This week saw the death of two artists, giants in their respective fields. On Monday, Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci died at age 77. Bertolucci rose to fame with the 1973 release of Last Tango in Paris, a controversial film that was earned an X rating after extensive cuts. One of these scenes depicted a middle […]
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Random Movie Monday — Mushi-Shi: The Complete Collection
It’s a rainy Monday, so here’s a DVD that’s appropriately atmospheric: DVD 12000, Mushi-shi: The Complete Collection. Here’s our summary: Between this world and the next, there is a point where it becomes impossible to distinguish between plant and animal; between life and death. It is a place man was never meant to tread. It […]
Continue readingRotoshopping Is Creepy And Cool
There’s a really specific look to rotoshopped movies that sits right in that uncanny valley for animation. They’re just slightly too real, and so they look really creepy. The two films best known for this, A Scanner Darkly (HU DVD 2416) and Waking Life (HU DVD 364), are just unbearably creepy. So what is rotoshopping? […]
Continue readingEnjoy Some Lovely Stop Motion
This insanely cool video by Renana Aldor and Kobi Vogman explains the process of Lost-Wax casting. The video was made for the Israel Museum in Jerusalem and you can read more about it here: http://directorsnotes.com/2016/05/02/kobi-vogman-renana-aldor-hadrian-bronze-casting/ If you’re now in the mood for fantastic stop motion films, check out Kubo and the two strings (HU DVD […]
Continue reading10 years of LAIKA
Over the weekend, I was completely blown away by LAIKA’s Kubo and the Two Strings (HU DVD 13637). As an animation studio, LAIKA creates some of the grandest and unique worlds in film. Kubo is an incredible accomplishment, and an example of the offbeat humor, powerful storytelling, and, of course, artistic prowess LAIKA has come to […]
Continue readingBefore there was Sailor Moon…there was The Dull Sword
As highlighted on Hyperallergic, the National Film Center of Japan’s National Museum of Modern Art has uploaded a ton of early Japanese animation to mark the centennial of Japan’s oldest known animated film. You can see all the films here, and the very oldest–a 1917 work discovered in an antique store in 2008!–is The Dull Sword […]
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 […]
Continue readingNew Acquisitions – September 2016
With the first week of classes almost in the bag, we have the Labor Day weekend to look forward to. And with a tropical storm possibly bearing down on us, what better way than to escape a long, stormy weekend than grabbing a few movies? We’re continuing to add new films to our collection that […]
Continue readingNew Acquisitions – August 2016
One month left in summer! Everyone panic! Well, don’t actually panic. We’re getting everything set for the fall semester, and we’re stocking up on more new acquisitions. As before, we’re in the process of replacing as many of our VHSes with DVDs as possible. But we’re also plugging other holes in our collection. We’ve added […]
Continue readingMedia Services at the Movies: Finding Dory
The summer blockbuster season is here! “Media Services at the Movies” will look at what big movie is coming out this week, then offer a few movies like it from our collection. We can’t think of much new to say about Pixar. The studio has some of the best talent in animation – second only […]
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