"Fewer releases mean fewer production jobs and fewer jobs in theaters. They also mean a reduction in consumer choice, as the combined studio is unlikely to compete against itself on any given weekend. It’s bad all around." @sonnybunch.bsky.social:
Is the merger of Paramount+ and Warner Bros. "good for consumers"? I just have trouble seeing the case. There will likely be fewer options, both in theaters and in homes and less competition among streaming services. But maybe I'm just a Negative Nancy! www.thebulwark.com/p/how-studio...
The Paramount-WB merger isn't a done deal yet, though derailing it will be difficult. I discussed how creatives are trying to slow it with indie producer/former Amazon Studios exec Ted Hope, as well Jax Deluca and Jon Reiss of the Future Film Coalition: www.thebulwark.com/p/what-ameri...
yeah you would not enjoy this
LEE CRONIN'S THE MUMMY is bad and also maybe kind of repugnant. Deeply unpleasant viewing experience that also confuses mummy movies for possession films. Hateful film! www.thebulwark.com/p/lee-cronin...
This is a great conversation about a big issue that will have huge ramifications for you…yes, you, an audience member that will pay more for less.
Lindelof explains how and why.
I liked the finale!
Sat down with Damon Lindelof to talk about the Paramount-Warner merger, why he (and thousands more in the industry) signed a letter opposing it, and what we'll lose if we lose another big studio loses its autonomy. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc10...
"I sort of had the intuition that it was gonna be a big moment for the show... I didn't really anticipate how big of a moment it was gonna be, and that was sort of the same reaction I had to making The Pitt."
Ned Brower sits down with @sonnybunch.bsky.social and @adriancarrasquillo.bsky.social.
"The more I think about it, the more I can’t help but admire it as an adaptation of an evolving medium’s storytelling capabilities to tell an ageless story (a boy’s journey into manhood) in a new way." @sonnybunch.bsky.social reviews "Exit 8" plus "Undertone":
We've just made it too easy for companies like Netflix and Disney to charge more without any real friction. There should be friction if they're going to charge people more after those people agree to a price!
Here's a thing I have come to believe: It should, basically, be illegal to increase the cost of a subscription on auto-renew accounts without actively gaining the consent of the customer—and I don't just mean by offering a button that says "I accept." www.thebulwark.com/p/one-easy-p...
Real treat on the pod this week: Chatted with Ed Solomon (BILL & TED, MEN IN BLACK) about his new movie, THE CHRISTOPHERS. We discussed his collaborations with Soderbergh and the importance of seeing grown-up movies in theaters if you want more of them. www.thebulwark.com/p/the-christ...
Okay so IN CONTEXT this quote about the film “Undertone” makes a lot of sense.
"It is, ultimately, a film about a man trapped in a doom loop of his own making and trying to break out of it." And also, a video-game adaptation.
A double review from @sonnybunch.bsky.social: lnk.thebulwark.com/3OitLy6
EXIT 8 succeeds because it leans into the strengths of its source material: a video game. UNDERTONE, meanwhile, fails because it doesn't seem to understand podcasting or feel comfortable leaning into that new storytelling format. www.thebulwark.com/p/technology...
We debated this in the Bulwark Slack; our style in this case is "staunch," which is a perfectly cromulent word.
I am ideologically inclined to skepticism about production tax credits/other incentives, but something has to be done to staunch the flow of American production jobs overseas. www.thebulwark.com/p/america-is...
The book is really wonderful, strongly recommend picking it up. It's only like $30 or something, which is crazy considering how many full color pictures it has.
This is such a great conversation. Like, if Steve Starkey showed up to your film school and had this conversation, you would feel like your tuition was justified.
Yet, it’s just here, for you, to listen to for free.
I am a sincere and unironic defender of FORREST GUMP, so I had a great time talking to its Oscar-winning producer, Steve Starkey, about the making of the film. So many good anecdotes about working with Bob Zemeckis, Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise, and more! www.thebulwark.com/p/the-cross-...
I honestly probably could have; there’s enough craft in Borgli’s work for a craft-only review. But the fun of the movie is the moral/psychological dilemma!
A reaction I overheard as I was leaving THE DRAMA: “I like movies that make you think, and I never would have thought about *that*.” My review (which is spoiler free before it gets into some of the details about *that*): www.thebulwark.com/p/the-drama-...
"As long as you can sell these saps on your own lifestyle, you’ll never run out of marks. Again: Artifice, sold intelligently. Believe it or not, this is the bright side of the manosphere."
I used to work next to—not with, but in nearby desk space—Stu at Roll Call. Absolute straight shooter and the revelation @lauren-egan.bsky.social has here about his voting record does not surprise me. Needless to say, I very much empathize with his evolution. www.thebulwark.com/p/stuart-rot...
This week I reviewed THE AI DOC: OR HOW I BECAME AN APOCALOPTIMIST and LOUIS THEROUX: INSIDE THE MANOSPHERE. The first suggests AI could bring about great human flourishing by enabling people to create/explore! The second says "What ... *these* people?" www.thebulwark.com/p/how-to-be-...
I loved McKay Coppins's piece on his year (well, season) of living like a degenerate gambler. Though, as he mentions in our discussion, a lot of gamblers took issue with that self-designation! www.thebulwark.com/p/how-americ...
PROJECT HAIL MARY is an early contender for most entertaining movie of the year. Had a very fun time discussing with Peter and Alyssa! (I also had fun discussing the Buffy reboot that got killed by Hulu, though for different reasons.) movieaisle.substack.com/p/the-prepos...
From Dallas to Austin, everything about our Texas live show ruled —but the best part was seeing you! Thanks to every member of the Bulwark community for showing up and proving we’re not done fighting. Let’s go!
Hat-tip to @sonnybunch.bsky.social whose zealous advocacy got me to push HAVE FUN, GOOD LUCK, DON'T DIE on PVOD for Movie Night with The Pip; really weird movie but a lot of fun.
