Category: media

“The Hurt Locker” has taken in only $14 million domestically so far. That’s less than 2% of what “Avatar” has made in domestic ticket sales. If “The Hurt Locker” wins on Sunday, it will be the lowest-grossing film to take home the best-picture statuette in modern history–and maybe ever.

“Cynics will tell you that these coveted statuettes are nothing more than a marketing tool, a way to drive up box office and stars’ salaries, while jaded insiders will mention careerism, egomania and the cult of celebrity. But none of this does justice to the ridiculously prominent — indeed mythic — role these awards play in our cultural life.”

“The government has been defeated in the House of Lords over measures to tackle online piracy after opponents said the plans could hamper digital innovation.”

“Hollywood always plays fast and loose with reality. That’s why it usually makes dramas and not documentaries — and, let’s be honest, it’s also why Americans buy its products in such bulk. We’re not looking for facts; we’re looking for entertainment and (even at the movies) some deeper truth that art reveals.”

“In literal terms, craft service assists not so much the stars, but the crew: ‘craft’ workers such as grips, gaffers, property masters, costumers, electricians, hair and make-up artists. These days, the job is mainly known for providing workers and actors with lavish snacks — all day long.”

This season, “there have been deflated basketballs with more bounce than awards movies. Blockbusters like ‘Avatar’ didn’t need (or get) one. The dark dramas needed one, but couldn’t come up with the goods,” whether for lack of cash or because they were already out of theatres. The single exception is the older-skewing “Crazy Heart.”

“Two decades ago, [one distributor] says, moviegoers might not have heard about a nonfiction film before it was singled out by Oscar voters.” That has changed, “thanks to the proliferation of movie-related websites and the Twitter-speed transfer of word of mouth.”

“The dual strategy, disclosed by Tribeca executives this week, puts this Manhattan-based festival and its corporate parent, Tribeca Enterprises, in the thick of a fight to revive the faltering independent film world with new distribution schemes.”

“[A]cting is active, while thinking — at least from the outside — is passive. Unless one resorts to tricks, tics, gimmicks and shortcuts — shrugging, scratching the head, arching an eyebrow, crinkling the forehead, stroking the chin — it is dauntingly difficult to put across the illusion that the synapses are firing away.”

Unlike “The Hurt Locker,” Oscar winners “Patton,” “The Deer Hunter” and “Platoon” were box-office hits. “[N]ot only were audiences eager to see a complex portrayal of a World War II warrior at the height of the Vietnam War, but they were just as willing to embrace two very dark, disturbing portraits of the Vietnam quagmire in the years following the end of that war.”