A film about depth beyond the surface. Anderson's films almost always appear in two dimensions to us, so what is apparent throughout is how often the film seems to push further in or out within the frame. Layered surfaces are literally pulled back to reveal something in and out. Temporal strategies are employed throughout to contextualize art in ways otherwise inexpressible. An aside of (violent?) sexual rapture requires moving closer in to the audience to break the spell of presentation.…
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Red Notice 2021
There are more shows and films to watch than ever before. So why does it feel so hard to find something good? Turns out this is just another effect of Hollywood's exploitation of labor and its poor business practices in the Streaming Revolution. Today I'm on "The Politics of Everything," a podcast from The New Republic, discussing why streaming made Hollywood Suck more than ever.
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Black Widow 2021
No I did not watch this. But I'm over at IGN this week with some quick analysis of the recent lawsuit begun by Ms. Johansson over this film's theatrical release and the future of streaming. A teaser:
"This will lead to a tough question for fans: Do you see the Marvel Cinematic Universe as belonging to the studio and its underlying intellectual property, or its creators that inhabit and make these roles iconic in the first place? In our digital…
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Ready Player One 2018
"Skeptics will say that independent filmmakers will just hustle, as they always have. But that becomes harder when digital distribution — and the need to access these primary platforms to make any profit — strangles the industry. Giants such as Netflix are positioned to control which films get made and how, without necessarily following the preferences of consumers.
But antitrust offers a solution. For more than a century, the U.S. has used antitrust laws to break up or curb monopolies…
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Private Hell 36 1954
Wanted to shout out my new article in Film History, which explores the demise of Ida Lupino's company The Filmakers and how it essentially would be the first step to the return of a conglomerate style vertically integrated Hollywood after United States v. Paramount (1948). Throughout the article, I look at how entrepreneurs have exploited the desires of creative independence by artists, and connect it to practices that occur today at companies like Netflix, Amazon, and Apple.
You can read the article by signing up for a free JSTOR account, or otherwise please contact me elsewhere.
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L for Leisure 2014
The End of History is only the beginning. The definition of graduate life—the most “thinking” profession—defined entirely outside of its labor, though inexplicably tied to it. Instead, a heightened sense of bodies, time, space. Interrogations on sex and materialism are suddenly forbidden pleasure. “Are you ready?” Vibes have never been better.
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Wonder Woman 1984 2020
I wrote about WarnerMedia, its panicked conglomerate (and investors), and why streaming might be the future of cinema but might end up killing media production as we know it.
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Moneyball 2011
Honestly hard to swallow not because of Beane but because how all the billionaire owners took the wrong lessons of this accomplishment and decided to no longer pay players what they’re worth. In 2011, the tech revolt hadn’t happened yet and no one knew how they would fake economic growth through future valuation so well to exploit all of us over the decade and extract every ounce of labor. Like The Social Network, a film almost preposterously dated by its…
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