Movie Experts - Help Me! (Kung-Fu / Karate / Martial Arts Movies)?
Been a while since I saw this movie, but I can't remember what it was called or what EXACTLY it was about. Martial Arts movie, Stars a FEMALE actor. It seems to me, it was all the top martial arts champions in the world or something, and they were on an island competing for something. The Antagonist of the movie was in charge of a island that the contest / championship / w/e it was on and was trying to steal the champion of the tournament or contest or whatever it was. Technique or Powers. It reminded me of Mortal Kombat (but it's not) and it's not Street Fighter either. If anyone has any ideas what it is tell me.
Difference between stage and film acting?
I am a pretty seasoned stage actor. As a theater major in college with credits in around 35 plays since the end of high school, as well as numerous productions I have directed or written, I am very comfortable on stage. I am also an amateur filmmaker, and I love to write and direct movies of all kinds. However, when I look at my performances on film as opposed to those on stage, it seems like it ought to require a totally different style of acting. So my questions are: What are some of the fundamental differences to keep in mind when acting to a camera instead of an audience? Do you have any tips or techniques for acting to a camera as opposed to a theater audience? Thanks!
What are some good questions to ask a film director about his/her film?
WhatWhat made you pursue film making?or What was your drive behind making films?What roadblocks did you faced when you were starting out?What is your greatest achievement till date ?WhyWhy your films always feel so serious/casual/comical/dark/pacy/slow ? (According to the nature of the particular director’s movies).HowHow did you come up with the idea for your film xyz ?How do you pick yourself up after a failed film ?CansCan you tell us more about your upcoming project(s)?Can you tell us about a funny anecdote regarding the xyz actor that you had worked with?Can you tell us about the greatest moment in your film career?DoDo you have any advice for young film makers out there ?or Do you have any advice for young film makers like yourself?Do you think it is essential to go to a film institute in order to become a successful film maker?WhichWhich film has inspired you the most?Which particular film maker has influenced you the most?Which book would you love to make a film out of one day?IfIf you got the opportunity to remake a classic , which one would you go for?If you got the opportunity to go back in time and change something in any particular movie of yours, then which movie and what changes will you opt for?
What are the best movies for learning English?
Good question! Movies are great for learning English. =)First you need to think about your own level of English. The films you watch should match your level. I think that if you can understand around 70% of the speech, then the film is probably ok for you. Less than this may mean you are not able to follow the story/plot. If you are a weaker learner, perhaps start with short films or serials (30–45 mins each).Here are a few tips to help you learn English through movies:SUBTITLES: Yes, watch with English subtitles, BUT use VLC player to delay them by 2 seconds. This means you will listen first and read second! If you just focus 100% on the subtitles, you will not improve your listening skills.BRITISH VS. AMERICAN: If you are studying British English, watch UK films. If you prefer American, watch Hollywood movies. Accents and vocabulary can be very different. It’s good to know both, but focus on just one first.DON’T WATCH BORING FILMS: If you find the movie boring, then choose another. This should be fun! Boring films will kill your motivation to study. Perhaps start with some movies you like and have already watched in your own language.Here’s my TOP-10 list of films for ESL learners:Toy StoryThe King’s SpeechHarry Potter (all films)The Shawshank RedemptionThe GraduateLove ActuallyForrest GumpPulp FictionThe Theory of EverythingSubmarine (short film from UK)This list covers many genres, accents and levels of English. There is something good for everyone in this top-10. Some of the films are older, some more recent. Some use British English, some American.If you would like to explore this list further, watch movie clips and see extracts with explanations of the language used, then you can check out the full movie guide on my ESL blog: How to learn English with movies - top 10 films.Enjoy!
If movies used realistic sword fights and sword martial arts, would people be interested in seeing the movie?
I really like Random Allen’s answer. I think this comes down to how you use the “realistic sword martial arts” in question to create “realistic sword fights.”Kurosawa is a great example of someone whose sword fights are not at all like Hollywood sword fights … but they still are good fight choreography. They serve primarily to tell the story.The biggest problem with “realistic” sword fights in movies is that real sword fights don’t tell stories. They just happen. The correct person will not always win. The more skilled person will not always win - and in fact will lose more often than any good storyteller should be comfortable with. They aren’t remotely exciting to watch, and they only get less exciting to watch the better the combatants.In this sense, realistic fights are inherently antithetical to the rules of good fight choreography. Good fight choreography must tell a story, and realistic fights don’t.But as Random is right to point out, the way fight choreography tells a story is more open to evolution.I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with stage fencing that has a more realistic look and feel than the current Hollywood standard. I don’t think it would put audiences off to see stage fencing versions of real sword arts.I also don’t know that it would draw many people, though. Two examples off the top of my head:Game of Thrones has average-to-bad fencing, and people still go nuts for its sword fights.Star Wars has considerably upgraded the realism of its lightsaber fights, and the change has not exactly been met with universal approval. I still see plenty of people on Quora who think that this is the acme of Star Wars fight choreography:… and it is a good piece of fight choreography, but it’s bad martial arts no matter how you (ahem) slice it. By contrast, this fight had all my Star Wars fans who are also fencers texting each other about it immediately upon exiting the theater:and this fight made me sit up and notice its attempts at realism:and this is the most realistic (also, the best) lightsaber fight in all of Star Wars, in any medium, by several orders of magnitude:But you won’t have to look far to find Star Wars fans who disagree with me.
I have a question about fade-outs/fade-ins and low-angle shots?
Techniques such as fade-outs/fade-ins and low-angle shots communicate meaning by: 1contriving a film grammar bearing no similarities to how people perceive reality. 2only working in concordance with preceding and succeeding shots. 3solely addressing themselves to seasoned film experts and scholars. 4drawing upon the way we automatically interpret visual information in our real lives. 5constantly confusing and disorienting the viewing audience. what is the ansewar among fives?
In which film was maybe tomorrow by the stereophonics played?
I can't remember which film it was and its really annoying me. I'm sure Maybe Tomorrow is played in more than one film but it was played in this one while two people were kissing. Its not the film Crash, even though the song is played in that one too. Thanks (:
Is "The Shawshank Redemption " really The best movie ever ?
If you look at those ratings, they tell you how many votes that the film received. That's how they get ranked- votes. They are not serious rankings from well-known, or even well-read experts, but multiple votes from teenagers who have never heard of John Ford, Howard Hawks, Federico Fellini, or any other film maker who came before they, the voters, were born. On its opening week-end, that CGI crap-fest, "BM: The Dark Knight," became the # 1 film of all time, due to those multiple votes from teens.