Articles
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Breaking the balance
M. Night Shyamalan is a peculiar subject in contemporary cinema. He helms his films most of the times, controlling writing, direction, and production, while often relying on the help of recurring collaborators. He devised his own recognizable style, and he has been showing interests in different genres with developing fascination for the psychological and the spiritual.
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Reducing a book and enlarging TV
No film has ever had a more traumatizing impact on me than The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. I remember fondly the day I found a lousy Italian DVD, because it felt like a smart and lucky move. Two cents for the forbidden fruit. The 14” CRT television in my bedroom could not contain the power coming from that rotten and perverse images.
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Visualising music
A work of art reveals an artist ego just as much as it uncovers her persona. Since 4 in 2011, there is more of Beyoncé’s ego and persona in every song she creates. Free from the ties with the father-manager Mathew Knowles, she has looked inward for intimacy and outward for influences. She has found a mature voice, but she has also brought out traits of her identity that stardom can easily garble.
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A soldier of cinema
I remember quite vividly how I ditched Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers at the 69th Venice International Film Festival. My job was writing a reportage on the Asian films selection, but that’s a poor excuse for my behaviour, because I could have easily organised my schedule to catch it. But I didn’t trust the “enfant terrible” label thrown around whenever the name Harmony Korine came up, and I wasn’t particular interested in Disney starlets. The fuss was too much for me, and instead of titillating my curiosity, it made me look away.
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The Thin Apocalypse
When I was a kid, my grandfather was always watching westerns and war films. I remember fondly the day when he asked for my VHS of Saving Private Ryan, because it was a bit of a laugh. He took the VHS, went back downstairs, and put it on as loudly as possible. The house turned into Omaha Beach.