Anti-Eroticism as Cinematic Strategy: The Failed Seduction in Madrid, 1987
Madrid, 1987 (2011) is deliberately anti-erotic despite the leads spending most of the runtime naked. Miguel (José Sacristán), an aging columnist, schemes to seduce Ángela (María Valverde), a beaut…
“There is no situation you cannot turn to your advantage.” Unless you're in Redbelt, where Mamet’s stoic fighter navigates a morally rigged system with only dialogue and discipline. A minimalist martial arts parable from cinema’s tersest tactician.
#DavidMamet #Redbelt #ChiwetelEjiofor #MartialArtsCinema #FilmCriticism #MinimalistCinema #NarrativeDesign #FightMovies #PhilosophyInFilm #GenreSubversion #EssayFilm #CinephileThoughts https://ninetypercentcrapmoviereviews.wordpress.com/2022/11/10/redbelt/
Verbal Jiu-Jitsu: Narrative Austerity in Mamet’s Redbelt
Redbelt (2008) may not be David Mamet’s best, but it is an intriguing showcase of his sharpest traits and, more importantly, demonstrates that a gifted filmmaker can elevate any genre. Mamet doesn’…
No Easy Answers: The Ethics of Forgiveness in Fran Kranz’s Mass
Mass (2021) is a mournful counterpart to Roman Polanski’s Carnage. Both are minimalist films—one set, four characters, real time—in which two sets of parents meet to discuss violence inflicted by o…
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