Before Midnight (2013) is a difficult watch, but for all the right reasons. By the time we get to this third installment, the “fairytale” luster of Vienna and the bittersweet amber of Paris have evaporated. What’s left is something starker, more… Read More »Before Midnight (2013) – Cinematography Analysis
Let’s talk about the opening of Carlito’s Way. We start at the end a 45-second, desaturated, nearly black-and-white sequence on a stretcher. As a colorist, that choice hits me immediately. It’s a visual spoiler that sets the tone for everything that… Read More »Carlito’s Way (1993) – Cinematography Analysis
It’s not always about the plot; sometimes it’s about the sheer audacity of the visual craft. In 1977, this “little” comedy famously beat out Star Wars for Best Picture. That tells you everything. It wasn’t just a win for Woody Allen; it… Read More »Annie Hall (1977) – Cinematography Analysis
Coraline (2009) for years, I just didn’t get the hype. When it first dropped in 2009, I sat through it and… nothing. It didn’t leave a mark. Looking back now as a filmmaker and colorist who basically breathes stop-motion and… Read More »Coraline (2009) – Cinematography Analysis
You know, there’s a special kind of magic that happens when a television show gets a second life as a feature film. For Joss Whedon’s Firefly, that magic was Serenity (2005). As a filmmaker and someone who spends my days shaping the visual… Read More »Serenity (2005) – Cinematography Analysis
I don’t just watch The Fugitive (1993) I study it. It’s one of those rare 90s thrillers that manages to be a massive blockbuster pulling in over $300 million and seven Oscar nods while maintaining a gritty, artisan soul. Tommy Lee… Read More »The Fugitive (1993) – Cinematography Analysis
Manchester by the Sea is that film. It’s a masterclass in understated devastation. Jody Lee Lipes and Kenneth Lonergan didn’t just make a movie; they built a window into a specific kind of Massachusetts grief the kind that’s cold, quiet, and… Read More »Manchester by the Sea (2016) – Cinematography Analysis