The Old Town Music Hall in El Segundo, California is one of the most delightful movie theaters you’ll ever see. The venue has shown silent films since 1967, accompanied by the live music of an antique, wind-powered pipe organ called the Mighty Wurlitzer. The organ, which was built in 1925, contains more than 2,600 pipes,…
Film
Animation, Film, Weird Tales
Sunday Animation: A Birthday Card
by JOHN ADAMS •
Joseph Bennett took an audio track from an old, overly-dramatic documentary about Bigfoot and other legendary creatures, and animated the events described. He gave his finished animation to his grandfather (with whom he had watched the original documentary years earlier) as a birthday present. Animation makes the old documentary seem even nuttier, and it’s great…
Animals, Cats, Film
Friday Catblogging: “The Private Life of a Cat”
by JOHN ADAMS •
A great find, from Alexis C. Madrigal @ The Atlantic (The Best Experimental Film About Cats Ever Made): During the mid 1940s, Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid made films together as a husband-and-wife team. Who did what and who deserves the credit for directing or shooting their films remains disputed scholarly territory, but suffice to…
Film, Technology
The Death of Film: After Hollywood Goes Digital, What Happens to Movies?
by JOHN ADAMS •
In this documentary, directors Jason Gwynn and Jay Sheldon interview film projectionists during their last days on the job at a soon-to-be-defunct movie theater. As Hollywood studios move toward digital distribution, many theaters are forced to abandon their 35mm projectors—and pay up to $150,000 for new projection technology. This change, as the documentary explains, is heartbreaking for the people responsible for…
Film
Film: Moments in Asia
by JOHN ADAMS •
Film, Nature
Film: BBC Wildlife Director John Downer & the technology of ‘spy-cam’ filmmaking
by JOHN ADAMS •
Animation, Birds, Film
Film: Nightingale and Canary
by JOHN ADAMS •
Animation, Film
Sunday Animation: Treo Fiskur
by JOHN ADAMS •
Film
The Enduring Work of Film Stars
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over this last week, both Robin Williams and Lauren Bacall passed away. They were of different generations, of course, but both starred in memorable, compelling films. One often thinks of the films one liked most from an actor or actress. For Williams and Bacall, I’ve two favorites. For Williams, it’s Moscow on the Hudson (1984).…