National 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 […]

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P.T. Anderson’s tracking shots dissected

Last month, I mentioned a new film journal that analyzes famous film scenes through the lens of architecture. It seems that this is a big year for space studies in films, because now, an entrepreneuring blogger at the British Film Institute has created a video essay diagramming some of Paul Thomas Anderson’s trademark tracking shots. […]

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Sam Raimi turns 53

Self-made director-writer-producer Sam Raimi turns 53 today. Raimi has led a storied and versatile career, starting with the breakout success of low-budget horror movie The Evil Dead. Over the course of three decades, Raimi has collaborated with the Coen brothers, produced hit television shows, and helmed the Spider-Man film franchise. On top of directing major […]

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Happy Leif Ericson Day!

Today is Leif Ericson Day, a day to celebrate the real first explorer to reach North America (take that, yesterday’s holiday!). Leif Ericson Day has been an officially proclaimed holiday since 1964; it’s difficult to tell if its popularity is sudden or if we’re just now noticing that people have already been celebrating it. In […]

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Ken 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 […]

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Catch up on 30 for 30

ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 documentary series starts up tonight for a second volume of 30 hour-long documentaries about the most compelling stories in sports. This week’s episode, “Broke,” highlights all-star athletes who, despite their success, drove themselves into bankruptcy. 30 for 30 has always highlighted some fascinating, lesser-known stories, and it looks like they’re […]

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