast a pall over the proceedings, didn’t it?—but the … Continue reading Cinema 101
It’s been one week since wrapping the 46th Telluride Film Festival, which means it’s high time for reviews and fall previews. In the spirit of the festival, let’s kick things off by first looking back. Each year, TFF invites someone … Continue reading LATE AUTUMN
I follow the general fashion in ordinary manners and moral laws in serious matters, but in art I follow myself. Therefore I won’t do anything I don’t want to do. Even if something is unnatural and I like it, I’ll … Continue reading Born On This Day — December 12, 1903
Every decade, the British Film Institute conducts its Sight and Sound poll of the Greatest Movies Ever Made. In 2012, the top two films were familiar: Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo and Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane, but third was a dark horse: Yasujirô Ozu’s 1953 masterpiece, Tokyo Story. If … Continue reading TOKYO STORY (東京物語)
I have formulated my own directing style in my head, proceeding without any unnecessary imitation of others. —Yasujirō Ozu Continue reading Born On This Day — December 12
It’s very easy to show emotions in drama: the actors cry or laugh and this conveys sad or happy feelings to the audience. But this is mere explanation. Can we really portray a man’s personality and dignity by appealing to … Continue reading In Their Words — Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Rather than tell a superficial story, I wanted to go deeper, to show the hidden undercurrents, the ever-changing uncertainties of life. So instead of constantly pushing dramatic action to the fore, I left empty spaces, so viewers could have a … Continue reading In Their Words — Friday, March 22, 2013
I don’t think the film has a grammar. I don’t think film has but one form. If a good film results, then that film has created its own grammar. —Yasujirō Ozu Continue reading In Their Words — December 12, 2012
Michael J. Cinema 