Side by Side 2012

A.O. Scott, New York Times: For a film geek this movie is absolute heaven, a dream symposium in which directors, cinematographers, editors and a few actors gather to opine on the details of their craft. Read more

John Anderson, Wall Street Journal: The situation is fascinating, and given an illuminating investigation here. Read more

John Hartl, Seattle Times: "Side by Side" is a kind of eulogy for celluloid, beginning with some of the most famous images committed to film: "A Trip to the Moon," "Citizen Kane," "The Wizard of Oz." Read more

Noel Murray, AV Club: The film is about how the digital revolution has changed the ways moviemakers capture, edit, and manipulate images, and it gets practically every famous, relevant person on the record. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: It's this simple: If you like movies, you need to see "Side by Side." Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: You can feel the future, even if some of what you feel is worrying. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: There is great flux in this world, as Side by Side so entertainingly demonstrates, and where it's all headed is both discomforting and exhilarating. Stay tuned. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: A meditation on the ways that art and technology flow into each other. Read more

Jordan Mintzer, Hollywood Reporter: An engrossing and detailed crash course on the digital revolution. Read more

Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: "Side by Side" is a handy overview of recent seismic changes occurring within the industry and unexpectedly essential viewing. Read more

Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: Actors such as Robert Downey Jr. complain that because digital cameras can be reloaded in seconds, there is no time for performers to hang out in their trailers between takes (in protest, he urinated in jars, which he hid all over the sets of Zodiac). Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: An unapologetically serious, geek-friendly documentary, it talks pixels, grain, depth of field and other technical concerns with a variety of directors, cinematographers, special-effects wizards and more. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: Film enthusiasts especially will appreciate this wonky but fascinating documentary about the process of making movies. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: A surprisingly accessible documentary about an often very technical subject - the revolution surrounding Hollywood's rapid conversion from 35mm film to digital technologies. Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: Keanu Reeves is an astute and witty interviewer in Chris Kenneally's vital film. No true movie junkie is going to want to miss Side by Side. Read more

David Wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle: The documentary would have been that much better with a more explicit focus on why the average filmgoer should care. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: A trim, informative 99-minute primer on celluloid film, which to many viewers has a warmth and feel as soothing as buttered popcorn, and the brave new world of digital cinema. Read more

Dave Calhoun, Time Out: Keanu Reeves is a game frontman of this fact-filled, slightly chaotic doc about the rise of digital technology in film. Read more

Keith Uhlich, Time Out: Ever wonder what would happen if Keanu Reeves met David Lynch? Read more

Scott Bowles, USA Today: Alas, if you're someone who enjoys movies as, say, a two-hour escape, you may find this documentary on the death of film at digital's hands a bit too inside baseball. Read more

Leslie Felperin, Variety: Although laid out with such clarity that any layperson could catch the gist of what's being discussed, Side by Side is not afraid to get nitty-gritty about more technical matters. Read more

Michelle Orange, Village Voice: Even disinterested viewers will have complicated feelings about the aesthetic, practical, and philosophical questions director Chris Kenneally poses about his subject. Read more