Tag: film

The ‘Space Jam 2’ trailer shows how old Hollywood is dying

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Like its beloved predecessor, the new  Space Jam , subtitled  A New Legacy , features a host of familiar Looney Tunes characters. There’s Bugs Bunny, of course, and Daffy Duck and Yosemite Sam, all of whom starred alongside Michael Jordan in the original 1996 film. Back then, the commingling of two worlds—the NBA and kids’ cartoons—felt exciting and fresh. More than two decades later, however, commingling is far too quaint a word to describe the veritable orgy of Warner Bros. Read More …

Inside BritBox’s strategy to hold the streaming British TV crown

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You love British TV—even if you don’t know it. For decades, British programming has enjoyed massive success in the United States, with breakout hits such as Downton Abbey , Sherlock , Doctor Who , The IT Crowd , and more. Even indirectly, British shows have influenced culture stateside. There are the oft-cited adaptations such as The Office , Veep , Shameless , Whose Line Is It Anyway? , and Skins , where both versions usually coexist in their fandoms. But then there some shows so rooted in Americana, it’s easy to forget they too were based on or inspired by British shows: All in the Family ( Till Death Us Do Part ), Sanford and Son ( Steptoe and Son ), Three’s Company ( Man About the House ), and Cheers ( Fawlty Towers ). Whether it’s the shows themselves or just the format and plot, British programming has a hold on American audiences—and niche streamer BritBox has been capitalizing on that. As a joint venture between the BBC and ITV, BritBox launched in the United States in 2017 as the premier destination for British programming. Many speculated whether two TV titans from across the pond could collectively rival the likes of Netflix stateside—but that was never the intent with BritBox. Instead, BritBox was contending with other Anglophilic players such as Walter Presents and Acorn TV (a service owned by AMC Networks, which also has a minority stake in BritBox), both of which were already established with U.S. audiences. Even within that specific category, BritBox is a standout, with more than 1.7 million subscribers. At the core of BritBox’s success has been super serving an overlooked demographic of women 45 and older who, by BritBox’s measure, are heavily invested in mysteries and crime stories. “There’re a lot of [streaming services] out there who are trying to be all things to all people. That is not who we are,” says Emily Powers, EVP and head of BritBox North America. “We are very much trying to meet an unfulfilled demand for certain types of content to a certain demographic, and that’s been the key to our success.” Although there is a pernicious bit of conventional wisdom that the streaming giants will overwhelm more tailored offerings, there are many niche players owning their communities in a way that an everything-to-everyone service never will. The Criterion Channel caters to cinephiles; Mubi , even more so with a heavier focus on curation. kweliTV focuses on Black content. Read More …

6 Netflix tricks to supercharge your streaming

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Up until this point, you’ve probably found that Netflix works just fine without too much tinkering. However, there are a few things you can do—none of which requires much time at all—to make Netflix a little less clunky and a little more fun. Here are [some quick tricks for your next Netflix fix. No Netflix? No problem. Get hooked for free Not sure if you’re ready to commit to a full-blown Netflix subscription? Read More …

Hulu’s WeWork doc tries to recapture the energy of the 2019 saga

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In fall 2019, the story of WeWork’s Icarian plummet —from the startup destined to change the way we work and live to the laughing stock of Wall Street—played out with all the drama you’d expect when at its center are a messianic CEO and a Japanese billionaire enabling his reckless whims. As you may recall, former WeWork CEO Adam Neumann had a vision of creating a culture of communal workspaces that was turbocharged by SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son investing more than $10 billion in WeWork with a mandate to Neumann to think bigger. WeWork soared to a $47 billion valuation and was on the precipice of going public until its prospectus raised a sea of red flags —from the company reporting $900 million in losses and $47 billion in lease obligations to Neumann’s wife, Rebekah, being granted the power to name his successor should anything happen to him. It was a tale of staggering hubris, lavish excess, and toxic leadership that became catnip for a storm of media coverage. Indeed, in today’s insatiable market for content for video streaming and on-demand audio, the WeWork saga inspired a flurry of deals to turn this story into tragedy, farce, or a bit of both. Last year there was Wondery’s deep-dive podcast miniseries WeCrashed , and New York Magazine contributor Reeves Wiedeman published the book Billion Dollar Loser. Yet to come is the book The Cult of We from Wall Street Journal reporters Maureen Farrell and Eliot Brown, which is being adapted into a limited series with Succession breakout star Nicholas Braun. Another forthcoming book, about SoftBank, from Fast Company contributor Katrina Booker, was fast-tracked for a TV series from Blumhouse. An Apple TV Plus limited series starring Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway as the Neumanns has also been announced Read More …

Inside Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon’s alcohol- and snacks-saturated battle for Oscar buzz

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A month out from the 2021 Academy Awards telecast—which airs on April 25—the battle to win the love of Hollywood has turned into the year of the crate. Over the past few weeks, everyone from the indie studio A24 to indie stalwart Fox Searchlight (now a division within Disney) to Universal have dispatched across town crates of artisanal food to woo their way into the hearts—and stomachs—of the Hollywood press corps, the influential body of scribes who feverishly chronicle every twist and turn in the jostle leading up to the Oscars. Netflix, which leads this year’s nominations haul with a whopping 35 nominations for films, including Mank , The Trial of the Chicago 7 , and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom , has also been lavishing edible swag on reporters, but has become more known for gifting booze. To support Malcolm & Marie , a moody art film starring Zendaya and John David Washington—which looked like an early contender but ended up not nabbing any nominations—Netflix sent out bottles of top-drawer scotch. (I’m sure it didn’t go to waste.) Swag and Oscar campaigning have always gone hand in hand during awards season—the three (to six) month swirl of parties, dinners, brunches, and getaways sponsored by the studios and streamers to stir up buzz for their contenders. But in a season that has been turned on its head due to COVID-19—in-person screenings have been verboten , along with glad-handling galas—studios and screening companies have had to be more creative about how to get the word out about their films. Even the fall film festivals, such as Venice and Telluride, which are traditionally relied on to build early buzz and critical acclaim for films, went virtual in 2020, lessening their ability to fuel word of mouth and serve as showboating opportunities for stars and filmmakers. As a result, studios and streamers are coming up with new ways to transform their projects into events. Take Nomadland . The Best Picture frontrunner—it cemented this position by nabbing the top award at the Producers Guild Awards—stars Frances McDormand as a peripatetic Amazon worker who finds beauty and serenity amongst fellow RV dwellers in the American Southwest. The film premiered at festivals last fall, but when it launched on Hulu in late February and officially came out in theaters, Fox Searchlight announced a virtual global premiere. The tactic, in part, was to keep the film feeling fresh so far along in its run, and with the delayed Oscars still a ways off. (During campaign season, the fear of peaking too soon—what many believed killed A Star is Born ‘s Best Picture chances in 2019—haunts all awards publicists.) Invitees to the event were sent the aforementioned crate—stuffed with gourmet cheese, “humanly raised” salami, and trail mix—to enjoy while watching the film. This at-home viewing party atmosphere has become de rigeur this season in an attempt to replicate the feeling and fun of an Oscar screening/gala, and to elevate the living room viewing experience beyond turning on the tube in your pajamas (though you can still do that, of course). One publicist attributed the format to Netflix, which has been throwing “virtual premieres” ever since COVID-19 hit. Invitees who RSVP “yes” to a Netflix premiere see the film show up in their Netflix preview row, and are then sent popcorn or a DoorDash coupon to enjoy with the show Read More …