If you pay attention to film news, you may have noticed a brouhaha this weekend over the Telluride Film Festival, one of the first stops on the road to Oscar contention and a recurring favorite for independent filmmakers. But back in May, you might have missed out on Blobfest, a festival that only screens movies […]
Continue readingHappy National Ghostbusters Day!
Today marks the startling thirtieth anniversary of Ghostbusters, maybe the most successful comedy film of all time. The film was so successful at release that it stayed the number one film in the country for seven solid weeks, and adjusted for inflation, it is still one of the highest grossing films of all time. Now […]
Continue readingMark your calendar: AU’s French film festival is next week!
We always try to share interesting film screenings around town, and you may have noticed that those screenings cluster around the warmer seasons. It’s great for those who are around after the school year, but we realize many people are back home or abroad during the summer. For those who are just joining us for […]
Continue readingUsher in Fall 2014 with the 2014 Emmys!
Today marks the star of the fall 2014 semester! After a slow, low-profile summer, we’re ready for another couple months of reservations, class screenings, and paper-writing. Today is also the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards. This is highly unusual, given that the Emmys usually air in September on Sunday, but we like to think that the […]
Continue readingRobin Williams: a funnyman and performer of unparalleled range
We couldn’t let this week pass without acknowledging the unfortunate and far too early death of comedian Robin Williams. We can only add to the immense outpouring of grief over Williams’s death. Many retrospectives have focused on his terrific stand-up comedy and his ability to make us laugh – rightly so – but he was […]
Continue readingRemembering Lauren Bacall, icon of classic Hollywood
Lauren Bacall, one of the last stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood, died yesterday at age 89. Bacall ranks among the greatest screen icons of the 30s and 40s, starring alongside legends including Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn, John Wayne, Rock Hudson, and – most famously – her husband Humphrey Bogart. She was an enduring […]
Continue readingHave we reached the age of the post-plot movie?
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy was a massive success this weekend, proving once and for all that people will see a sufficiently entertaining movie starring a tree. Guardians received rave reviews from fans and critics alike, and it may surprisingly end up the biggest movie of the summer. But as one writer points out, it […]
Continue readingFamous directors throw money to stall the imminent death of physical film
Ever since the all-digital release of 2002’s Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, filmmakers have steadily moved away from traditional film reels in favor of the increased power of digital cameras. As the Wall Street Journal points out, Kodak film consumption has decreased by nearly 12 billion linear feet in the past 8 […]
Continue readingRemembering Dick Smith, acclaimed makeup artist
On this blog, we usually memorialize the deaths of notable directors and actors. But today, we pay tribute to the life of Oscar-winning makeup artist Dick Smith, whose work ranks among the most memorable and iconic in film history. You probably don’t know Dick Smith and couldn’t pick him out of a lineup, but his […]
Continue readingSurvey claims you rewatch movies more than you’re willing to admit
We all enjoy rewatching our favorite movies. Sometimes we get more out of the subtext or themes, but often, it’s just fun to revisit our favorites scenes and characters. If you’ve ever had a Marvel marathon or watched whatever Will Ferrell movie was on Comedy Central multiple times in a row, you probably know this […]
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