Favorite Director Quotes- Relay Race

The lovely Margaret from Cinematic Corner passed me the torch of a great blogathon/relay, started by David of Taste of Cinema: Favorite Director Quotes, one that features quotes from 10 filmmakers about cinema.

Here are the participants who have contributed to this relay race so far:

David of Taste of Cinema
Chris of movieandsongs365
Alex of And So it Begins...
Josh of The Cinematic Spectacle
Stephanie of On Page and Screen
Britanni Burnham of Rambling Film
John of John Likes Movies
Ruth of Flix Chatter
Keith of Keith & the Movies
Mark of Marked Movies
Tyson of Head in a Vice
Eric of The IPC
S1ngal of S1ngal
Steven of Surrender to the Void
Margaret from Cinematic Corner  
And now, the 10 great filmmakers and their quotes:

 

“I steal from every single movie ever made. I love it – if my work has anything it’s that I’m taking this from this and that from that and mixing them together. If people don’t like that, then tough titty, don’t go and see it, all right? I steal from everything. Great artists steal; they don’t do homages.” – Quentin Tarantino

 

 

“Why make a movie about something one understands completely? I make movies about things I do not understand, but wish to.” – Seijun Suzuki

 

 

“When I make a film, I never stop uncovering mysteries, making discoveries. When I’m writing, filming, editing, even doing promotional work, I discover new things about the film, about myself, and about others. That is what I’m subconsciously looking for when shooting a film: to glimpse the enigmas of life, even if I don’t resolve them, but at least to uncover them. Cinema is curiosity in the most intense meaning of the word.” – Pedro Almodovar

 

 

“You make films to give people something, to transport them somewhere else, and it doesn’t matter if you transport them to a world of intuition or a world of intellect…The realm of superstitions, fortune-telling, presentiments, intuition, dreams, all this is the inner life of a human being, and all this is the hardest thing to film… I’ve been trying to get there from the beginning. I’m somebody who doesn’t know, somebody who’s searching.” – Krzysztof Kieslowski

 

 

“Every film should have its own world, a logic and feel to it that expands beyond the exact image that the audience is seeing.” – Christopher Nolan

 

 

“I really subscribe to that old adage that you should never let the audience get ahead of you for a second. So if the film’s abrasive and wrongfoots people then, y’know, that’s great. But I hope it involves an audience. If not, that’s my fuck-up.” – Paul Thomas Anderson

 

 

“I think when you’re young and have that first burst of energy and make five or six pictures in a row that tell the stories of all the things in life you want to say . . . well, maybe those are the films that should have won me the Oscar. When Taxi Driver (1976) was up for Best Picture, it got three other nominations: Best Actor [Robert De Niro], Best Supporting Actress [Jodie Foster] and Best Music. But the director and writer were overlooked. I was so disappointed, I said, “You know what? That’s the way it’s going to be”. What was I going to do, go home and cry?” – Martin Scorsese

 

 

“In England, I’m a horror movie director. In Germany, I’m a filmmaker. In the US, I’m a bum. ” – John Carpenter

 

 

"Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of waters, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable: originality is nonexistent. And don't bother concealing your thievery--celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: It's not where you take things--it's where you take them to." - Jim Jarmush

"If you want to be a filmmaker, the best thing you can bring to the world is your own story. And there is something that is very personal to you and something that you have your own singular connection to that if it really is important to you, there are people all over the planet that will relate to it. So, the mistakes happens when you try to figure out what everyone likes because the only thing you can be sure of is what you like. And the reality is what you like ends up being what a lot of people like because we are all going through a very similar story."  Darren Aronofsky

Who I'm taking out:

 

“In England, I’m a horror movie director. In Germany, I’m a filmmaker. In the US, I’m a bum. ” – John Carpenter

Why: I am not a fan of John Carpenter and that quote is not remarcable, either. Sorry!


Who am I adding to the mix:

“I’m just a storyteller, and the cinema happens to be my medium. I like it because it re-creates life in movement, enlarges it, enhances it, distills it. For me, it’s far closer to the miraculous creation of life than, say, a painting or music or even literature. It’s not just an art form; it’s actually a new form of life, with its own rhythms, cadences, perspectives and transparencies. It’s my way of telling a story.” – Federico Fellini


Why: I found a number of great quotes of directors, and I had three possible choices, but this one (found, incidently, on David's blog) completely won me over because not only is it artistic, but it's close to my heart, as it somehow describes my opinion on film. People like to tell stories, and they do it in different ways; for me, film is by far the most interesting, explicit and entertaining way of doing that. It is a new form of life that you have to be careful how to make it, how to mold it enough for it to touch people- if you achieve that, you have done your job well.
I now pass the blogathon to Ruth from "...let's be splendid about this"

Fish Tank [2009]

Fish Tank is a 2009 British film written and produced by a brilliant individual called Andrea Arnold. It takes you through the life of Mia (Katie Jarvis), a 15 year old with a big mouth and a bad temper, who likes to dance. Her ordinary life changes when Connor (Michael Fassbender) comes into the picture, as he becomes her mother's boyfriend. The man, unknownly, changes their life, in a way, as he becomes a father figure and husband for a short period....and in Mia's case, maybe something more. I'll try to be spoiler free, as I usually tend to give out important details, although I don't do it intentionally.

I would describe this film to be...British. I don't know how to properly explain it, but it has that feeling, that look, and of course, the language that immediately reminds you of the UK. In some cases, I was actually put off by the extreme behavior and language of Mia, Tyler (her sister) and their mother- I couldn't help asking myself "Is this considered normal in some parts of London or UK? do 10 year-olds really smoke and swear worse than a 40 year old?"

Anyway, that was probably one of the very few weak points of Fish Tank. Besides that aspect, which might be just a thing of perspective and personal belief, everything else was quite remarkable and beautiful.

80% of the cinematography was just wonderful (the remaining 20% are negative just because of some shaky camera shots that annoyed me); I especially loved the slow motion moments, like the wind blowing the shirts away, or Mia being undressed. My favorite scene happens around the middle to the end of the movie, when Mia shows Michael Connor her audition dance- I loved the lighting, the music, her innocence and the performances. What happened after? well, that was a bit shocking- I thought he was just the father figure she needed in her life, but I guess he had different feelings for her, after all. That scene went up and down for me: at first, I liked the fact that she let her guard down and finally opened herself to Connor; when he made her move on her, I was shocked, but found the continuation to be quite erotic, which again, made me feel bad, because what was happening wasn't right (maybe that was just the Fassy effect, he is one sexy man).

Another thing I was surprised by were some the directions Andrea Arnold took when it came down to the script. First of all, although I do like Harry Treadway (he was great in Control, too), I think his storyline was pretty useless, except for, of course, the end- sometimes, unnecessary characters or actions in a movie bug me. Second of all, I was pretty shocked and didn't quite understand Mia's choice of action when she found out the truth about Connor- I know she was hurt and trying to get back him in way or another, but that? it was a rash decision that didn't got her anywhere. Yes, I know it's a normal reaction and that was the first thing she thought of doing, still...

But then again, that didn't put me off. I still think it is a wonderful coming-of-age movie; yes, it is more raw and extreme than most, but it has a similar effect on the audience and on the characters. The end is bittersweet, and I can't really say she has evolved or grown to be a better person, but at least she has changed and even matured, a little. What will happen to her? Is she going to go to school or get a proper job? I don't think so, but at least she got something out from this whole experience.

Overall, I though Fish Tank was a solid movie, with good performances by Fassbender and Jarvis and well- written and directed by Andrea Arnold [ Jury Prize winner in Cannes for FT in 2010, and she won an Oscar for her short film, Wasp, in 2003,  which I saw in a festival years ago (it has a very similar vibe to Fish Tank, you should check it out, maybe on youtube), and I will definitely watch Wuthering Heights soon, as well!]  The Brits have done it again!

Film or TV?

Lately, I have been torn between two worlds: film and TV! Although I love films and I hope to work in the industry soon, I almost always get dragged back to a TV show- maybe because it's shorter, maybe because it's something I am familiar with and I know the characters, maybe just because it makes me happy without even having to think too much about it! It's not as complex as a movie, but the story usually is real or attractive to a normal person, without being a masterpiece! I like the fact that you don't need to think too much about the editing or cinematography or the direction, you just go with the flow and follow the characters into that specific world! I consider them to be my guilty pleasures and I don't proclaim my love at loud, but I like shows like Game of Thrones, Sons of Anarchy, Supernatural, Criminal Minds,  The Good Wife, Castle, sometimes Grey's Anatomy, True Blood or Hawaii Five-o. You probably don't know, but I can say that I much bigger fan of TV than films, but I am trying to change that! I keep saying to myself- you have so many films you need to see, to understand, you have a film blog (wake up), but I constantly find the excuse that an episode doesn't last that long and that I will find time for some personal issues, as well (university work and so on). My fascination for films and film making is growing stronger day by day, but I can't find the time or the mood, to say so, to watch any! So, were you ever in my situation? What did you do or what do you normally choose? If you do watch TV, what are you favourite shows?