movies on Mansoor

A Long Day's Journey Into Night 地球最後的夜晚

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 12:23:38 -0400

The second film by auteur filmmaker Bi Gan, A Long Day’s Journey Into Night captures the parts of a lost romance that are left behind in memories and dreams. Like a Tarkovsky film (Bi cites Stalker as an influence), this film focuses on sensory experiences rather than a linear narrative.

The story is a romance between underworld characters in the Chinese city of Kaili. Luo Hongwu, the protagonist, remembers his relationship with a gangster’s girlfriend as he searches for her. The first half seems to be an out-of-order series of Luo’s real-world experiences. The second half goes to the opposite extreme: it’s a dream shown in real-time, a hypnotic 59-minute tracking shot.

Who is Daniel Plainview?

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 12:30:00 -0400

That's right, this movie is not for the faint of heart

Set in the early 1900’s, There Will Be Blood tells the story of Daniel Plainview, an oil prospector who strikes it big. The story is loosely based on Upton Sinclair’s Oil, which is based on real oilman Edward L. Doheny, but this isn’t a biography. Daniel Plainview’s history is mysterious and, as the story progresses, he becomes first antisocial, then unstable and dangerous.

Ra's al Ghul Speaking Urdu

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 12:30:00 -0400

No, he isn't.

The church shot in One Battle After Another (spoiler)

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 12:30:00 -0400

Willa and Lockjaw first meet in a wide shot in a church. This dramatic shot is thoughtfully composed:

It uses the rule-of-thirds and puts Willa at a golden ratio. On my capture below, she’s at 2,000 pixels over and 1,250 pixels down. (Credit to my son for seeing the ratios at play.)
Lockjaw is at another point on the thirds, and is placed higher in the frame than Willa, looking down at her. This creates a visual of the power dynamic.
Their relative positions, and Lockjaw’s seated posture, also convey that Lockjaw is about to judge Willa. The feeling is amplified by her cuffed hands and the altar rails, which give the feeling of a courtroom bar (barrier railing) behind her.
The vanishing point behind Lockjaw brings our attention to the altar behind him and, in this shot, he appears small before it. In the film, Lockjaw’s antipathy toward Willa is related to his goal of joining a religious extremist group. The inclusion of the altar and the religious iconography, as well as the lighting and colors, create the atmosphere of a Renaissance painting. In the context of the film, it conveys not an endorsement of Lockjaw’s actions, but rather that he is small before a larger force and that his actions are being judged.

Grid measured in pixels of this screenshot

The 2006 Jane Eyre rushes but nails the romance

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 17:23:38 -0400

Film adaptations of novels must be difficult to size. If 1,100 pages of Lord of the Rings became 10 hours of film, then 500 pages of Jane Eyre should be about 5 hours. Two TV adaptations of Jane Eyre attempt the distance: the 1983 version at 330 minutes and this, the BBC’s 2006 edition, which comes in at 200 minutes.

The 2006 version dedicates most of its time to the romance at the center of the novel, and does it well. Ruth Wilson as Jane and Toby Stephens as Rochester are electric in their scenes together. That’s no small thing: the oddball romance involves awkward interactions and a lot of inner monologue, but Rochester’s stonewall abrasiveness and Jane’s quiet strength come through even in their first interaction. Then, both actors deftly moderate their standoffishness into friendliness. One of the best performances is when the feelings become manifest: Jane dies inside as Ms. Fairfax tells her about Blanche Ingram.

The lighting in Seven

Mon, 10 Nov 2025 12:30:00 -0400

In 2017, American Cinematographer interviewed cinematographer Darius Khondji about the atmosphere of Seven. It’s a treat to learn some of the techniques he used. Pictures and captions taken directly from the article.

In the Gluttony scene, a practical flashlight bounced into a piece of card stock on the detective’s notebook adds a perfect bit of soft fill on Pitt.

Investigating the Greed killing, Mills and Somerset (Morgan Freeman) find a message written in an “invisible ink” method. UV tubes reveal the clue and light the high-contrast, low-key scene.

The parsimonious opening sequence of Everything Everywhere All At Once

Sun, 31 Mar 2024 17:23:38 -0400

Everything Everywhere… explores multiple themes—family dynamics, the immigrant experience, and a woman’s experience with ADHD—in a vivid science-fiction multiverse story. Directors Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan establish an impressive amount of this in the movie’s first minute.

The movie’s first shot is a push-in on a happy family activity shown in the mirror (looking back in time?). As they laugh, the frame closes in to trap this happy moment. We hear the sound of a mirror breaking and they disappear. Later we understand the meaning: we first see a universe in which this family are happy, then jump to a universe where they are not. The cut also establishes the style of universe jumps in the movie, and the cracking sound also recurs as Evelyn and her life begin cracking into pieces.

Ten things to love about Everything Everywhere All At Once (spoiler)

Wed, 20 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0400

A sci-fi action flick that stays focused on its family theme

This is the brain-dump I shared with doubtful family members.

There are four story motifs going simultaneously:
i) a kung-fu western like Seven Samurai featuring a reluctant hero and a near-invincible villain, and with legit fight sequences

ii) a sci-fi multiverse story drawing inspiration from classics like Terminator (a traveller from the future comes to warn and teach the person who can defeat the future villain) and The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (the improbability drive)

Concept art for Across the Spider-Verse

Fri, 30 Jun 2023 17:23:38 -0400

I love concept art. This is some from Felicia Chen, one of the visual artists on Across the Spider-Verse.

More at https://felicia-chen.com/spiderverse

Watercolors in Across the Spider-Verse

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 17:23:38 -0400

The Spider-Verse films not only used new animation techniques, they also used different styles in the same film (and sometimes in the same scene). One of my favorite moments is the watercolor scene of Gwen and her dad. The cool tones represent Gwen’s feelings and they turn warm when they hug. Even better, they radiate slowly, like watercolors, and like thawing feelings.

Animating the Spider-Verse

Wed, 28 Jun 2023 17:23:38 -0400

There’s not much I can add to the heap of well-deserved praise, so this is a collection of excerpts describing the animation techniques.

Mixed styles

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse features six different animation styles, all of which are combined to create several characters and locations.

Stepped animation

The artists made a bigger decision to break with the way most computer-animated motion is achieved. Usually movements are created by advancing the image — say, a character raising his arm — in each frame, 24 times per second. It’s called “animating on one’s.” The resulting motion is fluid and smooth, but it can look too regular, even stolid….In traditional animation, much of the movement is done “on two’s”: A new drawing is made or the image shifted every second frame. Using animation on two’s gave the artists more control over the speed and power of the movements. Much of the animation in classic Disney features and Warner Bros. cartoons was done on two’s.