In the Blogosphere – November, 2012

by HELEN GEIB

A monthly round-up of a half dozen or so recent blog posts I enjoyed reading.

Only the Cinema on A Matter of Life and Death: “Those moodily lit, sensuous closeups connect these two people at a crucial moment, and the unforgettable effect of this scene lingers over the entirety of the film.” (more)

Films Worth Watching on Thieves’ Highway: “Dassin chose to shoot many sections of the film on-site in the markets of San Francisco, giving the film a pulsing authenticity. There is a buzz to those scenes in the markets that just cannot be duplicated on a set.” (more)

Noir of the Week on the four adaptations of Hemingway’s To Have and Have Not: “In preparations for this weeks Noir of the Week, I watched four of the movies supposedly based on the novel– considered unfilmable by the author. Michael Curtiz-directed The Breaking Point being the best of the bunch.” (more)

Cinema Romantico on Night of the Comet: “It goes to show just how much can be accomplished with a lower budget, with paying attention to mood and tone – lighting L.A. as if it were the red planet – without resorting to just banging loud chords on the soundtrack over and over and throwing buckets of blood at scripting and/or production problems.” (more)

Silent Volume on Halloween (1978): “But the score—the simple keyboard piece with its insistent rattle, composed by the film’s director, John Carpenter—gives moments like these their promise of carnage.” (more)

LoveHKFilm on McDull: The Pork of Music: “Despite their origin as illustrated children’s books, the McDull films have never been just for kids. The cuddly character designs – that is, Alice Mak’s original designs for McDull and company – appeal to a younger set but the themes and emotions are really for adults.” (more)