From Citizen Kane to Yankee Doodle Dandy, the American Film Institute, using a panel of more than 1,500 film community luminaries, has announced its list of the 100 greatest American films. The AFI gives a brief synopsis as well as selected credits for each film, but the site somewhat resembles (intentionally or unintentionally) a giant video store advertisement. Of course, these ratings provide...

The sheer volume of "top" and "best" lists should never be viewed as indicative that an inordinate amount of so-called "objective" research has been done to arrive at a logical hierarchy that will effectively squelch debate on any given topic. Released earlier this week, the American Film Institute's list of the top 100 movie quotes (as voted on by 1,500 persons in the entertainment industry) will...

Filmmakers and moviegoers alike will want to tune in to Black Girl Film Club, a podcast co-hosted by Ashley (an art director) and Britney (a writer) that explores "movies and the film industry from their unique, and often underrepresented, point of view." While episodes do air on the long side (averaging around two hours), they are packed full of exciting content. Each episode includes an in-depth...

Initially started as a print journal in 1974, online publication of Bright Lights Film Journal began in 1996, and continues to the present day. As noted on its site, the journal is "a popular-academic hybrid of movie analysis, history, and commentary, looking at classic and commercial, independent, exploitation, and international film from a wide range of vantage points from the aesthetic to the...

Initially started as a print journal in 1974, the online publication of Bright Lights Film Journal began in 1996, and continues to today. As noted on its site, the journal is "a popular-academic hybrid of movie analysis, history, and commentary, looking at classic and commercial, independent, exploitation, and international film from a wide range of vantage points from the aesthetic to the...

An English version of the Chinese Movie Database has recently been made available. Edited by Lu Pin, the database covers Chinese movies made in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other countries/regions from 1905 to the present. Users can search by movie title or by individual's name or select movie titles from the Movie Index Page. Search returns for individuals include films they have...

Those heading to the video store or movie theater this weekend who are unsure about what movie to see may want to consult MovieLens. MovieLens, from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota, is "a free personalized movie recommendation service" that uses technology called Collaborative Filtering. The service works by querying you about movies you have seen...

Film festivals have become immensely popular during the last few decades, and it seems like almost every city or state now has some type of festival to showcase the work of local, national, and in some cases, international filmmakers, both young and old. Started by Robert Redford in 1981, the Sundance Film Festival (held annually in Park City, Utah) has quickly grown into one of the most...

Gilliam hopes for better reception at Venice Film Festival http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2005/09/05/Arts/brothers_grimm20050905.html Who dares wins http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/featurepages/0,4120,1564305,00.html La Biennale di Venezia [Macromedia Flash Player] http://www.labiennale.org/en/index.html Film Festivals http://www.filmfestivals.com Proof [Macromedia Flash...