Most people associate HBO with made-for-television series like Last Week Tonight and Axios. Or maybe even classics like The Wire. But the cable giant also offers a massive collection of classic cinema worth looking at. The collection goes back to the silent era, all around the world, and contains 21st-century Hollywood flicks. Counting them all … Continue reading Classic Cinema on HBO Max
Category: TV
Film and Television
We cinephiles had an expression back in the 1970s: "Film is art. Television is furniture." Today, you can barely tell the two mediums apart. We watch movies, uncut and in the right aspect ratio, at home on large televisions. And we even watch television in movie theaters. These used to be two different mediums. Now … Continue reading Film and Television
Mad Men and Mad Max
I attended two screenings in movie theaters so far this week. I thought I'd share them with you. Mad Men Finale at the New Parkway My wife and I have been following Mad Men for some years now--without cable or satellite. We binge-watched the first three seasons on disc, and season four on Netflix. We … Continue reading Mad Men and Mad Max
On David Pogue, Piracy, and the Call for Making Movies Available Online Immediately
Last week, tech journalist David Pogue wrote a piece for the Scientific American calling for the Hollywood studios and the MPAA to make new movies available for streaming and downloads as soon as they open in theaters.Streaming movies offers instant gratification: no waiting, no driving—plus great portability: you can watch on gadgets too small for … Continue reading On David Pogue, Piracy, and the Call for Making Movies Available Online Immediately
Quick Comments on the Oscars
About the awards Third year in a row that a film shot digitally appeared to be a likely Best Picture winner, but lost to a film shot on film. Early on I thought it was going to be a Hugo sweep, but it turned into a happy ending, after all. I liked them both, but … Continue reading Quick Comments on the Oscars
The Arrow Awards: The Best in British Television Commercials
The British make great television and have a great comedy tradition. But does that mean you should pay to see their television commercials? C Collection of television commercials If you're like me, you probably mute or fast-forward through TV commercials. So why on earth would you go to a movie theater and buy a ticket … Continue reading The Arrow Awards: The Best in British Television Commercials
The Wire
A few nights ago, I finished what may be one of the best motion pictures of the last decade. I say "finished" because I watched the 60+ hour film piece by piece over the course of several months. Yes, I'm talking about a television series. The Wire ran for five seasons from 2002 through 2008 … Continue reading The Wire
Oscar Parties
The rule used to be that you watched movies in theaters and TV at home. Today, so many of us watch movies at home that we need to get out once in awhile to watch TV in the theater. And why not do it with the biggest movie night on television: The Academy Awards? Comedy … Continue reading Oscar Parties
Movies, TV Shows, and Blu-ray Boxed Sets
I recently completed a Blu-ray boxed set gift guide for PC World. I looked at a lot of discs for that one. Not all of them contained movies. With few exceptions, I've pretty much ignored series television for a very long time. In recent years I've heard and read raves about The Sopranos, Weeds, and … Continue reading Movies, TV Shows, and Blu-ray Boxed Sets
Speaking in Tongues on KQED
I know this blog is supposed to be about theatrical presentations of movies, but I’m about to recommend something on TV. But hey, at least it’s PBS. The wonderful documentary Speaking In Tongues will play on KQED (channel 9) on Sunday, September 26, at 6:00. It will play five other times over the next few … Continue reading Speaking in Tongues on KQED
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