STREAM NETWORKS, STREAM!!!

DirecTV subscribers now have to worry about losing their Fox channels. Screw that.

Broadcasters and cable nets need to start streaming their channels to cut out the middle man — to put an end to this nonsense.

And stream the channel live, if you wish, so that advertisers know their stupid commercials are being watched. In fact, you can’t even zip through commercials when you stream because you can’t record streaming content on a DVR.

Why must I be burdened with thinking of everything?

‘PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3′ SET TO SCARE UP $40M+

Our fantastic new addition to the team, Mr. Toto, reviews the film here. My admiration for those capable of crafting successful horror films knows no bounds. I can’t think of anything more difficult to create in the art of motion pictures than a genuine scare, sense of dread, or gut-churning tension.

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During the Cold War, a slew of movies came out that dealt with the possibility of a nuclear exchange with the Soviet Union. This is not surprising since the atom and hydrogen bombs were the most powerful weapons ever devised by man. Well, almost.

I’ll get to that somewhat nervy assertion in a bit, but first a little background.

Among the cinematic slew released during those years of cold, are two of my favorite films, Dr. Strangelove and Fail-Safe. Both dealt with strikingly similar themes, unintentional nuclear holocaust, yet in entirely different tones.  But cold war themes weren’t that varied by their very nature, since inevitably the worst case scenario was the best case plot device and nothing brings down the house like bringing down the house.

With that said, still, there’s so much similarity between the two stories that law suits were indeed filed and production schedules slowed. This worked out to Stanley Kubrick’s advantage as his Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb was released almost a year ahead of Sidney Lumet’s Fail-Safe. In my opinion Kubrick’s is a better film than Lumet’s and not due to slowed schedules, either. But both are magnificent, and because of their approaches to the topic, very different  and essential part of the genre. (more…)