Walter Hill is responsible for some classics among action fans. With a filmography that includes The Warriors, 48 Hrs., Streets of Fire, and Southern Comfort why has Hill not received more recognition and at what point did his career take a turn that led him to directing the Sylvester Stallone film Bullet To The Head?
Obviously there would need to be deep focus on Walter Hill's motifs, such as what are recurring themes that appear in his films? – Ryan Errington10 years ago
America had Lugosi and Karloff, Britain had Cushing and Lee.
British Horror films for the most part were more focused on scary and eerie atmosphere and many are still some of the scariest films of the genre that you'll see even today. Films like Night of The Demon (1957), The Innocents (1961), Quatermass and the Pit (1967), The Tomb of Ligeia (1964), Witchfinder General(1968) and The Masque of the Red Death (1964).
Some of our most famous horror films were made at the Hammer Studios. In 1955 a film called The Quatermass Xperiment began Hammer's long success. The British version of Dracula (1958) made a star of Christopher Lee and he and Peter Cushing starred together in the sequels. Cushing and Lee would also star in The Mummy and The Curse of Frankenstein. Later came films like The Gorgon, Taste of Fear, The Witches and recently The Woman in Black and it's sequel. Hammer films had blood and gore but they had great horror atmosphere too.
What I love most about horror films from my country is the ability to capture a spooky atmosphere, this to me is much more scary than blood, gore and monsters.
There have been many brilliant British TV versions of horror stories too, including The Woman in Black (1989), Whistle and I'll Come To You (1968) and (2010), Remember Me (2014), The Signalman (1976), The Tractate Middoth (2013) and The Green Man (1990).
There have been many fine horror films made elsewhere but if I want a good ghost story done right, I know I can't go wrong with those made here at the UK.
We need a good piece on great British horror films and maybe thoughts on Hammer Studios.
There was a fantastic exhibition at the British Library on the Gothic. I'm pretty sure its closed now, but if you're based in the UK it may be worth visiting to pick up some leaflets, or reading some reviews online. A large part of the exhibition centred on Hammer films and their transformations to correspond with social fears. – Aliya Gulamani10 years ago
From my very limited exposure to Japanese cinema, I'm fascinated with the city of Tokyo, as I'm sure many others are too. It seems to me that Tokyo looms larger in the Japanese consciousness (and films) than other capitals in their respective countries. You don't see filmmakers communicating sentiments like "Ah, Seoul, the big time!" or "Beijing, it's a hell of a town!" as much. There's an excitement and charm that comes across, which is not just a matter of its size/scope.
Tokyo seems to be not just large as a city, but larger-than-life as a psychological destination. That is, there is a lot reference to it, or use of it, as a vessel of the ideas it represents — much like New York in the movies. Indeed, the sheer number of films with "Tokyo" in the title is impressive.
Would be great to read a piece about films that come to mind when you think of "Tokyo movies" — films that are memorable for having Tokyo as a 'character,' or films that couldn't be set anywhere else, etc. I'm going to include animated films.
Obviously, film is a 'place' where ideas about places and cultural phenomena, and the environments and conditions of human life get discussed, digested, processed, interpreted, even celebrated… so this is what makes the representation of the big town on the big screen really significant.
It would also be interesting to analyze whether there is a difference in the depiction of Tokyo when the filmmakers are Japanese versus when they are not. – Amena Banu10 years ago
Very interesting topic. The legendary 'Tokyo Story' has to be included regardless in my opinion. When talking about Tokyo in movies, that has to be the first that comes to mind. – Justin Wu10 years ago
A newer addition, and one that could be shown as the western mixing in with the culture of Tokyo, is Big Hero 6. Disney didn't want the film to move away from it's Japanese beginnings and so it mixed the two cultures together. What is left of Tokyo in the film can be taken as representations of what they thought were important parts of the Tokyo lifestyle. – Tyler McPherson10 years ago
Yes i think this is a great idea! You could either look at it from a Western vrs Japanese perspective or a look through history and seeing if it changes in time and why? – Francesca Turauskis10 years ago
Great topic! I think Amena is definitely right in suggesting the comparison between Japanese and non Japanese filmmakers depicting Tokyo. In terms of Western filmmakers filming Tokyo, Babel and Lost in Translation come straight to my mind. The different Godzillas are other options. Maybe it would be interesting to see how this portrayal has evolved from early films up to today, and how the city has grown as well. – Rachel Elfassy Bitoun10 years ago
An interesting history on a significant line of films that have lasted as impactful works throughout the decades.
Nice topic I would love to read about. Discussing the restoration process and how films are picked would be good. – monstersandneon10 years ago
I think this would be a great topic; the Criterion Collection has a great history over the years and has some impressive films in their library. If you want to explore the restoration process as suggested by monstersandneon, I would recommend looking into the essays attached to Criterion films which gives some specifics on the processes done to restore the films. You can also find a few videos on the Criterion Collection's Youtube page which gives an extensive amount of detail on the restoration of certain movies and even gives comparisons between the old and new versions (the restorations of Richard III and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp are particularly impressive). – Seth Childers10 years ago
Which movie deserve sequels? How far should some of the more popular franchises go? Where can they go next? Which ones should stop entirely, and why?
How would you define a "deserved" sequel? It is a very subjective topic. Maybe looking at films which have a strong fan following rather than simply box office success. – Ryan Errington10 years ago
I think one (major) criterion for a "deserved" sequel is the potential of the story, as opposed to popularity or box office success. Even if a movie is popular and successful, it shouldn't be continued if there is no more scope in the story. – Amena Banu10 years ago
I think this is a great idea for an article. The only thing I would suggest is to maybe choose whether to focus on sequels that do deserve to be continued or those that do not; it might become too unfocused if you try to do both. I would also follow Ryan and Amena's advice on focusing on films that deserve sequels based on critical reception and the potential for a continuing story rather than box-office success (some films such as Dredd probably deserve a sequel but likely will never get one due to flopping at the box-office). – Seth Childers10 years ago
What have been some of the biggest Oscar/Golden Globe etc. snubs in recent memory? How should the Academy change their voting system and keep everyone happy?
Given recent events, the issue(s) of race (and gender) should definitely be addressed in this article. How are the various voting bodies formed, and how can those systems be changed to be more inclusive? – Monique10 years ago
The Lego Movie and Selma come to mind. – Amena Banu10 years ago
I think it should also include the exclusion of science fiction, horror, and fantasy for most awards. This goes for television or movies. Some of the best writing is on supernatural, superhero, horror, etc. type of shows/movies today. – Liz Watkins10 years ago
There were a number of actors that were snubbed from nominations or had the potential to be nominated (such as David Oyelowo for 'Selma' and Jake Gyllenhaal for 'Nightcrawler'). One thing I also found a bit peculiar is how many superhero films dominated the visual effects category (3 out of the 5 nominees were Marvel movies) when films such as 'Godzilla' were overlooked. Also, maybe you could look into why the Oscars might choose films unknown to most audiences such as 'The Tale of Princess Kaguya' or 'Song of the Sea' were recognized while 'The Lego Movie' - a massive worldwide commercial and critical success - was snubbed. – Seth Childers10 years ago
This may seem redundant to some, but many people don't really understand how the Oscars work, who is part of the group that chooses the winners, or how one becomes part of the guild. There is room for expansion on this topic, but I think it would be a very helpful article to have read.
Awesome topic, I hope someone picks it up! Try researching the specifics of the topic and refine the logistics of your topic proposal. What separates those chosen for the guild from everyone else? Who SHOULD be involved? etc. – Thomas Munday10 years ago
You could explore what went wrong with the Oscars, if you feel only a selected few who vote is unjustified. When the Oscars first begin, filmmakers and actors were voted by their colleagues. It would be an interesting point to mention. – Ryan Errington10 years ago
This is a really great topic! Perhaps you could take a look at media coverage of the Oscars as well. With so many sources trying to predict who the Oscar winners will be, does that have any influence on the result? How does the media affect how the public views the Oscars? – ekeating10 years ago
Article about film-makers who have a particular actor who has frequently played characters that could be considered 'alter egos' of the film-maker in question?
Examples: Richard Linklater and Ethan Hawke François Truffaut and Jean-Pierre Léaud
Obviously if you would explore this topic, it would be good to analysis a particular theme which contextualises the alter ego angle. – Ryan Errington10 years ago
The alter-ego issue requires some speculation about the director's motives that would need to be substantiated by interviews or other citations, I think. But certainly there are director/actor pairings that audiences have come to love, and that seem to be good ongoing collaborations. Tim Burton / Helena Bonham-Carter / Johnny Depp come to mind. Steven Spielberg / Tom Hanks; Christopher Nolan / Michael Caine (Nolan's "good luck charm", etc. – Monique10 years ago
But how can we be able to support this alter ego theory? – T. Palomino2 years ago
