Getting More Immersed with Indiewire
Immersed in Blu-ray: Hitchcock and Bogart
Immersed in Books: Farber on Film
Composer Nicholas Britell (“Gimme the Loot”) provides a powerful musical accompaniment for Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave with a series of spiritual-field songs and stringed waltzes (which are currently available on the Columbia Records soundtrack). These originals and recreations enable us to better understand and appreciate the rich musical heritage that sprung from such inhumanity. Read more
Frozen provides further proof that we’re experiencing a new Disney renaissance under John Lasseter: it’s the Oscar frontrunner and the studio’s best since Beauty and the Beast. If Wreck-It Ralph seemed thematically subversive while still leveraging the hand-drawn legacy to guide the CG, then Frozen takes it even further. It’s the most feminist take yet on the musical princess fairy tale. Read more
Planes goes Blu (Disney Home Ent.) and the first in the Disneytoon trilogy provides a fun family adventure that’s worth picking up for its infectious charm and humor. Read more
The co-director of The Weinstein Co’s. 12-12-12 doc discusses the historic concert at Madison Square Garden that raised $50 million last year to benefit the victims of Hurricane Sandy: the camaraderie and community and cross-generational pairing of icons with younger musicians (Eddie Vedder joining Roger Waters to sing “Comfortably Numb”). The all-star lineup includes Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Billy Joel, Alicia Keys, Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Chris Martin, Michael Stipe, Adam Sandler, Eric Clapton, Jon Bon Jovi, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Kanye West, and Billy Crystal. Read more
At its first presentation at Siggraph, Disney’s Frozen started to gain some positive buzz as the animation Oscar frontrunner. But then came a viral media storm last month about gender portrayals in animation that yielded some provocative debate in the community about the Disney/Pixar animation boys club’s predisposition toward pretty females. Read more
As Episode VII continues pre-production, Starwars.com has announced that Lawrence Kasdan and director J.J. Abrams have assumed screenwriting duties, and Michael Arndt has stepped down. Read more
Gravity is a unique aural experience, which Alfonso Cuaron and Re-recording Mixer Skip Lievsay discuss in this informative Dolby Atmos featurette from The SoundWorks Collection. The director also discusses sound in a separate video interview. Read more
Under Alan Horn’s leadership, Disney is delving further into its fairy tale heritage. While Kenneth Branagh is currently making Cinderella in England (March 2015), Rob Marshall has started production this week in the UK on Stephen Sondheim’s much darker Into the Woods musical, slated for a Christmas 2014 release.
The Future of StoryTelling (FoST) will host its second annual summit in New York City on Oct. 3, exploring how technology is making storytelling more interactive, and one its participants, Tom Perlmutter, chairperson, National Film Board of Canada and Government Film Commissioner, has created a video presentation on the “Evolution of Cinema and the Birth of a New Art Form,” which you can view below. Read more
Three favorites from Disney have now gone Blu and sparkle in HD: The Sword in the Stone (1963), Robin Hood (1973), and Oliver & Company (1988). Read more
