cinematography | the m0vie blog

436. There Will Be Blood (#142)

Posted on September 13, 2025 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, this week with special guests Phil Bagnall and Darcie Faccio, The 250 is a weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users.

This week, Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will be Blood.

Daniel Plainview is an oil man at the turn of the twentieth century. A prospector who struck lucky in California, Plainview has dedicated his life to the pursuit of black gold on the edge of the American continent. As he stumble across a potentially life-changing find, the veteran businessman finds himself thrown into conflict with that other great American industry: organised religion.

At time of recording, it was ranked 142nd on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

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Filed under: The 250 | Tagged: ambition, american cinema, character complexities, cinematography, contemporary societal issues, Daniel Day-Lewis, Daniel Plainview, film, great american film, greed, identity, imdb, Jonny Greenwood, moral ambiguity, Movie, Paul Thomas Anderson, podcast, power, score, technical achievements, The 250, there will be blood, visual style | Leave a comment »

427. Star Trek (#—)

Posted on July 12, 2025 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, The 250 is a (mostly) weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released every second Saturday at 6pm GMT, with the occasional bonus episode between them.

This week, JJ Abrams’ Star Trek.

Orphaned following an encounter with a strange and hyper-advanced alien ship, James Tiberius Kirk drifts through life in search of purpose. Prompted to enroll in Starfleet Academy, Kirk finds himself drawn into an epic web of fate that crosses time and space, seemingly drawing him towards the most unlikely of companions, a half-Vulcan named Spock.

At time of recording, it was not ranked on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

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Filed under: The 250 | Tagged: 2009 film, 2009 reimagining, character development, character portrayals, cinematography, contemporary storytelling, cultural significance, editing, emotional complexity, emotional connection, franchise impact, identity, J. J. Abrams, james t. kirk, kirk, legacy, narrative structure, new audiences, original series, paternal relationships, spock, star trek, supporting characters, Uhura, Vulcan culture | Leave a comment »

426. Kill Bill, Vol. 2 (#—)

Posted on July 5, 2025 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, this week with special guest Darcie Faccio, The 250 is a (mostly) weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released every second Saturday at 6pm GMT, with the occasional bonus episode between them.

This week, Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, Vol. 2.

Having crossed two names off her list, the Bride continues her rip roaring rampage of revenge against the people who put her in a coma. As she finds herself on a collision course with her mentor and lover Bill, the Bride races towards a revelation that she could not possibly predict.

At time of recording, it was not ranked on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

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Filed under: The 250 | Tagged: abuser-victim relationships, Beatrix Kiddo, character development, cinematography, cycles of violence, Darcie Faccio, female audiences, greatest films, identity, imdb, Kill Bill Volume 2, music, narrative style, non-linear storytelling, pacing, podcast, quentin tarantino, redemption, revenge narratives, The 250, traditional masculinity, uma thurman, Vengeance | Leave a comment »

425. Kill Bill, Vol. 1 (#151)

Posted on June 28, 2025 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, this week with special guest Darcie Faccio, The 250 is a (mostly) weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released every second Saturday at 6pm GMT, with the occasional bonus episode between them.

This week, Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, Vol. 1.

A brutal mass murder at a wedding in El Paso, Texas, leaves a sole survivor: an anonymous pregnant woman, a former assassin who tried to escape her life of murder and mayhem for something more tranquil and serene. However, her old life was not finished with her. Four years later, the would-be bride wakes up and embarks on a roaring rampage of revenge driven by a single objective. She is going to Kill Bill.

At time of recording, it was ranked 151st on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

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Filed under: The 250 | Tagged: action sequences, Beatrix Kiddo, betrayal, Bob Richardson, cinematography, cultural impact, cultural significance, Darcie Faccio, emotional themes, films, genres, identity, imdb, Kill Bill Volume 2, kill bill: volume 1, morality, Movies, podcast, quentin tarantino, revenge, stylistic choices, stylistic evolution, The 250, themes, violence | Leave a comment »

417. Laapataa Ladies (Lost Ladies) (#—)

Posted on April 13, 2025 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, The 250 is a (mostly) weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released every second Saturday at 6pm GMT, with the occasional bonus episode between them.

This week, Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies.

A mishap on a train involving a set of matching wedding veils leads two brides to end up in the wrong locations. As the families try desperately to set things right, reconnecting the lost ladies with their soon-to-be husbands, each of the two brides embarks on a surprising journey that teaches them something profound about the human condition.

At time of recording, it was not ranked on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

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Filed under: The 250 | Tagged: cinematography, cultural complexities, gender identity, Humor, imdb, india, indian cinema, Kiran Rao, La Pata Ladies, Oscar submission, podcast, societal critique, The 250, two brides | Leave a comment »

376. Wall-E – Ani-May 2024 (#59)

Posted on May 12, 2024 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, and this week with special guests Graham Day and Deirdre Molumby, The 250 is a weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released Saturdays at 6pm GMT.

This week, Andrew Stanton’s Wall-E.

In the distant future, Earth has been abandoned. Towers of garbage loom over a toxic landscape consumed by dust storms. The planet is dead, except for Wall-E, a small service robot assigned the task of cleaning Earth in the hope that the planet might be ready to welcome a returning humanity. Alone and forgotten, Wall-E makes a life for itself among the ruins.

At time of recording, it was ranked 59th on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

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Filed under: The 250 | Tagged: Andrew Stanton, animated, cinematography, criterion, disney, environmentalism, imdb, pixar, podcast, robots, Roger Deakins, science fiction, silent movie, sound, The 250, wall-e | Leave a comment »

New Escapist Column! On “Raiders of the Lost Ark” as a Theme Park Ride and a Cinematic Marvel…

Posted on June 28, 2021 by Darren

I published a new In the Frame piece at The Escapist this evening. Given that Raiders of the Lost Ark turned forty years old this summer, it seemed like a good opportunity to take a look back at Steven Spielberg’s defining summer blockbuster.

In particular, Raiders of the Lost Ark is proof that it is possible for a “theme park ride” of a summer blockbuster to also function as a distillation of cinema. Everything in Raiders of the Lost Ark moves with singular purpose towards the same goal. It is a visceral and impressive technical accomplishment, but the craft involved in works in service of big ideas about the power of imagery and iconography. Form and function are indistinguishable, what the film is about becoming inseparable from how it is about it. Raiders of the Lost Ark is a triumph of filmmaking.

You can read the piece here, or click the picture below.

Filed under: On Second Thought | Tagged: black and white, cinematography, douglas slocombe, george lucas, harrison ford, indiana jone, indiana jones, light, nazis, raiders of the lost ark, steven spielberg | Leave a comment »

Non Review Review: Cliffhanger

Posted on September 24, 2009 by Darren

I picked up Cliffhanger on bluray because it was €9 and because I’d never seen it before. My aunt and uncle both suggested that the film would look absolutely stunning in high definition – and they were right. Say waht you (and even I) will about Renny Harlin’s storytelling ability or his difficulties with actors, he does shoot good scenery. The scenery gives the best performance in the film, with the aerial photography give a huge sense of scale to proceedings. Nice mountains, shame about the movie.