“Hollywood is not recession-proof or immune to the global credit crunch. Leaner times are ahead as some of the major banks and financial institutions pull back from investing in Tinsel Town. Money is short and film-makers are scrambling to find new sources of revenue.”
Tag: 08.08.08
Wheeldon’s Ambitious Sophomore Company Gets Past The Expectations
Along with the considerable hype, Christopher Wheeldon’s much anticipated new company generated came some pointed criticism as well last summer in New York and London. “Sounding a bit chastened, artistic director , one of the most sought-after choreographers in the world, did not hesitate to acknowledge the lumps the company took.”
Forecast For France’s Literary Fall: Grim
“These books are fairly dark, very depressing – a bit like France. There is a ‘grande malaise’, a sort of depression, in France at the moment. This is not a joyful country; when you think of France, you don’t think of a party country. The social reality in France is a real concern about the future and this is reflected in the books.”
When Smog Is Built In To The Architecture
“The relationship between smog and architecture is not one that critics or scholars — or architects themselves, for that matter — have traditionally given much thought. But in the pollution-clogged Chinese capital, the link is nearly impossible to ignore.”
What’s Behind The Literary Bio-pic Trend?
“It’s a puzzling trend. Even the most brilliant literary work generally comes from a solitary individual sitting at a table in front of a sheet of paper or a computer, which is not exactly full of dramatic possibilities. The writer’s film seems to defy commercial logic. No matter how many of us have studied Sylvia Plath at school, it’s hard to see a drama about a suicidal poet as a box-office winner. Yet these films keep coming.”
A History Of Artistic Excellence (And Now It’s Changed?)
“Prestige has shifted from the producer of art to the aggregator and the appraiser. Inventors, artists and writers come and go, but buzz is forever. Maximum status goes to the Gladwellian heroes who occupy the convergence points of the Internet infosystem — Web sites like Pitchfork for music, Gizmodo for gadgets, Bookforum for ideas, etc. These tastemakers surf the obscure niches of the culture market bringing back fashion-forward nuggets of coolness for their throngs of grateful disciples.”