Manohla Dargis and A.O. Scott: “The most popular movies and the movies we love most aren’t always the ones that shape the industry, reflect the times or change the terms of cultural discourse — for better or worse. The films on the first list, whether we like them or not …, made a difference in the world of entertainment and beyond.” (also includes ten favorites from each critic) – The New York Times
Category: media
After Five Years, Are We Really Sure We Know Who Hacked Sony Pictures?
“The massive cyberattack just before Thanksgiving 2014 crippled a studio, embarrassed executives and reshaped Hollywood. The FBI blamed a North Korea scheme to retaliate for the comedy The Interview, but many whose lives were upended have doubts.” – The Hollywood Reporter
Netflix Buys Manhattan’s Last Single-Screen Movie Theatre
On Monday, Netflix announced that it has reached an agreement to continue leasing the Paris Theater space and keep it open for special events, screenings, and theatrical releases. “After 71 years, the Paris Theatre has an enduring legacy, and remains the destination for a one-of-a kind movie-going experience.” – New York Magazine
Hollywood’s Blockbusters Are Squeezing Out Everything Else
“These huge franchise pictures are elbowing out midrange and lower-budget movies. It’s harder for midsize movies to get theaters in the first place, much less hold onto them long enough to build an audience.” – The New York Times
Has Instagram Killed The Job Of The Paparazzi?
Perhaps, and also perhaps by design. In 2010, Instagram (before it was bought by Facebook), “that free photo-sharing app with a hipster sheen, hit the iPhone. Several months later, Justin Bieber — the biggest star to take to the platform — posted a moody shot of Los Angeles traffic, and suddenly, we weren’t snapping hungrily at the window of a famous person’s car anymore. We were in the passenger seat. As more celebrities signed up, we gained access to their kitchens and bedrooms and closets and bathrooms. Celebrity culture moved inside. It was domesticated.” – The New York Times
The Astonishing Breadth Of Turn-Of-The-Century French Director Alice Guy-Blache’s Career
Guy-Blaché is well-known among film scholars, but the film world and the world at large? Not so much. Quick summary: “Starting out as a secretary at Gaumont Studios in Paris, she began directing her own films in 1896 before taking on oversight of the company’s motion-picture production. She emigrated to the United States with her husband in 1907 to promote Gaumont’s Chronophone technology and, several years later, established and headed up her own studio, Solax, in Fort Lee, New Jersey.” – Los Angeles Review of Books
In Italy, Voice Actors Can Win Dubbing Oscars
Americans deride dubbing, but for much of the world, it’s a lot more pleasant than subtitles. They’re extra good at it in Italy, and thus there are awards: “The dozen-odd categories recognized excellence in voice dubbing, but also sound mixing, and story and dialogue adaptations. Capturing nuances like jokes and figures of speech are key elements of successfully transposing an audiovisual product, whether it’s a film, a TV series, a cartoon or even a video game, from one language to another.” – The New York Times
Mid-Level Movies Are Dying
And, obviously, blockbusters are killing them. (The cheap little awards-bait movies, the under-$20-million movies, might be OK.) – The New York Times
Who Was The World’s First Movie Star? (And Why Haven’t We Heard Of Him Before?)
Until now, the honor had been thought to belong to Florence Lawrence (“the Biograph Girl”), who became famous under her own name following an outrageous publicity stunt by her new studio in 1910. But new research has found that a French slapstick comedian called Max Linder was marketed as “Max” by 1907 and under his full name by 1909. He became famous in both Europe and Hollywood, and Charlie Chaplin considered him a major influence — yet he was forgotten after his bloody death in 1925. – The Guardian
Formal ‘Directing Nudity And Simulated Sex’ Guidelines Created For British Filmmakers
“Launched by Directors UK, the professional association for screen directors, the guidelines were, according to the organization, ‘born of the need to set clear and shared professional expectations that apply to everyone involved in making sensitive content, with the aim that they will become standard working practice within the industry.'” – The Hollywood Reporter