HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT: The Parent Trap

For this week's edition of Hit me with your best shot, we took a dive into the Disney vault to watch one of their 1960s classics - "The Parent Trap". Nowadays, most people are perhaps more familiar with Lindsay Lohan's delightful 1998 version. But that film certainly owes a lot to this one, with much of the original dialogue being retained.

While watching this one for the first time, I must admit that I spent much of the first half wishing I were watching the more entertaining remake instead. Hayley Mills is adorable, but Lohan did a much better job delineating the differences between the twins. As for the adults, they were allowed to bring a stronger sensuality to their roles.

The film improves greatly in the second half however and unsurprisingly, there was one adult actor who did manage to bring some sexual tension - the iconic beauty Maureen O'Hara. As such, she became the focus of my Best Shot pick.

Click below for my favourite shot...

Tweet

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT: Moonlight

As is the case around this time every year, the cinephile world currently has its eyes glued to the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival. But for me, the most exciting film-related news of the past week was the announcement that The Film Experience's Hit me with your best shot series is back for another season. And to kick things off, Nathaniel has chosen a wonderful film for us to dissect through its beautiful imagery.

For this first installment, we looked at Barry Jenkins' masterpiece and recent Best Picture winner "Moonlight", a perfect choice for this exercise. This was my third viewing of the film and it didn't disappoint, providing an even richer experience than I'd remembered. What I particularly loved is how Jenkins portrays Chiron's struggle and coming of age with such specificity and underlying optimism. Though my eventual pick for Best Shot was primarily an aesthetic choice, it also reflects these traits.

Click below for my favourite shot...

Tweet

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT: Working Girl

This week on Hit me with your best shot, we went back to the 1980s with the Mike Nichols film "Working Girl", the readers' choice from the recent poll at The Film Experience. When it was announced as the winner, Nathaniel was understandably surprised by this atypical choice (especially considering the more visually expressive competition). But this gloriously dated time capsule (the hair! the clothes! the music!) still offered much to look at in its examination of workplace politics through its main characters, played by Melanie Griffith, Sigourney Weaver and Harrison Ford.

And what fascinating characters they are. I can imagine Melanie Griffith's performance being more divisive, especially when compared with the awe-inspiring confidence and effortless radiance of Sigourney Weaver. But she plays the part so well, perfectly tapping in to the despair of being "so close, yet so far" from your dreams.

Throughout the film, cinematographer Michael Balhaus does a great job in highlighting the difference in the personalities between the two women. Weaver always manages to "pop" within each frame, while Griffith often seems to blend in. It's particularly noticeable towards the end of the film, as even during the height of Griffith's reinvention as a successful woman, she immediately feels like a pretender when Weaver returns.

In spite of the great shot compositions towards the big climax however, I still came back to a scene from earlier in the film.

Click below for my favourite shot...

Tweet

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT: The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant

This week on Hit me with your best shot, we took a foray into the New German Cinema movement, which lasted roughly from 1962 to 1982. This renaissance in German cinema propelled several talented filmmakers into international acclaim, including Rainer Werner Fassbinder, the director of this week's chosen film - "The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant". Starring Margit Carstensen in a juicy role as the titular character, it's a rather talky film about a fashion designer lamenting her failed relationships.

And indeed, within the course of the film we witness her endure yet another failed relationship as a young beauty named Karin Thimm (played by the incomparable Hanna Schygulla) enters her life and absolutely upends it. By the end of the film, Petra is a broken shell of her former self. And this gin-soaked climax contains my pick for Best Shot, emphasizing Fassbinder's strong skill in staging characters within a frame.

In the shot below, we effectively see all the film's characters - if you include the doll who represents Karin - towering over a subdued Petra. Not only does it showcase the all-female cast, but it also includes the sight of the "Midas and Bacchus" painting, providing the setting's only male imagery (and perhaps even a reminder of Petra's other failed relationships). It's such an effective and revealing scene about the all-consuming power of desire, thanks in no small part to Michael Ballhaus' cinematography.

Click below for my favourite shot...

Tweet

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT: Trevor

This week on Hit me with your best shot, we went for something small scale with the short film "Trevor". But this excellent Oscar winner was far from unsatisfying, presenting a wonderful story about a boy who struggles to fit in due to his sexual orientation and his endless love for Diana Ross. Indeed, he gets by literally on "Endless Love", his favorite Diana Ross song.

And it's his rendition of that hit tune that provided my pick for best shot below, a perfect example of the film's macabre sense of humor. As Trevor attempts suicide by popping pills, he makes sure to joyously sing along to "Endless Love" one last time. For a moment, it gives you hope that the power of the music will make him change his mind. And in a way, the film's happy ending does support the popular saying that a fabulous diva can truly "give you life".

Tweet

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT: Queen Margot

When Nathaniel announced that "Queen Margot" would be this week's featured film for Hit me with your best shot, I approached it with the assumption that it would be a somewhat stuffy, restrained piece of work. Obviously, I had know idea what I was in for with this uncharacteristically ferocious 16th century historical drama. Sure, this gorgeously wrought film begins with Isabelle Adjani (Queen Margot) looking buttoned up and elegant in her full wedding regalia. But she and the film itself soon let their hair down to deliver one of the most sinful films centered around religion.

Indeed, much of the film follows - in vivid, bloody detail - the aftermath of an act of genocide by the ruling Catholics over the Protestant Hugenots during the French Wars of Religion. And all throughout we see a lusty, violent, damning portrait of an unholy alliance between religion and politics. It's staggering stuff, at once starkly beautiful and bracingly brutal.

My choice for best shot reflects this dichotomy, with this beautifully composed, yet harrowing image at the end of the film. In it, Queen Margot stands over a pair of decapitated bodies, one of which is her lover. It's all of the film's romance and savagery distilled into one shot.

Click below for my favourite shot...

Tweet

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT: Death Becomes Her

Hit me with your best shot is back again this week with a film starring 3 of the biggest names in Hollywood. In 1992, director Robert Zemeckis struck casting gold with Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn and Bruce Willis playing the leads in his Tinseltown comedy "Death Becomes Her". The fantasy plot follows Streep and Hawn as a pair of rivals who tirelessly, and successfully, seek eternal youth in an effort to one up each other, while Willis plays the man caught in the middle of their squabbles.

Unfortunately, despite the committed performances of these fine actors, I found the film to be a bit of a trifle, wasting a fascinating premise on a slapstick plot that doesn't really go anywhere. As such, I didn't find much thematic depth to ponder for the purposes of this Best Shot exercise.

However, I did find one image that I loved, which recalls a more substantive film with a fairly similar premise about desperate aging actresses - "Sunset Boulevard". If you've seen that seminal classic, you'll know exactly what this shot references...

Tweet

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT: Throne of Blood

This week on Hit me with your shot, we dug into an early classic from Akira Kurosawa, one of cinema's greatest storytellers. The chosen film was "Throne of Blood", a Japanese re-imagining of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" starring Toshiro Mifune as our tormented "hero". And as usual, the collaboration proved successful, making for an easy translation of the famous tragedy.

What most jumped out at me was the powerful thematic effect of the production design and cinematography in the interior settings, which provides a fascinating contrast to the more grand visual spectacle of Kurosawa's other revered Shakespeare adaption "Ran". Here, the spare decor and horizontal lines convey the vast space and the wealth that implies, as well as the ample room for Washizu (Toshiro Mifune) and his wife to contemplate their guilt and literally fight their demons. Furthermore, it creates an impression of a comparatively level playing field between royalty and the commonfolk, far from the more vertical indicators (tall thrones, palatial pillars) of traditional Western aristocracies. In this scenario, the throne is a more grounded platform, making the inevitable usurping so feasible and within reach.

And below, I've chosen my best shot pick as one that encompasses these elements of the art direction - the use of space, the class dynamics and the overwhelming guilt - as Washizu recoils after inflicting his latest murderous act of paranoid vengeance. Aptly positioned in the center of frame, slightly above his doomed messenger (in addition to the head of another assassinated challenger), the weight of his guilt bears down on him. A throne of blood indeed.

Tweet

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT: The Beguiled

This week on Hit me with your best shot, we looked at an early 1970s drama that's set for a remake - Don Siegel's "The Beguiled". This fascinating film is set in a Southern girls boarding school during the Civil War and explores themes of lust and gendered power as an injured Union soldier stumbles into the school. Clint Eastwood stars as the titular beguiler John McBurney, as he charms his way into the hearts of headmistress and student alike, causing inevitable tension in the household.

In truth, the film isn't nearly as "messy" as it sounds. That is, until the events surrounding my choice for best shot...

Tweet

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT: Witness

For this week's Hit me with your best shot, Nathaniel had us take another look at a 1980s classic - Peter Weir's "Witness". And it's a good thing we did, as I only had a faint recollection of the film as an underwhelming drama. But boy was I wrong, as this re-watch proved that "Witness" is really a strong film, especially for its richly fascinating screenplay which could have easily have been mistaken for a literary adaptation.

Another standout aspect is of course, the megastar at the center of this drama/thriller/romance - Mr. Han Solo/Indiana Jones himself. In what would become Harrison Ford's first and last Oscar nomination (surely a surprise given his popularity at the time), his role is a genius bit of casting. Playing a city cop who hides out in Amish Country during a particularly nasty corruption case, he embodies the central culture clash that emerges in the narrative. Indeed, he delivers such an undeniable MOVIE STAR performance that he naturally stands out among a more docile environment and characters, leading to my choice for best shot.

Click below for my favourite shot...

Tweet

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT: Roman Holiday

On this week's edition of Hit me with your best shot, we celebrate the great Gregory Peck for the centennial of his birth. We were given the option of writing about either of two most famous films ("To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Roman Holiday"), which just happen to be two of my all-time faves. As such, I couldn't pass up this excuse to re-watch them both. Earlier I wrote up "To Kill a Mockingbird", and now I look at William Wyler's delightful romantic comedy "Roman Holiday".

When "Roman Holiday" was released in 1953, its star Audrey Hepburn was still a fresh face in the industry. The opening credits emphasized this fact by stating "Introducing Audrey Hepburn". And what an introduction it was! Hepburn gives an absolutely winsome performance as Princess Ann, a role that resulted in her first and only Oscar for Best Actress.

And for me, it was a fitting win, as it captured one of the best qualities of her acting style - her knack for comedy. At the time, Hepburn hadn't yet established herself as a style icon, but her work here already projects the natural elegance and grace she became known for. This laid the foundation for a comedic style geared towards subverting these qualities, most blatantly seen later on in her career with "My Fair Lady".

But in opinion, this role that showed it best. She's instantly believable as a princess and yet, just as comfortable as the girl next door. You can't take your eyes off her as she takes on the town with Gregory Peck and Eddie Albert. As such, my pick for best shot puts her in the spotlight in all her glory. It's a shot, within a shot, within a shot that captures the regal beauty and effortless screwball fun of Hepburn's performance and the film in general.

Click below for my favourite shot...

Tweet

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT: To Kill a Mockingbird

On this week's edition of Hit me with your best shot, we celebrate the great Gregory Peck for the centennial of his birth. We were given the option of writing about either of two most famous films ("To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Roman Holiday"), which just happen to be two of my all-time faves. As such, I couldn't pass up this excuse to re-watch them both. First up is a film that I consider to be one of cinema's finest adaptations ever - "To Kill a Mockingbird".

The last time I participated in "Hit Me", I wrote about my fascination with the Briony character in "Atonement". And once again, I found myself intrigued by the villains of "To Kill a Mockingbird", in particular Mayella and Bob Ewell. When we think of "To Kill a Mockingbird", we immediately remember two iconic characters - the misunderstood Arthur "Boo" Radley and the heroic Atticus Finch, played by Robert Duvall and Gregory Peck. But the film would hardly have been as impactful without the work of Collin Wilcox Paxton and James Anderson. Their roles are the sort of everyday bad guys we take for granted, but they are absolutely brilliant in the way they capture the subtext of their racist attitudes without mocking their redneck personas with cartoonish buffoonery. As Atticus states during the pivotal courtroom scene, Mayella is "the victim of cruel poverty and ignorance."

And it's this scene and Paxton's performance as Mayella which contain my choice for Best Shot...

Tweet

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT: Atonement

You know, sometimes you just wanna curl up in bed with a nice enjoyable film to cure your weekly case of "The Mondays". But no, Nathaniel insists on having us watch heartbreakers like "Bright Star" and "Atonement". Why does he hate me?

All jokes aside, Nat would surely agree that some of the most entertaining movies can also be very sad. And "Atonement" - the selected film for episode 2 of Hit me with your best shot Season 6 - certainly fits the bill. Several years and re-watches later, Joe Wright's sweeping wartime romance remains as beguiling as ever, with its lush audiovisual design and rich performances all carefully choreographed for maximum devastating impact (someone give this guy a musical!).

Indeed, while the film is breathtakingly beautiful, I always remember it primarily for its overwhelming sadness. As such, my choice for best shot this week eschews the more exciting visuals for something more mundane, but no less significant.

Click below for my favourite shot...

Tweet

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT: A Room with a View

For this week's return of Hit me with your best shot, I was able to eliminate another Best Picture nominee blind spot with 1985's "A Room with a View". In truth, I thought I'd seen the film already, but I was happy to have misremembered "The Wings of the Dove" so that I could be introduced to yet another lovely Helen Bonham Carter costume drama. And once again, she doesn't disappoint.

But the most surprising delight for me wasn't her performance as Lucy , nor was it the sumptuous visuals or the winning dashes of humour. My favourite aspect of the film instead, was Daniel Day-Lewis' performance as Bonham-Carter's betrothed. Well-known for his brutish Daniel Plainview, his role here forced him to be a typical gentleman, and I loved every preening, posh second of it. He is the epitome of the stuffy Victorian ideal that lends the film its title and as such, I thought it would be fitting to focus on him for my best shot.

Click below for my favourite shot...

Tweet

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT: Mad Max: Fury Road

For this week's special Monday edition of Hit me with your best shot, Nathaniel clearly lost his damn mind and had us screencap "Mad Max: Fury Road". It felt so wrong to slow down this propulsive action film to analyze it in still form, how dare he! So much of the film is about constant motion.

But on a serious note, it was a pleasure to watch the film again his week. Ever since my initial viewing, I've had fond memories of its imagery. While most of the talking points surrounding the film were about its feminist themes, I derived my thrills from the sheer energy of the whole thing. For my best shot then, I went with something that I felt captured this kineticism.

In the image below, we're at the height of the chase and I love how George Miller gives us this wide shot to give us a palpable sense of the scale of the action. Indeed, all the music (check out the guitarist in the foreground) and mayhem of the film can be inferred from this image. It's so awesome that even our protagonist - himself swinging on a pole - takes a quick glance back to take it all in.

Click below for my favourite shot...

Tweet

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT: Chicken Run

For this week's Hit me with your best shot, I was able to relive one of my fondest movie-going experiences with Aardman Animation's "Chicken Run". I distinctly remember watching it upon its release back in 2000 and thought it was just one of the most awesomely funny and exciting animated films I'd seen. I would have been around age 12 at the time and admittedly, the film doesn't feel as major upon a re-watch 15 years later.

But the film's simplest delights haven't lost their effect on me - the endearing British-ness of the voices, the oddball animation and course, the humor. The comedy is especially noteworthy for its dark elements, stemming from the slavery/concentration camp/POW camp allegory of its premise. As I considered all these aspects for my best shot, I ended up focusing on the hilarious Babs character.

Click below for my favourite shot...

Tweet

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT: Safe

This week's Hit me with your best shot takes us back to the 90s for a special film by Todd Haynes called "Safe". If you haven't seen it, quit reading now and go watch it blind. That's the approach I took and it was really eye-opening. The film follows Julianne Moore a suburban housewife named Carol, who becomes inflicted with a strange illness called multiple chemical sensitivity, where her body basically rejects all the synthetic chemicals in our modern environment. Her condition eventually gets to the point where she struggles to breathe. It's so horrifying that I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

But even more fascinating than the disease, is the surprising direction of the plot. Living in the "Gone Girl" era and knowing Moore's predilection for playing dissatisfied housewives, I was initially expecting her to break free from her dull, seemingly "sterile" environment. Well, she does eventually escape, but for the exact opposite reason! I was really quite intrigued by this narrative, which lead me to my choice for best shot...

Click below for my favourite shot...

Tweet

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT: VMA Nominees

For this special episode of Hit me with your best shot, Nathaniel flipped the script on us, assigning this year's MTV VMA nominees for Best Cinematography as this week's topic. The recently announced honorees include music videos from Flying Lotus, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, FKA Twigs and Alt-J. To be honest, it's not the most visually stimulating set of nominees overall, but I did have some very brief thoughts for my best shot picks...

Click below for my favourite shots...

Tweet

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT: Sunset Boulevard

This week on Hit me with your best shot, we looked at none other than "Sunset Boulevard", Billy Wilder's immortal film noir about a forgotten film star. Released in 1951, this extraordinary film was beloved since its premiere (unlike some other re-evaluated classics) and continues to be appreciated today. It's hardly surprising, since its central conceit - the cutthroat nature of the film industry and its unfair treatment of actresses - still applies to modern times. Not a day goes by without an article about the poor state of women in Hollywood.

This continued sociocultural relevance accentuates the underlying feeling of "Sunset Boulevard", which is one of deep sadness. No matter how crazy Norma Desmond may be, I always find her incredibly sympathetic. Every time I watch the film, I'm silently rooting for her comeback. Here we have someone who was one of the best at her chosen profession - and made many people rich in the process - and yet was abruptly sabotaged by the new technology. The tragedy of it all is so incisively relayed through the sharp dialogue, when Norma proclaims "Without me, there wouldn't be any Paramount Studio".

Unfortunately, none of that mattered in a town full of egotistical, uncaring people. But like Max, I still appreciate her, and that's why I chose the image below as my best shot.

Click below for my favourite shot...

Tweet

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Hit me with best shot is back with another gorgeous film this week, as we gazed on Ang Lee's lush wuxia epic  "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". This remarkable film still holds a firm grip on the record for highest-grossing foreign language film and the reasons for this are abundantly clear. For Western audiences, it provided familiar Hollywood escapism (epic production values, sweeping romance and exciting action) while also upholding intriguing aspects of the more Eastern filmmaking easthetic (the parable-like storytelling, subtlety of emotion and graceful wire fu). This compelling duality is never more apparent than in the beautiful flashback where headstrong Jen (Zhang Ziyi) reluctantly falls in love with Lo (Chang Chen).

Click below for my favourite shot...

Tweet