Category: media

From Gilles Deleuze and Stanley Cavell to Stephen Mulhall and Robert Sinnerbrink, an argument has been made that film can be philosophy. Indeed, that cinema can serve philosophy not in some ancillary role – for example, by providing ‘illustrations’ of philosophical problems in classroom settings – but in its own right, with its own means, and in a manner irreducible to the methods of traditional philosophy.

“Idiosyncratic and biased, obfuscatory and boastful, even unctuous and vain, the Hollywood memoir is not going to portray the past in a clear light. But like Sriracha on the table, it’s going to bring the heat and make the meal better. So much better.”

“Cinema can serve philosophy not in some ancillary role – for example, by providing ‘illustrations’ of philosophical problems in classroom settings – but in its own right, with its own means, and in a manner irreducible to the methods of traditional philosophy.” Exhibit A: Rashomon.

Brian Feldman looks at Twitter, Reddit, and especially Tumblr – all of which have enormous user bases but still have trouble turning a profit – and why they’re so friendly to creative expression and sharing but likely doomed never to earn Facebook-level revenues.

“Moonlight grossed $65 million worldwide on a $1.5 million production budget, but the consensus still seems to be that financiers don’t see an audience for these films beyond the LGBTQ community. When they don’t see an audience, they don’t see a profit.” Vanity Fair talks to half a dozen LGBTQ filmmakers about the struggles they continue to face.

This summer has seen a string of utterly failed attempts to get adults into the theaters for raunchy, semi-dark comedies. Why? It might be that “the definition of what makes a good comedy has changed quickly and dramatically in the past year.”

Hollywood plus Afghanistan equals … nothing. “Hollywood movies do not ask the difficult strategic questions. Should the US invade or interfere in countries it knows little about, how do US troops win over local support, is nation building and promotion of democracy feasible by one part of the US government while another part pursues a war strategy? Can the US ever understand tribal societies through the barrel of a gun? Hollywood has left us devoid of any understanding of the escalating global chaos. That is, until now.”

Superheroes. “Grisham didn’t offer any guesses, other than that in recent years, it’s nearly impossible to produce any film that’s not a superhero franchise. ‘Hollywood has changed so much in the last 20 years that it’s just very difficult,’ he said. ‘It’s hard to get a movie made.'”

Indeed, she’s suing FX and Ryan Murphy Productions. “In a complaint filed Friday in L.A. County Superior Court, de Havilland claims she has built a reputation for integrity and dignity by refraining from gossip and other unkind, ill-mannered behavior — but the series opens with Zeta-Jones doing an interview as de Havilland and creates the impression that she was a hypocrite who sold gossip to promote herself.”

Illumination has certainly beaten up Dreamworks Animation, and it’s surpassing Pixar as well, partly by making mid-budget films that then gross wild numbers worldwide. Illusion hires big-name actors, which helps appeal to parents. And “the hooks of its films are almost maddeningly direct. The elevator pitch for each of its films is simple.”