FiatFilm

The writer-director-cinematographer who brought you Capricorn One, 2010, Outland, and Timecop is one of my favorites.

The Journeymen—13 Directors #6: Peter Hyams – FiatFilm 3Jun The Journeymen—13 Directors #6: Peter Hyams Posted by: mark Categories: Moviemakers Movies The Journeymen No comments One of the reasons serious cinema lovers dismiss “journeyman” filmmakers is they often make fun, widely-seen crowd-pleasers. Rob Reiner, Robert Wise, and Penny Marshall ma...

Once upon a time, movie audiences knew how to laugh. Comedienne-turned-director Marshall made sure there was always something serious to grab on to.

The Journeymen—13 Directors #5: Penny Marshall – FiatFilm 21May The Journeymen—13 Directors #5: Penny Marshall Posted by: mark Categories: Moviemakers Movies The Journeymen No comments Gen X nostalgia is at its peak now, and as an Xer myself, let me apologize to all of you Millennials and Zoomers right now. The callbacks, parodies, and reminiscings out t...

Halfway through my series on "Christian" movies finds us at the center of the maze. How will we find our way out?

13 Movies—Christ and the Christian #6: Prisoners – FiatFilm 2May 13 Movies—Christ and the Christian #6: Prisoners Posted by: mark Categories: 13 Movies: Christ and the Christian Movies No comments Everyone knows a story without conflict is no story. No one wants to watch a movie about a simple person’s happy and untroubled day. Why is that? Why is misery...

Ida is about the Christian, the Jew, and the Communist. It's about the search for identity and the weight of history. But first and foremost, it's about a young woman named Ida. A gorgeous, small film from 2013 that feels big.

13 Movies—Christ and the Christian #5: Ida – FiatFilm 10Apr 13 Movies—Christ and the Christian #5: Ida Posted by: mark Categories: 13 Movies: Christ and the Christian Moviemakers Movies No comments Anna is a puzzle, her emotions held close to her chest. And there must be a lot of emotion boiling under her simple novice’s habit. On the eve of taking...

Some of my film school classmates called Robert Wise a hack. Let's see your two Oscars.

The Journeymen—13 Directors #4: Robert Wise – FiatFilm 4Apr The Journeymen—13 Directors #4: Robert Wise Posted by: mark Categories: Moviemakers Movies The Journeymen Uncategorized No comments I met Robert Wise at Syracuse University, when he spoke to our small film production class and ran an editing workshop. What did this award-winning director have...

What is our vocation? What are each of us called to do? With great questions comes great confusion, doubt, and maturity.

13 Movies—Christ and the Christian #4: Spider-Man 2 – FiatFilm 25Mar 13 Movies—Christ and the Christian #4: Spider-Man 2 Posted by: mark Categories: 13 Movies: Christ and the Christian Moviemakers Movies No comments (This essay contains spoilers) Spider-Man 2 is the best superhero film ever made. I’m willing to entertain other challengers, but if I were on ...

The third director in my Journeyman series is Curtis Hanson.

The Journeymen—13 Directors #3: Curtis Hanson – FiatFilm 26Feb The Journeymen—13 Directors #3: Curtis Hanson Posted by: mark Categories: Moviemakers Movies The Journeymen No comments What makes a great director? Is it someone with a singular aesthetic vision, like Ridley Scott’s early emphasis on backlighting or, to hit the other end of the spectrum, ...

Patrice Leconte is the best French filmmaker most people haven't experienced. He's not really a journeyman, neither—he writes most of his screenplays. My bad.

The Journeymen—13 Directors #2: Patrice Leconte – FiatFilm 27Jan The Journeymen—13 Directors #2: Patrice Leconte Posted by: mark Categories: Moviemakers Movies The Journeymen No comments This month’s “The Journeymen” article is only #2 in the series, and it appears I’ve already strayed off the path. That’s because Patrice Leconte in no way fits ...

One thing I absolutely loved about this film is it takes Christ, Christianity, and the Church very seriously. That makes this a serious (and seriously fun) film.

13 Movies—Christ and the Christian #3: Wake Up, Dead Man – FiatFilm 1Jan 13 Movies—Christ and the Christian #3: Wake Up, Dead Man Posted by: mark Categories: 13 Movies: Christ and the Christian Moviemakers Movies No comments In my intro to this series, I posited that the Christian movie industry exists in part to give American Christians something they don’t oft...

I have great affection for directors who don't have a "brand." Another 13 list begins with Rob Reiner.

The Journeymen—13 Directors #1: Rob Reiner – FiatFilm 20Dec The Journeymen—13 Directors #1: Rob Reiner Posted by: mark Categories: Moviemakers Movies The Journeymen No comments I have a lot of “13 Films” list ideas. One is a tribute to 13 directors I admire but who don’t get a lot of scholarly love. This is because their body of work doesn’t ...