This is not the film Idiocracy, depicting us all as dumb consumerist sheeple. This is a film with great faith in humanity, and cynicism only about the institutions we have built and the particular people who hold power. - Current Affairs
Says one exec, "While we don't live or die by ratings, as at commercial stations, learning when and for how long people are listening helps us make programming decisions. Since we sell sponsorships, being ranked in the top 10 is helpful especially when approaching media buyers." - Inside Radio
It is impossible to overestimate the volume of stuff that is being produced, edited, and put online today. The content cup runneth over, and much of what’s in it is baffling and bizarre. - Wired
You can sense it in all the calculations Disney has been making with regard to what goes to theaters, what’s PVOD, and what goes directly to Disney+. - Slate
"Vulture's theater desk, Helen Shaw and Jackson McHenry, discuss the 2021 version, how it alters a hugely familiar piece of art, and how and where those changes worked." - Vulture
In many countries these days, including Spanish-speaking ones, the Turkish serial dramas are replacing telenovelas on TV schedules. The popularity of dizis has now made Turkey a larger exporter of television programming than any country but the U.S. - PRI
Sherrie Silver, who usually works with film stars and models, talks with a reporter about how she created, and then communicated to animators, the dance moves for Sing 2. - Variety
With Egypt's once-dominant industry stagnating under the Sisi dictatorship, the government led by Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman is dropping lots of money to fill that void, building soundstages and film schools, launching a star-studded movie festival, and even directly funding productions. - The New York Times
As the nation’s big media companies look to woo new viewers trying to pick their way through a dizzying number of streaming outlets, news divisions are signing up for the battle. - Variety
More than ever before, both in blockbusters (Spider-Man: No Way Home, Eternals) and prestige pictures (Nightmare Alley, The French Dispatch), casts are being packed with as many above-the-title names as possible. Just now, there are sound business reasons for doing that. - The New York Times
Worldwide box office is $1.05B which makes Sony’s No. 2 film of all time, behind only Spider-Man: Far From Home ($1.13B). No Way Home is also the No. 1 title of the year worldwide — and one of the only movies of the modern era to ever reach $1B without China. - Deadline
What’s become clear is that the skill set that led to big-tent triumph on the app in 2019 and 2020 is, by and large, sized to the medium. Given more room to breathe in other formats, most of TikTok’s superstars are still figuring out how to create beyond the phone. - The New York Times
Welcome to element philosophy. Scriptwriters use them to tell their story, composers sprinkle scores full of sleighbells and producers use them to influence us to buy a ticket. “Element placement” dictates our emotional rollercoaster journey... - The Conversation
"Partisans on either side looking for affirmation of their stance will be disappointed. … Neither condemning nor condoning his actions, the film offers what may be the clearest image of the archetypal cop's self-perception as the only one willing to do the dirty jobs holding America together." - The Guardian
Recent rereleases of films such as Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Jaws have led the board to reconsider those titles in the light of what they vaguely call “changing attitudes”. - The Guardian
