Category: media

“The current Beat revival arguably goes too far with its re-imagination of the Beat writers’ livelihoods as simple adolescent goofing around … This crop of films diminishes what was so radical about the Beat Generation in the first place: their iconoclastic approach to life, which extended far beyond their 20s and into adulthood proper.”

“The site — piracydata.org — shows that of the top 10 most pirated movies in the past week, none are available for streaming, three were available for digital rental and six were available for digital purchase.”

“While it’s far from certain how this will play out in the years ahead, it’s very clear that something has to change fundamentally with the current TV model.”

“TV has always been social and conversation-driven. It’s just that in the past, the reach of that conversation was limited by the number of people in a room or who you could talk to on the phone or the next day at the watercooler. Broadcasters have come to understand that Twitter is a force multiplier for the media they’ve created.”

“These movies passed muster because they didn’t encourage people to dabble in the dark arts; they warned people. More to the point, they acknowledged the existence of God, the influence of Satan, and the truth of the Bible.”

“We are in a great era of choice. Or so we are told. But what if the ideal TV viewing of the future offers less choice, not more? What if we have reached a tipping point and the winners in the race to entertain the nation will be those providers that can bring valuable content into people’s homes in the simplest way?”

Adults (that is, people over 24) are thronging to “Gravity” in 3D, and pushing up box office receipts as a result.

“Almodóvar criticised the finance minister, Cristobal Montoro, for a hike in VAT on tickets which has been widely blamed for causing many cinemas to shut, with the loss of hundreds of jobs.”

“In future, if artists have to rely almost exclusively on the income from these services, they’ll be out of work within a year.”

“Today’s youngsters simply can’t imagine the overwhelming power of the cultural transformation that was made possible by the invention of the VCR.”