In keeping with tradition, I’m releasing my top picks of last year rather late in the calendar. The rush of films released in December means I like to take some time to catch up and produce a list that’s more comprehensive. Just how it goes if you want an accurate list. Most of my top 15 are films I […]
Other than the documentary shorts and foreign films, I’ve only missed two nominees (titles not screened are noted in the categories below).
My “Will Win” and “Dark Horse” picks were chosen based on aggregated results of various industry experts, winners of other award shows, trends from years past, and my own personal knack for such things
As for who the Academy will actually pick Sunday night, there are a lot more close races than in recent years. If I match last year’s total of 16 correct picks (or if anyone does) I’ll be more than a touch surprised.
UPDATE: 20 out of 24 – not bad at all.
Earlier in the week, I shared why I don’t make time to watch or re-watch as many high-quality films or as much high-quality media as I would like, opting instead for lesser fare. It’s a problem far too common among people today. I’d like to help solve that problem, as I’m sure others would like to kick the habit as much as I do. So, here are five suggested ways to fix the problem.
To be sure I’m 100% clear, nothing in this article should be taken as encouragement to decrease the quality of one’s content creation – but rather as an encouragement to change one’s viewing habits.
I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but, despite being the solid long-term approach, having the best content may actually hurt your viewership numbers in the short-term.
My commentary on the use of HFR in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) was posted last week, several hours before the public release of the film. Naturally, there were no audience reactions to include at the time.
Since the official US release last Friday most of the audience reaction I’ve heard has consisted of one of two things…
With nearly every possible combination of the terms digital, IMAX, 2D, 3D, HFR, and non-HFR, Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) is being released in more formats than any other film ever made. It’s also introducing a new variable that, should it become more mainstream, would cause a similar set of cinematographic problems.
“HFR” is short-hand marketer-speak for “high frame rate.” But it affects other variables that the cinematographer should be intimately controlling as well. The so dubbed HFR is the newcomer to the scene – and has been misunderstood even by many of my industry friends let alone the average moviegoer – [insert faux ‘spoiler alert’] it’s not just about the framerate.
So, here’s a look at what HFR really does to your image straight from a cinematographer’s mouth…errr…pen…err…whatever.
You missed something important.
During The Dark Knight Rises (2012) theatrical run, you didn’t catch the real importance of Catwoman’s appearance in the film.
What follows is a character analysis to give you a dissenting take on her place in Nolan’s Batman universe. In this part, we’ll cover some poorer interpretations and what doesn’t work about them.
I thought it would be fun to publicize my own director shortlist. These are my personal choices for who I’d like to see given a shot at Episode VII.
Naturally, if I actually had a say in that decision making process, I’d be under the strictest NDA known to man and wouldn’t be writing this post at all. So don’t blame me if none of these choices gets the job.
In case you somehow haven’t heard, George Lucas recently sold his independent, San Francisco-based, LucasFilm to Disney to the tune of $4 billion dollars. Among a long line of other assets, this includes most of the rights to the Star Wars franchise as well as some to Indiana Jones (see below).
I feel qualified to share about this for two reasons: First, I’ve been an ardent Star Wars fan since the second grade. Having seen the movies countless times & making a respectable foray into the Expanded Universe, Star Wars is the reason I got into the industry in the first place – so I’ve got some odd knowledge others don’t know about the situation.
Second, a well-placed friend and industry contact in the Bay Area alerted me to the news moments after it broke. Thus, we were able to join the conference call between Disney’s board members and investors when few people knew yet that anything was happening at all.
4 Must Watch Director’s Commentaries – Even if You’re Not a Film Geek
I present to you – 4 director’s commentaries for any sensibility or taste!
These are my favorites and each of them has as much rewatch value as the respective film itself.
If you’re the type who can’t bring yourself to listen to an audio commentary, keep reading anyway. I’ve chosen a non-traditional set here, so at least one of these will appeal to you.