Category: media

“[A] new generation of Iraqi filmmakers [is] chronicling the tumult that engulfed their country as veteran dictator Saddam Hussein was toppled by the US-led forces.” But the nation’s movie theatres have been destroyed, and people fear gathering in public.

“In case you’re wondering why the arrest of a 76-year-old man for a sex crime committed 32 years ago has provoked a world-historical display of stupidity and sanctimony on all sides, the answers, such as they are, can be found in ‘Chinatown.'”

“CinemaScore polls paying customers right after they’ve seen a movie, and its letter grade offers a surprisingly accurate assessment of a film’s eventual theatrical box-office performance. … Studio executives have learned to ignore Cinema- Score’s grades at their peril.”

“[S]tudies are revealing that a wide variety of games can boost mental function, improving everything from vision to memory. Still unclear is whether these gains are long-lasting and can be applied to non-game tasks. But video games, it seems, might actually be good for the brain.”

“The winnowing down of specialty divisions may be a marketplace decision, but it’s also starting to feel like the acquiring of this year’s trendy handbag — the thing one has to do because everyone else is doing it. And the cruel truth is that from the standpoint of short-term profits, this particular handbag makes a terrible kind of sense.”

“In a depressed economy, when movie ticket prices are not being discounted, I think it is nothing short of dishonest for movie bloggers to offer raves for ads just to ingratiate themselves with the movie studios. These bloggers don’t care that a night at the movies – with parking, babysitters, tickets and concessions – can cost your family a small fortune. They like to see their name in print, and they have no scruples.”

“A strong batch of new shows joins a smattering of older offerings to finally breathe some life into a genre many in the industry had grave concerns about. This season a number of shows on both network and cable TV have popped out after garnering critical praise and good ratings.”

“Sony has told in-house producers and the movie community that it will largely hold off on buying new scripts and other source material, such as books, to turn into movies until its new fiscal year begins in April. It also won’t be paying writers to start work on many projects recently set up at the studio.”

“Because of a pesky thing called the First Amendment, the [FTC’s new] guidelines don’t apply to news organizations, which receive thousands of free books, CDs, and DVDs each day from media companies hoping for reviews. But if the guidelines don’t apply to established media … why should they apply to Joe Blow’s blog?”

Tax incentives and free parking are among “a series of recommendations adopted Wednesday by the L.A. City Council aimed at making it easier for producers to film locally and discouraging them from taking their business elsewhere.”