Arguably, the motion picture industry should never have allowed DVDs to see the light of day – they can be too easily copied. Yet they did, and predictably, hackers are copying away, and, just as predictably, the movie makers are suing. A little late though, don’t you think? – *spark-online 06/00
Despite doomsayers who claim programs like Napster and the rise of teen pop bands spell looming losses for the recording industry, the past few months have been the most successful the music business has seen, with three albums selling more than $1.3 million in their first week. So why aren’t the execs overjoyed? “Imagine if … Continue reading “PINING FOR VINYL?”
Presidential candidate announces an investigation into why so many Hollywood movies are fleeing Canada. “One recent report by the Screen Actors Guild and the Directors Guild of America said so-called runaway production has cost the Los Angeles film community 20,000 jobs and cost the U.S. economy $10 billion. But Canadians question the claims. B.C.’s production … Continue reading ““CLASSIC MUMBO-JUMBO””
Presidential candidate announces an investigation into why so many Hollywood movies are fleeing Canada. “One recent report by the Screen Actors Guild and the Directors Guild of America said so-called runaway production has cost the Los Angeles film community 20,000 jobs and cost the U.S. economy $10 billion. But Canadians question the claims. B.C.’s production … Continue reading ““CLASSIC MUMBO-JUMBO””
Stephen Spielberg has decided on his next project. That one act reverberates around the movie world. “It’s a kind of Six Degrees of Spielberg effect: He makes a single move, which sets off a flurry of activity at four studios across town, which sets off more flurries throughout the industry – ripples from a single … Continue reading “SIX DEGREES OF SPIELBERG”
Just why do so many movies seem to be so anti-intellectual? “Apart from the extreme theory that many movies are made by, and designed for, the brain dead, there is considerable evidence that the American film industry has long had a problem conceptualizing intelligence and prefers, instead, to glorify stupidity.” – Ottawa Citizen (CP) 05/05/00
When an overlooked group is in trouble, one way to pretend it isn’t sick is to stage an awards ceremony. So this week the first Classical Brit awards for classical music. The gelled, egregious Kennedy will fiddle, Charlotte Church will weakly warble, Lesley Garrett will effervesce as usual like a shaken bottle of Babycham. The … Continue reading “FINAL DAYS”
Polish director Andrzej Wajda will become the first Eastern European film director to receive a lifetime achievement award at this Sunday’s Academy Awards. During a five-decade career, with 44 films to his name – including his 1981 film “Man of Iron,” Wajda’s acclaimed personal show of support for the Solidarity movement – he has revitalized … Continue reading “MAN OF IRON”
Cyber movie theaters (showing “everything from Hong Kong action flicks to artsy films”) and a growing number of comic Webzines are “making it possible for Koreans to see movies and read comics with just a click.” One 24-hour site plans to show online film festivals, and Korea’s filmmakers are starting to release “for-cyber-theater-only” movies. No … Continue reading “SHOWING AT A (COMPUTER) SCREEN NEAR YOU”
The US presidential campaign is heating up, and politicians seeking the highest office, especially Democrats, have discovered that they are nothing without the entertainment industry’s mixture of cachet and cash, and without a passel of actors and moviemakers in their entourage. – The Globe and Mail (Canada)
