Alright, everyone gather ’round, we have another Top 100 list to fight over. This time, Rolling Stone put together its list of what it considers the greatest television shows of all time . The top of the list is pretty much what you’d expect – The Sopranos, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, The Simpsons, et al. […]
Continue readingSee The Accountant early and for free, with director Q&A!
We have more passes to see movies in advance this week – with a Q&A with the director! This time around, we have passes for a preview screening of The Accountant, the new Ben Affleck-fronted thriller with a title that doesn’t suggest that all. You’d normally have to wait until this hits theaters to see […]
Continue readingWhat does Netflix’s shrinking library mean for film history literacy?
Even with our collection of 14,000 DVDs, we’ll all admit to watching things on Netflix and Hulu all the time. Streaming subscriptions are convenient, and we’re realizing that it’s their primary way that many incoming students watch movies and television now. But we’re concerned about how that narrows what movies and television people can watch. […]
Continue readingNew 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 readingWhat 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 readingHelp 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 readingHasta 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 readingThe 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 readingWhat 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 readingIf 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 […]
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