While we were rifling through our drawers earlier, we came across a little-known collection that goes along with a few of the DVDs in our collection: 3D glasses! Modern displays and theaters use advanced projection systems to achieve a 3D effect, but a few DVDs in our collection opt for an old-school solution. Apart from […]
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Video of The Exorcist hubbub lets you experience terror by proxy
Even beyond its familiar DC setting, The Exorcist holds a special place in cinematic memory as one of the most successful and – just going from anecdotes – most terrifying horror films ever made. It’s difficult to envision any pop culture event today holding the nation’s full attention and enthusiasm, let along a horror movie, […]
Continue readingTCM’s ‘Summer of Darkness” offers free online noir course – and a noir movie marathon!
Turner Classic Movies is preparing for “Summer of Darkness,” a slate of over 100 noir films a commentary that will air throughout June and July. Two months of nearly century-old, dark, black-and-white movies is a hard sell during warm weather and peak movie theater season, but Turner clearly isn’t aiming for a general audience. Their […]
Continue reading“Lo and behold, there was actually an image in there.” Criterion’s techinical director talks restoration
Restoration is an important component of any film preservation and re-release process, especially the high-quality efforts from the Criterion Collection. Those of us without professional archival training never get a good idea of what happens during this mysterious process. Do they scan the original film? What sort of tools do they use to clean dirt […]
Continue readingState film tax credits on the chopping block
Tax incentives are often the saving grace of film productions. If a local film board gives you incentive to film your upcoming production on-site, you’d be silly not to at least consider its possible budget alleviation. That’s why House of Cards films many of its scenes in Baltimore. It brings commerce and attention to states […]
Continue readingThe A.V. Club names their eclectic, contentious list of the best films of the ’10s
2015 marks the halfway point of the decade, and given our itchy need for instant gratification, why not do some retrospectives now instead of waiting until 2020? All week, the pop culture aficionados at The A.V. Club have been posting the results of a highly debated internal poll to determine the top 100 best movies […]
Continue readingFor real? Furious 7 carries the torch for practical effects in movies
The latest entry in the Fast and the Furious franchise is apparently on-track to crush April box office records. There’s a plethora of reasons why the series has been so successful – this entry in particular attracting attention after the death of actor Paul Walker – but its greatest asset might be its continued use […]
Continue readingAll the President’s Men wins Washingtonian’s bracket; SOC professor has some choice words
In February, we reported on the Washingtonian’s bracket to determine the most “DC” movie of all time. Much to our sadness, the Mr. T-starring DC Cab did not win, but top honors went to the classic Watergate drama All the President’s Men. AtPM beat out lobbyist ode Thank You for Smoking for the top prize, […]
Continue readingWhat is world cinema? American’s Cinema UC answers
Under the preview of film professor Jeff Middents (friend of Media Services), AU’s Critical Approach to Cinema University College group has helped on-board new undergraduate students into the world of cinema studies. This year, as a capstone project, Middents asked his UC group to make sense of contemporary world cinema. The UC students produced a […]
Continue readingIn India, national cinema preservation is in the balance
We post about film preservation frequently on this blog, and for the most part, contemporary film preservation effort in our neck of the woods are excellent. Between the National Film Registry and the continued investment in restoring older masterpieces, we’ve come a long way from losing all our silent films. But such an infrastructure doesn’t […]
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