Because I’m interested in how the storytelling strategies of popular cinema, the heist film is a natural thing for me to consider. Refreshing the genre may involve not just adjusting the story world—giving men’s roles to women—but also considering ways of handling two other dimensions of narrative: plot structure and cinematic narration. I argue in Reinventing that Hollywood filmmaking uses a sort of variorum principle, a pressure to explore as many narrative devices as possible within the constraints of tradition. For this reason, the prospect of Ocean’s Eight prodded me to think about how convention and innovation work in the caper movie. It’s also a good excuse to go back and watch some skilful cinema.

Tags: David Bordwell, Filmmaking

Set against the spectre of growing global terrorism, and in an era of vicious attacks on press freedoms around the world, Mohamed Fahmy: Half Free is a character study of a Canadian-Egyptian journalist who went from covering one of the biggest stories in the world to becoming the story.  It’s every reporter’s nightmare – jailed for pursuing the truth.

Tags: Trailer, Star Wars