Memo to the studios and the MPAA: The way to combat piracy is not to commit highway robbery.What am I talking about? I'm referring to the new marketing strategy that has many movies being made available for broadband download on the same day/date ...
It figures that just as I get around to writing something about the "success" of the UMD format, the news is leaking into the mainstream media about its imminent demise. Oh well - timing is everything, and mine wasn't that good.Actually, though, the...
Size is important. At least when it comes to video devices. But, depending on age, it's important in different ways. For kids and teenagers, small is big. But for adults, big is better. It all comes down to the application, and it sheds a great ...
Originally, I was going to post this tomorrow. Upon remembering that April 1 is not the best day to post anything, I decided to get it up today. So don't expect any postings tomorrow. I'll take April Fool's Day off - that way no one will have to ...
A month or so ago, I wrote a column about one of journalism's deadly sins: lying in a piece that is supposed to be non-fiction. In recent years, a number of high-profile writers have been called on the carpet for reporting stories that were either (...
I frequently receive what I call "procedural questions." These are from readers who are interested in the nuts-and-bolts aspects of review writing. How long does it take to write a review? Do I write immediately after seeing a movie or do I wait a...
For those in the United States who (a) don't live near the Canadian border, (b) don't have a region-free DVD player, or (c) don't play around in the land of bittorrents, tonight may represent a first exposure to a unique television show. At 9:00 EST...
With those three words, placed on screen 70 minutes into the 90-minute season finale of TV's Battlestar Galactica, everything changed. A schism developed amidst the series' fan base: those who loved what the show's producers did and those who hated ...
Thoughts on the ramifications of Crash winning Best Picture... (Since everyone else is weighing in on this, I figured, "Why not?" One more fly buzzing around two days-old roadkill won't make a difference.)It amazes me the way fans of Brokeback ...
Okay, I'll start by admitting that I blew the call about Best Picture. So the rumors of Crash's ascension were not overstated. (I saw Carrie Rickey of The Philadelphia Inquirer on Friday morning, and she voiced a suspicion that Crash might win. ...
Making these predictions has become as annual a ritual as watching the Oscars. I do both with limited enthusiasm. Some people can't understand how I, a film critic, can dislike the Academy Awards. The reason is simple: they bore me. It's not an ...
This is another one of those entries in which I ramble. I'm not sure whether that's indicative of having too much or too little to write. Or whether I'm procrastinating with the Oscar picks. I can only delay for so long. Of course, if I wait ...
So what does it all mean? Damned if I know. So here are few musings and guesses. Feel free to disagree. This is 100% opinion.The roughly 80% for Lead Actresses seems like a high number. My guess is that it's higher than that of the actress ...
There are two ways to look at all the numbers I'm about to throw out: "Just the fact, ma'am" or "There are three kinds of untruths: lies, damn lies, and statistics." It's said there's no time like the present, so let's start there, with the last ...
While regarding the cover of a certain magazine depicting revealing images of Kiera Knightley and Scarlett Johanssen, several random thoughts came to mind. One was to wonder how many Oscar nominated actresses have done nude scenes during their ...
I know, I have promised something about naked Oscar winners, but I instead have delivered a DVD rant... Please be patient. Or take a cold shower. Or both.I started buying DVDs in 1997. Over nine years, my collection has grown from a few dozen to ...
The naked Oscar nominees will have to wait a day or two, but I will get to them. First, however, it's necessary to inform everyone that I have decided to go commercial - sort of. No banner ads or pop-ups; just a couple of text links. But they are ...