Side By Side is a documentary hosted by Keanu Reeves featuring dozens of directors, producers, cinematographers and film enthusiasts discussing the impact of digital filmmaking and the future of film in our digital lives.
The positions of these filmmakers varied greatly between for and against digital filmmaking and actually promoted positive discussion from some of the most creative individuals creating media. I was drawn into the discussion and appreciated the viewpoints on both ends. I’ve always been partial to film grain - there’s something to be said about the authenticity of something that appears to have been record on “film”. It’s grainy and realistic and reminds you that you are watching a film. Digital has its obvious benefits - most importantly the lift on restrictions and limitations of film, but there’s something that can be waxy and disingenuous.
Needless the say, the discussion has to take place as filmmakers figure out what the future of their medium will hold. There are great discussions in the feature and Keanu does an excellent job moderating the discussions. I’d really like to see some more of some of the interviews (specifically of David Lynch, who referred to Keanu by his first name which was awesome).
Plains, Trains and Automobiles is both my second favourite Steve Martin film (The Jerk being the first), and second favourite John Candy film (Uncle Buck). I remember watching it often when I was younger and love it still to this day. It had been ages since I last watched it and thought it would be good to re-visit it.
It was odd re-watching the film after having seen it in its entirety so long ago and only seeing TBS-edited airings in the mean time. The pacing of the film is much quicker than I remembered, and the film feels significantly “shorter”. I would still put it up there with all the great comedies of the 80’s, and although less “iconic”, the film holds up exceptionally well. John Candy does such a great job getting under your skin and Steve Martin plays one of the best straight-man acts in the film, lending himself perfectly to Candy’s abrasive personality.
If you haven’t seen Planes, Trains and Automobiles - you should. It’s manageable and easy to digest and a great John Hughes film.
Inspired by Ken Sugimori’s feat of designing the original 151 Pokemon in a single year Becky Dreistadt and Frank Gibson have created 151 unique creatures, relations, and descriptors.
A collection of material from KC Green’s art blog - midnitesurprise.tumblr.com this collection features a new collection of work featuring original illustrations, comics, and more.
Benign Kingdom has always knocked it out of the park in quality and appreciation for art. Go support these people!
Another Kickstarter update! I received my “Before, After, & In Between: A Comic Anthology” Kickstarter reward. I received copy 231/500 of the softcover 250+ page comic anthology collecting the works of 12 artists (including OMOCAT) all on the topic of the “end of the world”. There are a bunch of different topics discussed in the book but I thought it was neat to compile different artists on one subject like this.
The book was packaged with additional postcards from the artists and the stretch goals included more pages and stories. It was great to support these artists and the final result was impressive! Be sure to check out the Kickstarter page to read more about the artists involved.
It wouldn’t be fair for me to say that I was “surprised” that I enjoyed John Dies at the End - I just didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Don Coscarelli is the director of the film and was responsible for the Phantasm series and Bubba Ho-Tep - very niche and unique films that are stylized and comical and the very definition of “cult”.
John Dies at the End seems like the type of film that might have existed in the 90’s or early 2000’s as a cult film like Idle Hands or Eight Legged Freaks. Instead it exists in our present day and feels like an in-touch version of what it means to be a “cult” film by today’s standards.
The film is hard to describe for numerous reasons (trans-dimensional, time travelling, drug-induced spiritual beings are the big reason behind that), but the film stands out as being something truly original in a culture where at any given moment there is a reboot, sequel or re-imagining of a film in theatres.
I’d recommend checking out the trailer - it’s a relatively fair representation of the film. If it grabs your interest, I would strongly recommend checking it out. I liked it a lot!
My name's Nick. I work for a video game company and I recently graduated from McMaster University with an M.A. in Communications and New Media. I also have an Honours BA in Multimedia with a minor in Theatre and Film from McMaster University.
Film Reviews:
http://www.nicktrunks.tumblr.com/reviews
You can find me on the Internet by Googling Nicktrunks.
