The Pestle: In-depth Movie Talk, No Fluff | Film Review | Spoilers

We see Elizabeth Holmes’ “You Can See Everything” and discuss: Story, themes, documentaries, titles; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “There is no communication in this world except between equals.“ – Ken Burns Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! *Correction: Frederick Wiseman (IMDB) – actually believed that cameras don’t change anything in how people act (Harvard.edu); I may have been recalling discussions around that tactic, but no idea who said it or if it was a

We devour Brian Duffield’s “Whalefall” and discuss: Cinematography, visual storytelling; Story & Writing, memory lane as exposition; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Life is not always a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, playing a poor hand well.“ – Jack London Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Brian Duffield (IMDB) – “No One Will Save You”, “Spontaneous”, “Underwater”, “The Babysitter” Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: “Sense and Sensi

We go a little mad over Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” and discuss: Cinematography, using shadows, camera moves, visual storytelling; Story & Writing, MacGuffins, rule of resistance; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Fear isn’t so difficult to understand. After all, weren’t we all frightened as children? Nothing has changed since Little Red Riding Hood faced the big bad wolf. What frightens us today is exactly the same sort of thing that frightened us yesterday. It’s just a different wo

We level with Tom Cruise’s “Digger” and discuss: Story & Writing, satire, showing the reaction instead of the event, what makes a great monologue and a great argument on the page; Cinematography, the flat color palette and pillarbox framing, wide-angle close-ups; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: Oh Lord, make my enemies ridiculous. And God granted it.“ – Voltaire Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! ExxonMo

We sit (Ubu, Sit! Good dog.) through Brad Pitt’s “Heart of the Beast” and discuss: Cinematography, composing a nice image; Story & Writing, man vs nature, structure; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Learning does not make one learned: there are those who have knowledge and those who have understanding. The first requires memory and the second philosophy.“ – Alexandre Dumas, from The Count of Monte Cristo Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Heart of the Beast was fil

We dive into Zach Cregger’s “Resident Evil” and discuss: Video game adaptations; Cinematography & Directing, single source lighting, building a moment; Story & Writing, choosing the right character for the story, theme?; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Look, whispered Chuck, and George lifted his eyes to heaven. (There is always a last time for everything.) Overhead, without any fuss, the stars were going out.“ – Arthur C. Clarke Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here