movies
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by Oscar O’Sullivan In the age of complete cultural penetration for superhero properties, where audiences are familiar with and eager for more of the most bizarre corners of these comic-book universes, one question seems to gnaw at the Distinguished Competition – how can we sell Superman? Nearly a hundred years on from his inception, how…
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by Oscar O’Sullivan Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning has so much going on that it feels daunting to figure out where to start, as even the beginning if the film is like a headlong dive into the deep end of a pool that’s on fire. Once we decide where to begin, we face the…
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by Oscar O’Sullivan I am a fan of Marvel. I feel like I have to make this clear whenever I touch a comic-book film because, by and large, the way I talk about Marvel movies nowadays would have you believe I am the greatest and most fervent enemy of the House of Ideas. But I…
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by Oscar O’Sullivan Many filmmakers invite us into their confidence in one way or another. Hitchcock and Tarantino give us a taste of their fetishes. Spielberg and Baumbach use their own lives as ammunition for emotional stories. Many directors make us privy to their bizarre political fantasies. And of course, there are the dreamers –…
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by Oscar O’Sullivan Film Festival hype can be a double-edged sword for a new film. On the one hand, rave reviews from the world’s top critics are going to come in handy for the eventual marketing campaign, as well as getting a head start on word-of-mouth. On the other hand, the film may be set…
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by Oscar O’Sullivan Ah, the post-Oscar film. When you’ve reached the very peak of your craft, where is there left to go? Down, inevitably, though often through no fault of the actors who have starred in disappointing post-Oscar films. After all, the lengthy production cycle of a feature film often means these follow-ups were usually…
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by Oscar O’Sullivan The year is 1946. The Second World War is over, just about. For the last half-decade, the entire filmmaking apparatus of the western world has been devoted to one and only one type of film – the propaganda piece. Tales of national heroism and perseverance are all that can be justified under…
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by Oscar O’Sullivan Monday – Clan of the White Lotus The kung-fu film, beyond being the home of some of the greatest fight choreography ever put to film, is also a genre primarily concerned with one central idea: overcoming adversity. The average kung-fu hero is usually poor, oppressed, an outcast in society, who is faced…
Oscar Talks Movies 