Film is a term that encompasses motion pictures as individual projects, as well as — in metonymy — the field in general. The origin of the name comes from the fact that photographic film (also called filmstock) has historically been the primary medium for recording and displaying motion pictures. Many other terms exist — motion pictures (or just pictures or "picture"), the silver screen, photoplays, the cinema, picture shows, flicks — and commonly movies.

Films are produced by recording actual people and objects with cameras, or by creating them using animation techniques and/or special effects. They comprise a series of individual frames, but when these images are shown rapidly in succession, the illusion of motion is given to the viewer. Flickering between frames is not seen due to an effect known as persistence of vision — whereby the eye retains a visual image for a fraction of a second after the source has been removed. Also of relevance is what causes the perception of motion; a psychological effect identified as beta movement.

Film is considered by many to be an important art form; films entertain, educate, enlighten and inspire audiences. The visual elements of cinema need no translation, giving the motion picture a universal power of communication. Any film can become a worldwide attraction, especially with the addition of dubbing or subtitles that translate the dialogue. Films are also artifacts created by specific cultures, which reflect those cultures, and, in turn, affect them.

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Movies Reviews

Review for Beverly Hills Chihuahua - Must Go! - Beverly Hills Chihuahua
Couldn't wait to see this movie! Took my teenager and my sister to see this movie and had a great family time and lots of laughs. I will buy this for my family when it comes out on DVD. Thinking of going to see it a second time.
Review for Eagle Eye - Go - Great action scences
I really enjoyed this movie although the plot was a little over the top. It did however, have great action scenes and it also helped that the movie moved along at a good pace. I would recommend my friends to go see it.
Review for Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist - Go - =)
This was a GREAT movie =) The casting choices were perfect! As usual, Michael Cera was a little awkward, but that goes without saying. It was really short though (only an hour and a half!). I almost wished it was a little longer.

L.A. Times - Movie Reviews

'An American Carol'
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The comedy from David Zucker has a silly, slapdash quality that lacks any real satirical bite, but there are some amusing moments. If "An American Carol" contained any real bite or intelligence, those so inclined could've legitimately griped about its shallow anti-liberalism. But given that this supremely silly satire directed by "The Naked Gun's" David Zucker (from a script he wrote with Myrna Sokoloff and Lewis Friedman) plays more like something slapped together to beat an expiration date, it's hard to get too worked up about it.
'Mentor,' 'The Violent Kind' reviews
Sat, 04 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
'Mentor' flunks the quality test
'Smother,' with Diane Keaton, Dax Shepard
Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Also: 'Fireproof' and 'Freebird' "Smother," a fairly standard story of a young man (Dax Shepard) and his overbearing mother (Diane Keaton), treads a lot of the same ground as Albert Brooks' "Mother" and even such recent Keaton vehicles as "The Family Stone," "Because I Said So" and "Mama's Boy." Why a performer as gleefully game and wittily wise as Keaton must now be subjected to such self-same material is a question perhaps only she, her agent and the cruel fates of Hollywood can answer.

Movies

Religulous
Bruce Diones Mon, 06 Oct 2008 04:00:00 -0000
The Film File
Rachel Getting Married
Anthony Lane Mon, 06 Oct 2008 04:00:00 -0000
The Film File
Nights and Weekends
Richard Brody Mon, 06 Oct 2008 04:00:00 -0000
The Film File

Rolling Stone Movie Reviews

Miracle at St. Anna
Fri, 26 Sep 2008 11:57:21 -0700
Starring: Omar Benson Miller, Michael Ealy, Derek Luke, Laz Alonso Review: Critics are raining down hard on Spike Lee's first war epic. And it's not like I don't have objections. Miracle at St. Anna is too long, lazily constructed, and crammed with too many characters and subplots for any director to develop fully outside of an HBO miniseries. But Lee isn't any director. He's an African-American maverick with a legit gripe against the white face that Hollywood puts on war. The first scene in Miracle shows us a black World War II veteran watching John Wayne on TV lording it over the D-Day invasion in The Longest Day. "We fought that war too," says the vet. Point taken. It's no surprise that Lee decided to make a film of James McBride's well-received novel about the Buffalo Soldiers, black GIs segregated from the regular Army, who served with the 92nd Infantry... Rating: 2 Stars
Eagle Eye
Fri, 26 Sep 2008 11:54:34 -0700
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan Review: Questions: Did everyone involved in this botched thriller OD on speed? Does jimmy-legs director D.J. Caruso think if he slowed down the action we'd figure out how stupid the plot is? Did Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan think there was any acting involved in playing characters on the run from a computer intent on global domination? Are BlackBerrys and iPhones the enemy because they make us easy for the computer to track? Can the computer make me forget this movie? Rating: 1.5 Stars
Flash of Genius
Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:19:41 -0700
Starring: Greg Kinnear Review: For a while, it looked like Greg Kinnear showed his acting chops best with supporting roles in the likes of As Good as It Gets, Little Miss Sunshine and the current Ghost Town. Well, hang on. Kinnear takes the star spot in Flash of Genius and rides it to glory. He plays Robert Kearns, the Detroit professor, inventor and father of six who came up with the idea for the intermittent windshield wiper during the 1960s. Go ahead, groan. I felt the same way. A night reading patent law seems more exciting. But Kinnear takes this true story — John Seabrook's 1993 New Yorker article formed the basis of the script, by Philip Railsback — and runs with it. Kearns had his "flash of genius" when a champagne cork popped his eye on his honeymoon with wife Phyllis (Lauren Graham). Why couldn't a... Rating: 3 Stars

Rotten Tomatoes: Top Movies

42% Beverly Hills Chihuahua
Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:05:01 -0700
Despite hitting some sweet notes, Beverly Hills Chihuahua is little more than disposable family entertainment.
28% Eagle Eye
Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:05:01 -0700
Eagle Eye is a preposterously plotted thriller that borrows heavily from other superior films.
72% Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:05:01 -0700
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist combines a pair of charming leads, the classic New York backdrop, and a sweet soundtrack.

NPR Topics: Movies

Rin Tin Tin Movie Sparks Lawsuit
Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:45:00 -0400
Daphne Hereford, the owner of Rin Tin Tin Inc., is suing a film studio for trademark infringement. She says the dogs used in the film Finding Rin Tin Tin are not associated with Rin Tin Tin or related to the loyal German shepherd.
Chasing The American Dream In South Africa
Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:55:00 -0400
For some people, the American dream is not found on U.S. soil. Instead, they seek it in South Africa. A new documentary, Blacks Without Borders, follows a group of African-American entrepreneurs who have made South Africa their land of opportunity.
Poking Fun At Stereotypes In 'Allah Made Me Funny'
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:25:00 -0400
A new film, Allah Made Me Funny, follows three Muslim men as they perform at comedy clubs around the U.S., chronicling how they make comedy out of sometimes painful experiences in a post-Sept. 11 America. Comedians Azhar Usman, Mo Amer and Preacher Moss discuss what informs their humor.

NYT > Red Carpet

The Lawsuit Over Producer Credit for 'Crash' Gets Personal
SHARON WAXMAN Thu, 09 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0400
A top executive of the movie academy described one of the producing team behind the best-picture winner, "Crash," as throwing a tantrum in suing over credit for the film.
News Analysis: Los Angeles Retains Custody of Oscar
DAVID CARR Tue, 07 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0400
Los Angeles, a place where race is discussed rarely, saw itself in "Crash," a film where encounter and understanding are just a random fender-bender away.
'Crash' Walks Away With the Top Prize at the Oscars
DAVID M. HALBFINGER and DAVID CARR Mon, 06 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0400
In a stunning twist, the motion picture academy turned its back on "Brokeback Mountain," awarding the Oscar for best picture to "Crash."

Village Voice | Films

Wong Kar Wai's Ashes of Time Gets Its Comeback
Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Cynics make the worst romantics; they should know better, they know they should know better, and they'd die if you knew better. Forced underground by a formative heartbreak, a cynic's romantic nature can flourish into a sort of private dementia. You can take my weary word for it, or you ca...
Joe Sawnberg and Greta Gerwig Attempt To Tell the Truth in Nights and Weekends
Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Nights and Weekends telescopes a year-and-a-half relationship into a sampler of chats, spats, and screws. James and Mattie are two kids in their mid-twenties, just feeling out the world; they're played by the film's co-directors, Joe Swanberg and Greta Gerwig. James you could imagine a few...
A Shallow Look at Ghetto Clichés in Talento de Barrio
Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500
When conservative watchdogs snarl about the ugliness of gangsta rap, Talento de Barrio might be what they picture in their head—a vile, stupid, violent-crime drama that would be laughable if its content wasn't so toxic. Drug boss Edgar Dinero (reggaeton star Daddy Yankee, who mostly ...

Film News from Times Online

Will Oliver Stone see success with his George W. Bush biopic?
Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0000
Forty-three years ago, two men enrolled at Yale University. One of them dropped out a year later, volunteered to fight in Vietnam, then made a movie about his experiences entitled Platoon. His name is Oliver Stone. The other dodged combat and went on to become the 43rd President of the United States. His name is George W. Bush.
Brideshead Revisited
Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0000

How to Lose Friends & Alienate People
Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0000


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