EDITORIAL
The mathematics of art...
Emily Blunt doesn’t want any mathematical equation to dictate what films get made. “Some new things frustrate me: algorithms, for example,” Blunt said. “I hate that fucking word, excuse the expletive! How can it be associated with art and content? How can we let it determine what will be successful and what will not?” Blunt pointed to Best Picture winner “Oppenheimer” as a film that on paper wouldn’t seem like a box office blockbuster. “Let me explain with an example,” she said. “I was in a three-hour film about a physicist, which had the that impact it had – the algorithms probably wouldn’t have grasped it. My hope is that ‘Oppenheimer’ and similar projects are not considered anomalies, that we stop translating creative experience into diagrams.”...
Have a pleasant Friday night at the movies,
Jean Constant
NEWRead Jean Constant informal film, stream, and TV reviews on LetterboxdThis week update: The electrical life of Louis Wain (2021), Wicked little letters (2003), The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024) *Wikipedia defines letterboxing as the practice of transferring film shot in a widescreen aspect ratio to standard-width video formats while preserving the original aspect ratio. Generally this is accomplished by adding mattes (or ‘black bars’) above and below the picture area. Letterboxd - the site is a global social network for grass-roots film discussion and discovery. |


The "Terminator" franchise has also given us some very mediocre sequels. Now, after six movies and a live-action TV show, the property is finally entering animation. Skydance, and Production I.G decided they wanted the show to have a Japanese component. Writer Mattson Tomlin decided to set the anime in Japan. That decision brought with it a big problem, however said Tomlin: ”I was aware that there aren't really guns in Japan, and I don't think I quite appreciated how real that was.” The solution to the problem? Simply eliminate all guns — if only it were that easy — and rely on other weapons like sword fights against Terminators with blades for arms. "If I was going to fight a Terminator and I don't have guns, what are the weapons that I could concoct?" Tomlin said. The idea of a "Terminator" story without guns is fascinating. A big part of the appeal of the original movie was seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger as this unstoppable killing machine who could carry a massive machine gun like it was nothing. But taking the guns away also means the Terminators are scarier, as they can attack with anything, becoming assassins more than brutes...