Social media users have questioned Disney's intentions behind Reflect, saying the two-minute length didn't leave enough room for nuance, and the message of body positivity was muddled by making Bianca's self-image the primary plot driver. - NPR
Yes, horror has long enjoyed a loyal audience. But 2022 has proved an especially strong year commercially for chilling flicks, producing hits including Universal Pictures’ and Blumhouse’s “The Black Phone,” directed by Scott Derrickson ($160 million in global box office sales). - Los Angeles Times
"John Frankenheimer's thriller ... managed the neat, eerie trick of looking prescient for multiple decades following its 1962 release. ... Watching the movie now, it's striking to see how some of its dynamics have been reversed in US politics." - The Guardian
As of early last year, just one in five U.S. adults said they ever use Twitter—a slice that plateaued by 2018. The research shows Twitter’s general user base skews left-leaning and relatively young and that just one quarter of U.S. adult users produce 97% of Americans’ tweets. - The Wall Street Journal
Once the company unites data collection capabilities between its various divisions, “we can give you a better experience in the park, because we know what your preferences are in terms of viewing and a better experience on Disney+ because we know what your affinities are.” - The Wall Street Journal
The gamers did better than non-gamers in tests where they had to control impulsive behavior or memorize information, according to the National Institute of Health, which promoted the research. - Axios
In January, Sundance Film Festival screened it, and some employees of the Sundance Institute, which operates alongside the festival, soon resigned in protest. Even before viewing it, they had criticized the film for a multitude of sins. - The Atlantic
"These 'heavy tweeters' account for less than 10% of monthly overall users but generate 90% of all tweets and half of global revenue. Heavy tweeters have been in 'absolute decline' since the pandemic began, a Twitter researcher wrote." - Reuters
"We attribute the growth of public media local journalism to three fundamental related features of the public media system: organizational sophistication and maturity, the federated structure of public media, and the resulting financial strength of the system as a whole." - Current
Or, to be more precise, it's very good at guessing what will interest you: "the most powerful tool TikTok has to grab users and keep them hooked is the company's feted 'For You Page', the FYP, and the algorithm that populates it." - The Guardian
"The newly combined media company said that costs associated with cutting content" — such as the Batgirl film whose release was canceled entirely — "could reach $2.5 billion, making up a significant part of the total $3.2 billion to $4.3 billion in charges related to its financial restructuring." - Reuters
I am learning to accept that our mainstream media will not adapt to the needs of this moment in our public life. Having talked and written about institutional bias of this sort for many decades, I am beginning now to accept that the central institutions are not going to change. - James Fallows
"In recent months, however, Hollywood's business culture has started to regress in subtle ways. New problems — widespread cost-cutting as the box office continues to struggle, coming union contract negotiations that producers worry will result in a filming shutdown — have become a higher priority." - The New York Times
"On the official 5-4 website, there is a one-liner that pretty much tells you everything you need to know: 'A podcast where we dissect and analyze the Supreme Court cases that have caused America's lofty promise to fall like a dying satellite slowly crashing back to earth.'" - Vulture
One of soap operas' major problems in recent times has been a failure to bring in new fans on top of their existing ones. Much of culture right now is preoccupied with nostalgia, from the endless stream of reboots and remakes, to "all stars" reality shows. - BBC
