It may be time to just quit everything. "My eyeballs are considering taking themselves off the market entirely. They’re sick of being courted, coaxed and, frankly, pressured into choosing this streaming service over that one, trying to keep up with all the glitzy platforms while not ignoring the quieter but equally worthy requests coming from those who may not...
Apparently, 70 percent of the moviegoing public - which is, let's note, far higher than the percentage of fully vaccinated people in the U.S. - feel comfortable going to reopened movie theatres now. This week, "before the studios showed off trailers for their upcoming slate of movies, Schwarzenegger led the audience in a chant: 'We are back. We...
"The technology is related to deepfaking, which uses AI to paste one person's face onto someone else. … It involves capturing the facial expressions and movements of an actor in a scene as well as someone speaking the same lines in another language. This information is then combined to create a 3D model that merges the actor's face and...
"Joseph Epstein once wrote that “Of the seven deadly sins, only envy is no fun at all.” He must have been talking about the telecom chief executives. Envy is the driving force behind their explorations — and the reason their efforts repeatedly fail. They are almost always envious of the success of Internet-based companies. They hated Google for making...
"Today's sex scenes are first and foremost fun — as ideally sex itself should be — and emphasize the truthful over the tasteful. In some cases, you'll see likable, relatable characters revealing perverse predilections. … Other moments make for embarrassing yet endearing waypoints en route to real intimacy. … Other filmmakers bulldoze the boundaries of which bodies the culture...
Like so many businesses, the movie theater industry has been ravaged by the economic effects of the pandemic. Theaters were starved of audiences when lockdowns went into effect, and studios delayed new releases or, in some cases, put them out on streaming services. Some chains have shut down and others have declared bankruptcy. AMC Entertainment’s chief executive, Adam Aron,...
“I see this as a whole new game. Call me a Pollyanna, call me an early Christian, call me a Mormon going to Utah, but I really see the promised land opening up in front of me.” - San Francisco Chronicle
What does it mean to talk about a cultural community when Theatre Rhinoceros Executive Director John Fisher can claim, “My audience now extends from my bedroom to France”? - San Francisco Chronicle
In We Are Lady Parts, "the stakes are high: can an extra guitarist give Lady Parts the edge they need to get out of playing in their bedrooms (and occasionally the halal butcher) and break into the toilet circuit?" (That's British for the dive bar circuit.) "What follows is an exuberant exploration of female self-expression and sisterhood, complete with...
How do you get Canadians to care about the homegrown equivalent of the Emmys or Oscars when they seem more interested in American content? - Toronto Star
In film and TV dramatisations of familiar royal tales, the audience is presented with a romanticised and glamorised vision of royal history. Sumptuous silks and gilded homes make up the lush material world on screen. In reality, they are far removed from the bed bugs, tedious political documents and the stench of recently used chamber pots. - The Conversation
“That deal was sold to the Department of Justice and to the public on the basis of an efficiencies claim, which apparently has not panned out,” said Diana Moss, president of the American Antitrust Institute. “Now there’s even more reason to cast a very skeptical eye.” - Variety
Kelly Donohue’s three fingers, Snopes pointed out, symbolize the number “three.” After his first victory, he waved one finger. After his second victory, he raised two. And after his third, he showed three fingers. He awkwardly folded his index and forefingers into something that looks as if it could be some kind of sign, but doesn’t resemble the “OK”...
The longtime co-anchor was dismissed by New York Public Radio "after two separate investigations found he had violated an anti-bullying policy. … Mr. Garfield said he was not yet able to speak fully about the circumstances surrounding his firing but defended his behavior as yelling." - The New York Times
"Chatter that Amazon (and other tech giants) have been sniffing around MGM has circulated for some time. But sources indicated that Amazon's interest in acquiring the studio has taken on a new tenor beyond the usual rumor mill." - Variety
