Movie Musings

Movie Map - Notable Films From Your State

2011-03-03T03:20:00.000-06:00

Captured: America in Color from 1939-1943

2010-08-24T03:04:00.001-05:00

The Denver Post recently published a great collection of photos from the Library of Congress.

These images, by photographers of the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information, are some of the only color photographs taken of the effects of the Depression on America’s rural and small town populations. The photographs are the property of the Library of Congress and were included in a 2006 exhibit Bound for Glory: America in Color.

Barker at the grounds at the state fair. Rutland, Vermont, September 1941. Reproduction from color slide. Photo by Jack Delano. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress

Distributing surplus commodities. St. Johns, Arizona, October 1940. Reproduction from color slide. Photo by Russell Lee. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress

Children gathering potatoes on a large farm. Vicinity of Caribou, Aroostook County, Maine, October 1940. Reproduction from color slide. Photo by Jack Delano. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress.

To see the full collection of photos (70 in total), check out the original website at http://su.pr/AaZCUz

Box Office Mojo

2010-01-04T20:16:00.000-06:00

If you've been relying soley on IMDB to get your box office info and the latest trends and news from the cinema world, it might be time to broaden your horizons. While the IMDB Pro site offers much more than its free counterpart, many other sites out there give you more bang for your buck, particularly boxofficemojo.com (This site also offers a premiere version for a monthly fee but the free version will be sufficient for most users).

Mojo has compiled tons of historical box office data while putting this information in to easy to use charts and graphs. As a casual visitor or simple movie enthusiast, one might be drawn to the "Showdowns" section and a look at an analysis of Adam Sandler vs. Adam Sandler movies. The cinema professional can also find plenty of reasons to grab the Mojo. I recently needed to come up with a list of potential directors for a documentary film that I am producing. Having mainly worked on feature films in my career, I was having a hard time coming up with names. If only I could find the list of all lists, a chart that showed me the top grossing documentaries of all time... and if only that list were to show me how much money each film made in every country it was released in... that's when I found my Mojo; The site had cleverly compiled territory specific data on the top 650+ grossing documentaries from 1982-present and put it in an interactive chart for me to use as my playground. Using the information and links to each film, I was able to come up with over 50 directors that fit my needs, and every single one of them had a top grossing documentary to their credit.

If you haven't already done so, read my last post; Betting on Hollywood. It explains how you can turn your box office savvy in to cold hard cash. Just don't forget your Mojo.

Finally, I just wanted to take a second to rendre hommage to the great "March of the Penguins". My former boss and good friend Ilann Girard was Executive Producer of the 2007 Oscar Winner which sits as the second highest grossing documentary of all time. Mojo will confirm.

Betting on Hollywood

2010-01-03T23:02:00.000-06:00

Earn cash using your box office savvy. Instead of predicting which stock will pop or which currency will crash, bet on which film will be a blockbuster and which will flop. Buy low on sleepers and sell high if you feel a film is going to bomb (Nine, NINE, NINE!!!).

The Cantor Exchange is a brand new website where you can buy and sell actual box office shares, thus allowing you to participate in a film's success. Unlike the Hollywood Stock Exchange where you use fake money and stock-like "shares," Cantor's new platform allows users to put their "I told you that film was going to be a hit" knowledge to the test.

If you were sure Paranormal Activity was going to tear up the box office and didn't believe Nine's star studded cast would be enough to lure movie-goers, you might want to scale back your Wall Street gambling and go with what you know.

"Lebanon" by Samuel Maoz will be in theatres soon

2009-12-31T17:50:00.000-06:00

If you want to see a war movie sans the Hollywood studio buffers, "Lebanon" by Samuel Maoz is the film for you. Sony Pictures Classics picked up the US distribution rights to 2009's Golden Lion winner for Best Film at the Venice International Festival and will be releasing the film soon. As soon as I have the exact dates I will post them.

Before moving back to Texas a few months ago, I worked as the Production Associate for this movie while I was employed by Ilann Girard's company Arsam in Paris, France. We all knew it was going to be a good film, but it wasn't until we saw the final cut that we realized it was a little masterpiece. If you don't know the story behind the story, I strongly suggest you read a little about it before watching the movie. The fact that the director was basically telling his own experience from the first Lebanon War in 1982 gives the movie new meaning. I had the chance to speak with Samuel Maoz at a dinner after the official screening in Toronto for the Toronto International Film Fest and I can tell you, everything you see in the movie happened. It took Samuel over 25 years to find the resolve to tell his story and after you see the film you will understand why.

Check out Variety's review if you get a chance. Then check out the film.