Just a few weeks ago, it seemed that SAG-AFTRA was much closer to reaching a deal with Hollywood studios than the union’s counterpart, the Writers Guild of America, which has been on strike since the beginning of May. - Washington Post
"Unionized Hollywood actors on the verge of a strike have agreed to allow a last-minute intervention from federal mediators but say they doubt a deal will be reached by a negotiation deadline late Wednesday." - AP
On the other hand, you don't see many eighty-year-olds leading mainstream movies—especially big-budget blockbusters for revenue-starved conglomerates. - Statsignificant
According to the website Lexica, which tracks over 10 million images and prompts generated by Stable Diffusion, Greg Rutkowski’s name has been used as a prompt around 93,000 times. Some of the world’s most famous artists, such as Michelangelo, Pablo Picasso, and Leonardo da Vinci, brought up around 2,000 prompts each or less. - Technology Review
"The 'regressive' licence fee system could be replaced by a tax on broadband bills or a household levy based on property value, Richard Sharp (said). Plans to replace the £159-a-year licence fee with a different funding model after 2027 are being considered by the Conservative government." - The Guardian
The BBC had a record commercial performance that contributed to 30% revenue growth, climbing from £1.7 billion to £2.1 billion. The corporation’s commercial arm BBC Studios delivered record-breaking results, achieving over £2 billion in sales for the first time, with profits of £240 million, up 6%. - Variety
Artful jump cuts can illuminate all kinds of interesting associations between images. Bad ones just create bumps in logic; they’re disorienting in a way that suggests external, self-interested forces at play. - The New York Times
"A quarter of a century after the Good Friday agreement drew a line under the Troubles, a documentary series has scraped away the familiar narratives and rote explanations and propaganda to show what it was really like for those who lived it." - The Observer (UK)
The deal gives the streamer access to upcoming films "involving Jella Haase, Peter Saarsgard, Ben Chaplin, John Magaro, Leonie Benesch, Mads Mikkelsen, Vanessa Hudgens, and many others, Constantin Film announced." - Variety
To watch If You Were There, director Lindsay Anderson's cut of a documentary about Wham! in China, you have to go to a university library in Scotland. But it might be worth the trip for Anderson's artistry - and this record of his clash with George Michael. - The Guardian (UK)
That is to say that Japanese director Yasuzo Masumura, who died 37 years ago, is enjoying a renaissance thanks to the festival. "There is a classic film fan born every minute, but in Karlovy Vary this year, you could feel it happen in real time" during screenings. - Variety
Chloe Zhao followed up Nomadland with a Marvel tentpole. Greta Gerwig is about to release Barbie. Barry Jenkins is directing ... a Lion King sequel?! Studios used to have more on offer. "Now this is all there is: franchise content, continuing endlessly until the heat death of the universe." - Irish Times
A crayon drawing, maybe. "Vietnamese censors have banned or altered several other movies that showed disputed areas as being under Beijing’s control. The list includes Crazy Rich Asians (2018), Abominable (2019) and Uncharted (2022), among others."- The New York Times
Why did this take so long? Blame the GOP. "In 1997 Michigan Republican Congressman Pete Hoekstra derided The Watermelon Woman as 'possibly pornographic.' ... He decried that the film had been funded by taxpayers." - NPR
For most of the world, silent films died out in the 1930s. But in Brussels, the Cinematek — the only remaining cinema in the world with a regular schedule of silent films (along with live piano accompaniment) — is thriving. - The World
