Andrew O’Hehir: “When you observe the intense and unfeigned public response to those stories, and the symbolic media warfare they provoke, it becomes not just meaningless but dangerous to insist that such things are inherently trivial, or serve only to distract the citizenry from Serious Issues and Real News.”
Category: media
Showtime Launches Standalone Streaming App
“With the OTT strategy, Showtime — which has nearly 24 million pay-TV subs — is looking to reach so-called cord-nevers and cord-cutters, who don’t have an interest in traditional cable or satellite plans.”
FIFA’s Bad Week Continues As Its Puff Film Flops – Seriously – In The U.S.
“Frédéric Auburtin’s film, funded by the football governing body and starring Tim Roth as Sepp Blatter, scored $607 from its 10-cinema limited run, according to the Hollywood Reporter. One cinema, the FilmBar in Phoenix, Arizona, reported one ticket sold, a site take of $9.”
10 Contemporary Italian Filmmakers You Should Know
They make films about sex, society, violence, the city, the country, gender … and so much more.
Drive-In Theatres (Remember Them?) Began 82 Years Ago In New Jersey
“The nation’s first drive-in theater could hold 500 cars and promised ‘motorists and their guests will see and hear talking pictures while they smoke, talk, or partake of refreshments without annoying others in the audience.'”
When You Nostalgia-Watch – And Then Figure Out The Villains Are Actually The Good Ones
“Leona Barrett, Lean On Me. … She’s a parent/activist who seems genuinely committed to getting the best possible outcome for all the children of Paterson. She’s also absolutely right: keeping every entrance and exit chained and locked is an unconscionable fire hazard and Clark never should have done it.”
After Protests, Death Threats, And Knife Attack, Morocco Bans Film About Sex Workers
“The film, Much Loved, by the Moroccan filmmaker Nabil Ayouch, includes scenes of prostitutes in Marrakesh partying, speaking raunchy Arabic and servicing wealthy Saudi clients. Within few days after the May 19 premiere [at Cannes], the clips had received more than two million views on YouTube. The movie became the subject of protests outside Parliament in Rabat and of heated discussions on social networks in Morocco and France.”
How Streaming Is Changing The Content Of TV and Movies
“The very fact that we’re streaming, that they make so much money in syndication with streaming on Amazon, I think extends the life of the show. Also creatively it’s given us more freedom. We don’t get the talk that, “You’ve got to reach out to the younger audience. You’ve got to do this, you’ve got to do that, or you’re going to be dead in a year.” It really frees us up.”
The Case From ‘Serial’ Gets A Sequel Podcast – With More New Evidence
“If the listeners who were hooked by Serial have tuned into Undisclosed – a follow-up podcast from different producers – they may find themselves surprised by how much there is left to discover about the murder and investigation that followed. If Serial‘s thesis is that facts are elusive, Undisclosed‘s counterpoint seems to be that the past is less murky than you might think.”
Serious Filmmakers Are Trying Out 3-D – So Why Aren’t They Taking It Seriously?
Daniel Engber: “I’ve been looking forward to the moment when 3-D emerges as a mode unto itself – not a gimmick or a money-making adjunct to the standard fare but an art form of its very own. … With some notable exceptions, the new breed of uppity 3-D seems less like an exploration of the format than an exercise in camp appropriation – a way of punching up at corporate greed and spoofing Hollywood excess.”