“In what is the largest upload of historical news content on the video-sharing platform to date, the Associated Press and British Movietone are to host a collection of 550,000 video stories on two YouTube channels. … [That’s] one million minutes of historical video dating back to 1895 – from footage of a hover scooter floating on a cushion of air to Mussolini calling for world peace.” (includes clips of Mandela, Marilyn, MLK, Mount Vesuvius, and man-versus-tank in Tienanmen)
Category: media
What Does TV’s Creep Of The Freudian Uncanny Tell Us About Ourselves?
“Why are viewers so compelled by the weird and inexplicable? Why the increasing glut of uncanny television shows that try to take the world and turn it upside down? Why the clamor to see dead classics resurrected for a second life?”
Reality TV Plus Gender Transition Equals A Surprisingly Thoughtful Show About Caitlyn Jenner
But of course, it’s still (deeply) manipulative: “Performance isn’t inherently bad — even documentaries are works of artifice. But when the mission is to humanize a group of people, credibility counts. Jenner, at one point, wonders whether some of her kids and stepkids haven’t yet visited her because they secretly disapprove of her transition. But the viewer may wonder right back at her whether their absence was planned, so that emotional meet-and-greets could later take place on camera.”
The Career Path Of A Canadian Actress
Rachel McAdams: Being a movie star “wasn’t something I really meditated on or planned for in any way. I really thought I’d be doing theater in Canada. I’d grown up doing children’s theater there, and I always imagined myself being artistic director of a children’s theater company.”
BBC Faces Its Toughest Political Fight Yet
“There are two fundamental grounds for this assault on the BBC. One is connected to neoliberal dogma. Right-wingers ask why a publicly funded body should be asked to produce mass entertainment, when the private sector is capable of carrying out the same function just as well if not better… The second argument is about political bias.”
Monster Box Office: “Jurassic World” Becomes Third-Highest Grossing Movie Of All Time
The dinosaur reboot, which has taken $1.52 billion in ticket sales, now stands behind only Avatar and Titanic’s impressive box office haul.
Average Movie Ticket Prices Hit Record In US
“Going to the movies in the U.S. cost an average of $8.61 during the second quarter of 2015, according to exhibition industry trade group the National Association of Theatre Owners. That surpasses the previous high-water mark of $8.38 from the second quarter of 2013. It’s also a 3.4% increase from the year-ago average of $8.33 and a 6% jump from the first quarter average of $8.12.”
FCC Signals Approval Of AT&T/DirecTV Mega-Merger
“AT&T’s desire to merge with DirecTV isn’t simply about finding more TV customers. Given DirecTV’s capability to deliver TV services nationwide, AT&T can sell more TV-Internet-phone packaged bundles after the merger, including possibly offering Internet services to rural customers using its wireless technology. AT&T is the nation’s second largest wireless carrier.”
Marvel Is On An Epic Streak Of Top Blockbusters
Last weekend, “Ant-Man” became the 12th consecutive Marvel Cinematic Universe movie to open at No. 1 domestically. That stat was thrown around a lot, and it made me wonder how difficult the feat was. It’s pretty tough!
The Ten Most Beautiful Movies Of All Time (Not Best, Mind You; Most Beautiful)
Well, really, it’s ten categories of beautiful movie (Chinese historical epic, classic Hollywood black-and-white, Terrence Malick movie, wordless montage of landscapes, Stanley Kubrick film, etc.) and the Cinefix guys’ favorite examples of each type. Plenty to argue about (e.g., Days of Heaven isn’t there, and neither are any of the Qatsi films). (video)