Sonic Cinema

Sounds, Visions and Insights by Brian Skutle

Every decade since 1952, the British magazine, Sight & Sound, has conducted an “official” poll of film critics, historians, and, for the past twenty years, filmmakers from around the world in order to compile what many see as a “definitive” list of the ten greatest films of all-time. No, Roger Ebert is not wrong when […]

Categories: News, News - General

As I was doing theatre walks at my full-time job recently, I saw posters such as “Magic Mike,” “The Expendables 2,” and thought about the two movies I had seen earlier that day (“Rock of Ages” and “That’s My Boy”), and began to ask myself the question above. Over the years, I’ve found that my […]

Categories: News, News - General

In November 2006, I received an email from a filmmaker looking for a review of their film. It was the first such request I had gotten, so I was pretty excited, and enthusiastically replied that I would be delighted. A short time later in the month, I received the screener for a film called “Royal […]

Categories: News, News - General

So in 2010, I decided to structure my blog about the first four months differently than in previous years. Realizing I still hadn’t really posted the distinctions between why one film gets a certain grade over another, I decided to use my annual blog for January-April to do so. Unfortunately, I’ve missed a great deal […]

Categories: News, News - General

Just as much as film music, the music of Bruce Springsteen, whether it’s one of his solo albums or with his legendary backing band, the E Street Band, has had a profound impact on me for over two decades now. My first album I ever received that was my own was his iconic 1984 smash, […]

Categories: News, News - Music

Last year, you might recall that I posted an old term paper I wrote back in college about the movie ratings system, and whether it needs to be changed. Well, this year, one movie has inspired me to look back on the issue with regards to one particular genre. By now, I’m sure that most […]

Categories: News, News - General

This year, I was struck by a revelation…after the nominations, the Oscars are actually pretty boring. Until the nominees are announced, there’s still a degree of suspense about who/what could get nominated: “Will Gary Oldman get his first nomination?” “How many Best Picture nominees will there be?” However, from the day of the nominations until […]

Categories: News, News - General

Snooch to the Nooch! Well, with the Oscars finally happening on Sunday, it’s now time for my final look at the nominees, and a look at my final predictions (all nominations listed in order of preference), and whether they’ve changed in the past month. Before I get to the festivities, though, an update on where […]

Categories: News, News - General

This past Thursday, I took in quite a different cinematic experience than I’ve ever had before when I went down to the Plaza Theater in downtown Atlanta to watch “Crispin Hellion Glover’s Big Slide Show (Part 1).” Unfortunately, I missed “Part 2,” which was on Wednesday, but it’s probably for the best; this was already […]

Categories: News, News - General

Well, there were quite a few surprises as the nominees were announced this morning. Let’s get to it. Best Picture Oscar’s Final Nine “Hugo” “Midnight in Paris” “The Descendants” “The Artist” “The Help” “Moneyball” “The Tree of Life” “War Horse” “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” (Haven’t Seen) Likes: The fact that there are nine nominees […]

Categories: News, News - General