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Feature Interview

Why Movies Still Need Cinemas

Movies come to us, so why go to the movies? Never has this idea loomed larger than in the last few months. And, yet, there is no doubt in the mind of any film maker, of any film industry insider or of any film lover that, when this is all over, people will want to […]

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Feature Music & Film

Self-Isolation Soundtrack: Charting Interior Terrain with Eddie Vedder’s Into the Wild Soundtrack

As I walk The Hemisphere Got my wish To up and disappear -“No Ceiling”, Eddie Vedder Into the Wild’s ​(2007)​ soundtrack integrates all of the contours, nuances, and mysteries of the wild and tamed places and becomes a living moodboard of the American landscape. We can hear the winds sweeping across the canyons of Arizona, […]

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Feature Music & Film

Self-Isolation Soundtrack: The Music of Seven Samurai

Seven Samurai (Shichinin no samurai, 1954) is one of those rich and complex films that one never tires of watching over and over again. Much has been written about Akira Kurosawa’s masterpiece, but the emphasis has rarely been on music. This article is my very humble attempt to have a closer look at Fumio Hayasaka’s […]

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Feature Music & Film

Self-Isolation Soundtrack: The Music of If Beale Street Could Talk

So much of Barry Jenkins’ James Baldwin adaptation If Beale Street Could Talk (2018) looks and feels like Love. All its wonder and joyous trepidation and all its pain and fear. The intensity with which the characters of Tish and Fonny stare at each other, and by design, us, is palpable. The energy pierces the screen and […]

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Feature

Dream as reality, reality as dream: Kei Shichiri’s Once Upon a Dream

Watching Kei Shichiri’s Once Upon a Dream (Nemuri-hime, 2007/2016 – a remastered version with surround sound was released in 2016) in May 2020, at a time of isolation imposed by measures taken to combat the spread of COVID-19, creates a strong sensation of both strangeness and familiarity. Shots of deserted streets and trains without passengers […]

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Feature Reviews

Comfort Movies During Self-Isolation: Part 1

During this time of global uncertainty and self-isolation, some of our frequent contributors share their top five “comfort movies” that help them get through troubling times. Peruse our list, revisit an old favorite, and perhaps even discover a new movie that may provide some solace.  Share your favorite comfort movies with us @BigPicFilmMag. Gabriel Solomons […]