Yesterday was a very strange day for me at the San Francisco International Film Festival. I didn’t see a single, complete film. But it was still worthwhile. Mel Novikoff Award: Lenny Borger The Novikoff Award goes to someone who who "has enhanced the film-going public’s appreciation of world cinema." Sometimes it goes to someone famous, … Continue reading Cinema’s past and cinema’s future: Sunday at the San Francisco International Film Festival
Category: Technical
How Many Films are Still Shot on Film: The 2014/15 Edition
Very few motion pictures are shot on film anymore. Based on my casual survey of movies released in 2014 and (so far) 2015, only about 18% of all the pictures that could have been shot on film were shot digitally. I did my first such survey back in November, 2012. That time around, film and … Continue reading How Many Films are Still Shot on Film: The 2014/15 Edition
Dolby Stereo and the sound of the 1980s
Think of the films you love most from the late 70s through the early 90s. Raging Bull, The Last Waltz, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, The Princess Bride, Stop Making Sense, The Terminator, Goodfellas. There's a good chance that you may never hear the original soundtrack again. For 50 years after the talkie revolution, the optical, … Continue reading Dolby Stereo and the sound of the 1980s
Watching Interstellar in 70mm
On director Christopher Nolan's orders, Paramount released Interstellar on film as well as digitally. I believe this is the first new movie released that way in over a year. And not just 35mm. it's also being released in conventional 70mm and 70mm Imax, along with various digital formats. I've already posted my review of the … Continue reading Watching Interstellar in 70mm
Physical Film Coming Back with Interstellar
I love digital projection. After a long period of skepticism, I embraced the new technology enthusiastically years ago. To my eyes, a well-transferred DCP looks better than any projected film format except Imax. And yet, I'm excited about Christopher Nolan's Interstellar coming out on real, to-goodness film. This is despite the fact that I have … Continue reading Physical Film Coming Back with Interstellar
Four surprising facts from early film history
Historical reality has a way of conflicting with the what we all assume. Here are four totally surprising, unintuitive facts about the early days of cinema. Animation preceded live action The first moving images weren't photographed. They were drawn. Parlor toys such as the Zoetrope used multiple illustrations to create the illusion of movement--as cartoons … Continue reading Four surprising facts from early film history
MVFF: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly, and the Lark
Wednesday night I finally got to a 2014 Mill Valley Film Festival event--a screening at the Lark of one of my favorite westerns, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Believe it or not, this was my first visit to the Lark. Yes, I've been covering it at Bayflicks for years, but this was the … Continue reading MVFF: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly, and the Lark
Kubrick in digital and on film
Digital or film? For cinephiles, that's the great controversy of our age. And the arguments get particularly agitated when talking about classic pictures made at a time when digital projection wasn't an option. But in the coming weeks, you get your chance to watch two Stanley Kubrick classics on 35mm film, and then again on … Continue reading Kubrick in digital and on film
The Castro now has 4K projection
Top technology has been an important part of the Castro's appeal for a long time. The theater was, I believe, the first rep house to get Dolby stereo, digital sound, and DCP-compatible digital projection. I believe it's the only local rep house that can project 70mm film, and one of only two that can handle … Continue reading The Castro now has 4K projection
Rediscovering The Big Lebowski
I saw The Big Lebowski at the Pacific Film Archive Wednesday night--my first time seeing the cult favorite with an audience. Now I get it. I may be the last person to realize this, but on the big screen, with a room full of people, Lebowski is an exceptional comedy. The laughs are nearly constant. … Continue reading Rediscovering The Big Lebowski
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