Sean Rodman's Blog, page 5
February 27, 2014
February 24, 2014
cinephilearchive:
How does Michael Mann make films? And what...
How does Michael Mann make films? And what are his influences in that approach? What does making films mean to him? Find out above. [filmschoolthrucommentaries]
Michael Mann’s screenplay for ‘Thief’ [pdf]. (NOTE: For educational purposes only.) ‘Thief’ is a GREAT film for young screenwriters to dissect. Enjoy it once — then go back and take it apart — you’ll learn A LOT!
‘Thief’ was Michael Mann’s first film.
JC: Yeah, I found Michael Mann. Literally. I was doing ‘Chapter Two,’ and this guy was sitting outside my trailer in a wooden chair, and he said, “Can I talk to you?” I said, “Yeah.” And he said, “I wanted to show you a script I’ve written.” And at the time, I was very fortunate that I was able to do whatever the hell I wanted to do, so I put it together right away. I got Jerry Bruckheimer to produce it… along with my brother, Ronnie, which was hysterical. And Michael, he’s a workaholic, you know. I still think that’s his best picture. He brought in the forensic stuff and everything. It was a real tough picture to work on, though, because he’d work 16, 17 hours a day. I liked it, though. It was a good movie. —James Caan on The Godfather, John Wayne, and all the roles he’s done as favors
Michael Mann (writer, director), James Caan (Frank), about 22 gallons of liquid cool:
I wasn’t really interested in cinema until I saw ‘Dr. Strangelove,’ alongside a set of films by F.W. Murnau and G.W. Pabst for a college course. These were a revelation. I’d already seen some of the French New Wave and some Russian films, but the idea of directing, of shooting a film myself? Never. Prior to Strangelove, it simply had not seemed possible that you could work in the mainstream film industry and make very ambitious films for a big mainstream audience. The whole film is a third act. The mad general played by Sterling Hayden is totally submerged in his character the moment we first encounter him. There’s no prelude, no context. We’re just with him, we know who the guy is, and we catch up along the way. Even as a young man I found that intensity very exciting—how immediate it was. —The Study of Mann
Reads/Watches/Listens:
30 things we learned from the ‘Thief’ commentary
“Michael Mann’s ‘Thief’ is a film of style, substance, and violently felt emotion, all wrapped up in one of the most intelligent thrillers I’ve seen.” —Roger Ebert
For ‘Thief’ role, James Caan got first-hand data
James Caan’s AMAZING character/story defining monologue from Michael Mann’s ‘Thief’
One of the greatest openings: Tangerine Dream opening scene from Michael Mann’s ‘Thief’
Michael Mann Retrospective — ‘Thief’ (1981)
Mann Handled: A Michael Mann Profile
Three Reasons: ‘Thief’
Thanks to Will McCrabb for the photos.
For more, see our archive under the tag, “Michael Mann.”
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Periodic Table of TV Tropes
I find the TV Tropes website fascinating, hilarious, and somewhat disturbing. Now there’s a terrific visual version…might need to get a poster-sized version for my wall.
February 18, 2014
I think this might be the bad guy in my next book. Well, the...
I think this might be the bad guy in my next book. Well, the good bad-guy. It’s a noir thing…
An old man feeding pigeons in the park. Photograph by Yale Joel. New York City, March 1951.
The most important comic you'll read all day.
Even more important than Family Circus.
February 11, 2014
movieposteroftheday:
A Spanish poster for DU RIFIFI CHEZ LES...
A Spanish poster for DU RIFIFI CHEZ LES HOMMES (Jules Dassin, France, 1955).
You can read more about movie posters at Movie Poster of the Week
on the Notebook at Mubi.com.
February 3, 2014
"To do a dangerous thing with style is what I call art."
- Charles Bukowski
February 1, 2014
Islam's Medieval Underworld : Past Imperfect
The year is—let us say—1170, and you are the leader of a city watch in medieval Persia. Patrolling the dangerous alleyways in the small hours of the morning, you and your men chance upon two or three shady-looking characters loitering outside the home of a wealthy merchant.
January 29, 2014
"I am going to kill a man. I don’t know his name, I don’t know where he lives, I have no idea..."
- The Beast Must Die, Nicholas Blake. Who was actually Cecil Day-Lewis, poet laureate (and father of Daniel Day-Lewis). Nice to see you can write pulp and poetry at the same time.
