The Pestle: In-depth Movie Talk, No Fluff | Film Review | Spoilers

We scope out Jennifer Lawrence in “The Hunger Games” and discuss: Camerawork, why so much handheld; Katniss as a character; Set design; Kuleshov effect; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Political language… is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.“ – […] The post Ep 72: “T...

We explore Alex Garland’s “Annihilation” and discuss: Cinematography and composition; Story & theme, what is it really about; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.“ – C.S. Lewis This Week’s Recommendations: The post Ep 71: “Annihilation” appeared first on The Pestle .

We slice through Robert Rodriguez & James Cameron’s “Alita: Battle Angel” and discuss: VFX; story; what was learned from a Robert Rodriguez Q&A; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.“ – Isaac Asimov Notes & References: Robert […] The post...

We party through “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” and discuss: cinematography, consistent framing, immersion; paradoxes of time & success; the theme & lesson of the historical figures; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the […] The post Ep 69: “Bill &...

We dance through Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan” and discuss: Super 16mm film, and how it affects the story; building tension and anxiety; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Art is the lie that enables us to realize the truth.“ – Pablo Picasso Notes & References: The Pestle Ep 5: Whiplash This Week’s Recommendations: The post Ep 68: “Black Swa...

We orbit Alfonso Cuarón’s “Gravity” and discuss: cinematography, motivated camera moves; theme & symbolism; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak knits up the over wrought heart and bids it break.“ – William Shakespeare (Macbeth) Notes & References: The Pestle ep 3: “Warrior” No-Budget “s...

We limp through Jeunet’s “A Very Long Engagement” and discuss: color; story; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. […] The post Ep 66: “A Very Long Engagement” appea...

We journey into JRR Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” and discuss: cinematography; adapting a novel; Wes’s favorite edit in the movie; we are joined by Joe Howes, actor, aerial drone filmmaker, VFX artist, WETA Digital programmer, and resident Lord of the Rings expert encyclopaedia; and other such stuff and […] The post Ep 65: “The Lo...

Yipikaye, melon farmers!! We slomo jump into “Die Hard” and discuss: is “Die Hard” the best action movie and the best Christmas movie of all time; story & theme; cinematography; we are joined by special guest badass WETA Digital programmer, and actor Joe Howes(!!!); and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Actors are agents […] The post Ep 64: “Die Hard&#...

We fly through Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s oner “Birdman” and discuss: cinematography, mirror shots, motivated camera moves, upstage lighting; themes and story; acting; we are joined by special guest badass WETA Digital programmer, and actor Joe Howes(!!!); and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Life and death matters, yes. And the question of how to […] The post Ep 63: &#...

We trek through the documentary “Free Solo” and discuss: Lens compression and how it affects the story; love and climbing; we interview Aicacia, a badass rock climber; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “You come to a point in your life when you really don’t care what people think about you, you just […] The post Ep 62: “Free Solo” appeared first on The...

We explore the Ridley Scott space film “The Martian” and discuss: performances; cinematography; story; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “My advice to other disabled people would be, concentrate on things your disability doesn’t prevent you doing well, and don’t regret the things it interferes with. Don’t be disabled in spirit as well […] The post Ep 61...

We roll through Nicolas Winding Refn’s crime drama “Drive” and discuss: cinematography; colors and allegory of “Drive”; performances; And other such stuff and things and stuff. “Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.“ – Buddha Notes & References:   This Week’s Recommendations: The post Ep 60: “Drive&#8221...

We jam out with the Freddie Mercury biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” and discuss: the score; Queen; Wes goes off the grid using research instead of notes; And other such stuff and things and stuff. “When I’m dead, I want to be remembered as a musician of some worth and substance.“ – Freddie Mercury Notes & References: […] The post Ep 59: “Bohemian Rhapsody&#...

We journey into the anime film “Your Name.” and discuss: animation; story; we also interview Justin Kaufman, a concept artist with experience in animation; And other such stuff and things and stuff. “When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.“ – Walt Disney Notes & References: Justin Kaufman’s […] The post Ep 58: &...

We jam out to Bradley Cooper’s “A Star is Born” and discuss: cinematography; music; performances and story; And other such stuff and things and stuff. “Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.“ – Kurt Cobain Notes & References: “A Star is Born” audio workflow This Week’s Recommendations: The post Ep 57: “A Star is Born&#...

We explore Damien Chazelle’s “First Man” and discuss: camerawork and cinematography; story; And other such stuff and things and stuff. “The church says the earth is flat; but I have seen its shadow on the moon, and I have more confidence even in a shadow than in the church.” – Ferdinand Magellan Notes & References: […] The post Ep 56: “First Man” appea...

We settle into the 2018 horror “Hereditary” and discuss: story, themes, and symbolism; acting, making the scene more than about words on the page; And other such stuff and things and stuff. “Parents are like shuttles on a loom. They join the threads of the past with threads of the future and leave their own […] The post Ep 55: “Hereditary” appeared first on The Pestle...

We explore the 2017 Best Picture nominee “Hidden Figures” and discuss: Why Hidden Figures is not a good movie; Wes rants about the problem with big budget black films; And other such stuff and things and stuff. “You’re not to be so blind with patriotism that you can’t face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter […] The post Ep 54: “Hidden Figures” appeared fir...

We investigate the 2015 Best Picture movie “Spotlight” and discuss: cinematography; composing a frame with a purpose; journalism stories; and much more! “For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his soul?” – Jesus (Mark 8:36) Film Analysis: Let’s take a look at how they […] The post Ep 53: “Spotlight” appeared firs...

We walk through the horror movie “It Follows” and discuss: cinematography; creating tension through the choice of lens; the horror rules and symbolism of “It Follows”; and much more! “Ladies you sold 200 boxes of Girl Scout cookies as a kid and now you can’t sell your man on wearing a condom. Come on.” – […] The post Ep 52: “It Follows” appeared first on The Pes...

We sprint through Steven Spielberg’s “Catch Me If You Can” and discuss: cinematography; movie tricks; story techniques; and much more! “What the eyes see and the ears hear, the mind believes.” – Harry Houdini Notes & References: Cinematography discussion about nets & lens filters This Week’s Recommendations: The post Ep 51: “Catch Me If You Can” ap...

We take 7 minutes to dive into Cameron Crowe’s “Vanilla Sky” and discuss: SFX Makeup; importance of nudity; cinematography; and much more! “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” – Ludwig Jacobowski This Week’s Recommendations: The post Ep 50: “Vanilla Sky” (7 Minute Pestle) appeared first on The Pestle .

We dissect Tom Cruise’s new action movie “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” and discuss: Acting; opening; writing; and much more! “Women are more sympathetic creatures in jeopardy, plus they’re more interesting to photograph. I’d rather photograph a woman walking around with a candelabra than a guy. It’s as simple as that. Somebody once said that the […...

We visit Ridley Scott’s Oscar-winning picture “Gladiator” and discuss: cinematography; telling a story through wardrobe; VFX; and much more! “The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury.” – Marcus Aurelius This Week’s Recommendations: The post EP 48: “Gladiator” appeared first on The Pestle .