movie reviews

Keanu Reeves and Martin Scorsese in 'Side by Side'

Chris and Keanu’s Not-So-Excellent Adventure: Side by Side Zooms in on Role of Digital Techonolgy in Film

Have you ever wondered what your favorite director thought about shooting on digital film? How about actress Greta Gerwig? Have you even considered what the indie actress thought the first time she heard the whirring sound of an actual celluloid camera? What of cinematographers and colorists—how interested are you in exploring their relationships? (Are they adversaries? Do they work as a team? Did they start out adversaries, but thanks to advances in technology, now work as a team?) Have you ever wondered how Keanu Reeves would sound saying such profound phrases as “film has helped us share our experiences and dreams,” or “by the 1980s, Avid had developed digital editing into a cost-effective, computer-based system”?

If the answer to any of the above is “yes—but only if fed to me through a 90-minute documentary”—then you are exactly the niche audience longtime production manager and part-time documentarian Chris Kenneally had in mind for his second feature-length film, Side by Side. Read More

Sunday Matinee

A scruffy Franco, post open bar, pre Q&A (Julie Cunnah Photography)

The Observer Heads Out for a Chat with James Franco and Ends Up At an AA Meeting with a Full-Service Bar

In our post-fashion week hammock of a lull, with the Presidents Day exodus to boot, we were surprised when our inbox lit up yesterday afternoon with a short note from our friends at the Film Society of Lincoln Center: “Hey, do you want to meet James Franco?” What a silly question.

Doing a quick bit of research, we learned he was hosting a remixed screening of Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho. Mr. Franco aptly redubbed his take on the cult classic “My Own Private River” an homage to the late River Phoenix, a young actor that had made a lasting impression on an even younger James. Read More

Single Person’s Movie: The Devil’s Advocate

It’s 2 AM and you awake with a jerk, alone in your fully-lit apartment and still on the couch. On TV, the credits of some movie you’ve already seen a billion times are scrolling by. It feels like rock bottom. And we know, because we’re just like you: single.

Need a movie to keep you Read More

Jon Hamm, Sci-Fi Geek!

Last night the Daily Transom ventured out to the premiere of The Day The Earth Stood Still–a remake of the 1951 science fiction classic about an alien who comes to earth to warn the human race about invading super robots–starring Keanu Reeves (as the alien Klaatu), Jennifer Connelly, and Kathy Bates.

"You have to Read More

Single Person’s Movie: Speed

It’s 2 a.m. and you awake with a jerk, alone in your fully lit apartment and still on the couch. On TV, the credits of some movie you’ve already seen a billion times are scrolling by. It feels like rock bottom. And we know, because we’re just like you: single.

Need a movie to keep Read More