The number of UK streaming subscribers on packages that include commercials has overtaken those on higher-priced ad-free plans for the first time, in a milestone for British television. - The Guardian
In 2025, slop is everywhere. Low-effort, low-quality, AI-generated nonsense is polluting our social media feeds, search engine results, scientific journals, music streaming services, eBook marketplaces, universities, legal filings, and more. - Mother Jones
“The industry is investing heavily in the future of series like it: low-budget, mobile-only ‘microdramas’ with episodes between 60 and 90 seconds. These shows, also known as ‘verticals’ for their phone orientation, have already become widely popular in China.” - The Guardian
“Verticals as the next big thing for Vancouver creatives and crews follows a major consumer shift in the entertainment ecosystem where made-in-China microdramas that combine the immediacy of social media with the soapy emotions of TV dramas have started to captivate U.S. audiences.” - The Hollywood Reporter
Together, these AI slop channels have amassed more than 63bn views and 221 million subscribers, generating about $117m (£90m) in revenue each year, according to estimates. - The Guardian
“We are rolling out 200 of our Ultra Lux seats, which have a built-in champagne or wine cooler, each day across Europe,” says Tim Richards, chief executive and founder of the Vue cinema chain. - The Guardian
Listening to a podcast is usually a solo experience. “Going to a theater to see these podcast performers live can feel like the exact opposite: Strangers with the same niche interest crowding into one place in not just rapt, but maybe even a bit rabid, attention." - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
“A producer wanted her to audition for The Exorcist. However, her mother, Janet Leigh, shut down the opportunity, protecting her then 12-year-old daughter from early fame and any potential trauma that came with starring in one of the scariest movies ever made.” - Variety
Choosing only one post from these annual critic chats is a challenge, but this 10th in the series features the weirdly, deeply American Roofman (though for the sake of improving both brain and watchlist, read through the entire discussion). - Slate
“Does the Sad Art Dad regret his choices? Is making great art—which, in these films, has a capacious, allegorical quality—worth ruining your relationship with your kids?” - The Atlantic
“What Reiner’s vastly differing films all share is the generous and empathetic heart of their director, a deep sense of humanity, and a relentless curiosity about and love of people, in all their imperfections and quirks.” - Los Angeles Review of Books
Worth a read just for the pans: “This listless and supercilious musical – ostensibly on the theme of heartwarming home town values – ... flatlines like a hedgehog run over by an 18-wheeler.” Ouch. - The Guardian (UK)
Love it or hate it, Hallmark movies are big business in B.C., where the company films the about 40 per cent of its content — Christmas and year-round programming. When Hallmark films in B.C., it hires almost exclusively local workers to make it happen. The province estimates about 100 local crew members are hired for each movie. - CBC
The artifacts of 20th-century cinema are being preserved in museums, archives and other august institutions. But they are surviving, too, in the care of private film collectors like Mr. Darwas, who has amassed hundreds of movie prints at his home in Westchester County. - The New York Times
