When I was in school, a teacher would sometimes catch me doing something I wasn't supposed to be doing.
Whenever they'd ask, "Michael, what are you doing?"
"Just putting on the second coat now!" was always my favourite response.
Guy Maddin's films have always had at least one foot planted firmly in a shadowy and beautiful cinematic past. Beginning with his first feature, the awe-inspiring Tales from the Gimli Hospital in 1988, Maddin's gaze seemed fixed backwards to a distant era in which the talking picture was still unfamiliar and strange.
Feminist art fans take note. A vault is about to open, filled with the most subversively unique and beautifully hilarious gems. For the first time, a curated collection of the work of performance artists Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Millan will be available on Sept. 26.
Faith-based films have been around since the beginning of motion pictures, and for a long part of filmmaking history, stood alongside other Hollywood genres as both critical and box office successes. Films like Ben-Hur and The Ten Commandments still captivate audiences to this day.
Every now and then, a small independent film manages to break through the cracks in the towering wall of entertainment available to our fickle culture. Like some little engine that could, it attracts critical praise and audience attention through its sheer brilliance, and without some huge marketing campaign.
Patrice O'Neal, one of the greatest comedians of all time, passed away in 2011, only a week before his 42nd birthday. A true comic's comic, O'Neal's legend-status was cemented in his early 30s, but mainstream popularity was never his goal.
There is no denying that 2014 was the year of Birdman and Boyhood. Say what you will about 'em, but they made a massive impact on audiences. I loved both films, but unfortunately, they didn't quite make this list. That alone should be indicative of how many amazing films were released this year. I'm still just catching up with everything.
Life lessons can occur anywhere. Epiphanies happen anytime. And in the most unusual places. Like riding on a bus for example...
"Why is Boyhood considered good? Nothing happens. It's about the boring mundane things that happen in a person's ordinary life. I go to the movies to escape my boring routine life. If I wanted reality, I'd look out the window.
It's Oscar Sunday, and ShowbizMonkeys.com once again ventured down to Hollywood, California to bring you our own unique coverage live from the Academy Awards.
For those of you who don't know me in person or on stage, I can be pretty cynical. Prior to this week, I didn't know if there was a way left for me to feel alienated. Los Angeles found a way, my friends. I have always escaped into a rich fantasy life, facilitated by the silver screen.
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