Features & Articles

Note Crunch

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Well this series has gotten a part II so I feel a bit accomplished. I created this series to refer to some interesting articles and news from the week. This week has been filled with a lot. The thing on most people’s minds was probably the grateful comeback of Netflix’s House of Cards. All the lonely hearts can happily spend today (Valentine’s Day) binge-watching on all the 13 episodes of season two with no  regrets (“no ragrets” if you’ve seen 2013’s We’re the Millers).

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House of Cards: Season two streaming (Netflix)

Binge-watchers, couch potatoes and TV fanatics can rejoice! The online-only political drama series released season two for streaming in the wee hours of February 14th (Valentine’s Day). A new batch of political secrets, arguments and suspense awaits. With all 13 episodes of season two streaming, everyone is sure to have something to snuggle up to for V-day.

Related: Is House of Cards TV? (The Atlantic)

Comcast-Time Warner Deal

It was announced earlier this week that Comcast, the nation’s No.1 cable provider, is going to buy Time Warner Cable, the nation’s No.2 cable provider. The agreement happened for a reported $45 billion. With a huge backlash voiced on Twitter, many are worried the deal will create a weak future for filmmakers, content creators and consumers. Many wondered the same question: Will the merger create a too powerful company that will dominate the film and media industry? Read about it here.

Behind the Scenes of Oscar-Nominated film American Hustle

“American Hustle: The Art and Soul of Survival” is a 30-minute special that goes into the making of the David O. Russell directed film, actor performances and more. Note: It’s okay to freak out in excitement.

Creating Meaningful Content for a Blog

FastCompany is great site for smart working tips (among other tech/media news). The article covers ways to create good content that isn’t just in similar patterns that other related blogs have. It details ways to make content pop and keep visitors coming back for more. Click here to read.

Amazon’s new pilots released

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Remember last year when a Zombieland TV pilot popped up on Amazon and was panned? It eventually got “hated out of existence” (Rhett Reese, creator of the TV adaption’s words). Well fear not, a new batch of television pilots have been released on Amazon and nothing to negative has been said so far.

Amazon pilots coming to a screen near you.
Amazon pilots coming to a screen near you.

On February 6th, Amazon released 10 new pilots for free. Continuing the plan they had last year, viewers watch and vote on what pilots live and what pilots bite the dust. Out of the several pilots released last year, only two made it through the chopping block. The first was Alpha House, a show starring John Goodman that revolved around four U.S. Senators. It was met with acclaim and positioned Amazon as a serious contender against Netflix and its original programming.The second series that received a series order was Betas, a program showcasing a group of app developers looking for an investor.

Below is a list and description of the different pilots to take a look at.

The After: An apocalypse show from the creator of The X-Files. It centers on eight people of various backgrounds (lawyer, actress, etc.) as they face the events ahead.

The Rebels: Sports comedy revolving around a woman who must take over a team of football players after her husband passes away. It seems brainless, overdone and generic but worth a shot to watch. Plus it has Josh Peck (Drake & Josh) so you know it has some funny laughs to give.

Transparent: Not your typical sitcom comedy but it serves well. It involves a family as they face their host of problems. Three not-so adults including Jay Duplass (brother of Mark Duplass and mumblecore filmmaker). One might think it follows a bit in the footsteps of Arrested Development since it features Jeffrey Tambor. Rest assured it holds it’s own by providing good dialogue that doesn’t just go for cheap laughs.

Movie Marketing Playbook

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Reading through my RSS feed of Indiewire, I came across this article about the marketability to different age groups.  The article isn’t all that suprising, everyone already knows that most movie studio executives are very cut and dry about the movies they pick up and how to market them. A particular line of it provides a general synopsis of the value in the playbook: No one sets out to make a movie without a particular audience in mind. One line of the playbook rings suprisingly true in a time of social media cravings and short attention spans: films no longer have time to find their audience; that audience has to be captured well in advance.

The article details the marketing drive that has a huge impact on the content of the film. It mentions why few films are made for certain age groups. Seeing the article’s title, most would brush it off as insignificant but it has some suprising statements.

Recent examples of that go off this guide could include the January openings of this year. The Kevin Hart/Ice Cube comedy Ride Along, with it’s humor filled action scenes and witty dialogue, went on to make $41 million in it’s opening weekend against a budget of $25 million. The film targeted the  18-30 demographic looking for a mindless comedy to gravitate to. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit failed in attracting much of the younger demographic but got a suprising turnout with viewers over age 50. Jack Ryan had what many older viewers liked: action, classic genres and men being adventurous. Ride Along targeted much of the younger generation with it’s mindless humor and comedic tone.

Movies are more manufactured than most outside the industry imagine. It’s time to take a closer look.

Note Crunch

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I’m starting this new series of posts where I signal out the best articles of the week. Most of them will include movie/television or media career news. A lot of them might be Buzzfeed lists or Entertainment Weekly articles (sorry, I maybe practice some favoritism). Anyways, below is a list of some great articles I found. They include things about a Forrest Gump mini reunion (yes!) and having a creative career (you aspiring film directors/oscar winners can relate).

Anticipated Movies of 2014

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I just finished reading the book The Giver by Lois Lowry. The book follows a boy who is selected to be the ‘Receiver of Memory’ in the utopia-esque community he lives in. The film adaption, starring Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep and Taylor Swift, comes out this August.

I wanted to take a moment to look at some of the great films coming out this year. Not being a huge fan of movies with mindless explosions, most of the films on the list are not from adapted comics.

The Monuments Men

Image via Collider
Image via Slate

George Clooney’s latest directorial effort deals with the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Program, a group that saved art and important cultural items before their destruction by Hitler in World War II.  It is scheduled for a February 7, 2014 release.

A Million Ways to Die in the West

Image via Screenrant
Image via Screenrant

Seth MacFarlane’s follow-up to his smash hit directorial debut Ted, deals with a sheep farmer (MacFarlane) who lacks courage. With the help of a lady (Charlize Theron) he develops a sense of confidence. The film includes a top notch supporting cast consisting of Liam Neeson, Neil Patrick Harris and Amanda Seyfried. It will be one of the first movies released during the summer season,  settling in on May 30, 2014.

The Fault in Our Stars

Image via Wikipedia
Image via Wikipedia

John Green’s beloved book dealing with a cancer-stricken 17-year-old named Hazel is coming to the big screen. The film follows Hazel as she deals with the trials and tribulations of cancer while making a friend, Augustus Waters, along the way. Scheduled to release on June 6, 2014, it is sure to welcome book lovers and anyone wanting to go against seeing an action blockbuster in favor of a smaller more personal story.

The Giver

Image via Wikipedia
Image via Wikipedia

Jonas is a 12-year-old living in a society where jobs are assigned based on evaluation of skills and couples are matched according to their personalities. The community is seemingly perfect as the citizens take pills to suppress “stirrings.” Jonas is selected to be the new ‘Receiver of Memory’ where he discovers the power of knowledge. He starts to see the faults in the community he lives in.

The film adaption stars Brenton Thwaites in the main role of Jonas. Jeff Bridges plays the giver, the one who trains Jonas. Meryl Streep, Taylor Swift and Katie Holmes round out the cast a film that will cause the viewer to think about the world they live in. Hunger Games trilogy and dystopian world fans would like. It comes out August 15, 2014.

Flops that became Cult Classics

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Untitled

Dazed and Confused

When Dazed and Confused left theaters it had grossed just 7.9 million from its 6.9 million budget. The movie starred a string of then-unknown stars like Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck and Milla Jovovich. Although underperforming at the box office, the film went on develop a cult following by people who identified with its themes of rebellion and going against conformity. The film has been put on many critics list of best cult films and recently got a Star of Texas award from the Texas Film Hall of Fame for its 20th anniversary.

Donnie Darko

The science-fiction drama film with its somewhat confusing nature went on to be one of the top favorites for hipsters nationwide. It did moderately okay, grossing 7.6 million against a 4.5 million budget. Despite the film’s less than stellar box office receipts, it helped launch the career of lead actor Jake Gyllenhaal. In the movie Gyllenhaal’s character Donnie, aims to find the significance behind his troubling doomsday visions.

Wet Hot American Summer         

Although it had sold-out screenings at its Sundance Festival premiere, Wet Hot American Summer failed to attract many distributors for pick up. It went on to gross just $295,000 againsta $1.8 million budget. It didn’t seem to matter much. The film developed a cult following with strong DVD sales. The film starred many up and comers including Amy Poehler, Paul Rudd, Ken Marino, Bradley Cooper and Elizabeth Banks. Director David Wain has confirmed a sequel with the original cast returning.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Despite positive reviews from critics and fans, Scott Pilgrim flopped at the Box Office making $47 million against a $60 million budget. Fear not, the film shot up to the first spot for blu-ray sales on Amazon the day it became available on DVD. Comic book lovers and hipsters developed a love for the film that showed Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) meeting the girl of his dreams and defeating her “seven evil exes.”