In a piece for browbeat, Slate’s Culture Blog, Forrest Wickman points out that Keanu Reeves is right about the future of film.
In all of the reviews that have come out about Side by Side, everyone is focused on the death of film. Mr. Wickman points out that the film critic for the The Guardian framed the arugment correctly when he reported that Keanu Reeves said:
The debate isn’t about whether digital is better than celluloid. It’s about giving an artist the choice … about the individual’s style. It’s not pining for the past, nor championing a digital revolution. It’s arguing that it’s an exciting time for the industry.
Mr. Wickman further points out that:
But if this is an argument about aesthetics and grain and tone, then I fear that the critics who paint this moment in a sort of ‘70s underlit darkness, like something shot by Gordon Willis, have gotten it all wrong. The “death of film” or the “digital revolution” may be a moment of loss, but it’s at least as much a moment of thrilling new life.
The piece can be read here. The link is via a google alert.