Film Intuition: Articles and Essays

Film Intuition

Articles &
Essays

By Jen Johans

Alfonso Arau & Laura Esquivel's Like Water for Chocolate--
Utilizing the essay format, I analyze Alfonso Arau's directorial adaptation of wife
Laura Esquivel's novel Like Water for Chocolate as a successful cinematic work
of magic realism while also interweaving the ways it handles family duty, gender
roles, and romantic love. *contains spoilers*

Alfonso Cuaron's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban--
After studying the first five films in the series in the Harry Potter Film Guide
linked to below, I evaluate Cuaron's successful adaptation of the third novel
with a main focus on shot choice and cinematic technique in augmenting J.K.
Rowling's source material. *contains spoilers*

Alfred Hitchcock's Cinematically Coiled Rope-- Critical essay
exploring Hitchcock's own statements regarding his experimental film Rope,
along with the reactions of cinematic historians and scholars. *contains spoilers*

The Big Score: The Killing, Reservoir Dogs and Heist-- Brief critical
study of Film Noir heist movies beginning with Stanley Kubrick's influential
masterpiece, The Killing and leading up to Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs
and David Mamet's Heist. *contains spoilers*

The Cinematic Makeover of Elizabeth Bennet-- Three Versions of
Pride and Prejudice-- Comparison of three modern adaptations of Jane
Austen's Pride and Prejudice by directors Joe Wright, Sharon Maguire (Bridget
Jones's Diary) and Gurinder Chadha (Bride and Prejudice) with analysis of
and references to the novel. *contains spoilers*

Commenting On Our Times: Hal Ashby and the 1970's-- Biographical
data and evaluation of the recurring themes and cinematic motifs that ran
throughout the filmmaking career of director Hal Ashby. *contains spoilers*

Deepa Mehta's The Republic of Love-- With strict attention to detail, this
essay compares and contrasts the novel The Republic of Love by Pulitzer-Prize
Winner Carol Shields with the 2003 cinematic version from acclaimed
filmmaker Deepa Mehta. *contains spoilers*

Doppelgangers and Dreamscapes: The Cinema of David Lynch
(Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive)-- Investigation of writer/director
David Lynch's two most critically lauded films with inclusion of various
viewpoints and commentary by film scholars regarding both Blue Velvet and
Mulholland Drive. *contains spoilers*

Harry Potter 1-5: A Muggle Film Buff's Guide to the Magicians
Behind the Movies-- Insight and analysis on the first five Harry Potter films
with particular emphasis on the directors involved and their past cinematic
works.

"I Like the Way You Talk." Sling Blade as Noir-- Investigating new
critical approaches to Billy Bob Thornton's Sling Blade as both a work inspired
by Film Noir and one that is also considered an outstanding and sensitive
cinematic representation of disability. *contains spoilers*

In the Mood for Translation: A Look at Wong Kar-wai's In the
Mood for Love & Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation-- Essay
comparing and contrasting the many similarities and differences of the
influential In the Mood for Love from director Wong Kar-wai on Sofia Coppola's
breakout hit Lost in Translation. *contains spoilers*

J im Jarmusch: A Profile-- Short biographical look at the independent film
director culminating with an introduction to Broken Flowers.

John Cassavetes: A Critical Perspective-- Background information and
analysis of critical reactions to the work of John Cassavetes along with
particular emphasis on Faces. *contains spoilers*

McCarthyism, Masculinity & The 1950's Western: High Noon,
Silver Lode and Rio Bravo-- Investigative look at the political subtext,
gender and moral messages woven through Fred Zinnemann's High Noon, Alan
Dwan's Silver Lode and Howard Hawks' Rio Bravo with in-depth analysis and
inclusion of biographical research and critical reactions to the films as
important documents of American history. *contains spoilers*

The Reflection of Life: Truffaut's Adventures of Antoine Doinel--
In-depth analysis and biographical information surrounding the making and
critical reception of Francois Truffaut's Antoine Doinel series that helped
launch the French New Wave. *contains spoilers*

Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette-- Background information on the
production of the film Marie Antoinette featuring a look at the cinematic
techniques employed.

Steven Soderbergh: Generation Indie on Videotape-- Chronicling the
independent film boom of the 1980's, this article investigates sex, lies, and
videotape as arguably the most important and definitive film of Generation X in
marking the change from the 1980's Me Generation to the Why Me Generation
of the 1990's. *contains spoilers*

The Three Colors Trilogy: A Viewer's Guide to Kieslowski's Blue,
White & Red-- An overview of the three works, exploring critical
interpretations, cast and crew research, and cinematic technique to find
overlapping themes which lead to a richer understanding of the series.
*contains spoilers*

"Where Is My Mind?" Chaucer's "Unreliable Narrator" Goes
Neo-Noir (The Usual Suspects, Fight Club and Memento)-- By
taking a look at three Neo-Noir puzzle films, this article charts the success of
each work's evolution of Chaucer's "Unreliable Narrator" and the quality and
critical reception of the Singer's Usual Suspects, Fincher's Fight Club and
Nolan's Memento. *contains spoilers*

Woody Allen's Existential Crimes and Misdemeanors-- Complete
summary and analysis of writer/director Woody Allen's Crimes and
Misdemeanors that highlights moral questioning, cinematic technique, allegory
and subtext along with research on Allen's outlook on the film. *contains
spoilers*

(c) Jen Johans. filmintuition.com

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