Category: media

Manohla Dargis: “My reviews are a record of what I thought at a given moment. What changes with repeat viewings is how I love a movie, the intensity of that love, what I know about it (what I know about myself), and where I’m at in my life.” A.O. Scott: “I don’t see much point in publicly second-guessing myself. I’d prefer to have readers be the judges of what I got right or wrong. And, of course, the ultimate second-guesser is history.”

In Miral, Schnabel (who is Jewish) “tells the interlinked stories of four Arab women living in Israel, from the state’s creation in 1948 through the Oslo peace process in the mid-’90s.” In a Q&A, he talks about his reasons for approaching the situation from a Palestinian viewpoint and what he makes of all the flack he has gotten over the film.

Avatar grossed more money in China than any other country besides the United States. But Chinese “options for legal viewing of foreign films remain scant. China allows only about 20 foreign movies into theaters each year. With no outlets akin to Netflix, Blockbuster or iTunes legitimately selling or renting a broad selection of titles, Chinese movie buffs opt for illegal Internet downloads or pirated DVDs.”

“A new generation of viewers is watching what has been dubbed social TV – a synthesis between TV and social networking. A recent study from marketing agency Digital Clarity found that 80% of under-25s used a second screen to communicate with friends while watching TV and 72% used Twitter, Facebook or a mobile app to comment on shows.”

The journalists feel tarnished–and know who to blame. “Our problems don’t have much to do with what we do, but with the people who manage what we do.”

“Given the toxic tone of the debate over the last few weeks, neither public media leaders nor station staff are eager to go on the record with their concerns. But behind the scenes, they fret that the most vulnerable dollars are those funding cross-platform, mobile and participatory public media experiments.”

“They provide a window in to the culture of elitism that has corroded NPR’s leadership. They’re willing to do anything in service of any liberal with money. This includes firing me and skewing the editorial content of their programming.”

“Many of the major film festivals understand that an online component is going to become an important part of future festivals — and future films in general. For 2011, Tribeca is hoping to take its digital strategy to the next level by connecting audiences and filmmakers together.”

“Independent studio Lionsgate sold that many tickets to the Matthew McConaughey thriller in its 48-hour promotion, which allowed users to pay $6 to see the movie no matter the price at the theater.”

Call it “post-premise comedy.” We know now, because we have grown sophisticated, that the early episodes or even seasons of a series are often just a sort of booster rocket to deliver the actual, less obviously dramatic but also less predictable payload into orbit.