Carnage: Showcase For Ensemble And Nothing More. Reviewed by John Debono

Posted on January 24, 2012 by admin
Carnage image
Left to Right: Jodie Foster as Penelope Longstreet and Kate Winslet as Nancy Cowan. Photo by Guy Ferrandis, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

The medium of film is an interesting one, because it combines both visual art and narrative development.  Not only can a compelling and personal narrative be distributed to a wider audience, but it also allows the artist to experiment with subtlety in performance and framing. This is something that director Roman Polanski has mastered in films such as Repulsion, The Pianist, and Chinatown, all very different films that have a firm grasp of the slow burning psychological effects of confinement. However, Polanski’s latest film Carnage lacks this grasp, it is not a film, as much as it is a prerecorded play.

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Reminder: Open Call 3.3 Papers Due on February 1st

Posted on January 17, 2012 by admin

Undergraduates, submit your film-related research papers to open call 3.3 today!:

Email Liza Palmer (palmerl AT uncw.edu) today, with questions or submissions — thanks!

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Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: Shameless Audience Manipulation. Reviewed by John Debono

Posted on January 11, 2012 by admin
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close image
THOMAS HORN as Oskar Schell in Warner Bros. Pictures’ drama ‘EXTREMELY LOUD & INCREDIBLY CLOSE,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo by Francois Duhamel

The successful construction of a dramatic prestige picture is similar to that of a horror film. An intelligent director takes the time and consideration to create an atmosphere and developed their characters to have their audience fully invested in the story. Then there are films that just use cheap tricks to force an emotional response. In that regard, Stephen Daldry’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011), is not different to a film such as Hostel (2005). Both rely on circumstances not characters to get their audience invested and neither is particularly compelling because of this.

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We want your end-of-semester papers!

Posted on December 7, 2011 by admin

Undergraduates, hang on to those end-of-semester film papers and submit them to our open call 3.3, deadline February 1, 2012.  More details can be found here:

Email Liza Palmer (palmerl AT uncw.edu) today, with questions or submissions — thanks!

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“Film Bytes” — New Column for Film Matters!

Posted on December 5, 2011 by admin

Film Matters is about to launch a new column for our print issues, called “Film Bytes,” and we need your help!  Each issue, we will select a film that is challenging yet impactful.  We’ll then put out a call for your comments about the selected film.  The best comments will be printed in that issue’s column, along with your name and affiliation.

This is a perfect opportunity to contribute to Film Matters in a meaningful yet casual way — particularly if you have been wanting to get published but don’t have the time to write reviews or submit your longer essays.

Comments can be posted here on our website or on our Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Film-Matters/296668242075), or you can email them to us at:  futurefilmscholars AT gmail.com

The first column’s selected film is:  Wong Kar-Wai’s Chungking Express (1994).

We look forward to hearing your thoughts — share them with us today!

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VISIONS: Call for Submissions

Posted on November 7, 2011 by admin

The VISIONS Film Festival and Conference has announced that they are now accepting submissions for 2012. Visions invites all undergraduates to submit their work, and will be announcing conference presentations and film selections in late February. The event is scheduled for March 30, 2012, and will be hosted at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. To view submission guidelines, deadlines, and entry forms, please visit:

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FM 2.1 Is Out!

Posted on October 3, 2011 by admin

We are pleased to announce that issue 2.1 of Film Matters is out! Continue reading →

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Fish Tank (2009). Reviewed by Christian Caminiti

Posted on September 20, 2011 by admin
A solitary Mia contemplates in her room.

It is difficult to generically classify Andrea Arnold’s second feature film, Fish Tank, without omitting something crucial. Undoubtedly an entry in the cycle of British social realist films in the tradition of Ken Loach, Mike Leigh, and Stephen Frears, Fish Tank also combines elements of the melodrama, particularly the women’s film, and the social problem film. Never though, does it ever seem disjointed or piecemeal, a testament to Arnold’s clear vision of gritty lower-class England and her sure, if shaky-realist, directorial hand. The film follows angry 15-year-old Mia (Katie Jarvis) as she wanders aimlessly through the desolate streets of Essex and pugnaciously through various city cliques. She lives in a housing project with her volatile and villainous mother (Kierston Wareing) and her precocious younger sister Tyler (Rebecca Griffiths). Their tiny living space is demonstrative: sparse, half-drunk liquor bottles tossed all over, old clothes draped over the furniture, a refrain of shouted “cunts” and “fucks” ringing always through the tight quarters. Before long, we realize that Mia isn’t in a good place—emotionally or physically.

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Vision Frame Analysis Contest 2011

Posted on August 29, 2011 by admin

Announcing the first Film Matters contest for undergraduates worldwide, sponsored by Zeitgeist Films and Intellect Ltd.!  The contest runs until November 1, 2011 — so please think about entering today!  Fabulous prizes include $500, as well as publication in a future issue of Film Matters.  For more details, as well as the application form, see the “Contest” link.

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Call for Reviews

Posted on August 2, 2011 by admin

Calling all undergraduate students!  Film Matters is actively seeking book and DVD reviews for publication in future print issues. To read sample reviews, please see issue 1.1, which is available online:

And to read up about our guidelines, please see our style guide:

So if you are interested in getting publishing experience to put on your CV or résumé, please contact Liza Palmer (palmerl AT uncw.edu) to get started.  Film Matters looks forward to working with you!

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