Still from The Sound of Music showing the von Trapp family sprawled out and circling a guitar-playing Maria

“The Sound of Music” at 50

Iconic musical "The Sound of Music" celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Illustration of a conductor at the front of the stage directing a framed painting

Animated Gifs: A Throwback to Cinema’s Beginnings

Animated gifs function like early cinema in several ways.
Academy Award statue

And the Academy Award Goes to…

The American motion picture industry honors itself every year with the Academy Awards, now known officially as "The Oscars."
By Unknown; distributed by Epoch Film Co. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

“Birth of a Nation”: 100 Years Later

The Birth of a Nation—1915's blockbuster hit and the most popular movie of its day—was released 100 years ago this month.
Lyndon Johnson and Martin Luther King Jr. set to shake hands

Getting Historical Movies Right: Hollywood vs. Historians

Does the movie industry owe it to the public to get the facts right in historical movies?
View from the back row at the movies

Why Go to the Movies?

In 2014, attendance at the movies hit its lowest level in two decades.

Orson Welles at 100

2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Orson Welles.
Bulldozer

“The Phantom of Hollywood” and the Demise of the MGM Film Musical

The Hollywood musical was slaughtered onscreen for the entertainment of the spectator in The Phantom of Hollywood, a horribly tacky made-for-TV movie.
Skellig Michael where they are filming Star Wars Episode VII

Skellig Michael: An Island Far, Far Away (Where “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Was Filmed)

Star Wars Epiosde VII was filmed on Skellig Michael island in Ireland.
Snowpiercer Dystopian Film

Why are Dystopian Films on the Rise Again?

The recent uptick in dystopian films and post-apocalpytic scenarios seems more urgent and more extreme than it has in the past.