The Hunger Games screening TONIGHT!

We've gotten a number of patrons interested in watching The Hunger Games since it was released on DVD this Saturday. We hear you: it's understandably one of the biggest movies of the year. We're in the process of acquiring it, but our copy is still en route. Hang on!

If you don't want to wait, the AU United Methodist-Protestant Community will be screening The Hunger Games on campus tonight at 9 PM in the Mary Graydon Center, Room 200. Now's your chance to catch it before it enters our collection!

Director Tony Scott dies

Film director Tony Scott committed suicide yesterday at age 68. While he was never an arthouse institution and didn't have critical weight, Scott's movies were immensely popular and changed the direction of big-action blockbusters. Perhaps most notably, Scott was sort of a Hollywood kingmaker, directing films that were massively successful game-changers for Jerry Bruckheimer and Tom Cruise.

Take off your faded pink caps and ride into the danger zone one last time with a few of Tony Scott's films:

Top Gun - HU DVD 2959
True Romance - HU DVD 3820
Life in a Day - HU DVD 9229

Retronaut unearths Frankenstein on his off-day

You can easily pull back the curtain of movie magic on almost any recent, major motion picture. It could be as innocuous as a clip of Bane and Batman off the clock, but even obtuse films like Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life come with special features explaining their production. For most older movies, the special features usually include commentary from critics and possibly a documentary about its historical context.

That's what makes these behind-the-scenes pictures of Frankenstein from history blog Retronaut so entertaining: you wouldn't have expected these pictures to survive! The image of Boris Karloff decked up in monster make-up is one of the most indelible images of horror, but now you too can experience the joy of breaking down that icon by seeing Frankenstein's monster on his smoke break.

If you want to see the real thing, check out the original 1931 Frankenstein from Media Services (HU DVD 860).

Whoa! Man with too much spare time makes a real-life Wall-E

This is too great not to share: hobbyist and madman Mike Senna has spent the past three years constructing a life-sized, remote-controlled Wall-E robot from scratch. Now it's making its rounds through Disney locations, charity events, and hobbyist fairs across the country. You can follow Senna's adventures on his blog, where he posts pictures of Wall-E meeting with dignitaries like Iron Man and a Dalek from Doctor Who.

So maybe it's excessively nerdy, but it's excessively nerdy in an adorable, heart-warming way.

If you're getting the kick rewatch Wall-E now, the film is available in our collections (HU DVD 4950).

New Films on Demand titles - August 2012

Films on Demand, a streaming video platform used by Media Services, recently added 225 new titles to its collection, including a large number of TED Talks. Since it would be silly to list every single one, here's a few highlights from their most recent batch...

New Acquisitions - August 2012

With the school year about to begin, it's time for another batch of our newest DVDs. The highlight this month is the fourth season of Breaking Bad, one of the most popular shows in our collection. If you're looking for something to watch before the upcoming party conventions, we've added a number of politically charged documentaries too. Other highlights include The Cosby Show, the final season of Entourage, and a documentary about the "endless struggle" between humans and rats in cities.

Read on for a full list of our newest titles...

Hitchcock turns 113

It would be remiss not to mention Alfred Hitchcock's birthday, which passed by yesterday. The legendary director, who needs no introduction, would have turned 113.

Celebrate the big 1-1-3 by enjoying a deep cut of his filmography at Media Services:

Shark Week begins!

Discovery Channel's annual Shark Week extravaganza has officially begun. Often maligned but never ignored, sharks are one of the most feared and most misunderstood creatures of the seas. Their appearances on screen are among the most memorable, from the sublime blockbuster Jaws to... well, Shark Attack 3 (above).

If your looking for supplemental Shark Week material to sink your teeth into, come to Media Services and check out some of the most well-known sharks on film. The leaping shark from Planet Earth is not to be missed!

Jaws – HU DVD 98
Open Water – HU DVD 1134
Planet Earth, Disc 4 – HU DVD 2724
Search for the Great Sharks – HU DVD 3188
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou – HU DVD 5101

If you'd prefer a less ferocious take on these creatures, you can also access the streaming docuementary Fish and Marine Mammals: Swimming and Diving.

Should we be enhancing the classics?

With The Hobbit hitting theaters at the end of the year in ultra-high-definition, it's no wonder that electronics manufacturers are racing to produce televisions and home videos with the brightest colors and crispest image. But in this dash for image quality, they might be losing some clarity. What about films with intentionally dark palettes or unclear images? Or why are there high-definition Blu-Ray versions of films from from the 1930s?

The A.V. Club posted a thought-provoking article on this subject, arguing against televisions and video players that enhance the original product to the chagrin of its creators.

This is a sticky subject. Consumer televisions and playback devices are presenting images in stunning, unprecedented quality. But could this be dangerous for viewing older films in the way their directors and cinematographers intended?

NoMa doomsday film series ends this month (UPDATED)

The NoMa-hosted summer film series "2012: The End of the World?" ends continues tonight with a screening of Deep Impact, one of several disaster movies from 1998 about a giant meteor on a collision course with Earth. The NoMa Business Improvement District has been screening apocalypse-themed movies all summer long, along with live music and barbecue. Make your way out to the screening tonight – the end is nigh!

The film will be screened tonight at L Street in Northeast DC, between 2nd and 3rd Streets at 7 PM.

UPDATE: Correction from the folks at the NoMA BID: because of a rain date schedule, the series will continue for another week. WarGames will conclude the series next week on August 15th instead. Apocalypse postponed!

Composer Marvin Hamlisch dies

Prolific composer Marvin Hamlisch died this Monday. Hamlisch was a media legend who won every conceivable award for his music – including an Oscar, Grammy, Tony, Emmy, Golden Globe, and the Pulitzer Prize for Music. His accomplishments are staggering; even if you don't know his name, you may have heard pieces from one of his 45 films, 8 musicals, or one of the countless movies and television shows that have reused his works.

While we don't have all of Hamlisch's films, we do have a handful available for checkout:

Bananas – HU DVD 122
The Way We Were – HU DVD 3087
Ordinary People – HU DVD 3105
Sophie's Choice – HU DVD 4376
The Spy Who Loved Me – HU DVD 4997
Take the Money and Run – HU DVD 5371
Every Little Step – HU DVD 6894
The Informant! – HU DVD 7054
A Chorus Line – HU DVD 9659 and MUSIC LIBRARY DVD 222

Also of interest is Tradition, a streaming PBS documentary about Broadway in the 1960s and 70s for which Hamlisch was interviewed.

Whoops! YouTube accidentally pulls NASA videos

Sunday's impressive Mars landing somehow continues to be relevant for Media Services – this time in a less fun and exciting way.

NASA broadcasted live footage of Mission Control as the Curiosity rover landed, and to commemorate the occasion, they uploaded the clip to YouTube. But because of a snafu in YouTube's copyright enforcement software, NASA's videos were taken down. This apparently isn't even the first time the video sharing website has accidentally thrown out one of NASA's videos.

The situation was fixed fairly quickly, but its implications for the future of copyright enforcement in the digital age – and the permanence of online video – are a little troubling.

Take to the stars with Cosmos

Tonight, NASA will attempt to land the Curiosity rover on Mars to investigate whether the red planet once housed life. It's a risky and hilariously expensive ($2.5 billion!), but the rover is part of an important mission to discover whether or not we are alone in the universe.

Nobody has explored that goal in popular media like Carl Sagan, host of the 1980 miniseries Cosmos. The series is a unique fusion of science, history, and politics that still stands as the high watermark for popular science.

As we re-explore the chances of extraterrestrial life, now's as good of a time as any to watch (or rewatch!) Sagan's legendary series.

HU DVD 4271 - 4277 -- Cosmos

If you like Total Recall... Philip K. Dick on screen

The remake of the 1990 Arnold Schwarzenegger hit Total Recall opens in theaters tomorrow, but it's not just a redux of a schlocky movie – it's also a readaptation of the original short story, "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale," by science fiction visionary Philip K. Dick.

Even though he saw rousing success in his lifetime with his dozens of short stories and novels, Dick's lasting legacy might be the film versions of his works. Philip K. Dick's stories have inspired some of Hollywood's most famous pictures. Before you get your memory wiped, make sure to experience these P.K.D.-inspired classics in our collection:

Blade Runner – HU DVD 1064*
Minority Report – HU DVD 1969
Total Recall – HU DVD 2040
A Scanner Darkly – HU DVD 2416

2012 Sight & Sound poll: Citizen Kane toppled!

Sight & Sound, the esteemed film magazine that polls critics and other professionals every ten years about the greatest films of all time, has released the results of their 2012 survey. For the first time in 60 years, Citizen Kane is no longer the number one film on the list! Vertigo now takes the top honor, while The Godfather got a surprise snub after Sight & Sound rewrote the ballot rules.

This isn't just some random Internet poll: Sight & Sound's poll is the most significant and respected film survey. It's the reason why Citizen Kane is often considered the de facto greatest film of all time -- a mantle that Vertigo will now have to take up!

Alternative programming: The Olympics on film and television

The thirtieth Olympiad is well underway. If you don't feel like watching gymnastics this evening, take the night off and check out one of these gold-quality videos from our collection.

One Day in September -- DVD 450
Monty Python's Flying Circus: Olympic Hide-and-Seek Final -- HU DVD 771
Olympia -- DVD 1663
Munich -- HU DVD 2172
Tokyo Olympiad -- DVD 2791
Charlie Chan at the Olympics -- HU DVD 4004
The Office, Season 2: Office Olympics -- HU DVD 4012
Prefontaine -- HU DVD 5547
30 for 30: Marion Jones: Press Pause -- HU DVD 7911
Have you heard from Johannesburg? -- DVD 7924
Cool Runnings -- HU DVD 7973

If you're sitting out the Olympics this year on account of a pulled hamstring or a stubbed toe, you can always watch the streaming video Sports Injuries: Classification and Management via Films on Demand.

New Acquisitions - July 2012

The first silent film to win Best Picture since 1927! A rough-and-tumble action-thriller starring Kurt Russell! The American remake of the Swedish film adaptation of a popular novel series! A cheesy Japanese monster movie! Stand-up routines from a legendary comedy troupe! An epic 15-hour documentary on the history of film! A biography of the most prolific inventor in history!

*gasp*

July's been a busy month for Media Services. Read on for a full list of our new acquisitions.

Filmmaker Chris Marker dies at 91

Chris Marker, the groundbreaking French filmmaker and critic, died yesterday at age 91 -- on his birthday, nonetheless. Marker's multimedia art pushed the boundaries of its formats, from his unconventional documentary Sans Soleil to his critical essay writing and experiments with interactive media.

Celebrate Marker's work by visiting his films in our collection:

• A.K. (supplemental) -- DVD 100
• La jetée + Sans Soleil -- HU DVD 2949*
• Chats perchés -- HU DVD 4927
• La Sixiáeme Face du Pentagone -- DVD 5111
• Le souvenir d'un avenir -- DVD 6037
• Le fond de l'air est rouge -- DVD 6039 
• Batalla de Chile -- HU DVD 6791 - 6794*

This Friday: The American President at National Harbor

National Harbor continues its summer film series this Thursday with a screening of The American President, a 1995 film directed by Aaron Sorkin that eventually inspired the writer to produce The West Wing. Michael Douglas plays President Andrew Shepherd, a chief executive who faces many of the same problems that Josiah Bartlet would later encounter -- sometimes with the exact same dialogue!

The movie begins at dusk, which will probably be at about 8:30 PM. You can read about specifics for the event an added to your Google Calendar or iCal here.

21 Web design blogs to bookmark and check daily, courtesy of ArtAtm

Here's just one of 21 design related blogs recommended by ArtAtm in this great post that breaks the suggested design blogs up into three categories: Blogs for inspiration, blogs to keep you updated on the latest design news, and blogs that teach or post useful tutorials. ArtAtm recommends bookmarking and checking these blogs on a regular basis. 
See the whole list at ArtAtm.

Inspiring examples of typography in web design

The WebDesignLedger blog highlights several examples of typography in web design. Typography plays an important role in establishing the desired look and feel of a web site, not to mention the overall brand or personality behind it all. 

Below are just a few examples, but go to WebDesignLedger to see even more images.

Photography Makes an Appearance on Jeopardy

This post was excerpted from PetaPixel.


“Photography” was featured as a category on last night’s episode of Jeopardy. Here are the 5 questions that were asked. If you consider yourself a photography buff, see if you can answer all of them (answers at the end).

Here are the answers: 
Here are the answers: memory cards, silver, Louis Daguerre, filter, oxygen.


This post was excerpted from PetaPixel.

More examples of great design from WebExpedition

Here are some more great examples to check out. See them all at WebExpedition. 

Ikea Food

Design inspiration from Abduzeedo

Check out these inspiring design examples courtesy of the Abduzeedo blog. To see all the examples, click this link. Abduzeedo also accepts submissions if you've got designs you'd like to share.

Google’s Marissa Mayer Becomes Yahoo’s CEO

 

Marissa Mayer, one of the top executives at Google, will be the next chief executive of Yahoo, making her one of the most prominent women in Silicon Valley and corporate America.

The appointment of Ms. Mayer, who was employee No. 20 at Google and was one of the few public faces of the company, is considered a surprising coup for Yahoo, which has struggled in recent years to attract top flight talent in its battle with competitors like Google and Facebook. Read more

Excerpted from the New York Times

Infographic Tips: How to Design a Unique and Unforgettable Logo

Are you looking to design your own logo? Check out the tips illustrated in this nifty infographic. See the full size version at SoThink.com

Fair Use and Free Content at Wikimania 2012

Check out what Center for Social Media's Patricia Aufderheide has to say about Wikimania 2012.

Read Patricia Aufderheide's article on the Center for Social Media blog.

Peter O'Toole 'chucks in the sponge'

Peter O'Toole announced today that he's retiring from the acting biz. Read more about it here and check out some of his work below. 


Check out these titles available from the Media Services Home Use Collection: 


Lawrence of Arabia - HU DVD 3935
The Last Emperor - HU DVD 4098
Becket - HU DVD 5296
Masada - HU DVD 8620
Ratatouille - HU DVD 3814
Stardust - HU DVD 3598
Venus - HU DVD 6308
Troy - HU DVD 6200
Lion in Winter - HU DVD 5348

20 Best Adobe Illustrator CS6 Tutorials

PATTERN CREATION IN ILLUSTRATOR CS6

DezineGuide.com showcases 20 great tutorials for Adobe Illustrator CS6. Below are all of the links, but go to DezineGuide.com to see all the links, along with small images from each tutorial. 

100% Vector Drop Shadow with Illustrator CS6

Image Trace in Illustrator CS6

How to Create a Seamless Pattern in Adobe Illustrator CS6

How to Create Metal Chair Using Gradient on Strokes in Adobe Illustrator CS6

Create a One Stroke Tropical Flower Using Adobe Illustrator CS6

CREATE SEAMLESS REPEATING PATTERNS USING ILLUSTRATOR CS6′S NEW TOOLS

How to Use the New Image Trace in Adobe Illustrator CS6

Understanding 64-bit support

Creating a repeatable pattern for the web

Creating your logo

iOS App Icon Design Tutorial in Illustrator CS6 (Video & Written)

A simple yet awesome Illustrator CS6 logo design tutorial

How to Create a Seamless Pattern in Adobe Illustrator CS6 1

Self-Portrait in Adobe Illustrator CS6

Buddha Watercolor Illustration Tutorial – Adobe Illustrator CS6

Video tutorial: Quick and easy pattern swatches in Illustrator CS6

llustrator CS6 | 2. Text Effects Tutorial and Pen Tool

Creating a simple pattern

Illustrator CS6: Adding Gradients to Strokes Lines


 

Stuff to watch from the Katzen Music Library

The Katzen Music Library has some new DVD acquisitions. Check them out:

Annie Get Your Gun ~ DVD 214

Dancing Dreams ~ DVD 237

Nine ~ DVD 238

Bye Bye Birdie ~ DVD 239

That’s Entertainment III ~ DVD 240

South Pacific ~ DVD 241

Sunday in the Park with George ~ DVD 242

Sweeney Todd ~ DVD 243

Once Upon a Mattress  ~ DVD 244

The Music Man ~ DVD 245

Oklahoma! ~ DVD 246

On the Town ~ DVD 247

Oliver ~ DVD 248

West Side Story ~ DVD 249

Patti Smith: Dream of Life ~ DVD 250

The Producers ~ DVD 251

The King and I ~ DVD 252

Thoroughly Modern Millie ~ DVD 253

Jesus Christ Superstar ~ DVD 254

Gypsy ~ DVD 255

Hello Dolly! ~ DVD 256

RENT ~ DVD 257

Andy Griffith Dies at 86

Andy Griffith, an actor whose folksy Southern manner charmed audiences for more than 50 years on Broadway, in movies, on records and especially on television — most notably as the small-town sheriff on the long-running situation comedy that bore his name — died on Tuesday at his home on Roanoke Island in North Carolina. He was 86. Read more


Excerpted from the New York Times

Check out these titles from the Media Services collection. Note that HU call numbers are from the Media Services Home Use Collection. The non-HU call numbers may be watched here in Media Services on the lower level of the American University Library.


Golden Age of Television - HU DVD 7091 - 7093
Pioneers of Television - Streaming Video
Pioneers of Television - DVD 8399
Waitress - HU DVD 8685
Face in the Crowd - HU DVD 7753

Kodak gallery moved to Shutterfly

Kodak announced in March that it would sell its online photo services to Shutterfly for $23.8 million. The transfer includes all photos in U.S. and Canadian Gallery users' accounts.

Kodak Gallery's more than 75 million users will be able to sidle over to Shutterfly to find their photo collections. Customers who did not want their photos transferred had until May 28 to opt out and retrieve their images through free downloads or DVDs.

Once Kodak Gallery customers activate their new Shutterfly account, the site's range of services will become available for free, including unlimited photos storage. Read more
Excerpted from PC Mag
Eastman Kodak Co. is approved to sell its digital patents. More on this from Reuters  


Remember this great Kodak-related scene from Mad Men?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT0d-ISXH5Q


Mad Men is available for checkout from the Media Services Home Use Collection:
Mad Men Seasons 1 - 4: HU DVD 4541 - 4556

Selected New Home Use Titles in Media Services

Check out these titles that were recently added to the Media Services Home Use Collection!

African Election - DVD 10089
Blues Brothers - HU DVD 10000

Lady and the Tramp - HU DVD 10062 
Lady and the Tramp - HU BLU 10062
Let the Bullets Fly - HU BLU 10088

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol - HU BLU 10090
Too Big to Fail - HU DVD 10098
River Runs Through It - HU DVD 10099
Groove Tube - HU DVD 10100
Louder than a Bomb - HU DVD 10110
Monsieur N. - HU DVD 10111
Sub Terra - HU DVD 10114
Pariah - HU DVD 10115
Inside - HU DVD 10113
Shame - HU DVD 10096
Shame - HU BLU 10096 (Blu-Ray DVD)
Martyrs - HU DVD 10112
Game of Thrones: Season 1 - HU DVD 10021 - 10025