The entertainment world went nuts this weekend over news that filmmaker J. J. Abrams will be helming the next installment in the Star Wars franchise. Apart from the sci-fi conflict of interest with his work on Star Trek, the biggest question is whether Abrams’s work gives him the chops and wherewithal to take on, arguably, […]
Continue readingCategory Archives: Directors
Remembering — and maybe introducing — Nagisa Oshima
Japanese director Nagisa Oshima died yesterday following long-term stroke complications. Oshima may not be the most well-known director outside of Japan, but he leaves behind an award-winning legacy. Oshima’s films dealt with a wide range of subjects, typically set during wartime Japan and (controversially) involving explicit sexuality. This style and thematic content earned him a […]
Continue readingHitchcock first’s film found! Watch online for free
Attention Hitchcock aficionados: one of the legendary director’s first films, 1923’s The White Shadow, was recently recovered in New Zealand and has been made available for free online. It is currently the earliest surviving Hitchcock film. The film, long presumed lost was only partly recovered. About half of the silent film (42 minutes) has survived, […]
Continue reading60 Minutes gets in Spielberg’s head
Steven Spielberg is widely accepted to be among the most notable and important (if not one of the best) contemporary American film directors. With the impending release of Spielberg’s highly anticipated Lincoln, it makes sense that there’s a renewed interest in the now-65-year-old director’s work. Yesterday, 60 Minutes had an extensive interview with Spielberg about […]
Continue readingNew documentary reveals Bergman’s love for Ghostbusters
Before he died, legendary director Ingmar Bergman had acquired over 80,000 videocassettes, disposing ones he didn’t care for and keeping about 1,700 of them. That’s quite the collection, especially when you consider that the ones he kept are among the roughly 2% of films that Bergman decided were worth keeping. It might surprise you that […]
Continue readingKen Loach opens personal archives
Here’s a tantalizing story for fans of bonus material: filmmaker Ken Loach is publishing his personal archives of notes, scripts, research, and other materials through the British Film Insitute. Loach was awarded the Palme d’Or in 2006 for his film The Wind that Shakes the Barley and has received repute for his use of socialist […]
Continue readingDirector Tony Scott dies
Film director Tony Scott committed suicide yesterday at age 68. While he was never an arthouse institution and didn’t have critical weight, Scott’s movies were immensely popular and changed the direction of big-action blockbusters. Perhaps most notably, Scott was sort of a Hollywood kingmaker, directing films that were massively successful game-changers for Jerry Bruckheimer and […]
Continue readingHitchcock turns 113
It would be remiss not to mention Alfred Hitchcock’s birthday, which passed by yesterday. The legendary director, who needs no introduction, would have turned 113. Celebrate the big 1-1-3 by enjoying a deep cut of his filmography at Media Services: Vertigo – HU DVD 14* Psycho – HU DVD 77*Easy Virtue – DVD 332 Blackmail – DVD […]
Continue readingFilmmaker Chris Marker dies at 91
Chris Marker, the groundbreaking French filmmaker and critic, died yesterday at age 91 — on his birthday, nonetheless. Marker’s multimedia art pushed the boundaries of its formats, from his unconventional documentary Sans Soleil to his critical essay writing and experiments with interactive media. Celebrate Marker’s work by visiting his films in our collection: A.K. (supplemental) […]
Continue reading85 films Martin Scorsese says you should see
Martin Scorsese did a four hour interview with Fast Company last year for the December/January issue. In the interview he talked a lot about the business of making films and how he’s managed to stay in it and remain relevant for so long. Over the four hours, Scorsese referenced 85 “films you need to see […]
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