movies

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The Late Movies: Hypnotic Visuals

Tonight, let's get abstract! Here are some of my favorite non-narrative videos on the web -- stuff without plots, characters, narratives, none of that messy stuff. Just beautiful images and, in most cases, sounds. Lights and Water Described by its creator: "No cuts, no movement, no nothing, 1 minute. This was taken from my car in Downtown SF." This is utterly beautiful. Lights and Water from James Adamson on Vimeo. Color + Modulation #7 By Portland artist Rob Tyler, this is one of his... READ ON

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Brain Game: Grant O'Reno

Today's Brain GameÂ offers five Mad Gab-like movie clues; phrases which, when spoken aloud, sound similar to the titles of certain motion pictures. (All of these films are amongst IMDb's Top 250, as of today.) An example?Â For the clueÂ THUG RAY TESS CAPE, your answer would be The Great Escape.Â Got it? Here we go: 1. TACK SEED RYE FUR 2. ANKLE OREOS BASS TURDS 3. BAH KNEE UNCLE EYED 4. SONS EDIBLE OF HARD 5. DIE LEM FORM HERDER HereÂ are the ANSWERS. THE SOLUTION: Â 1. TAXI... READ ON

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No CGI Please: Special Effects Before Computers

At this year's Academy Awards, Avatar—unsurprisingly—won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. While the effects were truly stunning, there's something to be said for older special effects and the time and dedication put in to make imaginative masterpieces without the help of a computer. How did people come up with the cornerstones of modern film effects when the medium itself was brand new? Here are some of the most interesting special effects created before there were special effects.... READ ON

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The Late Movies: Dogs Being Cute

Let's just get this over with. I saw a cute dog video (the first below), and decided that y'all needed some more cute dog videos in your lives. Now, on with the show! Labrador With Human Hands Wow. Puppy Can "Whistle" This little guy can mimic human whistles with his high-pitched... READ ON

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Tonight on PBS: Katrina's Lost Dogs

Airing TONIGHT (February 16, 2010) on PBS! The film is "MINE," part of the Independent Lens series on PBS. Set your DVRs or VCRs now, as this one will not be streaming online after airing! Check your local listings; in most markets it airs at 10pm. Tonight on PBS's Independent Lens, watch the story of New Orleans pet owners who were separated from their pets during Hurricane Katrina. The documentary is called MINE -- echoing the pet owners' frequent refrain ("This dog is mine!") as they try to get... READ ON

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13 Hitchcock Films That Were Never Made

Even legendary directors like Alfred Hitchcock don't always get their way. Over the course of his illustrious career, Hitchcock had to abandon quite a few projects due to budgetary concerns, issues with stars, the whims of studio heads, or in some cases simply his own instincts that the film wasn't going to turn out very well. Let's take a look at a few of the master of suspense's unproduced projects, including the one that studio execs hated so much they made him sign a... READ ON

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Wes Anderson Accepts Award Via Stop-Motion Animation

So the National Board of Review honored Wes Anderson, director of Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, and most recently The Fantastic Mr. Fox, with a Special Filmmaking Achievement award for Mr. Fox. Previous recipients have included Clint Eastwood for Million Dollar Baby and Peter Jackson for Lord of the Rings, among others. Rather than accept the award live, Anderson accepted via a stop-motion animated film of himself depicted as an animal (a brown fox, I presume? commenter Dominique nails it: a weasel).... READ ON

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Designer Saul Bass: "I don't give a damn whether the client understands that [beauty] is worth anything."

"I want to make beautiful things, even if nobody cares," says Saul Bass, creator of many beautiful movie posters, logos, and other designs -- see above for a few iconic examples. Bass made a lasting mark on American graphic design with his bold designs and text treatments. You see his influence today in images that try to evoke a now-kitschy 50's or 60's vibe -- see the "Burn After Reading" poster, for example. See below for a brief interview (two minutes) with the man, which which he discusses making... READ ON

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Adventure Science: Kon-Tiki, 1950

Six Norwegians, a Swede, and a parrot hop onto a raft...and sail roughly 4,300 miles in 101 days. Not much of a punchline, is it? But it happened, and indeed, the resulting story is riveting. Beset by sharks, whales, flying fish, and a general lack of sailing experience (at one point part of the crew is almost lost when they take off in a dinghy to film the raft...and the raft rapidly floats away; at another point the cook sets the raft on fire when he falls asleep with the cookstove burning), the crew... READ ON

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The Late Movies: The Hitchcock Interview, 1973

"I'd like not to talk to you this morning about movies, but rather about ideas. I may not be successful at that, but, I'm going to attempt it. All the pictures that you do scare people. What frightens you?" With this question, Tom Snyder opened an hour-long interview with Alfred Hitchock in the fall of 1973 on Snyder's Tomorrow Show. Hitchcock began his reply by saying: "Most things. I'm scared of policemen. I never drive a car, on the theory that if you don't drive a car, you can't get a ticket.... READ ON