Starting tomorrow, BAMcinématek in Brooklyn has curated a series celebrating the best of recent three dimensional cinema, "3D in the 21st Century":
"The unprecedented resurgence of 3D in the last decade has expanded the visual and emotional possibilities of cinema in frequently wondrous—and sometimes divisive—new ways. At its best, the technology creates almost hallucinatory immersive landscapes and retina-dazzling surprises with an immediate visceral impact. From big-budget blockbusters to high-concept mind-benders by arthouse icons, this first-of-its-kind series surveys recent films that showcase the full range of stereoscopic cinema’s expressive potential."
Running May 1 - 17, the series surveys an exciting and wide-ranging number of 3D films, from blockbusters like Avatar and Gravity, genre films like Step Up 3D and Resident Evil: Retribution, to such art-house hits as Goodbye to Language and Cave of Forgotten Dreams, as well experimental works by Jodie Mack, Ken Jacobs, Johann Lurf, and more. The series proves that what was once perceived as a industrial-capitalist money-grab from Hollywood studios and a temporary trend has, to the boon of many moviegoers, been ingeniously adapted, co-opted, subverted, rigorously re-thought, formally explored, and otherwise pushed to beautiful, adventurous ends.
BAMcinématek asked if the Notebook would organize a critical supplement to their series, and we jumped at the chance. Below you'll find our index of coverage from both critics and participating artists. (The index also includes relevant highlights from our archive on films in the series.) We'll be publishing articles in anticipation of the films' screening dates, so check back often for updates.
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Becoming 3D by Blake Williams
Come Into My World: The Dimensions of Avatar by Zach Campbell
Beowulf: Who's Afraid of the Volume? by Uncas Blythe
Work and Pleasure: The Adventures of Tintin by Mike Archibald
How to Calibrate a 3D TV by Kurt Shulenberger
Baby, I'm Your Fireworks by Jodie Mack
Four 3D Works by Ken Jacobs by Michael Sicinski
For the Love of Movies: Hugo by Adam Cook
Twelve Tales Told: Tenderly Forcing 3D by Johann Lurf
Jackass 3D: The Sad Masters by Uncas Blythe
Piranha 3D: The Floating World by Uncas Blythe
3D Is the Moon by Ben Coonley
Archival:
Anti-Animator: A Conversation with Jodie Mack by Daniel Kasman
Goodbye to Language by Daniel Kasman
Resident Evil: Retribution 3D by Ignatiy Vishnevetsky