Friday March 29 TV FEEDS VIOLENCE: A new study links teens watching TV with a propensity for violence later in life. “The findings show that of children who watch less an hour of television a day at the age of 14, only 5.7% turned to violence between the ages of 16 to 22. For those … Continue reading “Media: March 2002”
Friday February 1 SEE KOREAN: Since 1967, Korea has had a film quota that requires local theaters to screen Korean films at least 146 days a year. The local film industry has been doing well, so now the government wants to drastically reduce the quota. Filmmakers are protesting. Korea Herald 02/01/02 BBC RADIO AT RECORD … Continue reading “Media: January 2002”
Friday November 30 MOVIE PROTECTIONISM: Hollywood film workers, including high-profile stars, rally against shooting movies outside the US. “Now is the time we all band together and work toward keeping our jobs in the USA, jobs that will help keep the delicate fabric of our economy whole.” The Age (Melbourne) 11/30/01 Thursday November 29 IT’S TOUGH TO … Continue reading “Media: November 2001”
Wednesday October 31 VIDEO WHEN YOU WANT IT: HBO introduces video-on-demand. “Video-on-demand is like having access to a virtual video store with no tapes or late fees to worry about. It not only gives viewers absolute control over viewing times, it also offers VCR-like functionality: Viewers can pause, rewind and fast-forward programs.” Wired 10/30/01 I WANT MY … Continue reading “Media: October 2001”
Tuesday July 31 WE REAP WHAT WE SOW: Artists in China can have a hard time pushing the envelope, what with the political repression, the torture, and all. So many have turned to a completely apolitical form of “shock art” based on visually disturbing images. “They reflect the bizarre direction in which Chinese art has moved … Continue reading “Issues: July 2001”
Tuesday July 31 GETTING KIDS INVOLVED: Classical music hasn’t been cool some time now. A night at the symphony might seem like a good way to impress a date with one’s sophistication, but other than that, most of the younger generation has little interest in Beethoven and Mozart. But is it possible that the blame lies … Continue reading “Music: July 2001”
Monday July 30 LONGEST FILM: A Scottish artist has taken John Wayne’s film The Searchers and slowed it down so it will take five years – the length of time the film’s story covers. It has been “digitally slowed, real-time version, which runs at one frame every 24 minutes rather than 24 frames a second.” Sunday Times (UK) 07/29/01 … Continue reading “Media: July 2001”
Friday June 29 REMEMBER ABBA? IF YOU DON’T, YOU SOON WILL: Mamma Mia!, a mother-daughter story built around 22 songs by Swedish vocal group that collapsed twenty years ago, opens on Broadway in October. Not just opens, but opens big. It’s now booking through September 2002, and at $100 a ticket, it ties The Producers as the most … Continue reading “Theatre: June 2001”
Friday June 29 ANTICIPATING AI: The most carefully watched-for movie of the season, after Pearl Harbor, is probably A.I., which has just opened. It began as a Stanley Kubrick project and was finished after his death by Steven Spielberg. Early reviews are mixed on the effectiveness of the collaboration: it’s “fascinating but cold,” “a movie at war with itself,” “uneven and ultimately … Continue reading “Media: June 2001”
Thursday May 31 ACTORS UNION SAGGING: While negotiations between the Screen Actors Guild and Hollywood producers seem well on the way to settlement on a new contract, peace within SAG ranks is remote. The union is torn between rival factions. Inside.com 05/31/01 SCREEN GAME: Movies released in America over the Memorial Day weekend took in more than $186 … Continue reading “Media: May 2001”
