Review: Midnight in Paris

After watching this I feel like I should be reading some great American literature

Box Set Binge: Pushing Daisies

I love DVD and film boxsets. I have this thing where if I buy a series on DVD, every subsequent series must have the same cover art or they won't look right on my shelf (pause to shakes fists at the Buffy the Vampire Slayer distributors!) and is also extends to books.

This introduces a new feature: Box Set Binge. Herein, I watch a box set and comment. It's pretty much exactly what it says on the tin. Up first, Pushing Daisies, Series One.

Review: Hamlet 2 / Bridesmaids

Comedy films are a good bet in the current financial climate as they appeal to wide audiences, are comparatively cheap to make and everyone needs a laugh right? Over the past few days I've seen two comedies from the past few years.

88:88

I found this amazing short film today that I just had to share with you guys. It's shot beautifully in HD with very little dialogue but the cinematography and special effects are awesome! The film has a website here.

Review: Rock of Ages

Hands in the air, I didn't know what to expect with this one.

Troma's 40th Birthday

The first book I ever read on filmmaking wasn't Bazin or Bordwell, it was a book titled "Make Your Own Damn Movie" by a guy named Lloyd Kaufman. I was still at school and someone somewhere (obviously without knowing who this guy was) had put the book in our school library. I hadn't decided to study film yet but I loved the book. It had chapters with names like "500 useless screenwriting books boiled down into one short chapter", "raising money or mastering the ancient art of fellatio" and "stunts and special effects - how to simulate and violent death and stay out of jail". None of this was covered during my three years at university and this book made filmmaking seem FUN!

I later learned the Kaufman was co-founder of Troma Studios, one of the oldest independent film studios that recently turned 40.

A charming little film to brighten your day!

Courtesy of Sean Mullen comes the Pixaresque The Artists. It is beautifully animated and wonderfully funny!