Theater and film have had an interesting give-and-take relationship over the course of their mutual existence. Some of the most acclaimed movies ever made — such as Amadeus and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? — were adaptations of plays that remained true to their source materials’ language and theatricality. Likewise, some of the most interesting… Read more »
Entries by Jesse Pasternack
The Film Worlds of Jim Henson
“I’ve always tried to present a positive view of the world in my work. It’s so much easier to be negative and cynical and predict doom for the world than it is to try and figure out how to make things better. We have an obligation to do the latter.” — Jim Henson One of… Read more »
Godard’s Life to Live
A new movie and a special anniversary make May 2018 a fantastic time to revisit the life and work of French New Wave director Jean-Luc Godard. A biopic about Godard, Le Redoubtable, recently played at the IU Cinema. It tells the story of his political radicalization during the late 1960s. One section of the film… Read more »
Kiarostami’s Certified Copy
Abbas Kiarostami was one of cinema’s quietest adventurers. He asked hard questions and answered them effortlessly. Can you make a film that expresses the innocence and fidelity of childhood? Yes, just look at Where is the Friend’s House. Can you make a meta documentary that tells a true story in a way that cannot seem real?… Read more »
Mapping Out the Sky: Sondheim on Film
Stephen Sondheim is a movie buff. In interviews he has called versatile studio directors Michael Curtiz and Raoul Walsh “heroes of mine” because they influenced his desire to tell high quality stories across genres. He has spoken about how the scores of Bernard Herrmann, particularly his one for Hangover Square, influenced the music of Sweeney… Read more »
Beneath the Paving Stones, the Nightmares!: American Social Thrillers of the 1960s
One of the most successful movies of 2017 was Get Out. Written and directed by former sketch comedian Jordan Peele, this movie became a commercial and critical success by grossing $254.8 million on a $4.5 million budget and receiving four Academy Award nominations. One of the most interesting questions surrounding Get Out is its genre…. Read more »