As an avid cinephile, I find my eyes immediately and invariably drift to the title of the DP ( cinematographer ) every time when I inspect a film poster at the local cinema, in determining the visual attractiveness of a movie. In some ways I care more about who the DP is rather than the director because the look of the film is the first thing that rouse my visual senses.

I’ve always had a long list of DPs that I admired, ( Roger Deakins, Darius Khondji,  Slawomir Idziak, Januz Kaminski, Lee Pinbing, Emmanuel Lubezki, Dante Spinotti, Conrad Hall, the list goes on. ) and Robert Elswit, ASC is fast becoming one of mine favourites in light of the slew of amazing films he has shot recently. He has a long list of credits, but the five listed below are the more recent ones that I really enjoyed :

1) The Town – Ben Affleck

Ben Affleck’s impressive actor/director effort quickly brings to mind Michael Mann’s classic “Heat”. The two films share many similarities by virtue of their genre, the highlight been of course the explosive heist shootout, but I also love the introspective examination of the lives that the robbers/cops face and the trail of physical and emotional destruction it leaves behind. As Al Pacino so succinctly put it in the famous restaurant scene in Heat : “My life ? My life’s a disaster zone.”

2) Salt – Philip Noyce

One word – Action. Robert Elswit shot some truly spectacular action sequences in this adrenaline pumping spy caper akin to the ones we saw in Bourne trilogy, albeit with much less camera shake.  Looking forward to visiting this again on Blu-ray again. For director Philip Noyce, I also enjoyed his contemplative and rather slow paced “The Quiet American”,  photographed by the amazing Christopher Doyle. ( In the Mood for Love )

3) Goodnight, and, Goodluck. – George Clooney

Now this film I recommend you tackle only when you are very much awake, because the lengthy, yet highly engaging rhetoric exchanges between Murrow and McCarthy will require you to exercise your full powers of concentration. Robert Elswit shot the movie in color stock and graded it black and white only during post pro to preserve the widest tonal range for the blacks and greys, giving the film a rich and creamy look, and it shows to exuberant effect.  My 2nd favourite B&W film after the Coen Brothers’ “The Man Who Wasn’t There”. ( shot by Roger Deakins. )

4) There Will be Blood – Paul Thomas Anderson aka P.T.A

Daniel Day Lewis is absolutely terrifying as the intimidating oil prospector Daniel Plainview in P.T.A’s “There Will be Blood”. This is an important film and I’ll love to talk more about it in another post some time early next year. Robert Elswit is a long time collaborator of P.T.A, dating back to older films like Magnolia and Boogie Nights, and also an upcoming one called “Master”.

5) Punch Drunk Love – Paul Thomas Anderson aka P.T.A

Also from P.T.A is the quirky and quixotic “Punch Drunk Love”, which I remember for its beautiful framing ( ie poster above )and rich, rich blacks. Most of the shots were also visually punctuated by Adam Sandler’s bright blue ( and awkwardly over-sized ) suit. I also enjoyed the rather unconventional soundtrack.