by JB
I was introduced to JM Film Resins when the Kodak Clubhouse in Hollywood hosted a kind of "film lovers’ farmers market" last fall. JM (who is NOT a farmer in the traditional sense, TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE) set up a table and was showing off his wares. What he does is so freaking cool: he takes 35mm and 70mm trailers and film prints, selects iconic and representative frames, and seals them in clear resin. This allows one to own an artifact of a beloved work of cinema in a new, tangible way. 
My son Jake (the "K" stands for "Kodak") texted me pictures of a resin cast he thought I might particularly like: It held 18 separate frames from the 1938 Real-Art reissue trailer for a double feature of the original Universal Dracula and Frankenstein. I was surprised; I had never seen that particular trailer before. The selection of frames was exquisite. I proceeded to pester my son constantly and successfully—he was moved to gift the item to me for my birthday, probably to shut me up. Score!
It is sitting on my desk right now, looking over my shoulder as I write this. It has become one of my favorite things. I hold it up to the light and look at the individual film frames almost every day. They always bring a smile. I own a piece of the movie and can interact with it during spare moments of ennui.
This is not a paid endorsement; I simply wanted to share a bit of this movie joy with any readers who may be interested. JM Film Resins has an Etsy shop where he offers a bewildering variety of these unique collectables. Most of the “slabs” measure 6” X 6” and feature between four and 24 frames, depending on the original trailer’s film gauge. He has a special Lord of the Rings version, featuring all three films in the trilogy, that measures 18” X 6.” It’s a “triple wide.” The Interstellar version features only four frames, but they are huge IMAX 70mm frames. Here is an incomplete list of his current offerings.
2001: A Space Odyssey
Across the Universe
Annie (1982)
Alice in Wonderland
Alien
Aliens
American Psycho
Back to the Future
Back to the Future 2
Beetlejuice
Big Fish
The Big Lebowski
Boogie Nights
Casablanca
Casino
Cinema Paradiso
City of God
Coraline
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Dark Knight
The Devil Wears Prada
ET: The Extraterrestrial
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Fast and the Furious
Fight Club
From Russia with Love
Godfather
Godfather, Part II
Goldeneye
Grease
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Home Alone
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
The Hunger Games
Inception
Interstellar (70mm)
Iron Man
Jaws
Lady and the Tramp
Live and Let Die
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Lords of Dogtown
Magnolia
Mary Poppins
Memento
Midnight in Paris
Moonstruck
Mrs. Doubtfire
Mulholland Drive
The Mummy (1999)
Nacho Libre
Ponyo
Princess Bride
Raging Bull
Rush Hour
Silence of the Lambs
Star Trek VI
Star Wars, Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith
Thelma and Louise
There Will Be Blood
The Thing (1992)
Thunderball
Titanic
Tombstone
Top Gun
Twister
White Christmas
Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day
The Wizard of Oz
Yellow Submarine
Young Frankenstein
You’ve Got Mail...
and that’s just the first two pages of his Etsy site.
This is one of the most fun film tchotchkes I have ever seen, and I have seen (and purchased) a LOT of film tchotchkes. Few have provided such a tangible connection to film as a physical medium.
Could one argue that these resin casts are a little pricey? Maybe. Out here in Movieland, they're about the price of a "decent" dinner out for me and my wife. (They're two or three times the cost of a "normal" dinner out, when we sit across from each other at Firehouse Subs and splurge on TWO whole fountain drinks because they have a Coke Freestyle. We split one order of french fries.) My wife is also nice enough to look at “the slab” in the sunlight, but she refuses to sit patiently on my desk until I feel like looking at her.
That said, I feel... should you purchase one... it will fill your heart with such joy and wonder... that it may add years to your life! And there’s really no way to put a price on that kind of thing... is there?
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