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CinemaZombie's avatar

Your "Best of the 21st Century (So Far)" is great, and I also thoroughly enjoy your weekly digests. Would love to hear about any favorite literature related to film/cinema or creators/genres, if you have any that spring to mind, or any non-film centric reading that you find that really hit home if it meshes with a theme. I know it can be rough juggling reading while keeping a weekly watchlist up, but as an avid reader I love recommendations if they are available!

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Ben from DFCupOfCoffee's avatar

I'm working on a list to make into a post on this very subject! Currently reading "The Wild Bunch: Sam Peckinpah, a Revolution in Hollywood, and the Making of a Legendary Film" by W. K. Stratton.

Anyway, tonight I'll be viewing "The Big Lebowski" at a local bar (Covid precautions in mind!), then tomorrow I'll be viewing two films on a discord server hosted by one of my favorite podcasts, "The Important Cinema Club". (https://soundcloud.com/the-important-cinema-club). Looking to write a piece on two types of communal viewing experiences in the Covid-era. Really Would just like to get back in a theater!

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Ben from DFCupOfCoffee's avatar

Also, wrt the “Best of the 21st Century” posts, I promise I’ll have the next one up ASAP. Just trying to get it right. Harder than I expected! After the first 5 I’ll lighten up a little I just want to really convey the greatness of these initial films.

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Deb's avatar

The Capitol insurrection this month had me going down a rabbit hole and that led me to wondering about "off-with-their-heads" types of movies where the people overthrow an oppressive government. The Bolshevik revolution, the French and American revolutions, etc. I saw Red (Reds?) when it first came out. It was about 3 hours long. Hard to get through in a movie cinema.

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Deb's avatar

Well, the other day I was thinking about CGI and green screen backgrounds. Thinking about the years when directors shot on location and had to wait for the sun to be in just the right position, and a host of other nature-induced factors. So that would mean movies from the 1970s-1990s, correct? I was thinking about researching those and queuing them up on Netflix and Amazon for a fun watching experience. It's weird but there you have it.

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Ben from DFCupOfCoffee's avatar

Also, I touched upon this topic of green screens/cgi my recent post: https://damnfinecupofcoffee.substack.com/p/my-week-in-movies-1162021-1222021

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Ben from DFCupOfCoffee's avatar

There's an excellent biography of David Lean by Kevin Brownlow that discusses this, most notably in his masterpiece "Lawrence of Arabia" Definitely a bit of recommended reading and a great case against green screen, no matter how much money is saved haha. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A7URIVC/ref=rdr_kindle_ext_tmb

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Deb's avatar

Thank you SO MUCH! That book is in circulation here in RI! It's housed at the Providence Public Library on Empire St. I just ordered it. Looking forward to reading it!

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Ben from DFCupOfCoffee's avatar

I recently ordered a copy for myself! Came across it in a hotel lounge in New Hampshire and couldn't put it down. While the library is great, you can't exactly mark up the pages and hold onto the book for reference haha. And as far as traditional studio filmmakers go, David Lean is a true legend for his scale of vision and determination.

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Ben from DFCupOfCoffee's avatar

Also, if you like my stuff, spread it around a bit! Share it with other movie nerds, post it on Twitter, it's guaranteed to get more people involved. I'm @DFCupOfCoffee on twitter if you'd like to bless me with a follow.

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Deb's avatar

Following:). Also, are you local? I volunteer at the Westerly Library and would like to forward your "My Week in Movies" to someone there.

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Ben from DFCupOfCoffee's avatar

Please do! I'm a Charlestown resident but my INLAND EMPIRE post was written almost entirely in a reserved "quiet study" room at the beautiful Westerly library. My mother is a librarian and has been for about a decade. I have a tremendous fondness for these institutions and always praise the work they do!

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Ben from DFCupOfCoffee's avatar

I'd be honored to have my writing forwarded to them. Thank you very much,

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