It’s no secret that many movie studios rely on DVD sales to make films profitable. Some smaller companies with a direct-to-video model rely exclusively on them. Despite Hollywood seeing record box office returns this year, Bloomberg reports that DVD sales are noticeably declining. High-definition Blu-rays are becoming more popular, but the total amount spent on […]
Continue readingArchivist finds a lost film from… 1980?
In the last few years, film historians and collectors have found prints of famous lost films, including the earliest surviving Hitchcock and an extra-length version of Metropolis. These early silent films almost carry an expectation that they’ll be missing or damaged in some form. You would never expect to lost a film made in, say, […]
Continue readingCracked.com exposes Hollywood’s favorite reused sets
The AU library is back and running, but since most students and faculty are still on break, there’s still time for some lighter fare. The comedy writers at Cracked.com have compiled a fun list of famous location shots that are constantly reused in film and television. It incorporates famous sets — real mansions that worked […]
Continue readingNew Acquisitions – December 2012
As the university gets ready for another month of hibernation, we’re working through the last of our new acquisitions for 2012. We’re ending the year on a high note with big new blockbusters (Cabin in the Woods, The Dark Knight Rises), some old favorites (Risky Business), new seasons for popular television shows, and a slew […]
Continue readingNational Film Registry adds new films for 2012
The National Film Registry, a subset of the Library of Congress, preserves a collection of American films deemed culturally or historically significant. Each year, the NFR adds 25 new films to their archives, ranging from major recent hits to silent shorts from the 19th century. The Library of Congress has released this year’s batch, and […]
Continue readingHot Docs: The Witches of Gambaga
Hot Docs highlights interesting new documentaries we’ve recently added to our collection. The Witches of Gambaga (DVD 10635) exposes the town of Gambaga in northern Ghana where women are branded as witches and forced to live in exile. Hundreds of “witches” now live in this town. Their stories are harrowing. This documentary hopes to show […]
Continue readingHot Docs: abUSed: The Postville Raid
Hot Docs highlights interesting new documentaries we’ve recently added to our collection. abUSed: The Postville Raid (DVD 10615) examines what happens to immigrants after a wave of mass deportations. The city of Postville, Iowa heavily relied on undocumented workers for its well-being; when the federal government arrested those workers, the town’s economy dropped into a […]
Continue readingHot Docs: Syria: The Assads’ Twilight
Hot Docs highlights interesting new documentaries we’ve recently added to our collection. Syria: The Assads’ Twilight (DVD 10636) tells the story behind the ongoing crisis and Syria and the end of the legitimacy of the Assad presidency. The situation in Syria is only now becoming a major story in American news media, but the current […]
Continue readingHot Docs: The Light Bulb Conspiracy
Hot Docs highlights interesting new documentaries we’ve recently added to our collection. The Light Bulb Conspiracy (DVD 10648) is less about conspiracy than a shrewd, deceptive business model. For decades, companies have been manufacturing products with planned obsolescence. That is, they are designed to fail after a time and need replacement. This documentary discusses light […]
Continue readingHot Docs: The Hungry Tide
Hot Docs highlights interesting new documentaries we’ve recently added to our collection. The Hungry Tide (DVD 10632) makes us think about global climate change from the perspective of those who might be the most affected. We may still be estimating the realistic chances of those coastline projections from An Inconvenient Truth happening, but for the […]
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