There are many, many reasons you might want a break this week. So we have one for you – free passes to see the upcoming movie Rings two days early! The American remake of The Ring came out 15 years ago, back when most people probably had the means to watch a cursed videotape. This […]
Continue readingMonthly Archives: January 2017
John Hurt
Last week, we were saddened to hear of the passing of John Hurt. As Nigel Andrews in the Financial Times wrote: “A film blessed with his presence had at least one actor who looked as if he had been harrowed straight from Hell. Hurt could do you any suffering you wanted: noble, sardonic, wry, railing, […]
Continue readingWatch this year’s Oscar nominees
The Oscar nominees for 2017 are out! Keep in mind that awards are political and determined by the arbitrary makeup of whichever group is voting for them. That said, this year’s nominations already seem richer and more varied than usual. There’s far greater diversity, led not just by Moonlight and the recent hit Hidden Figures […]
Continue readingStar Trek: Axanar
Star Trek has one of the most vibrant fan communities in Federation space and beyond. (If you have any doubts, check out Trekkies: HU DVD 744.) But like so many fan communities, Trekkies occasionally find themselves on the expensive side of copyright infringement lawsuits. While there’s no profit in learning Klingon, there is certainly the […]
Continue readingSee off the Obama presidency with Southside with You
Today is the last day of the Obama presidency, so we have a special recommendation from our latest batch of new titles. Southside with You is a pretty risky concept – a romantic drama based on Barack and Michelle Obama’s first date in Chicago. Casting the young Obamas while they’re still in the public eye […]
Continue readingSilent Movie GIFs shows the sausage-making behind old special effects
Special effects aren’t usually exciting anymore. Filmmakers can create worlds and human beings from whole cloth now, so digital trickery doesn’t wow like it used to. 100 years ago, though, every difficult shot took a herculean effort. The Twitter account Silent Movie GIFs recently shared a few explanations for how silent films pulled off their […]
Continue readingHorror films had another strong year
For all the jokes about 2016 being terrible, last year was in fact a year of horror – for film at least. As Slashfilm points out, 2016 had an unusually strong showing of horror movies of all stripes, and the site’s Jacob Hall attempted to break down what led to the genre’s success. Hall mentions […]
Continue readingTake a vacation to the worlds of Studio Ghibli
Ghibli films are notoriously immersive and transporting. From the forests of Princess Mononoke, to Yubaba’s bath house in Spirited Away, the worlds of Studio Ghibli are complex, beautiful, and utterly real. How is this feat accomplished? Here’s one take: Even if you’re not an anime fan, after watching Asher Isbrucker’s video essay, you might be inspired […]
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