That is to say, with the Delta variant tearing through countries and kids in the U.S. still unable to be vaccinated, Jungle Cruise made a poor showing on the big screen (and Disney Plus $$ wasn't enough to make up for that). - The New York Times
Justine Henzell and Mario Van Peebles have done the heavy lifting to rescue, and in some cases help reshoot, their dads' important, overlooked (and in Henzell's case, formerly unfinished) films. - The Guardian (UK)
Actor Camille Cottin, who spent a lot of time with her family during the pandemic, is bemused by her popularity. "Now you tell me during the pandemic everybody watched ‘Call My Agent!,’ I was miles away, imagining that I was buried alive," she added with a grim laugh." - The New York Times
On Thursday, flames engulfed Brazil's Cinemateca Brasileira, whose collection includes "more than a million archival documents and around 250,000 film reels," with the extent of the damage as yet unknown. - Hyperallergic
If video games are play, they’re an expression of our highest capacities as humans—our love of freedom, of imagination, and creative whim. But when they are work then our affection for them is an extraordinary concession to modern conditions of unfreedom. - Dissent
A star of her scale taking on a studio of an even bigger scale, potentially burning whatever bridges remain, is an unusual gambit but it’s a fight that’s been steadily brewing since the pandemic sped up the streaming wars last year. - The Guardian
Arthur, starring everyone's favorite cartoon aardvark, debuted on PBS in 1996 and will air its final season in 2022. In fact, one of the show's writers said that production wrapped two years ago. - The New York Times
The network's founders hoped to supplant Fox News, but viewership is down by half since January. Why? Says one expert, "Newsmax is just not good. … Most of their lineup is … people who couldn't make it at Fox News. They just don't have any talent." - Vox
Scarlett Johansson is suing Disney over the simultaneous digital rollout of “Black Widow,” saying it breaches her contract with the company to release the film in theaters first. - Washington Post
In four short years, Netflix has done more to reshape the way that movies are made, distributed and consumed than perhaps any other single company in the history of the film business. - Variety
We can still see Melvin Van Peebles's Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (which launched the genre) and Perry Henzell's The Harder They Come (a reggae gangster pic and Jamaica's first feature film), but little else they directed. Luckily, Mario Van Peebles and Justine Henzell are addressing that. - The Guardian
"Two decades ago, TV's most distinctive stories were defined by a tone of dark or acerbic detachment. Today, they're more likely to be earnest and direct." James Poniewozik explores the how and why. - The New York Times
The public radio network’s operating revenue slid just two percent in 2020 to $270.1 million. And last year’s revenue was actually up seven percent from 2018 when NPR reported $251.3 million in operating revenue. - Inside Radio
