What's in a Scene?
@whatsinascene.bsky.social
A weekly newsletter exploring the greatest scenes in cinema history.
https://whatsinascene.substack.com/
https://whatsinascene.substack.com/
Released as part of @thirdwindowfilms.com The Director's Company collection, Banmei Takahashi's Door is a thrilling home invasion film.
Yet, rather than be a simple thriller, it has a lot to say about isolation, even in a society that watches and monitors us closely.
#FilmSky #MovieSky
Yet, rather than be a simple thriller, it has a lot to say about isolation, even in a society that watches and monitors us closely.
#FilmSky #MovieSky
DOOR
How thin these walls are
whatsinascene.substack.com
July 7, 2025 at 9:47 AM
Released as part of @thirdwindowfilms.com The Director's Company collection, Banmei Takahashi's Door is a thrilling home invasion film.
Yet, rather than be a simple thriller, it has a lot to say about isolation, even in a society that watches and monitors us closely.
#FilmSky #MovieSky
Yet, rather than be a simple thriller, it has a lot to say about isolation, even in a society that watches and monitors us closely.
#FilmSky #MovieSky
What was meant to be a star turn for Cynthia Rothrock, China O'Brien becomes a victim of mismanagement.
'Despite a strong start, in which O’Brien almost single-handedly takes out a gang, by the time the next big fight scenes come around, the camera barely gives her a glance.'
#FilmSky #MovieSky
'Despite a strong start, in which O’Brien almost single-handedly takes out a gang, by the time the next big fight scenes come around, the camera barely gives her a glance.'
#FilmSky #MovieSky
CHINA O’BRIEN
How not to develop a forceful protagonist
whatsinascene.substack.com
June 18, 2025 at 5:05 PM
The Bitter Tears of Petra van Kant feels theatrical, but by utilising cinematic language, the director is able to intrude on the characters' personal space and create something far more intimate.
Hit the link below to read this, and sign up for weekly film essays
#FilmSky #MovieSky
Hit the link below to read this, and sign up for weekly film essays
#FilmSky #MovieSky
THE BITTER TEARS OF PETRA VAN KANT
Intruding on the personal
whatsinascene.substack.com
June 15, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Remastered and released through the BFI, The Appointment is a bizarre, slow-building horror film that uses dream logic for an impactful conclusion.
Hit the link below to read this and sign up for weekly film essays.
#FilmSky #MovieSky
Hit the link below to read this and sign up for weekly film essays.
#FilmSky #MovieSky
THE APPOINTMENT
Dream logic as puzzle pieces
whatsinascene.substack.com
June 9, 2025 at 5:58 PM
As we ramp up towards the long-awaited 28 Years Later, we look back over Danny Boyle and Alex Garland's pivotal horror film, 28 Days Later.
What stands out about the film is how quickly it shows vulnerability of modern life.
Hit the link below to read this.
#FilmSky #MovieSky
What stands out about the film is how quickly it shows vulnerability of modern life.
Hit the link below to read this.
#FilmSky #MovieSky
28 DAYS LATER
The end is very f**king nigh
whatsinascene.substack.com
May 12, 2025 at 2:48 PM
In a bonus article, JV looks at the different versions of A Star is Born; a story that transcends different mediums with its explorations of fame and ego.
Hit the link below to read this, and sign up for weekly film essays.
#FilmSky #MovieSky
Hit the link below to read this, and sign up for weekly film essays.
#FilmSky #MovieSky
REMAKING SCENES: A STAR IS BORN
A journey through culture
open.substack.com
May 9, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Our latest newsletter explores the visual humour and child's perspective of Zazie dans le Métro.
'It’s fitting that a film which revels in its own falseness. A film obsessed with its Dadaist imagery would make a point of how images can deceive.'
#FilmSky #MovieSky
'It’s fitting that a film which revels in its own falseness. A film obsessed with its Dadaist imagery would make a point of how images can deceive.'
#FilmSky #MovieSky
ZAZIE DANS LE MÉTRO
Surrealism through a child’s eyes
whatsinascene.substack.com
May 5, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Our latest newsletter looks at Akira Kurosawa's wonderful Yojimbo, which sees the influence between western and samurai films come full circle.
Hit the link below to read more, and sign up for weekly film essays.
#FilmSky #MovieSky
Hit the link below to read more, and sign up for weekly film essays.
#FilmSky #MovieSky
YOJIMBO
Bringing a gun to a swordfight
whatsinascene.substack.com
April 7, 2025 at 8:45 AM
X: The Man with X-ray Eyes features a satisfying thematic throughline.
It follows Dr James Xavier (Ray Milland) who strives to develop a way to see beyond what he calls ‘the narrow band of visible light’.
This essay explores the urge to become Godlike in this sci-fi thriller.
#FilmSky #MovieSky
It follows Dr James Xavier (Ray Milland) who strives to develop a way to see beyond what he calls ‘the narrow band of visible light’.
This essay explores the urge to become Godlike in this sci-fi thriller.
#FilmSky #MovieSky
X: THE MAN WITH X-RAY EYES
God complex
whatsinascene.substack.com
April 2, 2025 at 8:16 AM
In Mike Nichols' directorial debut, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton play a deeply unhappy, middle-aged couple who come close to destroying each other through a shared delusion.
Hit the link below to read this, and sign up for weekly film essays.
#FilmSky #MovieSky
Hit the link below to read this, and sign up for weekly film essays.
#FilmSky #MovieSky
WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?
Get the guests
whatsinascene.substack.com
March 31, 2025 at 9:19 AM
Our recent film essay explored Ann Hui's horror comedy, Visible Secret, available on Blu-ray from @filmsradiance.bsky.social
While playing with its supernatural themes, Hui integrates the feeling of uncertainty that came from Hong Kong's changeover to Chinese control.
#FilmSky
While playing with its supernatural themes, Hui integrates the feeling of uncertainty that came from Hong Kong's changeover to Chinese control.
#FilmSky
VISIBLE SECRET
Haunted by the future
whatsinascene.substack.com
March 23, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Our recent film essay explored Ann Hui's horror comedy, Visible Secret, available on Blu-ray from @filmsradiance.bsky.social
While playing with its supernatural themes, Hui integrates the feeling of uncertainty that came from Hong Kong's changeover to Chinese control.
#FilmSky
While playing with its supernatural themes, Hui integrates the feeling of uncertainty that came from Hong Kong's changeover to Chinese control.
#FilmSky
Our latest newsletter looks at Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives; a magical realist piece that explores Thailand's history, as much as it does the lead character's.
Hit the link below to read this and sign up for weekly film essays
#Filmsky
Hit the link below to read this and sign up for weekly film essays
#Filmsky
UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES
How we compartmentalise guilt
whatsinascene.substack.com
March 10, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Our latest newsletter looks at Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives; a magical realist piece that explores Thailand's history, as much as it does the lead character's.
Hit the link below to read this and sign up for weekly film essays
#Filmsky
Hit the link below to read this and sign up for weekly film essays
#Filmsky
Our latest newsletter explores the second feature from French experimental novelist and filmmaker, Alain Robbe-Grillet.
Throughout the film, we cut back and forth between the filmmakers and the characters, with the narrative being shifted to try and maintain a structure.
#FilmSky
Throughout the film, we cut back and forth between the filmmakers and the characters, with the narrative being shifted to try and maintain a structure.
#FilmSky
TRANS-EUROP-EXPRESS
Losing control of the narrative
whatsinascene.substack.com
March 3, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Our latest newsletter explores the second feature from French experimental novelist and filmmaker, Alain Robbe-Grillet.
Throughout the film, we cut back and forth between the filmmakers and the characters, with the narrative being shifted to try and maintain a structure.
#FilmSky
Throughout the film, we cut back and forth between the filmmakers and the characters, with the narrative being shifted to try and maintain a structure.
#FilmSky
Part of the sixth-generation of Chinese filmmakers, Lou Ye’s 2000 neo-noir Suzhou River uses the landscape of Shanghai's waterfront to tell his winding narrative, which harkens back to China's industrialisation and the subsequent displacement and poverty many suffered.
#FilmSky
#FilmSky
SUZHOU RIVER
Informed by the past
open.substack.com
February 25, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Part of the sixth-generation of Chinese filmmakers, Lou Ye’s 2000 neo-noir Suzhou River uses the landscape of Shanghai's waterfront to tell his winding narrative, which harkens back to China's industrialisation and the subsequent displacement and poverty many suffered.
#FilmSky
#FilmSky
Weston Razooli's debut, distributed by Yellow Veil Pictures and Vinegar Syndrome, is a callback to the coming-of-age stories.
But it's also fantastical, with a too-tidy ending that suggests the story might be a collection of memories, rather than a straightforward narrative.
#FilmSky
But it's also fantastical, with a too-tidy ending that suggests the story might be a collection of memories, rather than a straightforward narrative.
#FilmSky
RIDDLE OF FIRE
Building a story from memory
whatsinascene.substack.com
February 21, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Weston Razooli's debut, distributed by Yellow Veil Pictures and Vinegar Syndrome, is a callback to the coming-of-age stories.
But it's also fantastical, with a too-tidy ending that suggests the story might be a collection of memories, rather than a straightforward narrative.
#FilmSky
But it's also fantastical, with a too-tidy ending that suggests the story might be a collection of memories, rather than a straightforward narrative.
#FilmSky
This week, we dig into the @indicator.bsky.social boxset from underseen British filmmaker Michael J Murphy.
In Quälen (released as The Hereafter in America), Murphy remakes an earlier film, Secrets, and plays with both the slasher and haunted house genres.
#FilmSky
In Quälen (released as The Hereafter in America), Murphy remakes an earlier film, Secrets, and plays with both the slasher and haunted house genres.
#FilmSky
QUÄLEN (THE HEREAFTER)
Uncanny on a microbudget
whatsinascene.substack.com
February 5, 2025 at 4:25 PM
This week, we dig into the @indicator.bsky.social boxset from underseen British filmmaker Michael J Murphy.
In Quälen (released as The Hereafter in America), Murphy remakes an earlier film, Secrets, and plays with both the slasher and haunted house genres.
#FilmSky
In Quälen (released as The Hereafter in America), Murphy remakes an earlier film, Secrets, and plays with both the slasher and haunted house genres.
#FilmSky
Our latest essay looks at how rewatching Yorgos Lanthimos' Poor Things, away from the grandeur of the cinema, reveals how flimsy the film's gender politics are.
Hit the link below to read this, and sign up for more film essays.
#FilmSky
Hit the link below to read this, and sign up for more film essays.
#FilmSky
POOR THINGS
Style over substance
whatsinascene.substack.com
February 2, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Our latest essay looks at how rewatching Yorgos Lanthimos' Poor Things, away from the grandeur of the cinema, reveals how flimsy the film's gender politics are.
Hit the link below to read this, and sign up for more film essays.
#FilmSky
Hit the link below to read this, and sign up for more film essays.
#FilmSky
Our latest essay looks at Joachim Trier's Oslo, August 31st; a powerful examination of the difficulties in starting over.
It follows Anders (Anders Danielsen Lie), a recovering addict who is given leave from rehab. However, it becomes clear that he has no intention of returning.
#FilmSky
It follows Anders (Anders Danielsen Lie), a recovering addict who is given leave from rehab. However, it becomes clear that he has no intention of returning.
#FilmSky
OSLO, AUGUST 31ST
Losing hope
open.substack.com
January 27, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Our latest essay looks at Joachim Trier's Oslo, August 31st; a powerful examination of the difficulties in starting over.
It follows Anders (Anders Danielsen Lie), a recovering addict who is given leave from rehab. However, it becomes clear that he has no intention of returning.
#FilmSky
It follows Anders (Anders Danielsen Lie), a recovering addict who is given leave from rehab. However, it becomes clear that he has no intention of returning.
#FilmSky
Kōji Shiraishi's found footage horror film Noroi: The Curse grounds its outlandish finale in the real world.
'We buy into the finale because everything else in the film has indicated that this could really happen, providing logical explanations for many of the events of the film.'
#FilmSky
'We buy into the finale because everything else in the film has indicated that this could really happen, providing logical explanations for many of the events of the film.'
#FilmSky
NOROI: THE CURSE
Grounding the supernatural
whatsinascene.substack.com
January 21, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Kōji Shiraishi's found footage horror film Noroi: The Curse grounds its outlandish finale in the real world.
'We buy into the finale because everything else in the film has indicated that this could really happen, providing logical explanations for many of the events of the film.'
#FilmSky
'We buy into the finale because everything else in the film has indicated that this could really happen, providing logical explanations for many of the events of the film.'
#FilmSky
Mulholland Drive's Club Silencio scene is a turning point in the film. It starts with a magician telling the audience that everything is fake.
'He sets us up to discount the subsequent events. This isn’t a detriment to the film; in fact, it helps us look beyond the surface level...'
#FilmSky
'He sets us up to discount the subsequent events. This isn’t a detriment to the film; in fact, it helps us look beyond the surface level...'
#FilmSky
MULHOLLAND DRIVE
No hay banda
whatsinascene.substack.com
January 8, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Mulholland Drive's Club Silencio scene is a turning point in the film. It starts with a magician telling the audience that everything is fake.
'He sets us up to discount the subsequent events. This isn’t a detriment to the film; in fact, it helps us look beyond the surface level...'
#FilmSky
'He sets us up to discount the subsequent events. This isn’t a detriment to the film; in fact, it helps us look beyond the surface level...'
#FilmSky
Glass is the underwhelming finale to M Night Shyalaman's Unbreakable trilogy, which drops a clanger of an ending that damages the two films before it.
Still, there are the building blocks for a fitting endpoint for the Unbreakable trilogy, and a few tweaks could improve Glass greatly.
#FilmSky
Still, there are the building blocks for a fitting endpoint for the Unbreakable trilogy, and a few tweaks could improve Glass greatly.
#FilmSky
FIXING SCENES: GLASS
Retouching the ending
whatsinascene.substack.com
January 3, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Glass is the underwhelming finale to M Night Shyalaman's Unbreakable trilogy, which drops a clanger of an ending that damages the two films before it.
Still, there are the building blocks for a fitting endpoint for the Unbreakable trilogy, and a few tweaks could improve Glass greatly.
#FilmSky
Still, there are the building blocks for a fitting endpoint for the Unbreakable trilogy, and a few tweaks could improve Glass greatly.
#FilmSky
Where Dennis Hopper’s Easy Rider, has suffered over time, his second film, The Last Movie, has grown in stature.
It isn't perfect, but it stands out as a daring attack on both imperialism and the capitalistic nature of Hollywood, perfectly captured in its characterisation of Maria.
#FilmSky
It isn't perfect, but it stands out as a daring attack on both imperialism and the capitalistic nature of Hollywood, perfectly captured in its characterisation of Maria.
#FilmSky
THE LAST MOVIE
Examining imperialistic damage
whatsinascene.substack.com
January 2, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Where Dennis Hopper’s Easy Rider, has suffered over time, his second film, The Last Movie, has grown in stature.
It isn't perfect, but it stands out as a daring attack on both imperialism and the capitalistic nature of Hollywood, perfectly captured in its characterisation of Maria.
#FilmSky
It isn't perfect, but it stands out as a daring attack on both imperialism and the capitalistic nature of Hollywood, perfectly captured in its characterisation of Maria.
#FilmSky
Our latest newsletter explores John Cassavetes' deconstruction of the gangster film, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie.
The film is packed with Cassavetes' feelings about himself and the fiercely independent filmmaking he was known for, with the character of Cosmo acting as a conduit.
#FilmSky
The film is packed with Cassavetes' feelings about himself and the fiercely independent filmmaking he was known for, with the character of Cosmo acting as a conduit.
#FilmSky
THE KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE
Putting yourself on screen
open.substack.com
December 28, 2024 at 6:03 PM
Our latest newsletter explores John Cassavetes' deconstruction of the gangster film, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie.
The film is packed with Cassavetes' feelings about himself and the fiercely independent filmmaking he was known for, with the character of Cosmo acting as a conduit.
#FilmSky
The film is packed with Cassavetes' feelings about himself and the fiercely independent filmmaking he was known for, with the character of Cosmo acting as a conduit.
#FilmSky
Aki Kaurismäki's silent adaption of Juhani Aho's novel Juha brings the characters into the late 20th century, and by doing so creates a moral quandary.
Hit the link below to read our latest newsletter, and sign up for more weekly content.
#FilmSky
whatsinascene.substack.com/p/juha
Hit the link below to read our latest newsletter, and sign up for more weekly content.
#FilmSky
whatsinascene.substack.com/p/juha
JUHA
No good options
whatsinascene.substack.com
December 21, 2024 at 4:03 PM
Aki Kaurismäki's silent adaption of Juhani Aho's novel Juha brings the characters into the late 20th century, and by doing so creates a moral quandary.
Hit the link below to read our latest newsletter, and sign up for more weekly content.
#FilmSky
whatsinascene.substack.com/p/juha
Hit the link below to read our latest newsletter, and sign up for more weekly content.
#FilmSky
whatsinascene.substack.com/p/juha
Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.
There is no chin behind Chuck Norris' beard. There is only another fist.
Once a cobra bit Chuck Norris' leg. After five days of excruciating pain, the cobra died.
This week, we look at Invasion U.S.A., an unashamedly silly action film.
#Filmsky
There is no chin behind Chuck Norris' beard. There is only another fist.
Once a cobra bit Chuck Norris' leg. After five days of excruciating pain, the cobra died.
This week, we look at Invasion U.S.A., an unashamedly silly action film.
#Filmsky
INVASION U.S.A.
Chuck Norris Fact: Chuck Norris does not wear a watch, he decides what time it is
open.substack.com
December 18, 2024 at 11:15 AM
Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.
There is no chin behind Chuck Norris' beard. There is only another fist.
Once a cobra bit Chuck Norris' leg. After five days of excruciating pain, the cobra died.
This week, we look at Invasion U.S.A., an unashamedly silly action film.
#Filmsky
There is no chin behind Chuck Norris' beard. There is only another fist.
Once a cobra bit Chuck Norris' leg. After five days of excruciating pain, the cobra died.
This week, we look at Invasion U.S.A., an unashamedly silly action film.
#Filmsky