Category: media

“Nontawat Numbenchapol’s documentary Boundary zeroes in on a soldier caught up in the 2011 ‘red shirt’ protests that paralysed Bangkok and led to the deaths of almost 100 people, before following him to his hometown on the Thai-Cambodian border.” The Thai culture ministry’s ban on the movie calls it “a threat to national security and international relations.”

It’s a familiar story: once-fabulous Art Deco movie theater decays along with the neighborhood around it, then gets returned to something like its original splendor in the hope that it will become a destination and economic engine. The faux-Egyptian Louxor (which looks glorious once again) has three screens and will offer classes as well as films to the famously cinephilic people of Paris.

“China’s film and television business generated revenue of $15.5 billion, or 100 billion yuan in local currency, and supported more than 900,000 jobs in 2011, according to a new study by the Motion Picture Assn. and the China Film Distributors and Exhibitors Assn.”

“My perspective is to think, ‘I just have a lot of Internet friends,’ ” said the 26-year-old YouTube star. She acknowledges it is an odd kind of celebrity. She is a DIY digital entertainer who conceives of, stars in, shoots, edits and uploads her own videos — often in a single day.”

“From demanding changes in plot lines that denigrate the Chinese leadership, to dampening lurid depictions of sex and violence, Beijing is having increasing success in pressuring Hollywood into deleting movie content Beijing finds objectionable.”

“In an unusual promotional partnership that starts on May 18, customers at 3,718 Walmart stores in the United States will be able to buy tickets to early screenings of Man of Steel, the coming Superman movie from Warner Brothers.”

“When selling car navigation systems, Japanese retailer Autobacs touts a special add-on: kits that convert the mapping gadgets into televisions, so drivers can watch their favorite shows.”

“Data has already transformed everything from electioneering to sweatshirt manufacturing. If I were a network honcho, I’d be watching Amazon’s experiment carefully–and thinking hard about whether it’s a good idea to add that second Jacuzzi on the deck.”

“In the torrent of often angry, always passionate e-mail I received, one theme predominated: It’s the networks that who have broken faith with viewers.”

“BBC arts programme The Review Show has lost about 80% of its audience in its first airing since controversially moving from BBC Two to BBC Four.”