The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on February 9, 2013

The Music of Erich Zann I am a huge admirer of the works of H.P. Lovecraft. I have read nearly all of his works, some on multiple occasions, and the few I haven’t yet read I’ll soon get to. Lovecraft typically has been seen as someone who is for the...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on February 8, 2013

One can never really analyze all of international film during a given decade given the enormous scope and the amount of films released worldwide in any 10-year period. Certain decades have cinematic movements within given cultures; the 1960s are perhaps the most notable with the nouvelle vague influ   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on February 7, 2013

Not too long ago I was asked to participate in a medical study to gather information, and further knowledge, about a metabolic condition I am afflicted with. Part of the process which I was subjected to was a very long MRI. Any and all people taking this MRI were encouraged...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on February 6, 2013

One thing I most definitely praise the Academy as well as the sponsors who help bring this showcase to being (DirecTV, AT&T and Shorts HD) is that they are bringing the Oscar nominated shorts to a wider audience, whereas before you were in the dark and few, if any of...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on February 2, 2013

As you may have noticed, I missed two short film Saturday posts so far this year, which is not cool. In an attempt to make up for this, whenever it should happen, I will try to include multiple videos in those I do get up rather than double posting. These...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on January 31, 2013

Last year the character of Tarzan celebrated his 100th year in print. A serialized version of the story first appeared in 1912. A hardcover collection of Tarzan of the Apes first appeared in 1914. Being in the middle of the Tarzan centennial period it’s an opportune time to (re)visit many...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on January 30, 2013

I made a comment after seeing The Campaign over the summer that it was a silly skewering of campaigning and American politics in general. As I rewatched it, after this year’s election, it suddenly seemed less silly. Granted there’s comedic exaggeration but some of the incidents in the ca   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on January 29, 2013

This is a recapitulation of a paper I wrote in film school, and had previously posted on another site. It’s being re-posted here in periodic installments. You can read parts one, two, three and four here. A very likely reason for the love-affair of the studio with the sequel is...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on January 28, 2013

As I indicated earlier, when there are public or open to membership voting that I qualify for, I will write a post here to discuss my picks and to publicize the poll. I have included two polls here. They are both run by the LAMB, the Large Association of Movie...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on January 25, 2013

It is Australia Day today. Much like the post I created last Canada Day I wanted to create a post that highlighted films set and produced in each territory/state of the nation on this day. Unlike the Canadian entry, I created this in part to seek further suggestions, as with...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on January 19, 2013

I can’t say it comes up too often, however, whenever a short that has been turned into a feature does come around and you can find it online, I’d like to put it up here. Out now is Mama, which drew its inspiration from this short, which does live up...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on January 18, 2013

“Leaves the door wide open for a sequel,” is a phrase that was not part of the cinematic vernacular even in the 1950s. It really does sound like something you’d say after watching a slasher movie. These films, of course, were very popular in the 1980s, but just because you...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on January 17, 2013

Note: This is a recapitulation of a paper I wrote in film school. It will be published here in installments. This is part three you can read part one here and part two here. The 1980s were marked by the emergence of the computer into mainstream American culture. The increasing accessibility...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on January 15, 2013

Intro A large part of why I started this blog, as opposed to continuing at the site I was perviously, was that I wanted to control my content and also if I should choose to be publishing daily I wanted to not necessarily constrain my focus to a particular region...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on January 12, 2013

Firstly, welcome to the first short film Saturday of the new year. I wanted to have a new one up last weekend, but amongst other things having all my BAM posts needing to go up, and my Best of the Year in general and horror took out much of my...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on January 8, 2013

When we think of the 90s socio-politically you can almost draw a parallel to the kind of films that were produced. With Clinton in office the stock market more than doubled it was prosperity galore and yet there was a generation (Generation X followed by Y, how original) that could...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on January 8, 2013

I have for some time wanted to start a series like this, and figured this new year was a good time to start. Essentially, whenever there is a publicly-voted award in the film world I will share my thoughts and vote here. I was thankful to be reminded of this...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on January 7, 2013

In his Biographia Literaria Samuel Taylor Coleridge* postulates how a critic’s faculties and tastes are influenced by his life experiences and exposure to art. I open with this statement because in writing about the 1980s a decade in which I was a child, I realize there can be a certain...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on January 5, 2013

I try to keep my mind as open as possible during the year, and as you start assembling a list like this you see there could be perceived slights. The fact of the matter is making this list was brutal. More than once I had to consider if I can...   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on January 4, 2013

I was better at tracking my views, and it was a better cinematic year overall in my estimation, so this list has expanded to 15 selections this year. 15. Absentia This is a case of faith rewarded. The beginning is a little rocky but I saw something in it that...   read more