EDITORIAL
Secret sauce...
For Netflix — the standard way to make an action movie, you usually have three set pieces. One in the first act, one in the second, one in the third — and the big one with all the explosions and you spend most of your money on that one in the third act. Now, [Netflix is] like, 'Can we get a big one in the first five minutes?' We want people to stay tuned in. And it wouldn't be terrible if you reiterated the plot three or four times in the dialogue because people are on their phones while they're watching." (Matt Damon)...
Have a pleasant Friday night at the movies,
Jean Constant
RECENT REVIEWSRead Jean Constant informal film, stream, and TV reviews on LetterboxdThis week update: The honorable woman (2014) TV series ⭐⭐⭐, The running man (2025) ⭐⭐, Wake up Dead man (2025) ⭐⭐⭐ * 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... |


Doc Society, FACT and the BFI have selected 10 projects for the Future Proof Development Lab, a UK-Denmark programme for non-fiction works dealing with new technologies in an age of misinformation. Running across three months, Future Proof will support the development of 10 cinema and immersive works by emerging to mid-career directors and lead creatives. 11 individuals will be leading across the 10 projects. The programme is delivered by FACT Liverpool, the venue which hosts cinemas, galleries and new media spaces. It aims to encourage the filmmakers and creatives to prepare their projects for financing; and to ask how documentary makers can adapt in the age of AI, big data, and virtual and augmented environments, while also challenging notions of truth. The programme will consist of technological workshops, editorial mentorship and curated meetings with leading non-fiction directors and artists. It will take place in Liverpool and London in the UK; and Copenhagen in Denmark, culminating in the projects being introduced to the non-fiction film and immersive market at CPH:Forum, part of CPH:DOX film festival in March 2026. The lab is supported by the BFI Creative Challenge Fund, launched in 2023 to support organisations responding to identified gaps and challenges in the industry...