10 Sep

Posted at 13:22h in Film Fundamentals
First, there was Y2K. Then came 2012. Now, the film industry is bracing for 2015 (according to the article 4 Reasons 2015 Could Be the Movie Industry's Worst Year Ever). OK. Y2K kind of flopped. Likewise, 2012 was a farce produced by an odd collection of New Age gurus who didn't know the difference between Maya and mayonnaise. But the 2015 theory has a point, even if the provided link is to an article at Cracked.com.

29 Aug

Posted at 09:01h in Outside Looking In
Q: What do you get when you cross a deconstructionist with the Godfather? A: A man who makes you an offer you can’t understand. Language is often a hindrance to communication. I’m not referring to language in the sense of somebody’s mother tongue—obviously, if I only speak English and my interlocutor only speaks Farsi, we’re going have problems getting our points across. I’m thinking of language used to erect a deliberate barrier, one in which a group of people throws up impenetrable thickets of jargon or seemingly meaningless words in order to obscure what they’re trying to say. To see this, one need look no further than academia, where (paradoxically) I started thinking of “language” in a different way.

28 Aug

Posted at 18:16h in Outside Looking In
A couple of weeks ago, the New York Times ran a story about the changing bread consumption habits of the French: The average Frenchman these days eats only half a baguette a day compared with almost a whole baguette in 1970 and more than three in 1900. Women, still the main shoppers in most families, eat about a third less than men, and young people almost 30 percent less than a decade ago. The decline is so worrisome that Observatoire du Pain, the bakers’ and millers’ lobby, started a nationwide campaign in June that champions bread as promoting good health, good conversation and French civilization. “Coucou, tu as pris le pain?” (“Hi there, have you picked up the bread?”) is the campaign’s slogan. Modeled on the American advertising campaign “Got Milk?” the bread slogan was plastered on billboards and inscribed on bread bags in 130 cities around the country. I’m sorry to hear this, since regular access to fresh-baked breads is one of the major advantages of my life in Paris. I’ve cut back fairly recently on my bread consumption, but that’s because I wildly overindulged for so long. The novelty of having freshly-baked bread within two minutes, whenever I wanted it (at least between the hours of 7 AM and 8 PM) was too much for my never-strong willpower.

28 Aug

Posted at 17:20h in Film Fundamentals
Theater owners do not depend upon folks like me for their trade. After all, I prefer to watch movies in theaters that are largely empty. Quiet as the grave, and more deserted than a tomb. I love it this way. Too bad none of these places stay in business for long. So the recent dust-up about rude audiences has sparked my interest. Especially since I have long felt that certain movies demand a loud and rude house in order to be properly appreciated. Heck, a misfire like Maximum Overdrive is only enjoyable with a rowdy audience. Traditionally, the rude house debate has been mostly focused on the difference between a quiet, polite audience versus a boisterous band of total loudmouth jackasses who behave like a pack of Vikings on their way to England. The proper film audience stays reverentially silent while casting a studious glaze at the screen.

27 Aug

Posted at 15:48h in Credit Spectrum

By Greg Gordon | McClatchy Washington Bureau WASHINGTON — Moments before the Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill to overhaul the credit ratings industry seven years ago, Republican and Democratic sponsors took turns touting its promise for ending an entrenched oligopoly. The bill, they said, should break the viselike...

19 Aug

Posted at 16:47h in Film Fundamentals

Spike Lee had a hissy fit on Bloomberg TV. Well, not really a full blown hissy fit. More of a “frank and open” exchange of views. To be honest, Trish Regan started the interview with a kind of “When did you stop beating your wife” approach....

06 Aug

Posted at 15:37h in Film Fundamentals

In the past few months, I have seen some comments suggesting that I neither appreciate nor understand the wisdom of the Hollywood system. I have to confess, I didn't know that there was such a thing. But perhaps I have an attitude problem. Must be time...

29 Jul

Posted at 16:58h in Film Fundamentals

The summer movie season is basically over. Actually, it kind of wrapped up around May 5 with the opening of Iron Man 3. Sure, there were later jolts from Fast and Furious 6 and  Despicable Me 2. But basically this summer has been a massive...

14 Jul

Posted at 19:59h in Film Fundamentals
Before we begin, let me emphasize that crowdfunding is a real word. Just ask the Oxford American Dictionary. They have Oxford in their title, so they ought to know. Historically various forms of crowdfunding can be traced back to the 17th Century, starting with early forms of subscription systems for the publication of works by Martin Luther. This link to the Reformation is not surprising since crowdfunding carries with it a certain inherent rejection of hierarchical authority. Part of the modern appeal for crowdfunding is its libertarian appeal, as it holds out the possibility of a level playing field. All projects are born equal in the eyes of Kickstarter.

07 Jul

Posted at 00:21h in Film Fundamentals

Film distribution is about to undergo the most radical transformation seen since the Lumière Brothers switched from private to public screenings. Heck, it may be the most dramatic change since Thomas A. Edison hooked a coin box to the Kinetoscope and began milking the audience. The...