'Side by Side' - Movie Review

A movie about the world's conversion from photochemical to digital film creation, with Keanu Reeves interviewing a variety of the biggest names in film - several directors (James Cameron, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Steven Soderbergh, to name only a few), a lot of directors of photography, and several actors. He details the rapid progression of digital technology, from the nascent scene around 1999 when the first few movies were filmed on it (and looked awful) up to 2012 (when this film was made) by which time camera companies had essentially ceased to produce photochemical film cameras. Several of the directors and D.P.s bemoaned the slow death of film, but most were ready to embrace the rapidly improving digital. They cover the history of the cameras and the technical qualities of them, the editing process, and even projection.

Reeves isn't the man to do a voice-over: his voicing is too flat. But when he's on screen, it's clear that he's fascinated by this stuff (he was also one of the producers on the film), and he's a decent interviewer. To me, the movie was wonderful: the incredible technological progression, the fantastic line-up of some of the greatest minds in cinema. Not for everybody, but for those who are into photography, cinematography, and technology - a must-see.