A Buncha Weeks To Oscar*

David Poland | January 14, 2021

Intention.

David Poland | January 12, 2021

The Odd Misogyny of Wonder Woman 1984 (spoilers)

David Poland | December 28, 2020

“Denzel Washington is said to be getting his $20 million plus backend fee, while the sheer number of bonuses tied to the HBO Max day-and-date plan is said to be costly for the studio.”

Hollywood Reporter | January 15, 2021

Peter Levinsohn: “The theatrical window is the cornerstone of our business because it establishes the brand. We at Universal believe very strongly in the theatrical experience. But it's also no secret that we have felt as a company for some time that forcing consumers to wait three months following a theatrical release of a film, regardless of how well that film does, doesn't make any sense in a world where consumer behavior is shifting so dramatically because of all the other content alternatives. We've got this wonderful marketing organization that creates events around every film as part of its theatrical release. If we force the consumer to wait three months to see it in the home, we ultimately have to gear that marketing up all over again from scratch.”

Hollywood Reporter | January 15, 2021

Maureen Ryan: “So how long until Josh Hawley is on ‘Dancing With the Stars’? I wish I didn’t have to ask that question. But if past is prologue, in coming years we should expect executives in television, news, film, publishing, and other influential media industries to line up to help far too many reprehensible ghouls launder their reputations. Hawley and Ted Cruz, along with 145 other Republicans in Congress, challenged the results of the presidential election last week—hours after rioters desecrated the U.S. Capitol in a rampage that killed five people. Many politicians like them—not to mention a whole constellation of Trump cronies, racist insurrectionists, and craven agitators inside and outside the government—spent the past few months stirring up that terrifying mob. Media executives in a position to reward those folks with some convenient rebranding opportunities should not do so. They really, really shouldn’t.”

Vanity Fair | January 14, 2021

"Laura Poitras says she’s been fired by First Look Media over Reality Winner controversy. Now she’s questioning the company’s integrity."

Poitras: "I will share a few things I’m proud of: co-founding The Intercept, First Look Media, and Field of Vision; supporting filmmakers with uncompromising artistic and political vision who reach wide audiences and recognition (including 5 Academy Award nominations); fighting for non-extractive contracts in which filmmakers maintain copyright of their creative work; working alongside many extraordinary journalists and filmmakers; and speaking out when a pattern of impunity and retaliation puts sources at risk. Because of The Intercept’s negligence – including their failure to consult with their own security experts – Reality Winner was arrested before the story was even published, denying her the crucial window of time for the focus to be on the information she risked her personal freedom to reveal to the public. Reality Winner is still imprisoned as I write this... The tragedy here is that First Look Media and The Intercept had all the financial resources and digital security expertise to do this right, and yet they failed to apply their basic founding principles of source protection and accountability to themselves. Instead of conducting an honest, independent and transparent assessment with meaningful consequences, First Look Media fired me for speaking out, exposing the gulf between the organization’s purported values and its practice."

January 14, 2021

DP/30 Audio: Bombshell, Jay Roach

David Poland | December 13, 2019

DP/30 Audio: The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Jonathan Majors

David Poland | December 4, 2019

DP/30 Audio: The Mustang, Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre

David Poland | December 4, 2019