I recently opened an Anchor account for my FILMARTworks podcast. This initiative came into fruition after working on my online classes for a couple of weeks now. After getting my feet wet on this Spotify-led podcasting platform, I received an email saying they took the liberty of coming up with a video version of the audio I utilized for my podcast trailer. It rendered 3 versions specifically with 3 different aspect ratios. Here is one of them: https://youtu.be/d5e6d1rA6No FILMARTworks Podcast Trailer (wide-screen version) It
Tag: film reviews
(Response Paper) Besides Perfection: The Nooks and Cranny of Film Reviewing with Anthony Lane
In response to: The introduction of the book “Nobody’s Perfect: Writings from the New Yorker” by Anthony Lane A response paper for my Advanced Film Theory and Criticism class The introduction part of Anthony Lane’s book “Nobody’s Perfect: Writings from the New Yorker” was a nurturing read, while reminding me of how movies for spectacle’s sake work like junk food – indulging instead of nourishing. At the same time, in the ages of video games and social media, movies work like many
FILMARTworks Blog is finally back on track!
Last March 2018, I finally got some time to fix my 12-year-old website and blog after enduring poor, uncaring web hosting services (I must admit, it’s true — you get what you pay for). Clearly, it took me over a decade to convince myself to invest a little more of my annual budget to get a decent web hosting company that can support someone like me who is an artist and writer with minimal knowledge on web developing, design, and security
‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ Film Review: Popcorn vision
"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is an unevenly elaborate picture that combines brilliant fancy and crowd-pleasing mediocrity and a couple of things in between. In trying to weave together ambitious introspection, artsy humor and blockbuster charm, it turns out as a whimsical flick that plays heavy on the uplift, but gets a bit vague on its vision. This movie actually aims high that brilliance would apparently pop up every now and then. It doesn't make it to the top,
‘Grudge Match’ Film Review: Seniority bout + gags
"Grudge Match" is a sporadically funny movie that clearly capitalizes on the legacies of the stars of two great boxing films. A guilty pleasure for those with nostalgia for Sylvester Stallone's "Rocky" and Robert de Niro's "Raging Bull," this feel-good sports comedy is best watched with a mindset that the material is average at best. A passable commercial work backed up by a strong cast, this movie mainly relies on comedy cliches. Yet, its sensitivity and perspective as a light comedy
‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ Film Review: The entertaining fire-breathing excess
"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" entertains with its fiery wave of action and adventure. However, it remains hamstrung by its own middle chapter narrative problems. Clearly forced into a trilogy stretch for the cash-cow potential of a single book, this second "Hobbit" film proves that one can have too much of a good thing when it comes to delivering a quota of thrills, but still end up as yet another ponderous placeholder for the grand finale. At the very least,
‘Runner Runner’ Film Review: Draws and flops
"Runner Runner" is stacked with a deck of familiar stars. Unfortunately, these famous names, along with this crime flick's gorgeous locations, are only able to paint a good vibe for the first few minutes of the tale. It actually starts off with a solid draw, but it easily folds on the flop a couple of scenes later. Amidst the technically pleasing presentation, this cinematic offering is unable to hold up to the needed excitement and suspense expected for the material.
‘Ong-Bak’ Film Review: No doubles, no strings, no CGIs
This Thai action picture highlights the art of Muay Thai in this Southeast Asian country's contemporary scene. "Ong-Bak" amazes and defies the Hollywood cheats of stunt doubles, using CGI and animation, and working on strings while shooting on chroma to let the characters' actions fly and soar high. This action fare shows the real deal — what a premier martial artist can really do without resorting to any of action cinema's magic tricks. The film presents the centuries-old art of Muay Thai in a contemporary scene. It carries on the