TopicsOn The Media is produced by:
Congress created the National Film Registry in 1988 to preserve cherished American films. Daniel Eagan, author of America’s Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry says the registry has become a repository of both classics and obscure titles, all saved from the dumpster.
When Universal Studios released "Dracula" and "Frankenstein" in 1931, America's love affair with horror movies was born. Michael Mallory, author of Universal Studios Monsters, A Legacy of Horror, explains why these pivotal films revolutionized cinema and how they live on in the recent horror flick "Paranormal Activity."
For more than 40 years Don LaFontaine was the voice of the film preview. His sonorous, gravelly, ignore-me-at-your-peril delivery became virtually synonymous with the movie trailer. We originally aired this tribute to his career shortly after his death in September of 2008.
Film critic and author David Thomson argues in his new book that Alfred Hitchcock's film "Psycho" marks the moment when America learned to love violence, sex and voyeurism. Thomson also says that "Psycho" marked the beginning of the end for the film censor's strict code.
In a galaxy of Hollywood stars, one cameo player can boast the longest career by far. But chances are you've never seen him and you never will. He's appeared in some of the most popular movies ever, but he isn't an actor, though he was probably created by one. Wilhelm is a sound effect, more specifically a scream. In a piece that has become a favorite from our archives, David Serchuck reports on the Wilhelm.
Documentaries are supposed to represent the truth. But who decides what the truth is exactly? Patricia Aufderheide, professor and documentarian, explains a new effort to interview documentary filmmakers anonymously about their ethical lapses. She hopes that by understanding the extent of the problem the documentary community can come to some consensus on where the truth lies.
As Brooke reported eight years ago, witnesses of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and those watching on TV used a common vocabulary to describe the scene: it was like a movie. Not only did that day change the way people process images of mass violence, it also affected Hollywood itself. In his new book, Firestorm: American Film in the Age of Terrorism, Virginia Tech professor Stephen Prince explores how filmmakers have taken on the challenge of capturing the truth of the 9/11 attacks.
Two years ago, Netflix offered a $1 million prize to whomever could improve their movie recommendation software by 10%. Now a team has won (though the winning team has yet to be announced.) Writer Clive Thompson tells us why the competition is important and Bob Bell, a team member on the potential winning team, tells us how he crossed the 10% threshold.
