Art and shiny things…
“Let me get philosophical for a minute. In a human world, life is made interesting by serendipity,” Yellin told me. “The more complexity you add to a machine world, you’re adding serendipity that you couldn’t imagine. Perry Mason is going to happen. These ghosts in the machine are always going to be a by-product of the complexity. And sometimes we call it a bug and sometimes we call it a feature.”
–How Netflix Reverse Engineered Hollywood
Flavorwire on the three films this year that took a surprising approach to the “action” genre – “Captain Phillips, Dr. Stone, and Our Man are neither the gun-slinging robots nor the impenetrable, untouchable, indestructible heroes that too much of modern cinema idolizes. They’re people, recognizable and relatable, and though their struggles may be extraordinary, they respond to them as we might. And these three films, traditional “action movies” or no, inject into the genre what was missing as those computer-generated buildings full of computer-generated people collapsed across multiplexes all summer: a much-needed dose of humanity.” RT
Absolutely superb article from Darren Franich at EW on the casting of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman.
“We basically know what to expect from the Marvel movies at this point. Rigid professionalism. Witty banter. Assembly-line visual style. Unchallenging narratives. Cameos. But what the hell is this Man of Steel sequel, that has 40-something Oscar-winning Batman and man-candy emo Superman and heroin-chic B-movie-star Wonder Woman and football and rumored titles that all sound like early ’90s erotic thrillers? It sounds unlikely. That’s not a bad thing. ” RT
Billboard Shows Different Messages for Kids and Adults – In this case, if the billboard is seen by children under 1.3 meters (about 4 feet 3 inches), then the message, “If somebody hurts you, phone us and we’ll help you” appears along with a phone number for the ANAR Foundation (Aid to Children and Adolescents at Risk). There’s also a message just for adults, a warning saying, “Sometimes child abuse is only visible to the child suffering it.” (RT Mashable)
The Low-Grade Fever in the Southern Baptist Convention – “It’s easier to debate small matters with people who see the world much like we do than it is to engage with a lost world that seems increasingly hostile to the Christian perspective.” (RT The Gospel Coalition)
Solving Equation of a Hit Film Script, With Data- “A chain-smoking former statistics professor named Vinny Bruzzese — “the reigning mad scientist of Hollywood,” in the words of one studio customer — has started to aggressively pitch a service he calls script evaluation. For as much as $20,000 per script, Mr. Bruzzese and a team of analysts compare the story structure and genre of a draft script with those of released movies, looking for clues to box-office success.” (RT The New York Times)
What Can Marvel Do To Make Daredevil Work? Copy “Arrow” (Or, “Angel”) –
“With stories that are usually less about the action and more about the intrigue, and Daredevil solving crimes and prosecuting criminals at least as much as he’s kicking ass, there’s much more narrative potential for an ongoing superhero legal dramedy than another attempt at a blockbuster franchise. What would that show look, sound, and feel like? If you weren’t paying attention earlier, go ahead and re-read the title of this piece. So, hey, let’s make “Daredevil” a TV show, Marvel.” (RT Pajiba)
“Make it dark, make it grim, make it tough, but then, for the love of God, tell a joke.” – Joss Whedon
Coffee and Irony 