Blogs
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Days of Fragmentation, Polarization
The home entertainment landscape has never been more fragmented — and polarized. Fragmented, because there’s no longer one standard “product” that consumers can buy or rent. They can acquire movies and TV shows in three different physical formats — DVD, Blu-ray Disc and 4K Ultra HD — as well as digitally, with options for standard-definition, … Continue reading “Days of Fragmentation, Polarization”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘The Heiress’ and ‘This Gun for Hire’
The Heiress Criterion, Drama, $29.95 DVD, $39.95 Blu-ray, NR. Stars Olivia de Havilland, Montgomery Clift, Ralph Richardson, Miriam Hopkins. 1949. Adapted from the 1947 Ruth and Augustus Goetz play whose springboard was Henry James’s source novel Washington Square, the William Wyler-directed The Heiress allows Olivia de Havilland to undergo a subtly eerie transformation before our … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘The Heiress’ and ‘This Gun for Hire’”
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‘Sports Illustrated’ Sold to Marketing Group
Memorial Day is a time to reflect on the sacrifices made by men and women in uniform. And now the further demise of print journalism. Under the cloak of a national holiday, Meredith Corp. May 27 quietly sold the venerable Sports Illustrated brand to Authentic Brands Group, which describes itself as a “global brand development, marketing … Continue reading “‘Sports Illustrated’ Sold to Marketing Group”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘Summer Stock’ and ‘Three Coins in the Fountain’
Summer Stock Available via Warner Archive Warner, Musical, $21.99 Blu-ray, NR. Stars Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Eddie Bracken, Gloria DeHaven. 1950. Judy Garland’s last movie at the studio whose heyday she helped establish may be even more interesting to talk about than it is to see, but there are enough evenly sprinkled golden moments in … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘Summer Stock’ and ‘Three Coins in the Fountain’”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘Bend of the River’ and ‘Melvin and Howard’
Bend of the River Kino Lorber, Western, $29.95 Blu-ray, NR. Stars James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Julia Adams, Rock Hudson. 1952. This second of the five revered James Stewart-Anthony Mann Westerns, Bend of the River has the “elements”: two great lead actors playing characters who are alternately friendly and adversarial with each other; a supporting cast … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘Bend of the River’ and ‘Melvin and Howard’”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘A Face in the Crowd’ and ‘Tarantula’
A Face in the Crowd Criterion, Drama, $29.95 DVD, $39.95 Blu-ray, NR. Stars Andy Griffith, Patricia Neal, Walter Matthau, Anthony Franciosa, Lee Remick. 1957. Elia Kazan’s warning shot about how broadcast mass media might be able to “package” political candidates the way Madison Avenue had done for antacid TV spots may be one of the … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘A Face in the Crowd’ and ‘Tarantula’”
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Fritz Friedman: Reflecting on the ‘Glorious Image’ of John Singleton
I am deeply shocked and saddened by the untimely death of my friend, the legendary director John Singleton, whom I have known since 1991 when his iconic film, Boyz n the Hood, was released. Just a couple of weeks ago he had asked me to go to the Sony Lot to help him pick several … Continue reading “Fritz Friedman: Reflecting on the ‘Glorious Image’ of John Singleton”
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Circling the OTT Wagons With Hyperbole
Ever since Disney announced it would launch a branded subscription streaming video service featuring original content and box office movies previously licensed exclusively to Netflix, a cottage industry has emerged projecting pending gloom for the SVOD pioneer. While Disney CEO Bob Iger promises lower-priced Disney+ isn’t targeting Netflix, some pundits contend the handwriting is on … Continue reading “Circling the OTT Wagons With Hyperbole”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘The Great Buster’ and ‘The River’s Edge’
The Great Buster: A Celebration Cohen, Documentary, $25.99 DVD, $30.99 Blu-ray, NR. 2018. Filmmaker/journalist/historian Peter Bogdanovich provides a Buster Keaton overview that hits most of the key points with some major surprises when it comes to unearthed twilight TV footage — unexpectedly but shrewdly stockpiling a lot of the central features’ most evocative clips until … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘The Great Buster’ and ‘The River’s Edge’”
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It’s a Netflix World. Hollywood is Just Living in It
Netflix added almost 10 million new subscribers in its most-recent fiscal period, nearly topping 150 million subscribers globally. The SVOD pioneer added 31 million subs in 2018. The sub growth ended — for the moment — naysayer illusions the SVOD giant had become a cash cow — economic shorthand for a business generating plenty of … Continue reading “It’s a Netflix World. Hollywood is Just Living in It”