Side By Side

Interesting if somewhat unwieldy and unfocused documentary, which imparts views from a wide range of industry experts and veterans on the digital vs film debate. Would have helped if the number of participants had been pruned, and the more knowledgeable allowed to speak in more detail (what was Malkovich doing there?), but the information provided is interesting, if a little dry at times. Reeves proves to be a fine interviewer, but his sleepy narration is deadly at times.

Film was nice. The future is digital even though digital is not yet where it needs to be. There. I just saved you 2 hours of talking heads. The film tries to much and does too little. Individual stories like Lucas filming 'Attack of the Clones' on digital or Dod Mantle's journey from 'Festen' to winning best cinematography drowns out among "and then this camera came and then this camera was made and then another digital camera came on the market." Keanu is surprisingly alive in this on though.

Interesting, but man do I get tired of people viciously defending the outdated technology they know and love. I assumed that directors were forward-looking visionaries! But often, it was like listening to some hipster brag about why he only listens to vinyl, "it's more soulful, man"... or why he eschews ebooks because he likes the "weight" or "smell" of physical books.

Nicely tracked history of digital filmmaking from an artistic perspective. It does a good job of getting a lot of voices in without losing their individual perspectives. The subject matter is really interesting , as is the way the film ties the technical and the creative ends together and shows how they can both complement each other and hinder each other.

Sets out to be a compare and contrast of film versus digital before morphing into a simple documentation of the inevitable transition to digital. Also becomes a bit unfocused, going beyond talking to directors and cinematographers in order to include VFX artists and Malkovich which only serve to waste time that could have been spent on the more central and interesting "cast." Some very interesting content, but overall spread a bit too thin.

Quite boring really, although there's a huge amount of A-listers giving their opinions. The presented facts are pretty much common knowledge.

It fails to ever really make an argument (and I zoned out when they talked about 3D), but it's still an engaging, interesting and entertaining tour through the last couple decades of cinematography. Some fun interviews by Reeves. (I do kind of wish they'd made it a couple years later, since Skyfall is probably the best cinematic argument to date in favor of digital.)

Pretty cool if you're interested in film making. Pretty informative, but drags on sometimes

Well-made overview of the transition from film to digital with contributions from a lot of A-list filmmakers and a surprisingly engaging Reeves hosting. I would have liked to have heard a from a few more real visionaries such as Herzog, who had a nightmare experience with Red cameras. Also some side by side comparisons of digital and film footage would have been interesting to illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of each.

Worth a watch for anyone interested in how movies are made. Also nice tidbits of information from sets of great movies.

Loads of interviews withdirectors who had a huge impact on digital film creation (it's the only topic where Lucas has actually something to say). Needed more Lynch (I could listen to that guy for hours). For me the topic was very interesing and the film quite informative but I can understand that some might be bored by it. Recommended for true lovers of cinema.

I learned a lot from this and wasn't bored at all.

No matter how knowledgeable you are on the tools of film, you're bound to learn a thing or two from this doco -- it's so informative without leaving its viewers befuddled. There's also plenty of differing opinions from many film-makers and technological pioneers, each one given the same respect as the last. Only bad thing here is that, although Reeves provokes interesting conversation from these folk, he delivers a pretty naff voice-over.

Pretty good. Keanu's a surprisingly great interviewer and it delivers the pros and cons of both sides of the debate. Also, James Cameron once again proves himself to be a tool, which is nice. Avatar sucked bro.

Since decent move industry docs are pretty hard to find, I may be overrating this, but I found the clash of technology and tradition very interesting. Reeves did well.

I liked the amount of history lesson and opinions of the great masters, but all in one were too much. Document was long and stretched; the amount of new info was limited.

Interesting for the VERY interested. But as a investigative, storytelling documentary it is quite mediocre.

Interesting, well-made documentary with a huge, varied roster of interview subjects. Can be a little patronising at times, but very much worth watching.

What Nolan said.

Pleasant documentary which tries to demystify some of the technological elements behind traditional and digital film-making, while also showing some of the faces of the D.O.P's and behind-the-scenes people on films. Particularly interesting to hear the tales of digital evangelists like Soderbergh, Von Trier and Anthony Dod Mantle. Even though as a film fan I didn't learn much new from this doc, it did inspire me to go and seek out a few of the films I've missed.

Old people are afraid of change. David Fincher was the only person in this who seemed to speak with no pretensions. Couldn't they have just talked to him?

This movie gave me an even deeper appreciation for movies and film than I ever realized possible. I love movies more than most people already and this very well made me want to watch EVEN more movies. I can't get enough. the history of film into the digital era is told through many different peoples Point of view, from Directors down to color technicians. its very engaging and interesting if you are into learning about what you watch.

it's a cute effort by keanu, even though he sounds like he's voicing a 5th grader documentary. it's kinda sad that digital technology is championed by the likes of lucas and cameron while guys like nolan are on the conservative side.

An entertaining if unexciting doc that more than anything taught me a whole bunch of stuff I didn't know about shooting on film, being a heathen youngster. You can't even watch a take back? That's fucking MENTAL

This was informative and consistently interesting, which is all I really want from a documentary. It was also refreshing, if not outright shocking, to see George Lucas make sense on... anything. I understand the nostalgia for film, and even holding out for it while digital found its footing, but the footing's been found and it's time for the transition to finalize. Recommended for film lovers of all kinds.

Keanu was actually a pretty great interviewer. He's better at this than he is at acting.

Essential viewing for film lovers, and good enough to be an enjoyable for a casual film fan as well. It does a good job of presenting the history of digital technology. Where it really shines is how it presents filmmakers' and cinematographers' take on how film v. digital affects their actual filmmaking decisions.

Overlong and unfocused. Should have been slimmed down, people wise and let the real pro's do the talking. All in all an informative docu, albeit far from great. Fincher is a cool dude, old news, I know.

I don't really know what the point of this is besides just outlining the history of the creation of digital, and explaining the basic differences between digital and film. It seems to be mourning the loss of film in some respects but it never really outlines a thesis. Regardless, the line-up of directors and cinematographers here to be interviewed is outstanding. Keanu's presence feels a little intrusive at times, but generally he does a good job interviewing the all-star line-up he's assembled.

Christopher Nolan and Wally Pfister are such huge pompous douchebags. Best villain combo in film. This might be the coolest documentary of all time on the basis that it's about film vs. digital, but it's really about society, evolution, generational disconnect, resistance to progress, and the inability to embrace innovation out of fear.

Cool documentary. I don't even know why people watch movies anymore. Documentaries are so much better.

The cinematographers and editors were very interesting and Keanu Reeves was a great interviewer, but the film is definitely at its best when it shows great directors, such as Danny Boyle, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Soderbergh.

I thought I'd see more on controversy on transition to digital, turns out almost everybody is convinced already. So this documentary is more a case of what happened in the last two decades. Personally I love the gadgets I have that enables me to realize the things a studio was capable of a decade ago.

Nicely balanced between the technical stuff, the history, the examples and the personal opinions.

It's a little deceiving, initially presenting itself as an investigation about battling perspectives, the advantages and disadvantages of film versus digital. But then the defenders of celluloid are edited into an afterthought, and it becomes a case for the digital revolution... and it's convincing. Keanu Reeves as narrator might not be the wisest choice, but the decision to include him so much on camera moves the film from interview piece into something more conversational.

Very interesting but the narration can get a bit tedious at times

Must see for film fans.

Reeves is fine as an interviewer, but his voiceover narration can be really dreary. Other than that, a good documentary.

Very interesting, doesn't take sides, rather just lets the film makers, cinematographers and manufacturers have their point of view.

"This is, like, the end of film. Whoa."

The movie doesn't show you a new perspective, can allow you to know more bout the cameras if you are really green and can show you a few interesting bits of info. Overall the commentary was the worst part of the movie, you dont know where it's going and why Keanu Reeves represents the interviewer? also the directors are most of the time talking like they are in a commercial which makes a whole "documentary" look... pathetic.

Nice little overview of the film to digital crossover, and like with all things, the not so smooth transition. A lot of big names sticking to their sides but still a good watch.

Considering the big names interviewed here the lack of real insight into the debate is a bit of a disappointment. We hear who prefers what and brief reasons why, but there were about two snippets of info I didn't know already and I'm hardly an expert on the subject. For a documentary critiquing the film process, the ADD editing job (where talking heads are rarely allowed to finish a sentence) is rather ironic.

Best permonces by Reeves in almost two decades. Go, digital.

bit uneven but very satisfying experience. its quite sloppily and annoyingly directed, but theres also a great story being told and theres lots and lots of interesting people being interviewed. at the same time, geez there are some conservative fuckfaces out there.

Stunning documentary for every film lover or for anyone who is interested in the contemporary stream of things in this field.

It's interesting, and keen to present both sides of film verses digital. I like how Keanu gets out of the way of his interviewees, good job given the people he has gotten here. Worth a watch if you want to know how the movie sausage is made.

I have no memory of why I chose this ranking or much of anything about this film at all.

It's a satisfying exercise to watch this a decade after it came out, because I can't tell the difference between film and digital anymore. Supposedly there are still plenty of movies shot on film in 2023. The back and forth in Side by Side works to keep the audience engaged, and the plethora of industry experts guarantees a thoughtful discussion.

"Side by Side" features Keanu Reeves interviewing many of the biggest and most influential modern filmmakers as they look back on the transition and ongoing debate between traditional film and digital advancements, and how the changes have affected both independent and big budget studio productions; definitely worth checking out for those interested.

Severely unfocused, but there is enough personal interviews to make it interesting.