“Quality cinema is turning into more of an elite art form than ever. And that was never the point of the movies.”
Category: media
The Brazilian Soap Opera That Has Become A National Obsession
“Brazilians are known to take their soap operas or novelas seriously, but this one has even surpassed another national passion, exceeding audiences for a recent football final. As well as being a compelling watch, the show is notable for putting Brazil’s growing middle class centre stage where in the past it was the lives of the super wealthy which dominated.”
Lebanon’s Tourism Minister Threatens To Sue “Homeland” Producers Over Depiction Of Beirut
“It was not filmed in Beirut and does not portray the real image of Beirut,” Mr. Abboud told The A.P. Adding that a lawsuit was being contemplated, he said, “The information minister is studying media laws to see what can be done.”
How DVRs Are Killing The Traditional Ratings Game
“Time-shifting in recent years has shown certain viewing patterns. Serialized dramas that compel viewers to hold the narrative thread are DVR fare; live sports events and talent competitions are not. But with DVR usage up by about one-third this season, it’s getting tougher for networks to keep viewers in their sights.”
I Told Lies On To Tell The Truth
Adam Tanner recounts his experience of appearing – at the age of 13, no less – as one of the impostors on the program’s very last episode. (He convinced Barry Nelson and Kitty Carlisle.)
White South African Rappers Use Blackface In Video (Yes, They Really Went There)
“Die Antwoord (Afrikaans for ‘The Answer’), a South African rap-rave duo” – known for trying very hard to be provocative – “have just released a new video for their song ‘Fatty Boom Boom.’ Among the many batshit elements of the NSFW production is a get-up donned by one of the two that looks an awful lot like blackface.”
Is American Cinema Turning To Magical Realism?
“Generation X always had a fondness for surreal diversions and episodes of gentle, self-imposed exile from reality. And this spirit of pothead poesie – not too far from magical realism – has been breaking through with ever-greater frequency as Gen-Xers continue their directorial careers and get closer to the mainstream.”
Saudi Arabia’s Underground Cinema
“In a country with no public cinemas and where only a few films have been shown to the public in more than three decades, it is a radical step: a handful of film-makers in Saudi Arabia has launched a secret cinema group, showing their own films that explore social and political issues such as women’s rights, the lives of migrant workers, urbanisation and the belief in black magic.”
Maggie Smith Has Had Enough Of Hollywood’s Youth Obsession
She argues that studios treat audiences “as if they were five years old. … It seems to me there is a change in what audiences want to see. I can only hope that’s correct, because there’s an awful lot of people of my age around now and we outnumber the others.”
Maggie Smith Is Wrong – There Are Plenty Of Good Movies For Older Audiences
“Two or three years ago, she would have had an unanswerable case. Now, thanks not least to her own exertions, ‘grey cinema’ is booming, with a string of successful films, many British-made … They have done well because they are well-written, well-acted, do not patronise their audiences and tackle serious themes in an intelligent, nuanced way.”