Category: Film

Walt Disney Universe?

by MAÔ, posted in Film

With Disney’s acquisition of Fox, the Mouse has become the entertainment leader (if it wasn’t already) across multiple channels – theatrics, film, television, broadcast, merchandise, and (of course) theme parks.

Blue Sky, 20th Century Fox, FX, National Geographic, and Fox Searchlight are just some of the assets being brought into the Disney brand. What this will mean for the future of cinema is nothing but conjecture.

However, I’m reminded of the argument that arose with the massive popularity of Disney Theatrics (Disney’s Lion King musical I believe was the first incident) – the Disneyfication of Broadway, where spectacle was more important than theatre.

I’d say that Broadway has always been about spectacle, and it’s not mutually exclusive of theatre. But, we’ll see what happens over the next couple of years.

Fifty years of 2001

by MAÔ, posted in Film

Another fifty year anniversary happened, and that was for the release of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Well it has been years since I’ve seen this movie, but I do recall HAL’s (Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer) greeting to the protagonist: “I’m sorry, Dave…” Kind of spooky.

For me, I didn’t particularly like the movie when I first watched it. Roger Ebert had this to say. It is on my list of films to watch this year though, so perhaps I’ll have a different understanding of it. In reading about it for the 50th, Mental Floss has some interesting things to say.

And, if you don’t want to watch the film, or listen to “Blue Danube” or “Also Sprach Zarathustra,” you can check out this episode of Echoes, dedicated to space-inspired soundscapes.

 

Award Shows

by MAÔ, posted in Film

So the Emmys just passed. A few months ago the American Theatre Wing presented the Tony Awards. We’re moving into Oscar season, and films will inevitably start vying for position. And we’re left wondering – is it worth it?

There are questions of racism and sexism. Shonda Rhimes had this to say. Amber Tamblyn also made the news this week, bringing the industry as a whole to task.

Yet, viewers tune in to the congratulatory events, rooting for our favorites, almost American Idol-style. We want our picks to win.

I get a unique cross-section of opinions when the conversations start up around me. Though I haven’t done much in theatre or film the past couple of years, many of my colleagues and friends still work in the industry. Listening to them I hear of the problems going on set or backstage.

Sexual harassment among a prominent improv troupe. Pay discrepancies for actresses vs. actors. Unfair practices in casting when it comes to non-white performers.

And still, being entertainers, many people not in the industry would chalk it up to inflated egos not getting their way. They say it when it comes to sports, and authors, and performers.

“Get a real job,” they might say. And, in the face of their individual struggles, they are justified in that opinion.

As with most things, it’s not a simple cut-and-dry matter.

So go watch the movies. Get a Movie Pass for ten bucks a month. Make your pick for Best Film. The Academy Awards are right around the corner.

Call me nostalgic

by MAÔ, posted in Books, Film, Growing up, Music, Reading

We’re reducing the tactile sensations of our world to nothing more than keyboard and screen interactions. Consider:

Music early on was heavy; weighty. You picked up the albums and loaded them into gramophones, into record players. You lowered a needle. You would wipe the needle down, and the record off, lest you get the bumps and whine of interference. Perhaps you could listen for thirty minutes, then it was either flip to the B side, or repeat Side A. Then came the cassette, with it’s unique little flip-case. Crack, pop. Crack, pop. Unique sounds and feelings of taking a tape out, inserting it into a tape deck. 

CDs digitized the whole system, and suddenly sound quality changed drastically. Still, you had these CD cases, or maybe you put them in sleeves. You could bring a whole disocragphy with you, if you were so inclined. And then it went further digital with the advent of the digital music player, and multiple discographies were available in something the size of a cassette. 

Similarly books, whose only transitions have been to audio, and then to digital. It seems a bit harder to invent new ways to read rather than listen to music. 

Video also is all stored on the web now, and is available to watch or download at the click of the button. What started as the tactile sensation of adjusting rabbit ear antennae so that the signal would come in clear, then became inserting beta or VHS; laser disc; DVD; HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. Now streaming. 

I think that’s why there’s a return to older sensibilities. Record players becoming en vogue again. Letter writing and stationary. Long has it been said that digital books would kill the print copy, yet even booksellers seem to be feeling the resurgence. We are beings that like touching things, and when too much exists in cyberspace, we just don’t know what to do with our idle hands. 

Atlanta

by MAÔ, posted in Atlanta, Film, Florida, Georgia, Thoughts

Hanging out up in Atlanta for a few days. Just had a good breakfast with old friends, and talked about the film industry here in town. It’s thriving, and with all the growth it seems that Atlanta is really prospering from it. I wonder if the state will keep its tax credits as is, or if it’ll get greedy like Florida did. 

There was a time when Florida was Hollywood East, and Disney and Universal had studios built west of Orlando. Seeing the potential revenues the State decided to get a bigger slice of the pie. Then the industry said, “no”, and took the pie away almost completely. I watched Paper Towns for the first time recently, and was amazed at the Orlando location. How had I not heard that it was filming there?

Turns out, it wasn’t. North Carolina hosted that production, and stock footage was used of the downtown Orlando area. The same kind of thing happened with Fresh Off the Boat, the tv series filmed in California but based in Orlando. It’s an interesting phenomenon. I guess we’ll see what happens here in Atlanta…