Television has been hardwired into our cultural vocabulary for decades, so it’s not surprising that shows can change the way we behave and challenge social norms. When you spell out all their effects, though, it can be staggering. The good people at mental_floss put together an interesting list of television shows that have influenced society […]
Continue readingTag Archives: links of interest
Ben Affleck the latest in a line of actors-turned-directors
The Iranian hostage crisis drama Argo, directed by Ben Affleck, opened in theaters this weekend to strong reviews. Though it’s not Ben Affleck’s first time behind the camera, its success and acclaim make a good case that Affleck is serious about this whole directing thing. Affleck, Clint Eastwood, and George Clooney are among the names […]
Continue readingNew film journal uses architecture as an angle
Le mépris by Jean-Luc Godard Not to suggest that film criticism has become rote or stale, but you don’t often get a genuinely fresh perspective. That’s why the new monthly film journal Interiors Journal is so exciting. The folks at Interiors, who apparently have academic backgrounds in both film and architecture, examine specific scenes from […]
Continue readingNew documentary reveals Bergman’s love for Ghostbusters
Before he died, legendary director Ingmar Bergman had acquired over 80,000 videocassettes, disposing ones he didn’t care for and keeping about 1,700 of them. That’s quite the collection, especially when you consider that the ones he kept are among the roughly 2% of films that Bergman decided were worth keeping. It might surprise you that […]
Continue readingKen Loach opens personal archives
Here’s a tantalizing story for fans of bonus material: filmmaker Ken Loach is publishing his personal archives of notes, scripts, research, and other materials through the British Film Insitute. Loach was awarded the Palme d’Or in 2006 for his film The Wind that Shakes the Barley and has received repute for his use of socialist […]
Continue readingJames Bond screen tests reveal what might have been
The good folks at Retronaut have once again unearthed some rarely seen behind-the-scenes photos from the set of an iconic movie. Retronaut previously brought us some entertaining pictures of Frankenstein in repose. This time, they found a series of photos from the auditions to replace Sean Connery as James Bond in 1967. There’s at least […]
Continue readingHas television captured the zeitgeist?
If you think about the most popular and highly reviewed media of the year, much of it is from television. Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, and Homeland are all having their moment in the sun. Meanwhile, landmark films such as The Master are playing to receptive audiences in arthouses while Resident Evil: Retribution is at […]
Continue readingYour daily timesink: The Moving Image Archive
The Internet Archive is a terrific website that hosts repositories of old websites, public domain audio, and other abandoned media. One of the most fascinating is their Moving Image Archive. It’s a diverse collection of videos, ranging from stop-motion Lego films to World War II propaganda reels. Take caution if you decide to click on […]
Continue readingBlogger matches film scenes with their real-life locations
A few years ago, a website called Dear Photograph popped up on which people matched up old photos they had taken with the current-day location. The differences were often exciting and resonated emotionally with readers. FILMography is a similar blog that follows the same premise – but with stills from movies. The author appears to […]
Continue readingThe Criterion Collection, abridged
The Criterion Collection is an assemblage of some of the most significant films of all time, preserved in great quality with exceptional special features and commentary. Their collection is as prestigious as it is large; assuming each movie is about two hours long, it would take nearly two solid months to work through all of […]
Continue reading