In this series of Heath Ledger interviews, made up of every Heath Ledger Joker interview and rare behind the scenes account I could find, audio and visual, Heath Ledger explains how he prepared to play The Joker in the Christopher Nolan directed The Dark Knight (2008), what inspired his take on The Joker and his iconic Joker voice, and what it was like for the actor to play the iconic Batman villain. The Dark Knight is a 2008 Batman film directed by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics characters, this second entry in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne and Batman, Heath ledger as The Joker, and features Aaron Eckhart, Sir Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Morgan Freeman.
Today I’ll take a look at what made Willem Dafoe so great as the Green Goblin in Spider-Man (2002). Spider-Man is a 2002 superhero movie directed by Sam Reimi, starring Toby Maguire and Willem Dafoe. It was one of the first modern Marvel movies, and Dafoe's performance as The Green Goblin helped set a precedent for many Marvel movie villains to follow. So let's look at how he got the role, and what made his Green Goblin so great.
A mini documentary on the events leading up to the long-anticipated release of Zack Snyder's Justice League. The theatrical release of Justice League was a critical and commercial failure. But thanks to some good timing, a little luck, and a lot of support from a devoted fanbase, original Justice League director Zack Snyder was able to get his lengthy "Snyder Cut" released just the way he intended. Here's how it happened.
Is The Silence of the Lambs overrated? Not from a filmmaking perspective. Is it worth watching? Absolutely. The Silence of the Lambs is scary good. From Anthony Hopkins' performance of Hannibal Lecter to Jonathan Demme's direction, The Silence of the Lambs is a masterpiece. In this analysis essay, I'll be delving deep into why. Also, whether you consider The Silence of the Lambs a horror movie or not, it was the first film of its kind to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. That's a pretty big deal.
An analysis of the train scene from Spirited Away.
The Witch (The VVitch), directed by Robert Eggers, is one of the most stunningly shot mid-budget indie films out there, as well as one of the most smartly-budgeted period horror movies. Here's why and how.
Before the iconic Darth Vader voice by James Earl Jones, someone else voices the Star Wars villain on set. In today's video, I'll look back at the history of Darth Vader's voice, play you what the original Darth Vader voice sounded like on set, and explore the legacy of James Earl Jones as Vader.
Tenet, Inception, Interstellar... Christopher Nolan movies are famously hard to understand. In part, this is because Nolan's use of sound mixing and sound design makes his dialogue hard to hear. In part it's because his plots are complex hard to follow. But ultimately Nolan is hard to understand and to connect with because of how much he relies on the relationship between these two elements. In this video, we'll examine a few Christopher Nolan movies, Tenet in particular, to see why Nolan movies are hard to understand and connect with, and what can be done to resolve the problem.
Making Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back was no simple task. The first Star Wars movie was a major success and making a Star Wars sequel was extremely daunting. So who directed Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back? After directing the original Star Wars movie, George Lucas turned to his friend and mentor Irvin Kershner to direct the very first Star Wars sequel, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. In this video, we'll hear some stories straight from Irvin Kershner himself regarding his approach to directing The Empire Strikes Back and filmmaking in general, as well as what the property and genre of Star Wars meant to him.
David Fincher has made some of the best movies out there: Gone Girl, Fight Club, Zodiac, The Social Network, just to name a few. Here’s how David Fincher faked his 2020 film Mank to look like an old Hollywood movie, using visual effects and an old cinematography style.
A video essay breaking down why the Batmobile chase scene from The Batman (2022) is perfect and awesome.
Let's take a look at how Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was made. We'll examine how it was animated and the various ways the movie's animation style was modeled off of the illustration techniques used in physical comic books.
Today we'll hear straight from the man himself: How Quentin Tarantino wrote Pulp Fiction--how he approached his dialogue and characters, the influence of the crime genre, and the significance of non-linear storytelling to Pulp Fiction's screenplay.
Chinese filmmaker Chloe Zhao is casting her films a little differently. Today we'll examine her approach to directing actors and non-actors alike in two of her best films: The Rider and Nomadland.
Director James Mangold and cinematographer Phedon Papamichael make some great films together. And they do it without green screen and with a very important filmmaking philosophy... so let's talk about it.
Today we'll take a look at Henry Cavill's voice as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher Netflix series, and how it was influenced by Doug Cockle's voice as Geralt from The Witcher video games.
Let's check out how Rian Johnson used the techniques of Alfred Hitchcock to elevate the traditional whodunnit into a thriller-infused mystery movie for his film Knives Out.
Sound designers in movies don't get enough attention. Today, let's analyze the opening scene of A Quiet Place and see how director John Krasinski and his sound engineers use the first 10 minutes of the movie to introduce the film's sonic rules.
A look at the 1996 horror movie Scream, directed by Wes Craven.
What makes films like The Godfather and Inglourious Basterds so great? Well for one, their pacing. They know when to slow things down and let the tension in a scene build. So let's take a look at what that looks like.
How do two independent filmmakers like the Safdie Brothers, with strong street casting roots, come to cast actors like Adam Sandler and Robert Pattinson in their movies? Let's break it down.
This is my love letter to Rocky (1976), one of my favorite movies of all time. Hope you enjoy :)
Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2 is one of those rare superhero movie sequels that surpasses an already brilliant first film. That's in huge thanks to Alfred Molina's Doc Ock and the effort it took to bring the iconic villain to life.
Tim Burton didn’t direct The Nightmare Before Christmas. So how did director Henry Selick make The Nightmare Before Christmas look and feel like a Tim Burton movie? Let's find out.
Sound of Metal is a film that went further than most to depict deafness and deaf culture with dignity and respect. This is how.
Based on the stageplay La Cage aux Folles, The Birdcage isn't just one of the best Robin Williams movies. It's one of the best family comedies of all time. And that's hugely thanks to the direction by legendary theater director Mike Nichols. Here's how Nichols brought some of his theater sensibilities to the film, and why it was so successful.
Layer Cake (2004) is the seriously underrated pre-Bond Daniel Craig crime thriller by director Matthew Vaughn. Today we'll explore one of its best scenes... and one of its best cuts.
This is the story of how Pulp Fiction was written... not just by Quentin Tarantino, but also by Tarantino's Oscar-winning co-writer and best friend Roger Avary, leading to the eventual downfall of their collaborations together.
Here’s a brief exploration into how filmmakers use color in costume to help tell their stories, reveal character changes, and present themes.
From Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz to Scott Pilgrim, Edgar Wright has directed some fun movies. His use of music, sound, action and editing are second to none. Today, we'll look at his 2017 film Baby Driver and how Edgar Wright used clever costume design to color code his character.
From Galaxy Quest and Charlie's Angels, to Moon and Three Billboards, Sam Rockwell is one of the most diversely talented actors around. But he's not just a great character actor... he's a gosh darn good dancer. And Sam Rockwell finds some way to hoof it in just about every movie he's in. Let's take a look.
From Inception and The Dark Knight Trilogy to Interstellar and Tenet, Christopher Nolan has directed some of the most spectacular and thought-provoking films out there. But today, I want to take a step back to examine his smallest and cheapest studio film: The Prestige (2006). Specifically, I'll take you through some of the simple, yet highly effective, ways Nolan and his cinematographer, Wally Pfister, shot and lit The Prestige in less time and with a smaller budget.
Keanu Reeves has reignited his career thanks to the John Wick movie franchise. But this isn't just the story of his comeback. John Wick represents a big win for directors David Leitch and Chad Stahelski, two career stunt choreographers who made big waves with their debut film. John Wick started as an independent action movie, and has now spawned three major sequels. Here's how Leitch and Stahelski, and of course Keanu Reeves, did it.
Iron Man—the movie, and character, that started it all. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is massive. But what if I told you that Iron Man and Tony Stark were so unknown by most mainstream audiences that they had to make animated Iron Man advertorial films ahead of release to show kids he wasn't just a robot? That he was as cool as Spider-Man or The Hulk. What if I told you that Stan Lee created Iron Man knowing full well that the character was an inherently unlikeable person, daring himself to make audiences like him anyway? And how on earth did the MCU, and Robert Downey Jr. for that matter, manage to keep Tony Stark and Iron man interesting over the course of an entire decade? Well... let's talk about it.
Oh, John Williams, you genius, you... So, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is a divisive movie. But if we can be sure of anything, it's that John Williams' original score for the film is some of his best work. And perhaps no new track in The Phantom Menace was more phenomenal and downright memorable than Duel of the Fates, the epic choir piece that's previewed during the lightsaber battle with Darth Maul near the end of the film. Today, I'm gonna talk a bit about what makes the song so fantastic, and how John Williams went about creating it for the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
Disney feature animation ruled the 90s with hit movie after hit movie. But there was one animated film to come out of a different studio that has stood the test of time as well as any to come before it: The Iron Giant, directed by Brad Bird. The Iron Giant was one of the most precious films to me as a kid. And if you haven't seen it, I'm very proud to get to share it with you today.
Vin Diesel is one of the most successful actors working in Hollywood. But he didn't come from fame and wealth. Early on, he had a challenging time getting cast at all in an industry where few roles were created for multi-ethnic actors. So what did Vin Diesel do? He created a role for himself, writing, directing, producing and starring in his own independent short film called Multi-Facial. The film would go on to earn him roles in The Iron Giant and Saving Private Ryan. Here's how Vin Diesel did it.
American Psycho isn't the simple, dark, clinical slasher film many assumed it was when it released back in 2000. It's fundamentally a social satire, and a comedy. A very dark comedy. But a comedy nonetheless. And no one understood this better than American Psycho writer/director Mary Harron and breakout lead Christian Bale. Today, we'll delve into the funnier and most satirical moments from American Psycho, hearing not just from Harron and Bale, but also Bret Easton Ellis, who wrote the original novel.
The first Indiana Jones movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark, isn't just a great movie. It's a brilliantly directed one. Steven Spielberg's skill at blocking and stages scenes is second to none. Today we'll take a look at some of the ways Spielberg implements blocking and staging using the same method that director Steven Soderbergh uses to analyze films: making the movie black and white, and taking away all of its score and dialogue... allowing us to focus only on the film's visual storytelling.
With the release of the seven the Mission Impossible movie, Dead Reckoning Part I, I wanted to take a look back at the original Mission Impossible movie, from 1996. This isn't just a great action film... or a great Tom Cruise movie... it's a beautifully shot suspense thriller with visuals that frankly astound me every time I watch it. Director Brian De Palma and his long-time cinematographer, Stephen Burum, put their all into crafting a tense and subdued first entry into the franchise. Mission Impossible wouldn't be what it is today without this movie. And while each new Mission Impossible film has found a way to triumph over the last, Tom Cruise's first foray will always remain a classic.
Director Christopher Nolan made waves back in 2000 with his second film, Memento. And the movie immediately became one of the best examples of character subjectivity in film. Today we'll look at the way Christopher Nolan and other filmmakers use a subjective camera and other inventive techniques to put their audience into the heads of their protagonist.
Ocean's Eleven is a "fun" heist movie. Director Steven Soderbergh never intended for it to be anything terribly more deep than that. But part of the reason it's captivating and successful is because of the way the film prioritizes character and character interaction over pure plot. The macro editing of Ocean's Eleven was all about good pacing and making sure we spent enough time just hanging out with the characters to really develop a fondness for what they got up to. Today I'll take a look at some of the important decisions Soderbergh made to ensure the rhythm and release throughout Ocean's Eleven was the best it could be, even if it went against some of his initial instincts as a director.
We've seen some great long shots in film. We've seen movies edited to look like one, long, unbroken take. But the film Victoria (2015), directed by Sebastian Schipper, is the real deal. One 2 plus hour film shot entirely in one go. Today I'll introduce the film, talk about some of the challenges of pulling off such a crazy filmmaking feat, and share some of the even crazier things that made Victoria the special film that it is.
Sin City (2005) is no ordinary comic book movie. Nor is it your average book to screen movie adaptation generally. Director Robert Rodriguez personally sought out author Frank Miller, creator of the original Sin City graphic novels, to co-direct the movie with him. With the author not just on set, but also directing, what you end up with is essentially the most faithful movie adaptation possible. Today I'll look at how Robert Rodriguez convinced Frank Miller to make the movie, and what the implications of that were. Next time I'll complete the story by discussing the technology behind turning the Sin City novels, visually, into a feature length film.
Turns out there's so much to say about the production of Sin City that I couldn't fit it all into one video. Last time I talked about how director Robert Rodriguez convinced Sin City creator Frank Miller to co-direct the movie with him, and what the impact of that collaboration was on Sin City's dedication to capturing the art and style of the originals graphic novels. This time I'll be looking at how Rodriguez utilized green screen and other digital technology to make that classic Sin City art possible.
The 1974 film adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express, directed by Sidney Lumet, was made in a way no modern murder mystery movie ever would be. It's patient, methodical, deceptively simple in its approach to storytelling, but absolutely magnificent in its technical prowess. Shots are long and well staged, making the best use of its constrained physical environments and the sheer number of characters at play at any given moment. Today I'll look at some of the ways director Sidney Lumet approached his take on Murder on the Orient Express, while also making a few comparisons to the 2017 remake of the film.
The Witch (aka The VVitch), directed by Robert Eggers, is one of the most stunningly shot mid-budget indie films out there, as well as one of the most smartly-budgeted period horror movies. Today I'll talk about how Eggers and cinematographer Jarin Blashke balanced a very natural shooting and lighting style with savvy filmmaking tactics to keep costs down.
From Spaced to Hot Fuzz to Baby Driver, Edgar Wright is one of the most original directors working today. His first feature film, Shaun of the Dead, holds up as a bonafide classic. It's not just a great zombie movie. It's an excellent comedy. Inspired by an episode of the 1999 sitcom Spaced, Shaun of the Dead reunites a ton of old collaborators, including Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and Edgar Wright himself. Today I'll be looking at one of the main ways Pegg and Wright use repetition to construct a near-perfect script in Shaun of the Dead.
M. Night Shyamalan has had some misses in his career. But when he's on his directing game, the result tends to be something truly unique. Unbreakable, the 2000 film starring Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson, is no exception. A Superman story for the modern age, Unbreakable is a commentary on the superhero story structure that predates the golden age of superhero movies. And it knocks most of what followed it out of the water. Today, specifically, I'll be looking at how Shyamalan and his cinematographer Eduardo Serra used extraordinary long takes to help bring Unbreakable to life. Where most modern films have average shot lengths of under 3 seconds, Unbreakable has an average shot length of almost 19 seconds. And the result is something truly great.
What was the world's very first Christmas movie? You might think back to classics like Miracle on 34th Street or even It's A Wonderful Life. But you'd be about a half century off. In this quick flashback, I'll be going through a couple of the earliest Christmas movies ever made.
What do the first two Harry Potter movies and the first two Home Alone movies have in common? Quite a lot, actually. Director Chris Columbus made two of the greatest Christmas comedies in the early 90s with Home Alone. But when it came time to direct Harry Potter, it laid a surprisingly firm foundation, from similar protagonists, plot beats, style and tone. Today I'll show off some of those comparisons.
Mike Judge might be best known for his animated work, but his live-action feature debut from 1999, Office Space, is one of the most quotable cult classics out there. Today we'll dive a bit into what makes Office Space so memorable and so worthy of a re-watch 25 years later.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is widely considered to be the best animated Batman film ever made. By some, even the best Batman film of all time. It was a remarkable marriage of thematic maturity, potent dialogue, great action, and a gorgeous art style. But it also stands out as the only animated Batman movie to ever receive a theatrical run. Today I’ll talk about one of the interesting byproducts of that decision, despite the movie’s poor box office reception: Mask of the Phantasm is presented in two different aspect ratios. And unlike your typical pan and scan conversion, the creation of both versions were carefully considered by the creative team during the making of the movie.
Constantine, starring a mid-Matrix Keanu Reeves, is one of the most often neglected comic book movies pretty much ever. It was an odd adaptation of its Hellblazer source material, and it received pretty mixed reviews from audiences and critics alike when it releases back in 2005. That was all a surprise to me, as someone who's watched the movie regularly since I was a kid. In fact, every time I watch Constantine, I seem to find something new to love about it. So today, I want to look at one of my favorite aspects of the movie: the way Constantine, a $100M comic book movie, handles its exposition, dialogue, and world building.
Find Me Guilty, the 2006 courtroom drama, starring Vin Diesel, is not one of Sidney Lumet's best films. But it is a movie worth a watch for Vin Diesel's performance alone. This isn't the actor as you know him from so many action movies and franchises. This is Vin Diesel transformed, and playing a character unlike anything else we've seen him do before or since. Find Me Guilty, and a select few other movies Diesel has done, offer a glimpse into a career that could've been. Today, I'll take a look at that performance and talk a bit about what makes it special.
Cinemastix turned two years old this month (which is crazy). To commemorate, and reflect a bit, I've compiled 17 videos essays on filmmaking from my first year and completely remastered them, visually, with extremely high quality source footage. Something that really would not have been possible, or even conceivable, when I was first getting started. I'm hoping this will give a chance to those who have stumbled upon me in the past year or so to see them for the first time, or for those who've been here longer to revisit them in a higher format. There are a few omissions, for a variety of reasons. Claims being one. Regional blocks being another. But weirdly enough, a lack of high quality media even existing yet being yet another--more on that another day. And then there's one or two that are particularly special to me that I want to revisit properly and more completely in the future. In any case, I'm pretty proud of a lot of what's here, and it's weird looking back and seeing how much
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is basically a 90 minute compilation of legendary scene after scene after scene. Released in 1975, Holy Grail was the first feature film made by Monty Python. For those unfamiliar with the movie, let today's video be your official introduction. For those who very familiar with its innumerable bits of ridiculousness, let it be an opportunity for us all to revel in it together. Next time, I'll delve even deeper into the Holy Grail's behind the scenes production stories. So stay tuned.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the first feature film from Monty Python, is a cult favorite. It's also comedy gold made for dirt cheap. Holy Grail had a budget of just $400,000. Even in 1975, that was remarkably tight, especially for an adventure movie like this. Today, I'll look at some of the creative ways the Pythons squeezed every last drop of humor out of their budget.
Happy Star Wars day! The original Star Wars trilogy was groundbreaking for its special effects, its world building, its action, and so, so much more. But if you ask George Lucas, it isn't the action, nor the performances, or even the dialogue itself that ultimately carries the story of Star Wars. It is, fundamentally, John Williams' iconic score that carries Star Wars, even without dialogue. By that notion, Lucas compares Star Wars to silent movies, which didn't depend on dialogue to move and entertain. Today we'll look at some of the ways one can experience the Star Wars films... a little differently.
I've talked about Constantine before, specifically how smartly the movie handles its exposition. But did you know that Constantine was director Francis Lawrence's first feature film ever? Pretty remarkable given the craft on display here. Keanu Reeves gives it his all. The handling of exposition is on point. The CGI still holds up. It's no wonder the movie has become such a cult hit these past years. But today, I specifically want to look at how the film was edited, and how many choices were made in post-production to bring us the version of the movie that we have. Let's dive in.
Alien, the 1979 landmark science fiction film from director Ridley Scott, really can't be talked about or praised enough. The movie represented a major shift in tone for the genre at the time, and led to one of the greatest film sequels in history with Aliens a few years later. But Alien is so much more than that. It's a milestone in cinematography and directing in general, with some of the greatest camera moves and compositions I've ever seen. Today, I'll look at some of those visual choices made by Ridley Scott and his cinematographer, and even draw some unlikely comparisons with one of my favorite shows of all time.