I’ve always been a fan of the director’s commentary on DVDs (I would really love to hear Iñárritu discuss his films!) In fact, if I have the time, I’ll watch a film three times: once to watch it, a second time with the director’s commentary, and a third time to appreciate what the director discusses.

Sadly, many director’s commentaries are disappointing (I suppose speaking about one’s art is a gift that not all artists possess?) So…when I come across a really good director’s commentary, I like to pass on the intel. In case you were wondering, yes, Tom Hooper’s director’s commentary on The King’s Speech DVD is well worth watching – a real education in film/directing. Hooper discusses his relationship with his art directors and location scouts, how he uses the locations to visually tell his story, how the soundtrack contributes to telling his story, which lenses he chooses to use (when and why), and much more. Hooper’s an excellent director and would be an excellent educator as well, I think. Until he begins teaching, however, check out his director commentaries!

If you’re interested in learning more about Hooper’s directing style right now, check out Wikipedia.

Before beginning I should add the disclaimer that I have not yet watched Gareth Edwards’ low-budget (but big-budget-looking) movie, Monsters. Regardless, his story is an inspiring one…and if the film is half as good as the trailer, it should be worth tracking down. Even if the film is most notable for its use of effects

Before beginning I should add the disclaimer that I have not yet watched Gareth Edwards’ low-budget (but big-budget-looking) movie, Monsters. Regardless, his story is an inspiring one…and if the film is half as good as the trailer, it should be worth tracking down. Even if the film is most notable for its use of effects

Over ten years on, the action scenes from The Matrix have proven to have been far, far ahead of their time. This is particularly highlighted when one juxtaposes The Matrix with recent films of a similar aesthetic and genre (not to mention names or to disparage any contemporary films!) I wanted to mention this to

With the release of the Blu-ray edition of Robin Hood, Ridley Scott has made his storyboards available to th world. Blu-ray functionality makes it possible to look at the storyboards while watching the film. This is a great boon for both cineastes as well as film students, providing amazing access to the inner workings of