Category: media

The Disney/Fox Merger Has Forever Changed Hollywood

Disney and Netflix offer the two clearest visions of Hollywood’s future. The former is a media company that’s as old-fashioned as they come, trying to make movies that will pull audiences en masse to the theater. The latter is a tech company that’s largely uninterested in the theater business but has won subscriber loyalty by offering a wealth of viewing options. As the cinema business continues to evolve, perhaps only the biggest films will survive as in-theater experiences, with streaming becoming an equally profitable venue.  – The Atlantic

How Video Game Addiction Works

Many gamers seemed to struggle to find their place in society. “In our modern meritocratic society, you don’t have an obvious place in the way people used to have. You have to create it for yourself. That’s complicated. Fleeing into the more regulated world of the game—a Manichaean populist worldview—is an easy way out.” – The Atlantic

The Strategies That Helped Lupita Nyong’o Make Her Voice Super Creepy For ‘Us’

Nyong’o heard a speaker (Robert F. Kennedy Jr.) with a neurological order that makes the larynx spasm involuntarily – and then, of course, she worked with a vocal coach to inject the emotions that inspire the character. Her director, Jordan Peele, didn’t know what she was doing until preproduction. “‘She sat me down and said ‘Are you ready?’’ the director recalled. He wasn’t.” – The New York Times

In The WGA Versus The Talent Agencies, Showrunners And Screenwriters Back Their Union

The issues concern who gets fees for packaging TV shows and movies (the agents get those fees now), and whether agencies have conflicts of interest around certain shows. But the point is that “the letter of support issued Saturday is significant because of the immense clout showrunners and prominent screenwriters possess in Hollywood.” – Variety

Many American Film Critics Missed This, But ‘Suspiria’ Is About The Guilt At The Heart Of German History

The more German history you know – no, not only about the Nazis, but yes also about the Nazis – the more you’ll understand how very, very much cultural work this movie is doing. The movie “explores the trauma of our world by embedding [a] fable in a historical past which holds terrifying prospects for our future.” – Medium

Apple’s TV Plans: Not So Much Netflix Competitor As Seller Of Shows

Apple’s main focus — at least for now — will be helping other people sell streaming video subscriptions and taking a cut of the transaction. Apple may also sell its own shows, at least as part of a bundle of other services. But for now, Apple’s original shows and movies should be considered very expensive giveaways, not the core product. – Recode

Disney Wastes No Time: Replaces Senior Leadership At 21st Century Fox

Fox employees knew that when Disney wrapped up its $71.3 billion acquisition of much of 21st Century Fox’s film and television assets, thousands of jobs would be eliminated. But, as they found out on Thursday, there is a difference between anticipating a painful future and watching that feared reality come to pass. The ax fell at the film division with brutal efficiency, wiping away much of the senior leadership at Fox’s marketing, distribution, and consumer products arms. – Variety

‘The Joe Rogan Experience ‘, The Bizarro ‘Fresh Air’ Of The Intellectual Dark Web

Justin Peters: “Listening to the show is sort of like crashing an intense, intimate dinner party in which the only courses are whiskey and weed. … The Joe Rogan Experience has become one of the internet’s foremost vectors for anti-wokeness. With its mellow, welcoming vibe, its pretense of common sense, and its general reluctance to push back on any of its guests’ ideas save for only the battiest, the podcast has become the factory where red pills get sugarcoated. So how did Rogan — the Fear Factor guy! — become the Larry King of the Intellectual Dark Web? Don’t ask him.” – Slate