American University has a subscription to Lynda.com, a video tutorial website that can teach you skills ranging from high-end multimedia software like Photoshop to office programs like Excel. Any active member of the AU community (current students, faculty, staff, etc.) can access these tutorials through american.edu/lynda. But Lynda.com isn’t just for production software. The site […]
Continue readingWebsite reveals widespread movie screener piracy
Movie piracy is a major issue, but it can be easy to attribute it to overzealous hackers or teenagers who sneak cameras into theaters. Turns out this isn’t the case: even members of the film community are prone to leak new movies onto the Internet. An amazing new spreadsheet compiled by the author of Waxy.org […]
Continue readingOscar nominations: What can you watch right now?
The Academy Award nominations are out! There are a few surprises this time around, most significantly the inclusion of Beasts of the Southern Wild and Michael Haneke’s Amour. You can view the full list on the official Oscars website. As much as we would love for you to watch these movies, most of them aren’t […]
Continue readingGet ready for Oscar nominations with Wings
Tomorrow, the Academy will announce its nominations for the 85th Academy Awards. We can probably expect the likely nominees (Lincoln, Zero Dark Thirty, etc.), but given the widespread critical acclaim for these films, it will probably be a contentious and exciting contest. Last year, many were taken aback by the success of The Artist, the […]
Continue readingBlu-rays are growing, but is it enough for physical media?
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 […]
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