Beloved 80s adventure movie The Goonies turned 30 last week. That’s a milestone you probably didn’t know or really care about, much like how you missed the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie‘s 25th anniversary in March. But it was a big deal in Astoria, Oregon, the small northwest town where The Goonies was filmed. Over […]
Continue readingThe unexpected new life of Black Angel
Two years ago, we first told you about Black Angel, a recently unearthed lost film from 1980. Black Angel was an influential fantasy short film that played before The Empire Strikes Back during its first theatrical run; its practical effects and “step-printed” slow-motion paved the way for movies including Legend and Excalibur. But copies of […]
Continue readingPretentious-O-Meter picks out films on the critical-popular divide
Independent and art films are often unfairly criticized as “pretentious.” We’ve all slung that word around to attack a movie at some point, even though we probably enjoy some arty cinema ourselves. But the roots of that insult deserve some additional dissection: is a film really better or worse because critics and film buffs enjoy […]
Continue readingUnearthed transcript reveals the origins of Indiana Jones
The National Geographic Museum downtown recently opened an exhibit about Indiana Jones and the films’ connections to actual history. This had us thinking about our favorite tenured action hero. Coincidentally, a link has been making the rounds revealing how Indy got his start – and what he might have been in an early draft. In […]
Continue readingDid you know we have 3D glasses?
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 […]
Continue readingAnimation fan? Check out hard-to-find shorts from The Animation Show of Shows
Yesterday in our new acquisitions post, we mentioned The Animation Show of Shows (HU DVD 12101 – 12154), a giant collection of world animation we recently added to our shelves. We want to talk a little before about this series; it’s a remarkable showcase of diverse talent that any animation fan should seek out. The […]
Continue readingNew Acquisitions – May 2015
Apologies for the radio silence on new acquisitions! It’s been a breathless few months, but now that we’ve hit the summer and campus has cooled down, we’ll start giving you more regular updates about what new titles are coming into the library. Since we last updated you in March, we’ve gotten our hands on a […]
Continue readingVideo 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 readingWith Letterman’s departure, walk back through the old guard of late night
David Letterman ends his late night talk show career tonight. Although he has certainly settled into a curmudgeonly pattern in the last decade or so – and is probably indistinguishable from Jay Leno for many younger viewers – Letterman’s earlier years behind the desk remain some of the stranger and riskier network television ever produced. […]
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 […]
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