Month: September 2016

New Acquisitions – September 2016, Part 2

Yes, part two! A steady stream of DVDs continues to flow into the library, and we’re getting them on the shelves for you. This month in particular had a focus on international films, so let’s talk about those. Pictured above is A Town Called Panic, the first stop-motion film ever screened at the Cannes Film … Continue reading “New Acquisitions – September 2016, Part 2”

Yes, part two! A steady stream of DVDs continues to flow into the library, and we’re getting them on the shelves for you. This month in particular had a focus on international films, so let’s talk about those.

Pictured above is A Town Called Panic, the first stop-motion film ever screened at the Cannes Film Festival. We’ve added a number of movies nominated for the Goya Award (Spain’s equivalent of the Oscar), like Marshland, Living is Easy With Eyes Closed, and the animated foosball comedy Underdogs. We’ve also expanded our collection of Arabic films with My Father is on the Tree and Ghazal Al Banat.

If you want to expand your film appetite beyond our shores, this is a great month to start. Follow on to see what else we have…

Home Use Collection:

Art21: Art in the Twenty-First Century, Season 7 – HU DVD 7146
Episodes, Season 4 – HU DVD 10519
Girls, Season 4 – HU DVD 10833
Hadaka no Shima = The Naked Island – HU DVD 12868
Rothko’s Room – HU DVD 12877
Un-Natural State – HU DVD 13223
The Cat Returns – HU DVD 13290
Corpse Bride – HU DVD 13291
The Prophet – HU DVD 13292
April and the Extraordinary World – HU DVD 13293
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs – HU DVD 13294
A Town Called Panic – HU DVD 13295
Winnie the Pooh – HU DVD 13296
When Marnie Was Here – HU DVD 13297
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time – HU DVD 13298
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time – HU BLU 13298
The Secret of Kells – HU DVD 13299
Der Staat Gegen Fritz Bauer = People v Fritz Bauer – HU DVD 13303
Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Adult Fans of My Little Pony – HU DVD 13305
Salāmah fī khayr = Everything is Fine – HU DVD 13306
Gabriel Over the White House – HU DVD 13308
The Immortal Story – HU DVD 13309
Ghazal Al Banat – HU DVD 13310
My Golden Days – HU DVD 13311
The Club / Fábula – HU DVD 13312
Shan Ha Gu Ren = Mountains May Depart – HU DVD 13313
A Taste of Honey – HU DVD 13314
The German Doctor – HU DVD 13323
Aferim! – HU DVD 13324
La Isla Mínima = Marshland – HU DVD 13325
Vivir es Fácil Con los Ojos Cerrados = Living is Easy With Eyes Closed – HU DVD 13326
Pelo Malo = Bad Hair – HU DVD 13327
Underdogs – HU DVD 13328
Baran – HU DVD 13329
Hababam Sinifi Merhaba / Hababam Sinifi Askerde – HU DVD 13330
The Judge – HU DVD 13345
102 Minutes That Changed America – HU DVD 13346
The Accused – HU DVD 13347
Cinema’s Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood – HU DVD 13348
Experimenter: The Stanley Milgram Story – HU DVD 13349
A Married Woman – HU DVD 13350
A Coffee in Berlin – HU DVD 13352
American Crime Story: The People v O.J. Simpson – HU DVD 13353
Space Men – HU DVD 13354
A Murder in the Park – HU DVD 13355
Immigration Battle: Inside Washington’s Fight Over Immigration – HU DVD 13356
The Perfect Crime – HU DVD 13357
Murder of a President – HU DVD 13358
The Mine Wars – HU DVD 13359
Netanyahu at War – HU DVD 13360
Rak Ti Khon Kaen = The Cemetery of Splendor – HU DVD 13362
Bonnie & Clyde – HU DVD 13363
Troublemakers – HU DVD 13377
Sunset Song – HU DVD 13378
Robert Motherwell and the New York School: Storming the Citadel – HU DVD 13379
Peace Officer – HU DVD 13380
Stardust Stricken, Mohsen Makhmalbaf: A Portrait – HU DVD 13381
No Home Movie – HU DVD 13382
Of Men and War – HU DVD 13383
Movie Movie – HU DVD 13384
Simon – HU DVD 13385
The Human Face of Big Data – HU DVD 13386
JFK & LBJ: A Time for Greatness – HU DVD 13387
Modern Romance – HU DVD 13388
The Kennedy Films of Robert Drew and Associates – HU DVD 13390
La Chienne – HU DVD 13391
La Conquête = The Conquest – HU DVD 13405
Quai d’Orsay = French Minister – HU DVD 13406
Confirmation – HU BLU 13407
Diplomatie = Diplomacy – HU DVD 13408
Romeo & Julian – HU DVD 13410
Law & Order, Season 3 – HU DVD 14188
Happy Days, Season 1 – HU DVD 14189
Mork & Mindy, Season 1 – HU DVD 14475
Mork & Mindy, Season 2 – HU DVD 14476
Mork & Mindy, Season 3 – HU DVD 14477
Mork & Mindy, Season 4 – HU DVD 14478
3rd Rock from the Sun, Season 1 – HU DVD 14479
3rd Rock from the Sun, Season 2 – HU DVD 14480
3rd Rock from the Sun, Season 3 – HU DVD 14481
3rd Rock from the Sun, Season 4 – HU DVD 14482
3rd Rock from the Sun, Season 5 – HU DVD 14483
3rd Rock from the Sun, Season 6 – HU DVD 14484

In-Library Titles:

Pioneers of African-American Cinema – DVD 13304
City of Trees – DVD 13307
My Father is on the Tree – DVD 13351
Lighting the 7th Fire – DVD 13361

What was the last VHS ever?

Yesterday’s post about Vidiots had us thinking about the VHS format again. Commercial VHSes have been out of print for nearly a decade, and with the last VHS player leaving the factory in July, it’s glory days are clearly behind. Just for fun, this got us asking: what was the last VHS ever? According to … Continue reading “What was the last VHS ever?”

Yesterday’s post about Vidiots had us thinking about the VHS format again. Commercial VHSes have been out of print for nearly a decade, and with the last VHS player leaving the factory in July, it’s glory days are clearly behind. Just for fun, this got us asking: what was the last VHS ever?

According to Inverse, the last commercial VHS ever published was David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence, released on March 14, 2016. Others point to an extremely hard-to-find tape of Cars from 2007, but it’s hard to figure out where those came from. Either way, we can safely say the VHS died about ten years ago.

The Inverse article goes on to wonder whether there might be a future market for VHSes in the same way that vinyl records have come back. Basically, there’s not. The formats that replaced the VHS are all far better and more useful. We’re always in the process of keeping our collection available and up-to-date, but we suspect we won’t be purchasing new VHSes in 20 years.

Help a beloved LA film library preserve their old VHSes

If you read this blog, you know we have an affinity for digital preservation and weird, niche films that aren’t available anymore. We do our best to serve the university community in those areas, but there are other groups with their own missions. Take Vidiots, a video rental store that’s served Los Angeles film nerds … Continue reading “Help a beloved LA film library preserve their old VHSes”

If you read this blog, you know we have an affinity for digital preservation and weird, niche films that aren’t available anymore. We do our best to serve the university community in those areas, but there are other groups with their own missions. Take Vidiots, a video rental store that’s served Los Angeles film nerds (including directors like David O. Russell) for decades with its massive library of hard-to-find titles.

Now, Vidiots has launched a crowdfunding campaign to take wants to take their collection into the modern era by digitally preserving as much of their collection as possible. Vidiots has thousands of rare VHSes that are presumably deteriorating and may be the last copies remaining of certain films, and Vidiots wants to digitize those tapes, license them, and check them out to whoever wants a copy. Additional funds will go to creating programming to showcase these films. This is a huge benefit to the LA film community – which more or less overlaps exactly with Hollywood.

If you want to support a good cause that makes the world of film a better place, consider kicking a few dollars their way. Their campaign has about a month left to raise $45,000, any amount helps.

Hasta la vista, Molly

We have a bittersweet post to share today: after four years of service, Visual Media Collections Coordinator Molly Hubbs is leaving the AU Library. Molly has been an invaluable member of the Media Services team and a backbone of many of our ongoing projects, especially new acquisition processing and the push to digitize our VHS … Continue reading “Hasta la vista, Molly”

We have a bittersweet post to share today: after four years of service, Visual Media Collections Coordinator Molly Hubbs is leaving the AU Library. Molly has been an invaluable member of the Media Services team and a backbone of many of our ongoing projects, especially new acquisition processing and the push to digitize our VHS collection. Although we’re sad to see her go, we’re excited for her new and exciting opportunities. Best of luck, Molly!

The Toronto Film Festival had “its blackest edition ever”

As we saw at this weekend’s Emmy Awards, we’re finally seeing what happens when diversity in film goes from being a challenge to an asset. Diversity expands the possibilities of storytelling and filmmaking, and NPR saw that in effect at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Normally, the author Bilal Qureshi points out, film festival … Continue reading “The Toronto Film Festival had “its blackest edition ever””

As we saw at this weekend’s Emmy Awards, we’re finally seeing what happens when diversity in film goes from being a challenge to an asset. Diversity expands the possibilities of storytelling and filmmaking, and NPR saw that in effect at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

Normally, the author Bilal Qureshi points out, film festival narratives tend to be dominated by one black film that has to stand in for the entire black experience, as Nate Parker’s Birth of a Nation seemed poised to this year. But this year, TIFF had what Qureshi calls “its blackest edition ever” that “[pushed] back against the idea that Hollywood can only absorb one black story at a time.” In fact, the filmmakers and organizers have shied away from labeling films “diverse” because, with the lineup they’ve assembled, there’s no reason to pigeonhole non-white filmmakers.

We hope this becomes the new normal for film festivals. Hopefully we can expand the conversation about diversity in film past just its absence to what it looks like in practice.

What last night’s Emmys mean for diversity on screen

via Yahoo Last night’s Emmy Awards highlighted the diversity of the nominees and winners, especially in contrast to this year’s widely derided Oscars. The 2016 Emmys featured shows, stories, and artists from a wide spectrum of race, gender identity, and disability. Plus, we’re happy any time Key & Peele wins an award. Nooice! The Chicago … Continue reading “What last night’s Emmys mean for diversity on screen”

via Yahoo

Last night’s Emmy Awards highlighted the diversity of the nominees and winners, especially in contrast to this year’s widely derided Oscars. The 2016 Emmys featured shows, stories, and artists from a wide spectrum of race, gender identity, and disability. Plus, we’re happy any time Key & Peele wins an award. Nooice!

The Chicago Tribune published a great summary of why this year’s ceremonies were different and how that different mattered creatively. Featuring an increasingly higher numbers of non-white nominees doesn’t just capture the country more accurately; it also leads to greater diversity in subject matter, and the huge range of shows at the Emmys – including Master of None, Mr. Robot, and Orphan Black – reflects how media changes when you bring in new perspectives and voices. (There’s also the added benefit that diverse representation may help ratings.)

If the Emmys are a sign of the general direction television is heading, diversity in perspective, representation, and talent are intertwined and growing. Take note, film!

If you want to understand the Emmys, start with Mad Men

The Emmys are tonight! We love a celebration of the best of television as much as anyone, but as with any award show, remember that the nomination process is highly political and probably reflects the tastes and temperament of the voting body more than an objective measure of quality. It’s interesting to see what Emmy … Continue reading “If you want to understand the Emmys, start with Mad Men”

The Emmys are tonight! We love a celebration of the best of television as much as anyone, but as with any award show, remember that the nomination process is highly political and probably reflects the tastes and temperament of the voting body more than an objective measure of quality.

It’s interesting to see what Emmy voters broadly consider to be the most prestigious shows. The number-crunching wizards at FiveThirtyEight took a shot at quantifying the types of programs the Emmys love to nominate.

Generally speaking, sci-fi, fantasy and period dramas get nods for the technical awards. Late night comedy mops up for writing. Guest appearances on Law & Order will get you a nomination for acting. And right in the middle of all this is Mad Men, a show with a nomination pattern that matches the average Emmy show almost exactly. Unsurprisingly, that’s one of the most award-friendly shows in the last decade.

That article is super stats-wonky, but the point is that the Emmys have their own predictable tastes and politics. A show like The Americans is more likely to appeal to Emmy voters than Bob’s Burgers, even if Bob’s Burgers is wonderful and terrific.

Every Frame a Painting looks at the surprisingly unmemorable state of modern film soundtracks

Every Frame a Painting continues to be one of the best online film criticism video series. Usually the channel looks at editing and composition, but this time, creator Tony Zhou turned his sights to a very difficult film question: why are modern film soundtracks so uninspiring? Zhou puts forward a cohesive argument, with the Marvel … Continue reading “Every Frame a Painting looks at the surprisingly unmemorable state of modern film soundtracks”

Every Frame a Painting continues to be one of the best online film criticism video series. Usually the channel looks at editing and composition, but this time, creator Tony Zhou turned his sights to a very difficult film question: why are modern film soundtracks so uninspiring?

Zhou puts forward a cohesive argument, with the Marvel Cinematic Universe as its focus. Over the last twenty years, movie soundtracks have become background music that matches rather than sets the mood of what’s happening on-screen. That’s not inherently good or bad, but it’s less memorable than the fanfares and character themes from older blockbusters.

The video spends much of its time addressing a bigger concern, the use of “temp music” in editing. During production, films are often scored with placeholder music from other composers, frequently soundtracks from other movies. Increasingly, rather than starting from scratch, filmmakers ask composers to match the placeholder music, resulting in a soundtracks gradually sounding identical and borrowing the same generic structure and composition.

Speaking unobjectively, we hope that turns around. We understand why tone-setting scores have become popular, but Alan Silvestri’s Back to the Future music is far more lovable than his work on The Avengers.

SOC’s Media that Matter series kicks off with Thank You for Playing

Every semester, SOC’s Media that Matter film series highlights social issues as captured on the screen, from race issues in America to the ethics of food. It’s a very AU film series in the best way, and often, the screening includes a discussion with the filmmakers. Last semester, the series included a screening of Best … Continue reading “SOC’s Media that Matter series kicks off with Thank You for Playing”

Every semester, SOC’s Media that Matter film series highlights social issues as captured on the screen, from race issues in America to the ethics of food. It’s a very AU film series in the best way, and often, the screening includes a discussion with the filmmakers. Last semester, the series included a screening of Best Picture winner Spotlight and an interview with then-Boston Globe editor Martin Barton.

Media that Matter starts again this Wednesday with a screening of Thank You for Playing, a documentary about the development of the video game That Dragon, Cancer – an autobiographical game by Amy and Ryan Green about caring for their infant, who was diagnosed with cancer. That Dragon, Cancer is a raw, emotional experience to play, and Thank You for Playing looks at the people who chose to tell their story through an unexpected medium.

The screening begins at 6pm on Wednesday, September 14th, in the McKinley Building’s Forman Theater; the film will be followed by a discussion with the filmmakers led by AU Game Lab’s Lindsay Grace.

What does a filmmaking class from Werner Herzog look like?

We just love this picture so much. Credit to sarkos on Tumblr. Last year, the startup company MasterClass began offering six-hour online video lectures hosted by luminaries in their fields. You can learn about acting from Kevin Spacey or signing from Christina Aguilera, complete with assignments to complete on your own. We don’t know how … Continue reading “What does a filmmaking class from Werner Herzog look like?”

We just love this picture so much. Credit to sarkos on Tumblr.

Last year, the startup company MasterClass began offering six-hour online video lectures hosted by luminaries in their fields. You can learn about acting from Kevin Spacey or signing from Christina Aguilera, complete with assignments to complete on your own. We don’t know how genuinely useful these courses are, but our eyes were caught by a filmmaking class led by Werner Herzog. What on earth would that be like?

Jesse Andrews at The Awl took the leap and watched Herzog’s class, and if it wasn’t completely instructive, it was at least, in his own words, “frankly insane.” He recommends “spend[ing] a night in the forest” and takes his screenwriting advice from a drunken bus ride where he wrote Aguirre, the Wrath of God. Still, Andrews says he offers solid advice, such as how to be close with your actors (or control them?) and the importance of reading.

It’s certainly not a traditional film course, though, with section titles like “Disorient Your Audience.” Herzog’s film skills were self-taught, and this sounds like an honest-to-goodness reflection of his approach to filmmaking – helpful or otherwise.