Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (SPE for those short on syllables)
One of the Big Six studios.
One may associate Sony with the reincarnation of the Spider-Man (2002) and James Bond (2006 à la Casino Royale) franchises. Skyfall (2012) is my most beloved Bond and in my opinion the quintessential action film.
Of course, the motion picture giant would not be so without its Columbia Pictures.
There's a business card... and a spin-off idea. You're welcome.
Speaking of super, Superbad (2007) screened the sins of our tween years for all the world to see and erected the careers of Emma Stone and Jonah Hill. Surely satisfied they came on set.
On an even more personal note, TriStar Pictures - another Sony studio - is responsible for one of the first films to make me cry. Really cry. And that's As Good as It Gets (1997).
A romantic comedy so atypical one is afraid of labelling it so.
A romantic comedy so atypical one is afraid of labelling it so.
As good as it gets...
Wax on. Wax off.
Many of us owe our childhood to the studio for The Karate Kid (1984). Likewise, I'm still astonished by the adaptation that is Spike Jonze's Adaptation. (2002), which can probably be described as Inception before it was commercial to be Inception.
That swagger though.
Marketing monologue. Interrupted.
Columbia also distributed Girl, Interrupted (1999), which is still my go-to for Angelina Jolie's scene stealing presence and fierce monologues mostly not quotable in everyday life, despite her character constantly claiming that she's a lifer.
Alright. Chill. I'm trying.
Wrapping up this tribute to Columbia with the animated Christmas gift that is Arthur Christmas. An unexpectedly touching, heartfelt and ever so timely picture about happiness. Unexpected in that it made me stream tears. Contrary to evidence, very few things trigger my tear ducts. Seriously!
Oh dear, The Remains of the Day (1993) is also one of Columbia's... I'll have to do separate post for Columbia Pictures.
Some people pull crackers, others...
Now, introducing the star of today's essay-esque post... Sony Pictures Classics.
The studio specialises in specialty films - documentaries, arthouse and independent films. Scrolling through its titles, I am just realising how much this studio has actually done for us. For me.
The company continues the legacy set by such revered masterpieces as It Happened One Night (1934), Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and From Here to Eternity (1953).
The studio specialises in specialty films - documentaries, arthouse and independent films. Scrolling through its titles, I am just realising how much this studio has actually done for us. For me.
The company continues the legacy set by such revered masterpieces as It Happened One Night (1934), Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and From Here to Eternity (1953).
Another trick I learnt from the movies, although it tends to
have the counter effect when I show some.
have the counter effect when I show some.
So let's get to it.
Here are six classics that Sony Classics has distributed, produced and acquired.
1. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000)
Presenting... It's Not What You Have, It's How You Use It
From my favourite director Ang Lee, comes a martial arts epic so clarified in its lens and execution that even the existence of the Netflix sequel could not marr its beauty.
Above, the fight scene between Michelle Yeoh's and Zhang Ziyi's characters, is a grand visualisation of an intimate conversation. Choreography and framing are used to great effect. Every stroke, every shot depicts the characters' temperament and philosophy.
Lee's seamless movement through the set sweeps us along. Engaging us so intensely that we tense to listen to the few words exchanged, only to realise everything that's needed to be said has been so.
Poetry through physics, or in some instances - defiance of physics, is even more masterfully illustrated in the subsequent fight scene, taking place among the tips of swaying bamboo stalks.
Made on a budget of 17 million USD, the film went on to gross over 213 million USD worldwide. Through the restraint and repression of its filmmakers, and beyond the social and cultural boundaries pushed, this is a picture with a very human heart. A fable of our follies, fears and freedom.
2. Blue Jasmine (2013)
Presenting... Fifty Shades of Blue
Infamously snubbed for a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars, Blue Jasmine is a fascinating portrait of a socialite, a mannequin stripped bare, or rather a patchwork piecing of her fragments, which are barely strung together by a concoction of Xanax and Stoli martinis with a twist of lemon.
Here's one sobering tale of identity, begging two questions. One, why is Cate Blanchett such a supreme actor and two, are we all acting and to what end?
When all is said and done, picture perfect moments captured on Snapchat or posted across Facebook and Instagram, are we happy with who we are?
Not the person we wear out, but that person, alone, under the showers.
No matter how many filters and statuses we use to canvas our lives, we're not just defined by the things we show, see or say, but also the things we keep hidden and from which we choose to look the other way.
Here's one sobering tale of identity, begging two questions. One, why is Cate Blanchett such a supreme actor and two, are we all acting and to what end?
When all is said and done, picture perfect moments captured on Snapchat or posted across Facebook and Instagram, are we happy with who we are?
Not the person we wear out, but that person, alone, under the showers.
No matter how many filters and statuses we use to canvas our lives, we're not just defined by the things we show, see or say, but also the things we keep hidden and from which we choose to look the other way.
3. An Education (2009)
Presenting... Jenny from the Block
This charming coming-of-age picture quietly catapulted Carey Mulligan's career and remains one of my favourite cinematic voyages into the world.
Mulligan plays Jenny, whose missteps - set against the backdrop of the swinging sixties - take us from smoky jazz clubs to Parisian avenues and cobbled sidewalks at Oxford. This schoolgirl's bittersweet awakening is a must watch, and an inevitable re-watch.
In a way, Blue Jasmine could very possibly have been Jenny's fate had she not retraced her missteps. An Education, in its entirety, has few scenes in the classroom. Like Jenny, our education extends endlessly. This film taught me to take the time to learn about myself, and when I feel lost - to rediscover like it's the first time.
As Jenny puts it, I feel old, but not very wise.
As Jenny puts it, I feel old, but not very wise.
4. Midnight in Paris (2011)
Presenting... Paris
Another Woody Allen ensemble evoking existential questions about whether we are in fact enough for ourselves, albeit a little more airy than Blue Jasmine.
... Another place, another time, another world, another life.
This beautiful line from Beyonce's Best Thing I Never Had, and a too often go-to quote of mine, vocalises the sentiment and search for contentment explored in the film.
Allen weaves a whimsical narrative through time, cleverly writing in iconic artists as time stamps, against the backdrop of Paris - in the rain, lit by shine and alive at night.
Meditating through the status quo that is dissatisfaction, the tone is far from defeatist. Allen, a great comic, confronts us with our own condition, making us laugh and prompting us to look forward.
Optimism and insanity tread a blurry line. Midnight reminds us all to try and try again, in our pursuit of happiness, but to do so with humour and perspective.
... Another place, another time, another world, another life.
This beautiful line from Beyonce's Best Thing I Never Had, and a too often go-to quote of mine, vocalises the sentiment and search for contentment explored in the film.
The Spanish poster
Allen weaves a whimsical narrative through time, cleverly writing in iconic artists as time stamps, against the backdrop of Paris - in the rain, lit by shine and alive at night.
Meditating through the status quo that is dissatisfaction, the tone is far from defeatist. Allen, a great comic, confronts us with our own condition, making us laugh and prompting us to look forward.
Optimism and insanity tread a blurry line. Midnight reminds us all to try and try again, in our pursuit of happiness, but to do so with humour and perspective.
5. Animal Kingdom (2010)
Presenting... The Real Housewives of Melbourne
A rare Australian opal, this slow-burner strikes with ferocious impact.
Thoughtfully titled, and so paced, this crime thriller is the finest tapestry our industry has to offer. A chilling look at how our animal instincts seep through the fabric of a civilised society.
Knitted by a fitting ensemble, the film has shown Hollywood some of Australia's top talents from director David Michôd to actor Joel Edgerton and of course... Jacki Weaver.
The cast embodies the animalistic blood running through our veins, manifested in the form of Melbourne's underworld, and Weaver's matriarch illustrates this most naturally.
With 'Smurf', we see an almost seamless oscillation between feminine and masculine archetypes.
She may be a self-serving sociopath, cold and calculating, but at her core, I see her maternal instinct, quietly burning, yearning to protecting what's hers.
To spare you of more of my words, here's the scene where Smurf explains to the protagonist - a much quieter and more stoic, but equally dynamic character - about why she became estranged from his mother, her daughter.
Thoughtfully titled, and so paced, this crime thriller is the finest tapestry our industry has to offer. A chilling look at how our animal instincts seep through the fabric of a civilised society.
Knitted by a fitting ensemble, the film has shown Hollywood some of Australia's top talents from director David Michôd to actor Joel Edgerton and of course... Jacki Weaver.
The cast embodies the animalistic blood running through our veins, manifested in the form of Melbourne's underworld, and Weaver's matriarch illustrates this most naturally.
With 'Smurf', we see an almost seamless oscillation between feminine and masculine archetypes.
She may be a self-serving sociopath, cold and calculating, but at her core, I see her maternal instinct, quietly burning, yearning to protecting what's hers.
To spare you of more of my words, here's the scene where Smurf explains to the protagonist - a much quieter and more stoic, but equally dynamic character - about why she became estranged from his mother, her daughter.
6. Frozen River (2008)
Presenting... The Real Frozen
I don't recall the plot with precision, but I remember certain shots vividly, mostly close-ups of the characters' expressions and expansive wide shots of the frozen river.
Also a crime drama, it's difficult to not draw comparisons to Animal Kingdom when I have just written about the latter. Both pictures show families on the fringe of society, and the defiance of law has become vital to their survival.
Frozen River was a particularly relevant depiction of hardship, being released in the midst of the Global Financial Crisis when so many families struggled to meet their basic needs, and even more so to sustain the life they had before the crisis.
Visceral and gritty, Melissa Leo's protagonist portrays all of the above, but in stark contrast to Jacki Weaver's Smurf, her character's actions come from a place of love. Not just maternal love, but that of humanity. A fire that remains ablaze despite the lifeless environment.
So that's it, folks.
A seemingly fun post about some of Sony's best pictures, without agenda, has turned into a time tunnel to the English classes of my high school years, where I chipped away to construct a sort of window to my soul. My poor teachers.
Till next time. Love yourself.
In the meantime, as you have already read and/or scrolled down this far, feel free to connect with me on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ for updates.
A seemingly fun post about some of Sony's best pictures, without agenda, has turned into a time tunnel to the English classes of my high school years, where I chipped away to construct a sort of window to my soul. My poor teachers.
Till next time. Love yourself.
In the meantime, as you have already read and/or scrolled down this far, feel free to connect with me on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ for updates.
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