CREED - Not Really A Review

     I’m not in the movie creation business (but I did write training video scripts when I worked at Universal Studios Florida and Hughes Supply), However, I do respect people who write, direct and produce movies.

     While watching the recently released CREED, I was impressed when the writer/director used a “long take” (or "oner") for the first big boxing scene. Basically, the entire two-round match (lasting about five minutes) appeared to be filmed with one camera, focusing on one character and then another, turning to view the crowd, zooming in on Rocky Balboa, etc.). It gives the viewer the feeling that he is right there in the movie.

     Other famous filmmakers, including Hitchcock, Kubrick and Spielberg, have used this technique. One such film was SNAKE EYES, staring Nicolas Cage and directed by Brian De Palma (who imitated Hitchcock a lot in his movies). Beginning with the first scene, the twelve-minute-long oner (actually three shots carefully edited together) follows sleazy Ricky Santora (Cage) through the back stage of an Atlantic City sporting arena where he beats up a drug seller, makes a bet, sees a boxer, and then goes to the arena where he talks to a friend and witnesses an assassination, all the while taking calls on his cellular flip phone (the movie’s that old). Pretty cool. Lots of fun.

     Tell me about the long takes you recall and look for them in current movies.

     By the way, see CREED. While not as inspiring as the original Rocky, it’s a good rental.