I love movie clichés. Sometimes. I say sometimes because most of them are not lovable. The gun that never runs out of bullets, the villain eating steak, the antagonist who lectures the protagonist with “We are not so different, you and I.” But some are fun to notice, appreciate, and analyze. One of my favorites comes by way of films set in the pre-gunpowder age: it’s the two armies facing off across a field then charging at each other full bore and slamming into each other at speed. Directors love this shot. You know the one: It’s a static side-angle camera shot of the battle right … [Read more...]