Category Archives: News

New Schedule

As previously mentioned, The Filmsmith is going through a few adjustments.  After being on a brief hiatus, we will return to a scheduled format that will include an update every Monday that will either be a review of a film in theaters or an upcoming DVD release.  Ben Creech will handle this review, while I, Remington Smith, will occasionally post films of interest, but until my feature length script is completed I will not post under a regularly scheduled format.

To receive notification of new postings you can subscribe to the site via the RSS feed icon on the right hand side.  This way you’ll receive an e-mail each time we post something.

We appreciate your interest in our site and hope to return to a Monday, Wednesday, Friday format as soon as our schedules allow it.  You can support our ongoing work by clicking the donate button on the right hand side.  We do this for free because we love to share great cinema and interesting ideas, but as with anything, if you receive money to do what you love it makes it easier to keep doing it.

Thanks,
Remington Smith

Hiatus

Since I will be starting my MFA in Film Production this week and Ben Creech will be starting his senior year as an undergraduate, we’re in a bit of a transitional period and decided to go on hiatus.  After Labor Day weekend we’ll have a new posting schedule from Ben, but I won’t be back until I finish a script I’ve been talking about all year.

When we both return to the M-W-F format, there will also be some changes to the site we hope you’ll appreciate.

Thanks for your support.  We’ll post new info as it comes.

-Remington Smith

The Best of 2011 so far

We’re a little more than half-way through the year and given the plethora of films I, Remington Smith, and writer co-hort Ben Creech, review, we thought it would be a good time to chat about our favorite films of the year so far.   Here’s that conversation: Continue reading

Lineups for Venice and Toronto Film Fests – Proof that 2011 is Far from Over

The film year, just like the real one, is split into seasons. There’s the time around May through August, which is filled with Summer blockbusters; there’s January through April, which contains all of the buzz from Sundance and Berlin and a hefty slew of off-kilter picks. And then there’s September through December, better known as Oscar season. It kicks off every year with two events, the Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals. Between these two weeks, early picks for Best Picture, as well as the acting awards, surface and separate themselves from the rest of the chaff; films that do well here are practically guaranteed a good run a few months down the line. This year’s lineups were announced two weeks ago, and if nothing else, they reveal that the best of 2011, cinematically speaking, is yet to come. Continue reading

Comic-Con Round-Up: Spider-Man Amazes, Del Toro’s Best Effing Robots & Monsters, & Coppola Edits Film Live

Movie Buffs, Comic Book Nerds, and Dorks in general can find plenty to love every July in San Diego during its annual Comic-Con. I haven’t yet paid much attention to the news that stems from this event, as most of it didn’t concern my particular tastes. That is, until this year, when major announcements were made by Francis Ford Coppola, Guillermo del Toro, and the folks behind the new Spider-Man movie. All in all, quite exciting. Continue reading

Fun Film Fact #1: You speak Swedish in the edit

I’m working two different film production jobs and spend quite a bit of time editing various programs.  I once remarked to someone that whenever you’re rewinding footage, everyone sounds like they’re speaking Swedish – and then I watched the delightful 80’s spoof film Top Secret! and one scene in particular had me cracking up… Continue reading

George Lucas Strikes Back – and it’s hilarious

George Lucas, once a God to nerds around the world, has become their whipping boy thanks to the terrible Star Wars prequels.  Now, someone has explained what led Lucas astray in the delightful video, “George Lucas Strikes Back.” Continue reading

Cannes 2011 Rewind

As The Filmsmith predicted, Terrence Malick’s nostalgic, personal epic The Tree of Life collected the top prize on Sunday at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. But the week was filled with upsets and snubs, directors lauded and thrown out, and a mysterious silent film that surprisingly was one of the most beloved films in competition. Here’s the rundown of what may have been one of the best festivals in years. Continue reading

The Croisette: This Year’s Cannes Film Festival

Every May, hundreds of film professionals head to the South of France to experience what may be the classiest film festival in the world. Some of the greatest auteurs currently active are tapped to create a lineup of films with a few surprises nestled between the expected ones. The films compete for the Palme D’Or, the most prestigious prize in all of filmmaking. After the jump, you’ll see who is competing this year, as well as the few we here at the Filmsmith expect to win. Continue reading

Batman goes mental in amazing fan video, The Batman Complex

When you come across fan-made videos, whether they are trailers to a film they’d love to see or short film musings on an aspect of a beloved character, they’re at best entertaining.  The fan-trailer for The Batman Complex however, goes beyond casual amusement and straight into, “Why haven’t they already made this?!” Continue reading