Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Harlan County, USA directed by Barbara Kopple
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
Mosaic Recommends That You Watch A Good Movie...
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
The Adventures of Dave & Ryno #4: Brain-Fart.
Sorry it took so long to return folks,but here we are! Due to some technical difficulties,we have no background music in this one (I.E. David is a retard when it comes to editing) but it's still a freakin' podcast,so enjoy and let us know whatcha think!! P.S. You wont hear us talking til about 20 seconds in.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
A quick word from David
David Lester
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Appreciation for Andrei Tarkovsky
It was in high school when I first discovered Andrei Tarkovsky and after that I never really looked at movies the same way again. In high school I was in a class called "Cinema", and when I look back I think it may have been the only class where I really learned anything. I remember the day when we watched Stanley Kubrick's '2001: a space odyssey', and having seen the movie before it didn't bore me at all, but when I looked around the room I could see a few heads on the desk. And this is where I realized that this movie was a little slow. But the inspiring part in all this was where I was sitting. Whenever I looked up( not to see if I could spot the Monolith floating above my head) ,but a very striking portrait of Stanley Kubrick was drawn on a ceiling tile by a student who had had the class before me. So, when I delved into the career of Kubrick, I noticed that his movies paced a little different than other movies. But in some odd way, this facinated me. As I did more of my research in discovering different techniques, I came along one technique that only a few directors could pull off, the long take. Preferably tracking shots. And Kubrick had a lot of them, obviously influenced by the French director, Max Ophuls. More of my research into this technique, I came across this Russian director, Andrei Tarkovsky. I liked the name, so I looked more into it. Already extremely fascinated by the long take technique, I watched one of his films at random, assuming that it would probably be cool just to watch for the camerawork. The film I watched was 'The Mirror'. The film has no coherent plot and after I watched it I didn't like it. Basically, my head was laying on a desk the entire time, but after awhile I couldn't stop thinking about the film so I re watched it. After that, I watched as many of his films that I could get my hands on. His movies are really strange, and I don't think I could get into the philosophy of them, but the matching of his camerawork and the presentation of the stories have had a strong effect on me as an admirer of film. I will grant you that his films are a tad slow, but I think that's the beauty of them. He perfected the long take, not just with the fluent movements, but with what he was capturing. It seemed like he had perfectly captured the dream state. When it comes to movies that have really changed my life, it's hard to say. But I think that Tarkovsky's films have changed the way I look at the art of filmmaking and the unique things that you can do with film. His movies may have to take a couple viewings and also, be blessed to be watching his movies, because I don't think there will ever be another Andrei Tarkovsky.
"Tarkovsky for me is the greatest [director], the one who invented a new language, true to the nature of film, as it captures life as a reflection, life as a dream". - Ingmar Bergman
- Ryan
Friday, January 22, 2010
Movie Review:Blow Out
Ryan has been wanting me to watch this film for a long time now,and I've finally gotten around to watching it. Yes Ryan,you are correct. This film is AMAZING.
Blow Out is a thriller which was made in 1981 and is directed by the legendary Brian De Palma (who has made other classics,including Sisters,Carrie,Scarface,The Untouchables and many more). The film stars John Travolta (who also has a small role in Carrie),Nancy Allen and John Lithgow.
The story involves a man named Jack Terry (John Travolta) who is a sound technician and works with a director who has done a few low budget horror films. Their latest horror film is in post production, and they need a good scream sound effect to dub over the girl in the film,since she did a lousy job with it. So Jack goes out one night with his sound equipment to record the many different things that happen at night,hoping to get something useful. During his recording,a terrible "accident" occurs where a car careens off the road into a lake. Jack jumps into the water to save whoever is in the car and pulls out a young,beautiful woman. Underwater,he sees that the man who was behind the wheel is dead. So of course,he takes the unconscious woman to the hospital. This is where it starts to get interesting. The man who died in the car just happens to be a very popular governor who was running for president. The man had a wife and kids and a very respectable reputation. The woman in the car was not his wife,but a mistress. This causes alot of controversy at the hospital and a detective speaks with Jack,telling him to NEVER tell anyone about the woman and that if anyone asks, the late governor was in the car alone. Jack is morally conflicted with this because he believes the truth should be told about this, but he knows the detective has a good point that this information will break the family's heart. So he agrees to keep quiet about the situation. After the young woman is released from the hospital,Jack tries to befriend her and get to know her,and he also subtly tries to figure out why she was in the car with the governor. While all this is happening,he listens to his audio recording of the night it happened. He notices that right before the supposed "blow out" of the tire,he can barely hear what sounds like a gunshot. This makes him believe that this was no accident,but a murder. Through most of the movie,he tries his heart out to uncover the truth and to get everyone to believe that it was no accident. It turns out to be a pretty big conspiracy theory,which involves John Lithgow. This is easily one of his best performances. John Lithgow is very good at playing baddies. If you want further proof,check out this film as well as Raising Cain and the new season of Dexter,where just like in this film,he plays a serial killer.
Well that's all I'll say about the story. I don't want to give out any spoilers. I was totally into this movie from start to finish. It's an amazing thriller that grabs you with it's complex detective story and doesn't let go. Besides Grease,this is another film that very much helped boost John Travolta's career. It's very well acted and the soundtrack is PHENOMENAL.After watching this film,I actually made the main theme one of my ringtones. It's THAT good (Interesting Fact. The main theme is also used in a small scene in Quentin Tarantino's film Death Proof).
Alright,there you have it folks. Blow Out. I give it a 10 out of 10. An amazing film to say the least. We at Mosaic Pictures HIGHLY recommend that you watch it. You can thank us later. CIAO!!
-David
MRTYWAGM-- Best Sequels
MRTYWAGM---Best Sequels
Mosaic Pictures MySpace Video
Here is our next video in our new series "Mosaic Recommends that you watch a good movie.",in which we talk about some of our favorite sequels. This was shot a few weeks ago and we would've put it up sooner,but we've been having some technical difficulties in trying to upload it (either that,or Ryno's just been lazy on us.Your pick).We hope you enjoy.
David
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The Adventures of Dave & Ryno-Episode 2:Everything is connected.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Basement
This is our very first film. We made it about three years ago,before we even came up with the idea for Mosaic Pictures. For the longest time,we didn't want to share it because,as you will soon see,it's a steaming pile of dog poop. The only good thing about it is how short it is. But all of this aside,we finally decided to share it with everyone because it is an important milestone for us since it was our first attempt at film-making. Plus you will see how many similarities there are between this and Pizza Can Kill You. Another fun fact,this is the same basement as in Past Midnight! I hope you will all enjoy it for what it is.A horrible,very short film,but something we couldn't be more thankful for. For without Basement,there would be no Mosaic Pictures.
David
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Our other websites.
Myspace.com/MosaicPictures ADD US!!!!
Myspace.com/HurricaneDave87 This is David's own personal myspace. Alot of geeky stuff on here!!!
Vimeo.com/user352527 This is a video sharing website which holds most of our films/videos.
Youtube.com For the time being,we only have Pizza Can Kill You and Calling Ellis on here.
If you have a myspace page,PLEASE add Mosaic Pictures!! Thanks everyone!!!
David
Movie Review: Straw Dogs
Straw Dogs is a 1971 American film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Dustin Hoffman and Susan George. A dark, domestic psychological thriller, the screenplay by Peckinpah and David Zelag Goodman is based on the novel, The Siege of Trencher's Farm by Gordon Williams.[1] The film's title derives from a discussion in the Tao Te Ching which likens the human condition to that of an ancient Chinese ceremonial straw dog.
Controversial to this day, the film is noted for its violent concluding sequences and a complicated rape scene that critics point to as an example of Peckinpah's (and Hollywood's) debasement of women.[2] Released theatrically the same year as A Clockwork Orange, The French Connection, and Dirty Harry, the film sparked heated controversy over the perceived escalation of violence in cinema.[3][4] Nevertheless, it is considered one of Peckinpah's greatest films.[5] The film premiered in US cinemas on December 29, 1971.
David Sumner (Dustin Hoffman), a timid American mathematician, leaves the chaos of college anti-war protests to live with his young wife Amy (Susan George) in her native village in Cornwall in the south-west corner of Great Britain. Almost immediately, there is tension between the couple as David becomes immersed in his academic work while ignoring Amy. Craving attention, Amy begins to flirt with several of the town locals (Jim Norton, Ken Hutchison, Donald Webster) doing repair work on the couple's isolated farmhouse. One of these locals is Amy's former lover Charlie Venner (Del Henney).
Amy's flirtations and David's intellectual reserve create resentment and the workmen begin to taunt and harass them. David discovers their pet cat strangled and hanging by a light chain in their bedroom closet. Amy claims the workmen did it to prove they could get into their bedroom and to intimidate David. She presses him to confront the villagers, but he refuses. David tries to win their friendship, and they invite him to go hunting in the woods the next day. During the hunting trip, the workmen take him to a remote forest meadow and leave him there with the promise they will drive the birds towards him. Having ditched David, Charlie Venner returns to the couple's farmhouse where he confronts Amy. He rapes her in a controversial scene where Amy begins to enjoy the rape due to feelings she still has for Charlie. After they're finished, a second villager, one of the workmen who had left David in the field, arrives, forces Venner by shotgun to hold Amy down, and rapes her.
After several hours, David realizes he's been tricked and returns home to find a disheveled and withdrawn Amy. She does not tell him about the rapes. Later that week, they attend a church social where Amy becomes distraught after seeing the men who raped her. David and Amy leave the social early and while driving home through thick fog they accidentally hit the village idiot Henry Niles (David Warner). They take the injured Niles to their home and David phones the local pub about the accident. Unbeknownst to him, earlier that evening Niles accidentally strangled a young girl from the village, and now her father and the workmen are looking for Niles.
The phone call alerts them to Niles's whereabouts. Soon the drunken locals, including the men who raped Amy, are pounding on the door of the Sumners' home. After a few minutes of their breaking the windows and hammering on the door, the local magistrate arrives and after attempting to defuse the situation, is shot dead by the young girl's father by accident. It's decided at that point that the father and the workmen agree that they cannot go back on what they've done, but only continue. At this point, David realizes that they will not allow anyone in the house to live and begins preparing to defend his home. First he heats two saucepans of cooking oil. Then, when one of the men attempts to unlock the window, he ties his hands together at knife point. As more men appear at another window, he burns them with the boiling oil, temporarily incapacitating them. Then he lays down a large mantrap in his living room and sends Amy upstairs to hide.
When two more men enter and attempt to shoot him, he knocks the shotgun out of one of their hands, causing it to fire and mangle the man's foot. He then engages in a fight with the other man, beating him to death with a fire poker. Finally, Charlie appears and holds David at gunpoint, but before he can shoot him, the two hear Amy screaming. As they both run upstairs, the fifth man, one of the men who had raped Amy before, is there. He tells Charlie to take David downstairs and kill him so they can rape Amy again. Instead, Charlie shoots him and David begins to fight Charlie. As they reach the living room, David, despite Amy's pleas not to, kills Charlie by springing the mantrap over his head, crushing his neck. As David looks at the carnage around him, he murmurs "Jesus, I got 'em all." He is then attacked by another villager, who is shot by Amy. At the end of the film, David is driving Niles to town, when the latter turns and says: "I don't know my way home." David solemnly replies: "That's okay, I don't either."
2010:The Year We Made Contact
Movie Review: Avatar
The Adventures of Dave and Ryno #1-Loretta Lynn is real?
Welcome to our very first podcast from Mosaic Pictures!! Our brand new podcast is titled "The Adventures of Dave and Ryno"which features David Lester and Ryan Hight. It's basically just us BS'ing about everything,including movies,videogames,music and our own personal lives and experiences. We hope to make this a weekly (or at least bi-weekly) series of podcasts. Our first episode is us talking about movies we have seen that night,movies we watched in 2009 and.....Loretta Lynn is real??!! Hahaha please give it a listen and leave some comments on what you think. You can either listen to it on this page,or you can actually download it and put it on your ipod!! -David
David's entire video-game collection.
MRTYWAGM-Top 5 thrillers
MRTYWAGM--Top Five Thrillers from Ryan on Vimeo.
This is our 3rd installment in our video blog series and the first one to start doing 5 rather than 10. Me and Ryan both agree on these films as our top five thrillers. Now when we say top 5,it doesnt mean our absolute favorites,but more along the lines of thriller films that we have recently really enjoyed. Our next episode will be up in about a week or so,which will be covering our top 5 sequels. -David
MRTYWAGM-Ryan's Top Ten Favorite Films
MRTYWAGM--Ryan's Top Ten from Ryan on Vimeo.
This is our 2nd video blog for the series "Mosaic recommends that you watch a good movie.". This time around,we are doing Ryan's top ten favorite films. This is a special video because this will probably be the only video blog featuring Ryan in front of the camera. He prefers to be the camera-man,but it was necessary for him to do this one since it's his own top ten. It's also special because this is the most he has talked in front of the camera! So please,leave some comments in support of the Ryno!! -David
MRTYWAGM-David's Top Ten Favorite Films
MRTYWAGM--Dave's Top Ten from Ryan on Vimeo.
This is our first video blog that we have made for Mosaic Pictures. It is now a series of video blogs titled "Mosaic recommends that you watch a good movie." The sole purpose of these video blogs is to reach out to our audience and recommend great movies. This is a video of my personal top 10 favorite films. Please drop us a line on what you think. -David
IMMEDIATELY!!!
Immediately from Ryan on Vimeo.
This is not a film,but me goofing around a few years back when I was doing landscaping. I'm trying to be a Crocodile hunter-esque character giving an instructional video on how to protect yourself from poison ivy. Ryan and Josh always use this video as a punchline,proving that yes, I will do ANYTHING to entertain. -David
The Shot
This is a film Ryan shot about two years ago with his nephew Devon. I (David) didn't actually have any involvement in the production of this short.This was around the same time that Mosaic Pictures was coming into fruition. Hope you enjoy. -David
Tube (Unfinished)
Tube is a film we started shooting about a year ago at my dad's old apartment. It stars David Lester and Josh Kibler. Due to technical difficulties (mostly sound issues),we were not able to finish this film. Since we no longer live at that apartment, we will probably have to reshoot it all in order to finish it. Due to our busy schedule with our next film and all of our other Mosaic activities,it will be awhile before we can get around to finishing it. -David
Roadside Distraction
RoadSide Distraction from Ryan on Vimeo.
Myself(David),Ryan,Josh and my dad were all down in Atlanta a couple of years ago visiting my uncle. On the way back,in the heart of Atlanta, my dad's truck broke down. Fortunately we had two vehicles so that we could use mine to go to a parts store to pick up a new battery.Anyways, the truck broke down underneath a bridge and behind one of the bridge columns was a homeless person's bed. So we decided to do a sort of "Bum's Cribs",if you will. Enjoy. -David
Friday, January 1, 2010
Calling Ellis
Calling Ellis from Ryan on Vimeo.
This is our first film that we have made in my new apartment(Notice the huge amount of movie posters). Ryan had a small script ready to go and it was one night where we were bored and we were just like "Hey man,let's make a movie!!".It only took a few hours to shoot the whole thing. A pretty easy shoot since it's all inside the apartment and it only stars myself. This film now makes it sort of a hitman trilogy (Past Midnight,Pizza Can Kill You,and now Calling Ellis). Check it out and let us know what you think. -David
Pizza Can Kill You
Pizza Can Kill You from Ryan on Vimeo.
This is my directorial debut and the one film that helped put Mosaic Pictures on the map. To this day I still consider this to be our best film. There are alot of underlying themes and there are certain moments that make you question what you would do if you were in this scenario. We actually made a film before this one called Past Midnight,but for the time being,it is only available on our myspace page. Myspace.com/MosaicPictures. Please leave some comments on what you think about this one. :) -David
The Earrings of Madame de...
Directed by: Max Ophuls from a novel by Louis de Vilmorin
Although this film was mentioned in one of our top tens, I wanted to elaborate more and try and give you a better understanding in why I chose this film as one of my favorites. So if we do more of these "reviews" we will try and pick different ones.
This wonderful film from the great French director, Max Ophuls, is undoubtedly his masterpiece. One thing that really makes this movie stand out is the camera work. Other directors like, Sam Fuller, and more recently Martin Scorsese and Paul Thomas Anderson have emulated this masters elaborate movements with the camera, but to really justify this please put this in perspective. The cameras he used during that period were huge and to move the camera like he did was pretty amazing. Stanley Kubrick once said that his cameras could move through walls and he was right. There is moment in the film where the lead actress, Danielle Darriuex, is caught in one of her infamous lies and Ophuls camera catches the emotion with one tracking shot.
Besides his terrific camerawork,Ophuls always picked great actors. Danielle Darriuex, who was a regular for Ophuls and two men who may be some of the most underrated actors in cinema, Charles Boyer and Vittorio de Sica, the famous Italian director with films such as The Bicylce Thief and Umberto D. They both give great performences and with Darriuex leading them it makes for a great story. The story revolves aroud Louis de.., played by Darriuex(her last name isn't revealed and niether is Boyers'), Louis, who is struggling with a huge amount of debt, searches around her lavish home for expensive items in order to pay it off. She comes across earrings that were given to her as a gift by her husband. After she sells the earrings back to the jewelry shop that they were originally purchased, the store owner declines and Darrieux gives one of her notorious fainting spells. As Darrieux and her husband, Boyer, attend an opera. Louise pretends that she has lost her earrings. Boyer, being the intelligent he is, knows that she wasn't wearing them that evening. But reluctant as he is, he believes his wife. This incident evolves into a small scandal, where after reading a article in the paper, the store owner, gives the earrings back to the general and explains the situation. Without telling his wife, Boyer, plays with her and catches her in one of her lies. Since the earrings are technically forgotten, Boyer gives them to a mistress of his as a farewell gift. His mistress, a supposedly compulsive gambler, cashes the earrings in for money. And then somehow they have fallen into the hands of Vittorio de Sica. And at the train station, this is where the two lovers meet. Like other Ophuls films, the story goes in a circular motion, much like his camerawork. This is a tragic story that doesn't really end well. And it's kind of hard to have any sympathy for Loiuse, but with Ophuls direction and the acting of Darrieux, you can't help but feel for her.
Our New Blog
Although we have our myspace page, we would also like to start this blog. On this site we will generate other content. Such as movie reviews, updates, tributes, and general mumbo jumbo. Some things to look forward to in the future is a production blog for "About this Car...or " Morbid Memorabilia". So whenever we start the film, we hope to have daily updates .
Another thing we will be trying is a weekly(or whenever we feel like it) podcast. A fun little thing we have been wanting to try. Our weekly videos of " Mosaic Recommends that you watch a good movie" will be up shortly. So expect a lot more things on our new blog of 2010. Best wishes and a Happy New Year from David Lester and Ryan Hight,the co-founders of Mosaic Pictures.