Dick Smith passed away this week at 92. Smith was a master make-up artist who was responsible for deepening my love of the movies. I say that not so much because Smith’s work was great, which it was, rather because he was one of those guys who lifted the veil and let the regular film fan look at what they did and how movies were really made.
I know the work Smith did was responsible in part for getting my brother Tom hooked on movie make up which lead indirectly to his business Creatures of Delight.
His passing is a loss, until you realize how much he left behind and how he influenced generations, ultimately he's still with us.
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STUDIO GHIBLI WILL NO LONGER BE MAKING MOVIES The news just broke-I'll have commentary on this shortly because I have a great deal to say.
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Yesterday started our month of shorts. All this month the films of the day are going to be some good and great short films.
I know you’re going, but Steve, I hate shorts.
No you don’t, you just haven’t seen the right shorts. Trust me. When you see some of these shorts you’ll become a fan.
Admittedly I know that you’re ability to see some of these shorts is going to be limited. I’ve tracked these films down from a variety of sources including You Tube, Vimeo and other video sites. These films are out there, you’re just going to have to look. (I'll be posting links where I can)
And you should look. There are so many good short films out there that no one is looking at it’s a shame. Many shorts are only a couple minutes long and when they work they deliver a kick that’s bigger than most features.
Even better since they are so brief you can watch a whole bunch in a short time. I did this month of films in a relatively short amount of time simply because I could watch a lot of shorts in a short period. I didn’t even really mind the ones that turned out crappy (and which I’m not including) simply because they didn’t kill too much time. I saw so many good ones that I’ve added another month in January.
Track these films down and you’ll discover some wondrous things.
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If you're in New York this month GKids is running some of their animated films (Letter to Momo, Nocturna, Ernest and Celestine and others on the big screen for the last month of summer. For tickets and details go here.
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And now some links ala Randi
Help identify silent films
The struggle for the opera to survive
On Marvel's post credit sequences
BFI's Greatest Docs
The Strange story behind the Beatles She's Leaving Home
Peter Watkin's Privilege
Ever wonder what it takes to remaster a film? Synapse talks about doing Demons and Demons 2
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