Category: media

Why do American movies have such a difficult time dealing with sex? “Is there a fear of dealing with grown-up sexuality in movies? Absolutely. Movies are intentionally sexy without being sexual, because puerile teasing is a kind of salesmanship. The sad corollary is the preponderance of violence in American films. A foreigner judging the United States by its films would think Americans spend more time running from exploding fireballs than having sex. The reluctance to depict explicit sexuality in mainstream films might be attributed to the times, but major directors quietly acknowledge their interest in making films about sex and its consequences.”

The movies took in more money in July than they did last July. But the increase was due to ticket price increases. “Estimated admissions for the month of July were 194.1 million, down 4% from the 202.5 million tallied during the comparable period in 2002. In a historical context, it was only the 10th highest admission count for the month of July in the past 11 years.”

Animation isn’t just for kids anymore. “A host of new, cutting-edge animated shows is set to debut this year and next. Many of them feature brash characters and dysfunctional families, as well as story lines that poke fun at societal and cultural taboos. The new shows, also on such cable channels as Showtime and the Sci Fi Channel, along with the earlier success of “The Simpsons,” “South Park” and Adult Swim’s “Space Ghost Coast to Coast,” prove that TV animation – once dismissed as kids’ stuff – is finally being taken seriously.”

For a long time Hollywood has this idea about what constituted a “black film.” But that idea has begun to change as African-Americans take on new roles both in front of and behind the cameras.

San Francisco may well be the most photogenic city in America, and its seemingly endless supply of landmarks, ocean views, and stunning architecture once made it a favorite of Hollywood filmmakers. But the city’s film fortunes have fallen off considerably in recent years, and with California mired in a horrific budget crisis, local leaders are desperate to find a way to draw some of the Hollywood cash they used to depend on back to the Bay Area.

We’ve grown accustomed to seeing the flickering light of the television screen wherever we look, but the advertising industry just keeps finding new ways to force us to watch more of their brain-deadening dreck, says Frazier Moore. Whether it’s automated video screens in New York cabs, droning ads broadcast from above our heads at Wal-Mart, or the endless lineup of sports, weather, and news blaring at us from every neighborhood bar, the television offensive has become… well, offensive. “Who needs this video force-feeding! If cigarettes can be banned, why no regulation of TV in public places? Why, if not a total ban, at least a mandatory non-viewing section?”

“English- and French-language Canadian Broadcasting Corp. stations rose from 9.5 per cent of audience share in 1998 to nearly 11 per cent in 2002, taking third place overall. This spot was the longtime domain of country music, until it was pushed out by talk radio in 2001.”

The latest ratings show that BBC Radio 1 is losing great numbers of listeners. “Radio 1 is now listened to by fewer than 9.9 million people per week – the lowest since a new method of counting was introduced in 1999. Under a previous counting method, it attracted 16.5 million 10 years ago.”

Many movie stunts are dangerous and take days or weeks of set up and planning. But a software company has “developed a simulation system that lets them swiftly generate action sequences that would ordinarily demand the skills of a stuntman. The AI system controlling the bodies of the simulated stuntmen means they fall, run, move and react like real people.”

With each year movie special effects get more and more sophisticated. Indeed, in Hollywood some believe that CGI effects are a realistic substitute for reality. And yet, all the whiz-bang has overloaded audiences to the point that many are immune to technical wizardry. The bottom line? There’s still no substitute for a good story…