Mulberry Child in Chicago

Mulberry Child is coming to Chicago in January and will be shown at the Gene Siskel Center as part of the documentary series. The screening schedule is Saturday, Jan. 21 at 8 pm, Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 8: 15 pm, and Thursday, Jan. 26 at 8 pm. Mulberry Child was selected as an official selection film [...]

Kimberly Peirce: A Grounding in Aristotle

After receiving her AB in English at UChicago, Peirce pursued an MFA in filmmaking at Columbia University. But she emphasized to the students that a grounding in Aristotle is as helpful as any technical training in learning to tell a story. “If you want to go into film or drama, I would [suggest you] go [...]

Anonymous: Was Shakespeare a Fraud?

A new movie mounts a troubling campaign to debunk Shakespeare. Hollywood Dishonors the Bard by James Shapiro Roland Emmerich’s film Anonymous, which opens next week, “presents a compelling portrait of Edward de Vere as the true author of Shakespeare’s plays.” That’s according to the lesson plans that Sony Pictures has been distributing to literature and [...]

Point of View with Jonathan Rosenbaum: World Cinema of the 1940s

Jonathan Rosenbaum will be teaching a course on World Cinema of the 1940s, from October 5 to November 30. This course explores important and often neglected films from Europe, Asia, and North America in their historical and aesthetic contexts.We will cover a variety of genres, including Italian neorealism, an Ernst Lubitsch comedy, Sergei Eisenstein’s Ivan [...]

I was born inside the movie of my life – Roger Ebert

An excerpt from Roger Ebert’s (X’70) autobiography Life Itself, to be published September 13. I was born inside the movie of my life. The visuals were before me, the audio surrounded me, the plot unfolded inevitably but not necessarily. I don’t remember how I got into the movie, but it continues to entertain me. At [...]

The Genius of Buster

More than fifty years have passed since critics rediscovered Buster Keaton and pronounced him the most “modern” silent film clown, a title he hasn’t shaken since. In his own day he was certainly famous but never commanded the wealth or popularity of Charlie Chaplin or Harold Lloyd, and he suffered most when talkies arrived. It [...]

L.A. Noire – 1947 Mystery That Matters Now

“Where Science bedews his dædal wings”, Percy Shelly is just one of the delights to be found in LA Noire, a richly structured feast of a game developed by Team Bondi for Rockstar Games and released today. The game is designed to test both your brain and your mind – in terms of psychology LA [...]

Filmspotting: Movies about Movies

The Filmspotting guys are offering a summer film course on Movies about Movies. This course crosses genres, continents, and centuries to examine the fascination of power and celebrity – A Star is Born (1937), the hidden aspects of filmmaking – Singin’ in the Rain (1952), and the contrast of creating a film and living a [...]

The Artist – In Competition

It turns out that new, at least for American independent film, is overrated: Harvey Weinstein — the old one, the person whose movie bets actually pay off — is back at the old film festival lining up films for an old awards race. As the 64th Cannes International Film Festival went into high gear, Mr. [...]

Aside From the Vampires, Lincoln Film Seeks Accuracy

On the set of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, history is being both respected and rewritten EDGARD, La. — Mary Todd Lincoln, in shimmering evening wear, calls to her husband. They are late. A gaunt, black-clad president strides to join her in a horse-drawn carriage bound for Ford’s Theater. The rest is history. But not the [...]

Next Page »