'The Hobbit' Begins Shooting

 
Despite pre-production problems, union difficulties, and Guillermo Del Toro leaving, The Hobbit has finally begun to film, according to a report by Variety. While I would be more optimistic about this movie if it were still in the hands of Guillermo Del Toro (who doesn't want to see his take on Middle Earth?), I'm still confident that this will turn out to be a great movie and I'm excited to see the final results. Now we only have a couple years left to wait!

Aronofsky Exits 'The Wolverine'

Aronofsky has exited 20th Century Foxes The Wolverine, according to a report from Deadline Hollywood. A possible cause of this departure is his recent divorce and the fact that he does not want to spend a year in Hollywood, as the film is planned to shoot in Japan.

While I was excited to see Aronofsky's take on The Wolverine, I also had trepidations about whether the movie could be any good, considering the first. Hopefully this means that Aronofsky can move forward with other projects, and it seems as though he is still in good standing with Fox, especially considering the award-winning success that was Black Swan.

25 Films Added to Library of Congress

It's always great when movies are recognized as being historically and culturally significant. It's too often that in the wake of Hollywood Blockbusters, we forget that film is an art form and can be just as culturally significant as any other. This year the National Film Registry has added the following 25 films to be preserved in the Library of Congress:

Airplane! (1980)
All the President’s Men (1976)
The Bargain (1914)
Cry of Jazz (1959)
Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB (1967)
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
The Exorcist (1973)
The Front Page (1931)
Grey Gardens (1976)
I Am Joaquin (1969)
It’s a Gift (1934)
Let There Be Light (1946)
Lonesome (1928)
Make Way for Tomorrow (1937)
Malcolm X (1992)
McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971)
Newark Athlete (1891)
Our Lady of the Sphere (1969)
The Pink Panther (1964)
Preservation of the Sign Language (1913)
Saturday Night Fever (1977)
Study of a River (1996)
Tarantella (1940)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)
A Trip Down Market Street (1906)

What An Amazing Year

There are always a ton of these video compilations done every year, but this is the best one I've seen for 2010. It's really stunning to watch everything juxtaposed like this and see just how many pieces of cinematic magic were released in just one short year. Do yourself a favor and find five minutes to watch:

Movie Recommendation: Exit Through The Gift Shop

I loved Exit Through The Gift Shop, as you can probably tell by the fact that I’m writing a recommendation for it. This pseudo-documentary examines the world of street art and in doing so shines a light on the meaning of art and the way we relate to the world around us. The film demonstrates the inherent irony in pieces of street art – an essentially rebellious art form – selling for ridiculous fees in galleries or the absurdity of the fact that a man can go from nobody to acclaimed artist almost overnight through the right combination of passion, insanity, and public endorsement. Art is meaningless except for the meaning we place upon it; it is about the process through which we relate to the world around us, and more unique viewpoints, often termed genius, have always attracted attention and large sums of money. What’s unique about Exit Through The Gift Shop is that it points to the sad, yet logical, conclusion to this trend in the information era, where we no longer step back and examine a work, but instead get caught up in the pop splash created by that work. While the film doesn’t mull on an answer to this problem, I propose that we appreciate art for the way it helps us deal with the absurdities of the world around us. We need a frame of reference instead of artificially rising prices and praise. I’m all for an artist being able to earn a living, but simultaneously an artist should care foremost about his craft, not just making it big an exiting through the gift shop.

I highly recommend this movie to everyone with even a passing interest in documentary or art. Or anyone else for that matter. Fuck it, everyone should see this film. 

Behind-the-Scenes: Black Swan Sound Design

As you can probably tell from David's review below, both of us loved Black Swan. While Aronofsky's psuedo-delusional visuals are to account for much of the films enjoyment, praise must also be given for the film's sound design. Here is a short (8 minute) look at the level of detail that went into the sound of Black Swan, which takes a Tchaikovsky score and properly perverts it into a format fitting the film's plummet into the depths of delusional obsession. Definitely worth a watch:

SoundWorks Collection - The Sound of "Black Swan" from Michael Coleman on Vimeo.

Movie Recommendation: The Red Shoes

The Red Shoes (1948) can be seen as a huge influence on Aronofsky's Black Swan. This classical tale of tragedy centers around the story of a ballerina torn between romantic love and her passion. The film centers around the nature of artistic passion and the validity of the claim that in order to make true beauty, an artist must sacrifice everything. When Victoria, a dancer, is caught between two passions she is forced to make a choice. However, true passion is all-consuming, it doesn't just open its hand and let you go. Faced with this realization, Victoria is crushed by the resulting paradox.

The movie is an enjoyable watch with beautifully shot dance scenes and a strong orchestral score. Although it doesn't have Aronofsky's haunting mind behind it, it does serve to be a strong commentary on what we expect of our artists and what the thirst for beauty will drive people to do. As a culture, we place almost unreasonable expectations upon our entertainers, who sacrifice for their craft and for public appeal. The Red Shoes pulls away the curtain and reveals the obsession behind the art, and the tragic consequences that can result. If you're looking for a strong ballet movie and Black Swan hasn't opened near you, The Red Shoes will sate your appetite. It's now streaming on Netflix.