Like many of the interweb's denizens, I love a good GIF. This little looped bit of animation allows us to express our many emotions in a vivid way while tapping into our pop culture-addled brains. The gleeful expressiveness of this medium is exactly why I began implementing GIFs into my reviews for movies like A Good Day to Die Hard , G.I. Joe: Retaliation , and The Hangover Part III. Because when words fail, say it with a GIF.
But the other aspect of GIFs that has taken off is their unique ability to capture a moment in moving images in an almost magical way. And that's what makes the 40 movie GIFs collected on the blog Seriously for Real? so spectacular. They nearly look like they're alive. We've plucked a few of our favorites here, but be sure to check out their site for the complete collection.
The Runaways
Batman Returns
Akira
Lawrence Of Arabia
Far from the wackiness GIFfing is known for, most of these are subtle, even delicate. Whether it's a big budget science-fiction adventure like Prometheus or a gritty little indie drama like Winter's Bone, each GIF captures a moment of simple motion and so allows us to revel in it and its simple beauty. Look how the flame of Lawrence's match or John McClane's lighter flickers. Observe the way snow wafts around dueling Catwomen of Batman Returns and The Dark Knight Rises. Or wallow in the despair of the looped imagery from Fantastic Mr. Fox and Akira. GIFs this glorious are easy to get lost in.
