Blogs
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Movies Anywhere and Data
Overlooked in the quibbles with digital rights collection service Movies Anywhere (Why no TV shows? Where are Paramount and Lionsgate?) is a potential killer app that those in the transactional business may have overlooked — data. At last month’s Entertainment Merchants Association OTT_X@ Pipeline 2019 conference in Los Angeles, Movies Anywhere GM Karin Gilford noted, … Continue reading “Movies Anywhere and Data”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘The Major and the Minor’ and ‘The Set Up’
The Major and the Minor MVD/Arrow, Comedy, $39.95 Blu-ray, NR. Stars Ginger Rogers, Ray Milland, Rita Johnson, Diana Lynn, Robert Benchley. 1942. In the first Hollywood directorial outing from Billy Wilder, a grown woman posing as a 12-year-old meets and gradually falls for a kindly and thoroughly aboveboard Army major — who probably isn’t even … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘The Major and the Minor’ and ‘The Set Up’”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘Local Hero’ and ‘Whirlpool’
Local Hero Criterion, Comedy, $29.95 DVD, $39.95 Blu-ray, ‘PG.’ Stars Peter Reigert, Burt Lancaster, Denis Lawson, Jenny Seagrove. 1983. Better than any movie of its era, Bill Forsyth’s Local Hero comes closest to pulling off full-fledged whimsy, and this deserving Criterion release now seems like feel-good perfection. Extras: Fortsyth’s provides a commentary with film critic … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘Local Hero’ and ‘Whirlpool’”
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Roku’s Rough Week
In an era of fake news allegations, manipulation of the media for market purposes can be just as insidious. Take Roku, the streaming media device manufacturer and platform that invented the subscription video-on-demand market ecosystem with Netflix more than 11 years ago. Last week after Comcast announced it would begin rolling out a free streaming … Continue reading “Roku’s Rough Week”
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Movies Anywhere and Data
Overlooked in the quibbles with digital rights collection service Movies Anywhere (Why no TV shows? Where are Paramount and Lionsgate?) is a potential killer app that those in the transactional business may have overlooked — data. At last month’s Entertainment Merchants Association OTT_X@ Pipeline 2019 conference in Los Angeles, Movies Anywhere GM Karin Gilford noted, … Continue reading “Movies Anywhere and Data”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘The Major and the Minor’ and ‘The Set Up’
The Major and the Minor MVD/Arrow, Comedy, $39.95 Blu-ray, NR. Stars Ginger Rogers, Ray Milland, Rita Johnson, Diana Lynn, Robert Benchley. 1942. In the first Hollywood directorial outing from Billy Wilder, a grown woman posing as a 12-year-old meets and gradually falls for a kindly and thoroughly aboveboard Army major — who probably isn’t even … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘The Major and the Minor’ and ‘The Set Up’”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘Local Hero’ and ‘Whirlpool’
Local Hero Criterion, Comedy, $29.95 DVD, $39.95 Blu-ray, ‘PG.’ Stars Peter Reigert, Burt Lancaster, Denis Lawson, Jenny Seagrove. 1983. Better than any movie of its era, Bill Forsyth’s Local Hero comes closest to pulling off full-fledged whimsy, and this deserving Criterion release now seems like feel-good perfection. Extras: Fortsyth’s provides a commentary with film critic … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘Local Hero’ and ‘Whirlpool’”
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Roku’s Rough Week
In an era of fake news allegations, manipulation of the media for market purposes can be just as insidious. Take Roku, the streaming media device manufacturer and platform that invented the subscription video-on-demand market ecosystem with Netflix more than 11 years ago. Last week after Comcast announced it would begin rolling out a free streaming … Continue reading “Roku’s Rough Week”
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Bob Iger: ‘If Steve (Jobs) Were Alive,’ (Disney, Apple) Would be Combined Companies
Pending retirement and 20/20 hindsight can do wonders for the printed page. With his departure from The Walt Disney Co. set for 2021, CEO Bob Iger has already authored a memoir on his long-running stint heading the world famous brand. The book, “The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of … Continue reading “Bob Iger: ‘If Steve (Jobs) Were Alive,’ (Disney, Apple) Would be Combined Companies”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘Man Without a Star’ and ’10 North Frederick’
Man Without a Star Kino Lorber, Western, $29.99 Blu-ray, NR. Stars Kirk Douglas, Jeanne Crain, Claire Trevor, William Campbell, Richard Boone. 1955. Released without too much fanfare but given some pacing oomph by a legendary director who’d found himself needing work (King Vidor), this cattle-heavy Western with sex is a Kirk Douglas vehicle through and … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘Man Without a Star’ and ’10 North Frederick’”
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Confusing the Consumer
Remember when things were simple? The only way to watch movies at home, on demand, was on videocassette. Yeah, they were clunky. The pause function was a flickering joke. And you had to bring them back to the place you rented them from or risk incurring an onerous “late fee.” But you knew what you … Continue reading “Confusing the Consumer”
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Subs Dive Lower
Halloween may be Oct. 31, but the real thriller in Hollywood will hit in November. Disney+ and Apple TV+ are in a sub battle to the pricing floor. After Disney+ announced its Nov. 12 launch at $6.99 a month, with special offers dipping below $4 a month, Apple TV+ Sept. 10 announced it would launch … Continue reading “Subs Dive Lower”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘Wagon Master’ and ‘Pittsburgh’
Wagon Master Available via Warner Archive Warner, Western, $21.99 Blu-ray, NR. Stars Ben Johnson, Joanne Dru, Harry Carey, Jr., Ward Bond. 1950. For a Western that’s in all ways modest (quality excepted), Wagon Master is rated extraordinarily high in the John Ford canon by people who know or knew. Extras: Harry Carey Jr. joins Peter … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘Wagon Master’ and ‘Pittsburgh’”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation’ and ‘Easy Living’
Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation PBS, Documentary, $24.99 DVD, NR. 2019. Never underestimate the power of a doc when filmmakers (the director here is Barak Goodman) have a trove of on-the-spot archival footage on hand. Read the Full Review Easy Living Kino Lorber, Comedy, $29.95 Blu-ray, NR. Stars Jean Arthur, Edward Arnold, Ray … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation’ and ‘Easy Living’”