Savvy Film Experts Blog

Embracing the Rebellion Ah, the '90s, a time of grunge, flannel shirts, and, in the world of cinema, a rebellion against the status quo. "Clerks," the brainchild of director Kevin Smith, epitomizes this era's spirit, boldly defying the conventions set by "The New Hollywood" and independent filmmakers. As we embark on this journey back in time, let's explore how "Clerks" not only meets but cheerfully smashes two or more of the markers set by the cinematic rebels of its time. Bigger Isn't Always Better In a world where blockbuster mentality ruled, with filmmakers striving to make everything grandiose and larger than life, "Clerks" took a 180-degree turn. Shot on a shoestring budget of $27,575, this indie gem defied the norms by showing that a lack of resources doesn't mean a lack of creativity. The film's setting is simple yet effective - a convenience store and an adjacent video rental shop. No explosions, no high-speed cha...

       Lights, camera, action! The silver screen of the 1930s-1960s was a stage for an incredible transformation in storytelling, giving rise to classics and thought-provoking social commentaries. Join me as we journey through this exciting era of film, uncovering the captivating changes in storytelling, the magic that makes a movie a "classic," and the societal issues that took center stage. The Shifting Sands of Storytelling  Picture this: The 1930s, a time of economic turmoil during the Great Depression. Audiences flocked to the theaters seeking escape from their troubles. This was the era of escapist cinema, with glamorous stars and lavish musicals like "Gone with the Wind" and "The Wizard of Oz" providing a brief respite from harsh realities. As World War II loomed large, films such as "Casablanca" captured the wartime spirit and heroism that touched the hearts of many. The 1950s saw the emergence of widescreen formats and epic spectacles l...

  The 1970s were a rough time for many people after WWII and the rise of the Cold War. With that film changed its perspectives to be more violent, paranoid society being scared, teens rebelling while losing their innocence, and changing of society's views on civil rights. The film  "The Godfather," released in 1972 and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is considered one of the greatest films in American cinematic history. While it primarily tells the story of the Corleone crime family, it offers some insights into the broader societal and cultural changes in the United States during the post-World War II period and the early years of the Cold War. Violent and Paranoid Society after WWII and during the Cold War : The film is set in the aftermath of World War II, and it reflects a society where violence is a recurring theme. The mobsters in the film operate outside the law and resort to extreme violence as a means to an end. This mirrors the paranoia and violence that was p...

Jean Seberg     Stereotypes have always been a part of movies and they still are to this day. You have the beautiful blonde that is dumber than a pile of rocks, or the jock that can do everything and gets the girl. Films aren't the only thing that has stereotypes. We go through our daily lives creating and picking out stereotypes. Jean Seberg defied these stereotypes and created a new look at things in the 1960s/1970s.      Growing up Seberg lived in a small town in Iowa on a farm. She was a  17-year-old Iowa girl who beat out 18,000 actresses to play Saint Joan in Otto Preminger's 1957 film. She fought against the stereotype that people who don't have much money or use their parent's influence to get their roles. That people who don't have much can get the world if they try and work for their dreams. Not only that but while she was in Hollywood  Seberg was a civil rights activist and a financial supporter for the Black Panther Party...

   Some Like It Hot (1959)      Marilyn Monroe was one of the biggest Hollywood sexual icons in the 1950s and 1960s till this day portraying the stupid yet beautiful blond in films. One of her top hits was Some Like It Hot (1950) directed by Billy Wilder. This comedy film shows two men who witness a murder and flee to Miami dressed as women in a part of the band but get close to the singer and fall in love. The film represents LGBT- related themes such as cross-dressing, gay marriage, and gay laws.  In today's times, the idea of being gay is very open and brought into light more positive than negative. Some Like It Hot was the first film to express the LGBT community.      The film was shot in black and white as Lemmon and Curtis in full drag costumes and make-up looked "unacceptably grotesque" in early color tests. Despite Monroe's contract requiring the film to be in color, she agreed to it being filmed in black and white after se...

       Even though Thomas Edison is the creator of the lightbulb, he also dabbled with film! In 1878 he started to take photos and then put them in a slideshow to create an illusion of motion. He wasn't considered the first filmmaker but the first to see profit from it.  Using his Kinetoscope, he was the first to deliberately stage actions for the camera. He built the first film production studio called Black Maria Studios that s et down basic precepts of commercial Hollywood production distribution, exhibitions still practiced today, giving audiences spectacles, sex, and violence, while maintaining a dominant social order. His first real hit film was The Kiss (1896) which showcased the first cinematic kiss on screen to viewers. His other films Rats and Terrier, Rats and Terrier No. 2 , Rats and Terrier No. 3, and Rats and Weasels  were the first series of movies to come out.     Edison knew what the audience wanted and how to give it to them....