We at Cineleet really appreciate a good title sequence, as can be seen in our showcase of designer Saul Bass. A truly effective title sequence should act as a microcosm of the film, delivering all the basic themes in a matter of a couple of minutes, and mentally preparing the audience for what lies ahead. So imagine our delight when we stumbled across Art of the Title.com.

Art of the Title is a film blog solely dedicated to terrific title sequences, in a simple, yet well-designed fashion, with still frames to each sequence presented in a matrix that illustrates their progression. They currently have profiles on about 50 movie title sequences and nearly 20 TV title sequences. I have no idea who runs the site or any additional background, but the site owner’s passion for good title sequences is apparent. I’m going to add it to my bookmarks, and if you like titles as I do, I hope you will as well.

I leave you with Danny Yount’s opening titles to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) which I discovered on this site.

Tags:   ArtoftheTitle.com · credit sequence · Kiss Kiss Bang Bang · main title sequenceNo Comments.

This is a guest post written by Greg Davies. Greg is known in social media circles as cGt2099, and runs the sites The-TrukstoP.com and DayoftheJedi.com

With Universal Day of Jedi set for May 25, Star Wars fans around the globe will be celebrating the legacy of George Lucas; his creative and pioneering vision of what happened a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

Day of the Jedi is, undeniably, specifically a Star Wars celebration; but in many ways it is more than that. It is a reflection of how much impact Lucas’ saga has had upon pop culture around the world. Think about it: can you imagine a world without Star Wars? The movies, books, comics, toys, cartoons, video games, and countless forms of other types of media connected with millions over a few generations. Clearly, what Lucas had accomplished with the series, did more than just touch a nerve.

There was definitely, at one point, a world without Star Wars. Before May 25, 1977, the mythical universe created by Lucas was simply a work-in-progress; something that many in the business-side of Hollywood found challenging to comprehend. The whole concept was weird to them. What the hell was a Wookiee and why did he not have any pants on? What is this Force and who or what is a Jedi? [Read more →]

Tags:   633 Squadron · A New Hope · Akira Kurosawa · Attack of the Clones · Casablanca · Flash Gordon · Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe · George Lucas · George Lucas in Love · Joseph Campbell · Lawrence of Arabia · Once Upon a Time in the West · Return of the Jedi · Revenge of the Sith · Saving Private Ryan · Seven Samurai · Shakespeare in Love · Star Wars · The Dam Busters · The Empire Strikes Back · The Good The Bad and The Ugly · The Guns of Navarone · The Hidden Fortress · The Searchers · Yojimbo · Zatoichi20 Comments

This is a guest post written by Darius Monsef. Darius is the Creator & Executive Editor of COLOURlovers.com. He is a creative consultant, entrepreneur and Internet Astronaut.

When a new viral video pops up on the internet it can reach upwards of 20,000,000 views… that’s more than can be said about any of Eddie Murphy’s latest films. Advertising agencies and major brands have begun to tap the creative class for commercials and funny sweded movie remakes… but how far off are we from a completely user generated feature film? [Read more →]

Tags:   Cloverfield · Eddie Murphy · George Lucas · Jack Black · Mos Def · MTV · Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation · Spike Lee · Steven Spielberg · The Blair Witch Project5 Comments

When Swede Warner Oland was hired to play Asian characters Charlie Chan and Dr. Fu Manchu in the 1930’s, it was because at the time Hollywood was reluctant to hire authentic Asians as leads. You’d think in the years since, casting agents would leap at the chance to prove how much progress we’ve made. You’d be wrong. Let’s look at a few examples where, for better or worse, you have to ask, “Why?”

Note: this post isn’t criticizing the acting performances (some, like Pacino’s and Montalban’s– inspired, others…not so much), it’s merely commenting on the casting choices themselves.

[Read more →]

Tags:   Akim Tamiroff · Al Pacino · Bernardo Bertolucci · Breakfast at Tiffany's · Charlton Heston · Christopher Lambert · Dick Van Dyke · Fu Manchu · Highlander · John Wayne · Keanu Reeves · Little Buddha · Marlon Brando · Mary Poppins · Mickey Rooney · Mike Myers · Pete Postlethwaite · Peter Sellers · Ricardo Montalban · Scarface · Sean Connery · Space Seed · Star Trek · Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan · The Conqueror · The Teahouse of the August Moon · The Usual Suspects · Tony Montana · Touch of Evil · Walt Disney · Warner Oland31 Comments