NOTEBOOK #2
In these difficult times, and with Deptford Cinema’s doors closed for the time being, the spirit of cinema lives on through the passion of our volunteers and audiences.
Deptford Cinema’s volunteers will be sharing their favourite movies, stills, scores, locations and cinematic discoveries here - as an ongoing film notebook. New recommendations will be rolled out every now and then for your interest and enjoyment.
Recommended by Sam
VIEW
The Opening Shots Project
Opening shots have an important place in film, from setting up tone and style to creating a bookend that can connect directly to the final shot.
The Opening Shots Project on rogerebert.com is a great blog that catalogues some of cinema’s greatest opening shots and asks what makes them such.
Although last updated in 2011, there’s still plenty to sink your teeth into, plus it’s good revision for film quizzes with opening shots being common fare!
The Opening Shots Project can be found here.
Do you know what film this opening shot is from?
LISTEN
Films To Be Buried With with Brett Goldstein
Although the lack of a commute or generally travel anywhere has reduced my podcast intake significantly, this past year I’ve discovered and devoured the back catalogue of Films To Be Buried With with Brett Goldstein.
The premise is simple - Brett Goldstein (a comedian, an actor, a writer, a director, a worry journal and lover of films) regretfully informs his guest that they’ve died but luckily it turns out, films can still be watched in heaven. Prior to starting their cinematic afterlife, the guests are asked a series of revealing questions: what’s the first film you remember seeing, the film that made you cry the most, the film you love but have to defend to others, the sexiest film? And so on.
If you enjoy listening to funny, insightful chat about film, then it’s a no brainer really. Plus you’ve got 133 episodes to dive in to with recent episodes such as the regular Nish Kumar yearly round-up, a two-parter walk in the park with Edgar Wright, Susan Wokoma, Moon Zappa and tons more…
You can listen to Films To Be Buried With with Brett Goldstein on Acast or wherever else you get your podcasts.
WATCH
ROCKS (2019)
Directed by Sarah Gavron, ROCKS is equal parts heart-warming and heart-breaking.
A teenage girl suddenly finds herself struggling to take care of herself and her younger brother.
I’m not a particularly erudite review writer so can’t do the film justice, but simply put:
It’s brilliant and I cried a lot…
All I can really say to persuade you is, watch it without hesitation.
ROCKS is available to stream on Netflix.
ROCKS, dir. Sarah Gavron, UK 2019, 93min, English
READ
Dune by Frank Herbert
As a member of the Sci-Fi Sundays programming team, it was frankly embarrassing that I hadn’t read Dune by Frank Herbert written in 1965, often hailed as the greatest science fiction novel of all time.
I attempted to read it a couple of years ago and evidently wasn’t in the right mindset as I struggled to get past the introduction to this very fleshed out universe of history, politics, trade, secretive organisations and warring houses. Cut to our first lockdown in 2020 and I tried again, and late review, it was great and I was pulled into this tome of a book that wouldn’t let me put it down until I’d finished it lightning quick.
This is the Deptford Cinema blog after all and the greatest science fiction novel of all time isn’t without it’s adaptations.
David Lynch’s Dune from 1984 is something I’ve not had the courage to re-watch since reading the book…
Jodorowsky's Dune is an amazing documentary from 2013 telling the tale of Alejandro Jodorowsky's doomed attempt at making his own adaptation of the book in the 1970s.
Finally, director Denis Villeneuve (you know, the guy that directed probably one of the best sci-fi films of forever, Arrival) has taken on Dune, but it was pushed from it’s 2020 release date due to COVID-19. Hopefully, we’ll get to see it this year!
All that needs to be said from me is, if you’ve not read it and have any kind of inclination toward sci-fi, then read it!
WATCH
WANDAVISION (2021)
I know, this is a film blog, but hear me out…
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has dominated the box-office since 2008 and as a bonafide comic-book geek I’m all for it. The premise of shared narrative across each movie release from a studio was a bold one and 23 films later you could argue that it’s paid off.
The idea that it’s all connected has been there since just after the first Avengers film with TV shows such as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Netflix’s Daredevil, Jessica Jones etc. all set in the universe, following in the wake of the movies. Unfortunately, despite most of these shows being good to great, they were handled by a separate production team to Marvel Studios, so it always felt the TV shows referenced up to the happenings in the films but the films rarely referenced down, until now…
WandaVision is the first TV show released by Marvel Studios themselves on Disney+, starring Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) to continue their storyline from Avengers Infinity War/Endgame. Marvel Studios head honcho, Kevin Feige, has even stated that the events and characters of the show will dovetail directly into upcoming movie entries Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Captain Marvel 2.
WandaVision has the budget of a blockbuster film but spread over several half-hour episodes (the thinking behind many of these new Disney+ MCU additions) and is so weird that it could never work as a film, referencing and even using aspect ratios and filming techniques (such as filming in front of a live studio audience) of Amercian sitcoms from the 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond, so our titular characters appear to be stuck in some weird sitcom universe.
As of writing this I’ve seen the first six episodes and can’t wait to see more and find out what the hell is going on!
WandaVision is streaming on Disney+ with episodes released weekly.
If you’ve not begun your MCU journey yet, why not start alongside volunteer MCU newbie Anna, as she dives in film by film. Listen on the Deptford Cinema Podcast.
“So you’re saying the universe created a sitcom starring two Avengers?”