Movie fans love a good movie trivia game and Evan Seitz has created some fun, albiet it quick, ones. Seitz has animated three beautiful, 30 second videos of different, morphing imagery that are all meant to evoke specific movies. There’s one based on colors, another on numbers and a third letters. How many can you name? Check out the videos below. Read More »
Posted on Wednesday, April 25th, 2012 by Russ Fischer
I know there’s something about Quentin Dupieux‘s films that rub people the wrong way, but I have a deep affection for the absurdity of Rubber. (I haven’t yet had a chance to see his new feature, Wrong.) I get great enjoyment from his irreverent, slightly pretentious take on film.
And so I’ll give some time to what is effectively an ad for the musical half of his career, in which Dupieux performs as Mr. Oizo. He’s got a new record out, and to promote it Dupieux enlisted the aid of one of his actors from Wrong, William Fichtner. Since I have even more fondness for Fichtner, I’m happy to see him struggling through a chess game against a distracted puppet, in the clip that follows. Read More »
Earlier today we ran an exclusive preview of Universal Studios Hollywood’s new Transformers: The Ride, which will have its grand opening on May 25th 2012. Universal has just released a three minute behind the scenes featurette showing the development and construction of this new theme park attraction. Watch it now embedded after the jump.
When opening title sequences are done right, they become much more than a list of credits. They can compliment the film in ways that you might never even realize — an artful transition into a movie which helps set mood, tone and style. We regularly feature links to The Art of the Title, a site which focuses on great title sequences and has interviews with the creators behind them. PBS’ Off Book takes a look at the creation of these sequences, talking to Peter Frankfurt and Karin Fong from Imaginary Forces, Ben Conrad from Logan and Jim Helton of Blue Valentine.
The credits are often the first thing we see when we watch a great film or TV show, but the complexity and artistry of title design is rarely discussed. Creators of title sequences are tasked to invent concepts that evoke the core story and themes of the production, and to create a powerful visual experience that pulls the viewer into the film’s world. In this episode we hear the stories of some of the most inventive people working in the field, including the creators of the iconic Mad Men sequence, the hilarious Zombieland opening and “rules” sequences, and the stirring end credits from Blue Valentine.
Watch the seven minute documentary short after the jump.
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Ryan Palmieri directed a short documentary film titled The Hands of Hollywood, “the true story of the meteoric rise and fall of Steve Hershon, Hollywood’s go to hand insert model.” Hershon’s hands have been seen in many famous television shows and films. I’ve always been fascinated by the life of professional extras — the documentary Strictly Background is on Netflix Instant if you wanna see more on the subject. Watch The Hands of Hollywood right now embedded after the jump.
Posted on Monday, April 16th, 2012 by Russ Fischer
Saturday Night Live was partially revived as a cultural force thanks to the Digital Shorts created by The Lonely Island team of Jorma Taccone, Akiva Schaffer and Andy Samberg. In the several years since ‘Lazy Sunday’ was one of the first mainstream web video hits, we’ve seen dozens of Digital Shorts come and go.
All told, Laser Cats 7 isn’t anywhere near the top tier of SNL Digital Shorts when it comes to comedy, but this one does boast something others don’t: Steven Spielberg. The short features the director pitching an idea to SNL producer Lorne Michaels, and as the pitch plays out we see echoes of most of Spielberg’s major films.
The video is after the break, but as with many clips hosted on Hulu and NBC, those outside the US may not be able to view. Apologies for that, as the restrictions are out of our control. Read More »
Posted on Friday, April 13th, 2012 by Peter Sciretta
You’re probably aware of my love for behind the scenes documentaries which offer real fly on the wall footage from film sets. The new featurettes that come packaged with DVDs and Blu-rays are usually too-polished to offer any interesting footage of the director in action. In recent years we’ve been posting a lot of B-Roll footage from contemporary film productions (like The Avengers). But even B-Roll has become carefully chosen and sometimes staged moments. Nothing beats seeing real rare footage from the set of a cinematic classic.
/Film reader Bob M sent over a video I’ve never seen before — almost 8 minutes of behind the scenes footage from the set of Jurassic Park. Most of the footage is taken outside of the Jurassic Park Visitor’s Center and the first moments when the characters arrive on the island. I could watch Steven Spielberg direct all day long. Watch this footage now embedded after the jump.
Posted on Tuesday, April 10th, 2012 by Peter Sciretta
Imagine what would happen if the 3D rerelease of Titanic was so profitable that James Cameron employed George Lucas, Michael Bay and JJ Abrams to create a Super 3D version of the film to give audiences an updated 4D experience. This is the premise of a funny youtube video which has been going viral this week. Watch it now embedded after the jump.
