It’s an odd time for cinema.

On one hand, people are wringing their hands about the imminent “death” of the cinematic form, but on the other hand, Hollywood had a record year at the box office. Fewer and fewer big-budget event movies are made, yet this year boasted an impressive, varied crop of quality documentaries and independent projects. DVD sales and rentals have gone down, but there’s an unprecedented level of availability thanks to streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu. Huge blockbusters like The Dark Knight Rises buckled under the weight of expectations, yet highly anticipated movies like Zero Dark Thirty managed to build and then surpass high expectations. Most filmmakers have converted to digital – even the mercurial Leos Carax – but 35mm purists like Christopher Nolan and Quentin Tarantino won’t give up celluloid until you pry it from their cold dead hands. Read More…