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Way back in 1908, (We did the math for you: 118 years ago) a frenchman by the name of Émile Cohl created what is widely considered to be the first animated film, Fantasmgorie. Through its one minute and seventeen second length, the film tells the tale of a stick figure protagonist who goes through a…
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Ah, Valentine’s Day is nearly upon us… Love is in the air. (Along with general dread, but let’s try to keep it light…) You might be wondering just what movie to watch with that special someone this weekend. Well, look no further than the first two-thirds of the greatest indie romance trilogy: Richard Linklater’s Before…
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The Academy Awards are almost here (March 15th, 2026), and while a lot of the films fall outside of what we’d consider the “scrappy” type, the shorts, and in particular the animated shorts, of course exhibit a lot of independent, scrappy ethos. One of these films is Papillon (Butterfly). This animated short, which follows the…
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There was a time not so long ago, when it was a really big deal when a movie was shot with a phone. But it’s already been eleven(!) years since Sean Baker shot his feature Tangerine on three iPhone 5s devices. (aside: I used “device” to not figure out the proper way to make ‘5s’…
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Evil, bad characters, doing evil, bad things. Dystopian futurescapes where bleakness rules. These are some of the hallmarks of most science fiction these days. And yes, the times we live in are enough to make it easy to identify with these possible futures. But science fiction is also uniquely positioned to provide hope and optimism:…
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Let’s get the obvious part out of the way: The potential merger of Netflix and Warner Brothers will be bad for “the industry.” Many jobs will be lost, and the number of films made for theaters could plummet. (Although Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos says they’re committed to releasing Warner Brothers films in theaters.) That much…
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Every film set is different, and every director brings their own style to set. I always find it intriguing to see the “vibe” of a set, and to think about how it relates to our perception of the director, or their films. Previously, we had a glimpse of Sean Baker’s style during The Florida Project.…
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For many, rooting for a favorite team is not a casual activity. And one of the most passionate fan bases is that of the Philadelphia Eagles. Generations watch the games together, shared moments and unspoken bonds are formed. But what happens when you lose a loved one who you’ve shared that bond with? How do…
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One of the great things about Scrappy Cinema is that we’re “human-sized.” Meaning, we can reply to all of our emails, respond on Instagram, and take the time to really learn more about people who choose to follow us here and on Instagram. (Thank you, by the way!) So now I’d like to try to…
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The new year means a new batch of movies, songs, illustrations, and paintings have entered the public domain. In fact, we previously mentioned the Internet Archive’s Remix film contest, promoting the use of public domain materials. A quick copyright primer: United States copyright law, is, to put it mildly, not perfect. But one of the…