i go on amazing cinematic tangents…
I’m in the middle of my Declan Quinn “I Shot That” film festival.
Connecting the Dots: I was watching the trailer for a some (♥:now forgotten) doc and felt something was missing. Like visually something was off. That’s when I realized that I’ve been influenced by what cinematographer, Declan Quinn, did on “Jimmy Carter Man From Plains.” The way he crafted images and used light with amazing access and limited resources really struck me. There’s an intimacy and energy that’s hard to capture in the moment and on the run. I wanted to know more about how he made it seem so easy and why I was drawn to it. Then, I looked at his body of work and went all “Duh!”
There were all these personal visual reference points. Every time I used to walk into Joe’s Pub in New York, there was a warmth that felt like an old Figgis movie or the way vibrant color was captured in Mira Nair films or the doc realism of “Rachel Getting Married.”
I thought it would be cool to see what’s changed and developed over time. So, I’m watching all the films he’s DPd since “Leaving Las Vegas.”
1995 | Leaving Las Vegas | dir. Mike Figgis
1996 | Carried Away | dir. Bruno Barreto
1996 | Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love | dir. Mira Nair
1997 | One Night Stand | dir. Mike Figgis
1998 | 2by4 | dir. Jimmy Smallhorne
1998 | This Is My Father | dir. Paul Quinn
1998 | One True Thing | dir. Carl Franklin
1999 | Flawless | dir. Joel Schumacher
2000 | 28 Days | dir. Betty Thomas
2001 | Monsoon Wedding | dir. Mira Nair
2002 | Hysterical Blindness | dir. Mira Nair
2002 | September 11 | dir. Mira Nair | segment “India”
2003 | In America | dir. Jim Sheridan
2003 | Cold Creek Manor | dir. Mike Figgis
2004 | Vanity Fair | dir. Mira Nair
2005 | Breakfast on Pluto | dir. Neil Jordan
2005 | Get Rich or Die Tryin’ | dir. Jim Sheridan
2007 | Jimmy Carter Man from Plains | dir. Jonathan Demme
2008 | The Lucky Ones | dir. Neil Burger
2008 | Rachel Getting Married | dir. Jonathan Demme
2008 | Pride and Glory | dir. Gavin O’Connor
2008 | 8 | dir. Mira Nair | segment “How can it be?”
2009 | New York, I Love You | seg. dir. Mira Nair
2009 | The Private Lives of Pippa Lee | dir. Rebecca Miller
2009 | Neil Young Trunk Show | dir. Jonathan Demme
As this unfolds, it’s already interesting to see how images from years ago still influence what I want to see. I’m a bit of a commentary dork, too, and it’s great to hear Mira Nair frequently talk about how she and Quinn work together or listen to Jim Sheridan bring up the lighting conversations he had on “In America.”
I can’t believe I started this in September. Titles in bold are the films I’ve seen for the first time or seen again. My word, I’m only 9 movies in.
N♥
you are very cool miss nikki.
Monsoon Wedding is one of my favorite movies of all time. I can watch it over and over.
I love Mira Nair. I just do. The colors and vibrant lives in many of her films are so engaging. The films have an energy, a movement. I love listening to her commentary for Monsoon Wedding and Kama Sutra. So much was done for so little. I have to watch Mississippi Masala, again. I’d never seen beauty of Uganda before that film.
Cool. Me? Coming from you that’s a crazy compliment that I so appreciate.
agreed and agreed. and don’t forget about jane campion – the piano. another one i can watch a million times.
yes you, cool.
haven’t seen the piano in forever. hello, netflix queue. ♥