Category: media

Eight mobile cinemas are hitting the roads of Afghanistan, bringing movies to Afghans, many of whom have never seen one. “Last year, the mobile cinema attracted 450,000 people in six weeks. This year the goal is ambitious; we hope to attract 900,000 Afghans.”

“Since the fall of Communism in 1989, Prague has emerged as one of the world’s favorite low-price, high-quality locations for filmmakers who want to shave 30 percent or more off the cost of a major production. But as the Czech Republic prepares to join the European Union next May, producers and film service companies here fear that unless they act quickly they may soon price themselves out of the market.”

As Hollywood animation studios retire their traditional paper-and-ink projects in favor of 3D computer animation, the culture of animators is changing. “The shifting landscape inside Hollywood’s animation studios has created an unexpected culture clash between artists who were raised in the tradition of Pinocchio and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and those who came of age with Toy Story.”

The new Lara Croft movie is out, and though it’s James Bondian bent makes it more action movie than archaeological thriller, Croft does play a fantasy archaeologist. So Archaeology Magazine had an archaeologist review the film. His verdict? “For all its entertainment value, there’s nothing here of any redeeming value in terms of archaeology.”

Hollywood traditionally shoots its films in L.A., New York, and, when there are budget concerns, Canada. But in recent years, a revitalized and newly sexy Philadelphia has become increasingly popular with filmmakers looking to bring a distinctive look to their sets. “‘Philadelphia has a vibe — it doesn’t feel like Boston or New York,’ says actor/director Kevin Bacon, a Philly native. ‘There are a tremendous amount of looks you can get. You have a downtown that feels like an urban center, and you’re not gonna find as many diverse working-class neighborhoods elsewhere.'”

Producers and critics have been talking about it for years, but now, it appears that interactive television may finally be ready for a trial run. “And this time around, enhanced TV isn’t limited to television screens. Microsoft is teaming up with developers to create new forms of interactive content for the Xbox platform, and they’re targeting wider audiences than gamers alone.” But one industry exec is a bit doubtful that Americans actually want to interact with what they watch: “Audiences are lazy and TV still caters to the lowest common denominator… ETV has to be so simple that they can do it half-baked and horizontal on the couch.”

“The House voted yesterday to block the Federal Communications Commission from imposing rules that would allow the nation’s biggest broadcasting companies to buy more television stations, setting up a potential showdown with the White House… The legislation would prohibit the FCC from spending any money to carry out its decision last month to allow individual companies to own television stations that reach as much as 45 percent of the national audience. The House measure would keep the limit at 35 percent.” The FCC’s vote in favor of deregulation had sparked an unexpected wave of consumer outrage when it was announced this spring.

Remember when movies just had one title? These days, it seems as if no summer blockbuster could be complete without a title of ridiculous length, with a colon in the middle. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. It’s not as if the colon is a new thing in film titles, but with the new popularity of franchise films, studios are embracing the chance to squeeze in one more repetition of the franchise title.

Last week, the head of BBC Radio One boasted that fully 30% of the music played on his station is by UK artists. Neil McCormick doesn’t understand what is supposed to be impressive about that. After all, should not the flagship network of Britain have a bit more of a commitment to homegrown music than 3 of every 10 songs? As to Radio One’s claim that it is merely reflecting British preferences for “global music,” McCormick is unmoved. “A quick glance at their playlists will establish that most of the other 70 per cent is accounted for by American releases,” which is not exactly what most listeners would call world music.

America may have more child stars than we know what to do with, but the film capital of the world has never produced what Iran has: a 14-year-old director whose first feature film is entered in the Venice Film Festival. “Hana Makhmalbaf comes from Iran’s most successful film family… Her first full-length film, Joy of Madness, will compete for the 100,000 euro [$115,000] prize for best debut. It is a documentary about her sister, Samira Makhmalbaf, making her latest film in Afghanistan, and has been chosen for the festival’s critics’ week.” Samira is no stranger to publicity, either, having competed for the top prize at Cannes at the age of 20.