Amelie: Yes its foreign. But why can't it have been nominated for best picture? Is there a rule that best picture has to be a drama?
I watch mostly foreign films because I can see them free. I have to pay to see American films (I can see many indepedents for free too, just don't do it much). I also go to the retro theater fairly often, but they don't show the latest Hollywood stuff.
I enjoyed Memento. It was really good. But I believe it was released in 2000 so doesn't qualify for this year's awards.
The main reason I don't see much Hollywood films is they are dreck. Most are paint-by-numbers productions that are obviously run through a market driven corporate analysis before being released.
Comedies: most are pretty bad. You have some good romantic comedies every year, but so many are either of the Disney variety (talking animals) or the other extreme with lots of sex and bodily functions jokes (any Adam Sandler or other ex SNL star).
Dramas: Range the gamut some are good, most are predictable.
Horror: We actually had a decent year for suspense/horror this year. Nicole Kidman's film was good. Jeepers Creepers was decent. It broke many conventions of the genre, but still wasn't pushing any envelopes.
Sci-Fi: explosions and SFX dominate these things. Same with action films. I miss the action *drama*. Now there's no plot, just non-stop action sequences strung together with MTV editting.
Yes, Cannes is a good place to see movies. It has gone more Hollywood recently, but Cannes is an excellent example of my main point. Cannes doesn't happen in December.
Release dates were pulled from IMDB for the films in question. I gave the first film the benefit of the doubt and listed the premiere release (in NY). The film has to be shown in LA for it to be considered as the release date.
That's subjective. I would argue that there were many films just as good, if not better, released in Spring and Summer.
Take a look at IMDB's top 250 movies of all time. [http://us.imdb.com/top_250_films]. Look how many in the top 20 were made in the past 20 years. Only 5 were made before 1970.
Nope, Americans have no memory when it comes to film.
What percentage of these films were released in the past 3-4 months? What percentage in the first 3-4 months?
"Besides Crowe, who stars as Nash in ``A Beautiful Mind,'' the best actor nominees were Sean Penn as a retarded father seeking custody of his daughter in ``I Am Sam''; Will Smith as boxer Muhammad Ali in ``Ali''; Denzel Washington as a rakish bad cop in ``Training Day''; and Tom Wilkinson as a vigilante father in ``In the Bedroom.''
A Beautiful Mind: released 13 December 2001
I am Sam: released: 28 December 2001
Ali: released 25 December 2001
Training Day: released 5 October 2001
In the Bedroom: released 19 January 2001
Moulin Rouge: released 16 May 2001
Proof that Americans can't remember what happened in the entertainment industry for very long.
Re:Mediocre people can no longer get good jobs! D'
on
The Laid-off Techie
·
· Score: 2
I find your reply demeaning. Of course developers should know XML systems if your infrastructure requires it. Specialists need to bring detailed information to a project. But to think that a project will succeed because of its infrastructure or other technical requirements and that if a team member doesn't know that they are somehow mediocre is the epitome of hubris.
Are you going to have your developers create the page template? Is it your graphic designer? Is your graphic designer or backend developers going to conduct usabilty testing? Does your designer need to know SQL to design a web-based interface to modify your DB? Or do they just need to know what is possible and appropriate for each screen?
I may have nobody to blame but myself for not having a job, but if I was going to interview for a web designer job I shouldn't be expected to know network administration, Java, COM, and SQL. I should know how to successfully communicate via the web. If I know HTML, XML, the principles behind database integration, browser limitations, DTDs, JavaScript and the like then I should stand a good chance of getting that job. That's because I know how the system works together, I don't need a specialized knowledge in HTML output via XSLT, that's what the developers are for.
Thats what I tried to say. All I hear you say is you demand everybody know what your developers should know.
Re:Mediocre people can no longer get good jobs! D'
on
The Laid-off Techie
·
· Score: 2
Believe it or not, tech companies need non-techies to succeed. You do need designers, marketers, and managers to succeed in the web design business. It's not all just backend-coders.
A successful business requires a team approach. What made/makes the web a success is simplicity. It is the simplicity fo the web that made it a success. If it required people to know C++ or other "real programming or project management skills" then it never would have taken off.
I would think a CEO would know these things. But then again since I don't have a degree in Computer Science and have only worked in multimedia and web design/production since '94 I may be wrong.
Well you could watch one of the many pay per view videos the vast majority of hotels that cater to businessmen have. Or you could just take a DVD you own with you (since you have a portable DVD player in the form of your laptop). If the business tri is only 2-3 days you could renta DVD at your Blockbuster at home then take it with you.
"People do this kind of thing all the time now with (off the top of my head) Adobe products."
If you are saying that people make money off their illegal copies of PhotoShop and AfterEffects you may have apoint. But that is a bad analogy. It would be a better analogy to say that I am paying Adobe $.02 to put my content in.jpg format.
What I am tryingt say is that I think this is another attempt to stifle the decreasing costs of publishing *any* media. Artificially creating costs to entry such as increased prices for "pro" level equipment (hardware and software) and now this proposed fee for *streaming* the content only benefits those with large stockpiles of money and content that they own. There's no incentive to have Joe Six Pack make his own material to share at no/low cost.
Yes, but in the case of amateurs there is often no cost to the end users/consumers at all. In many cases pros don't charge either.
For example, if I am a DJ how do I get a job without sending a tape/CD showing my music skills? If I am a small business web developer wanting to demonstrate our capability in motion design, do I charge potential clients to view it?
What if I am making an iMovie for my family to view. Should I be charging them something to see my home videos of the family reunion?
So know the distributors/providers of content have to pay a charge based on the length of material. Won't this charge be passed onto the content creators? How does this encourage people to use this format?
And if content creators have to pay more (raising their costs) won't there be a shift to more centralized content ownership? It'll be the big guys (MPAA and RIAA) that can pay these fees.
$.02/hour doesn't sound much but is that per stream? So I am paying more for being popular? How does that help amateurs or people who want to create content professionally?
I swear paying more for "pro" equipment that is hobbled simply to allow recording in digital formats is criminal enough. Now I have to pay another group simply because I use an "open" file format?
"They repeat the same erroneous statement "... a standard DRM is not as secure as a proprietary one..." Stupidity #1: security through obscurity. "
It doesn't matter how open or closed the DRM system is. If the law states bypassing DRM (for any reason) is illegal, that's all they need.
BTW, a proprietary DRM has these benefits to the company:
1. Can license the scheme to other content providers
2. can be done in house or on contract to lower costs. I know standards based DRMs may be lower but corporations don't think that way.
"The next stupidity is the assumption that I want to [watch movies|listen to music] on my cellphone. Until my phone becomes a general purpose PDA, I want to do one thing only on my phone - communicate."
Agreed. And I don't even own a mobile phone or pager.
But I can see the Bells offering Satelitte music to GSM cell phones for a fee in the near future. Just hook up some headphones and pay the $3.00 access fee. You already pay all kinds of silly little fees, don't you?
"The third stupidity is the assumption that, given that I want to "experience content" on my phone/PDA, that I am willing to pay over and over again to do so."
People already rent the same movie more than once. Some people even see the same movie more than once while it is still in the theater. There will always be suckers for this kind of thing.
I expect a wave of "content providers" and consumer electronics manufacturers merging in the next 5 years. Its what is necessary if any of these visions are to occur because you need to control all aspects of content creation, distribution, and playback. Right now you have seperate industries with conflicting goals. Once they start merging you'll see the 3-5 big players in each industry being the same 3-5 big players in ALL industries: manufacturing, distribution and end user sales.
We can all turn off the TV and say "no" but I am increasingly of the opinion that it really doesn't matter.
"OK, now to see how quickly this gets modded down. Oh well..."
But this post has nothing to do with the topic. So it should be modd'ed down. It is off topic (although this reply is on topic to your off topic post).
I've had similar problems with the moderators (I'm one myself) but I attribute it to the general decline in posts in general (not singling you or anybody specifically).
But seeing how I am now at 50 I'll burn some of my karma for your enlightenment.:)
Call me an idiot, but if for some reason I ever stole a computer, I'd likely mail the drive back to the poor guy out of sympathy. I certainly wouldn't reformat the drive. I'd get rid of the drive no matter what even if it meant pitching it in a landfill.
Sure there'll be a way around it. But it will be illegal. The way the system is heading everybody will do illegal things all day long. When you can't watch anything without fear of being arrested or paying a hefty fine, what do you do? When a population becomes subject to arrest at any time, what happens?
Bad laws have the effect of making more people criminals while simultaneously lowering the respect for laws.
I've been out of the field for over a year now. I can handle all facets of web design: graphics, code production, info archtitecture, useability testing, and product strategy. I've done it all since '95. I don't mind hard work (even like documentation) and would love a regular job where I am respected. Heck, I've even done contract work for the government before.
Oh wait! I'm not in a location that does a lot of gov't contracting (minnesota) and I have no money to move. People look at my resume and see no tech employer for a year and think I am behind the times. Nevermind all the volunteer and non-profit work I've been doing the past 4 years.
So got some ideas on how to break in to this lucrative career fold?
OT I know, but that is EXACTLY what happens in asset forfeiture for illegal drugs charges. Heck, you have to sue the State to get them back, but most people don't becuase they can't afford the legal expenses. So such practices are entirely legal, just not likely in this case.
Isn't this what a business account is for? What is it that the company is whining and crying about? Are you running P2P or servers? If so, then get a business account and put your money where your mouth is.
Not a personal slam, just quit whining about paying consumer prices and wanting a business plan (as defined by the provider)
"On a more on-topic note....I think this may be an attempt to prevent copying of digital content...not viewing."
Not according to the article:
"By putting the SmartRight technology in place, which enforces rights management in the home, said Lafaye, "we can help content owners create a new business revenue model." Content owners, for example, can start charging consumers every time their digital content is re-distributed within the home, or viewed several times during a certain number of days specified by them."
This is the outcome of DRM technology: controlled access and pay per view. If you can't see that then you are either a Congressman or watch the TV news.
Slashdot Mirror
Hey I can take it! :)
Amelie: Yes its foreign. But why can't it have been nominated for best picture? Is there a rule that best picture has to be a drama?
I watch mostly foreign films because I can see them free. I have to pay to see American films (I can see many indepedents for free too, just don't do it much). I also go to the retro theater fairly often, but they don't show the latest Hollywood stuff.
I enjoyed Memento. It was really good. But I believe it was released in 2000 so doesn't qualify for this year's awards.
The main reason I don't see much Hollywood films is they are dreck. Most are paint-by-numbers productions that are obviously run through a market driven corporate analysis before being released.
Comedies: most are pretty bad. You have some good romantic comedies every year, but so many are either of the Disney variety (talking animals) or the other extreme with lots of sex and bodily functions jokes (any Adam Sandler or other ex SNL star).
Dramas: Range the gamut some are good, most are predictable.
Horror: We actually had a decent year for suspense/horror this year. Nicole Kidman's film was good. Jeepers Creepers was decent. It broke many conventions of the genre, but still wasn't pushing any envelopes.
Sci-Fi: explosions and SFX dominate these things. Same with action films. I miss the action *drama*. Now there's no plot, just non-stop action sequences strung together with MTV editting.
Yes, Cannes is a good place to see movies. It has gone more Hollywood recently, but Cannes is an excellent example of my main point. Cannes doesn't happen in December.
You can start with opensecrets.org. Then you can check the voting records of politicians at one of the non-profit voting groups.
I watch mostly foregin films, but I can think of a few:
Blow (release date March 2001)
Enemy at the Gates
Mulholland Drive
Amelie (although I guess this would be a foreign film)
Release dates were pulled from IMDB for the films in question. I gave the first film the benefit of the doubt and listed the premiere release (in NY). The film has to be shown in LA for it to be considered as the release date.
That's subjective. I would argue that there were many films just as good, if not better, released in Spring and Summer.
Take a look at IMDB's top 250 movies of all time. [http://us.imdb.com/top_250_films]. Look how many in the top 20 were made in the past 20 years. Only 5 were made before 1970.
Nope, Americans have no memory when it comes to film.
What percentage of these films were released in the past 3-4 months? What percentage in the first 3-4 months?
"Besides Crowe, who stars as Nash in ``A Beautiful Mind,'' the best actor nominees were Sean Penn as a retarded father seeking custody of his daughter in ``I Am Sam''; Will Smith as boxer Muhammad Ali in ``Ali''; Denzel Washington as a rakish bad cop in ``Training Day''; and Tom Wilkinson as a vigilante father in ``In the Bedroom.''
A Beautiful Mind: released 13 December 2001
I am Sam: released: 28 December 2001
Ali: released 25 December 2001
Training Day: released 5 October 2001
In the Bedroom: released 19 January 2001
Moulin Rouge: released 16 May 2001
Proof that Americans can't remember what happened in the entertainment industry for very long.
I find your reply demeaning. Of course developers should know XML systems if your infrastructure requires it. Specialists need to bring detailed information to a project. But to think that a project will succeed because of its infrastructure or other technical requirements and that if a team member doesn't know that they are somehow mediocre is the epitome of hubris.
Are you going to have your developers create the page template? Is it your graphic designer? Is your graphic designer or backend developers going to conduct usabilty testing? Does your designer need to know SQL to design a web-based interface to modify your DB? Or do they just need to know what is possible and appropriate for each screen?
I may have nobody to blame but myself for not having a job, but if I was going to interview for a web designer job I shouldn't be expected to know network administration, Java, COM, and SQL. I should know how to successfully communicate via the web. If I know HTML, XML, the principles behind database integration, browser limitations, DTDs, JavaScript and the like then I should stand a good chance of getting that job. That's because I know how the system works together, I don't need a specialized knowledge in HTML output via XSLT, that's what the developers are for.
Thats what I tried to say. All I hear you say is you demand everybody know what your developers should know.
Believe it or not, tech companies need non-techies to succeed. You do need designers, marketers, and managers to succeed in the web design business. It's not all just backend-coders.
A successful business requires a team approach. What made/makes the web a success is simplicity. It is the simplicity fo the web that made it a success. If it required people to know C++ or other "real programming or project management skills" then it never would have taken off.
I would think a CEO would know these things. But then again since I don't have a degree in Computer Science and have only worked in multimedia and web design/production since '94 I may be wrong.
Well you could watch one of the many pay per view videos the vast majority of hotels that cater to businessmen have. Or you could just take a DVD you own with you (since you have a portable DVD player in the form of your laptop). If the business tri is only 2-3 days you could renta DVD at your Blockbuster at home then take it with you.
"People do this kind of thing all the time now with (off the top of my head) Adobe products."
.jpg format.
If you are saying that people make money off their illegal copies of PhotoShop and AfterEffects you may have apoint. But that is a bad analogy. It would be a better analogy to say that I am paying Adobe $.02 to put my content in
What I am tryingt say is that I think this is another attempt to stifle the decreasing costs of publishing *any* media. Artificially creating costs to entry such as increased prices for "pro" level equipment (hardware and software) and now this proposed fee for *streaming* the content only benefits those with large stockpiles of money and content that they own. There's no incentive to have Joe Six Pack make his own material to share at no/low cost.
Yes, but in the case of amateurs there is often no cost to the end users/consumers at all. In many cases pros don't charge either.
For example, if I am a DJ how do I get a job without sending a tape/CD showing my music skills? If I am a small business web developer wanting to demonstrate our capability in motion design, do I charge potential clients to view it?
What if I am making an iMovie for my family to view. Should I be charging them something to see my home videos of the family reunion?
So know the distributors/providers of content have to pay a charge based on the length of material. Won't this charge be passed onto the content creators? How does this encourage people to use this format?
And if content creators have to pay more (raising their costs) won't there be a shift to more centralized content ownership? It'll be the big guys (MPAA and RIAA) that can pay these fees.
$.02/hour doesn't sound much but is that per stream? So I am paying more for being popular? How does that help amateurs or people who want to create content professionally?
I swear paying more for "pro" equipment that is hobbled simply to allow recording in digital formats is criminal enough. Now I have to pay another group simply because I use an "open" file format?
"They repeat the same erroneous statement "... a standard DRM is not as secure as a proprietary one..." Stupidity #1: security through obscurity. "
It doesn't matter how open or closed the DRM system is. If the law states bypassing DRM (for any reason) is illegal, that's all they need.
BTW, a proprietary DRM has these benefits to the company:
1. Can license the scheme to other content providers
2. can be done in house or on contract to lower costs. I know standards based DRMs may be lower but corporations don't think that way.
"The next stupidity is the assumption that I want to [watch movies|listen to music] on my cellphone. Until my phone becomes a general purpose PDA, I want to do one thing only on my phone - communicate."
Agreed. And I don't even own a mobile phone or pager.
But I can see the Bells offering Satelitte music to GSM cell phones for a fee in the near future. Just hook up some headphones and pay the $3.00 access fee. You already pay all kinds of silly little fees, don't you?
"The third stupidity is the assumption that, given that I want to "experience content" on my phone/PDA, that I am willing to pay over and over again to do so."
People already rent the same movie more than once. Some people even see the same movie more than once while it is still in the theater. There will always be suckers for this kind of thing.
I expect a wave of "content providers" and consumer electronics manufacturers merging in the next 5 years. Its what is necessary if any of these visions are to occur because you need to control all aspects of content creation, distribution, and playback. Right now you have seperate industries with conflicting goals. Once they start merging you'll see the 3-5 big players in each industry being the same 3-5 big players in ALL industries: manufacturing, distribution and end user sales.
We can all turn off the TV and say "no" but I am increasingly of the opinion that it really doesn't matter.
"OK, now to see how quickly this gets modded down. Oh well..."
:)
But this post has nothing to do with the topic. So it should be modd'ed down. It is off topic (although this reply is on topic to your off topic post).
I've had similar problems with the moderators (I'm one myself) but I attribute it to the general decline in posts in general (not singling you or anybody specifically).
But seeing how I am now at 50 I'll burn some of my karma for your enlightenment.
Call me an idiot, but if for some reason I ever stole a computer, I'd likely mail the drive back to the poor guy out of sympathy. I certainly wouldn't reformat the drive. I'd get rid of the drive no matter what even if it meant pitching it in a landfill.
So it sounds to me like you're watching a lot more TV. So where are you finding all this good stuff to watch?
Sure there'll be a way around it. But it will be illegal. The way the system is heading everybody will do illegal things all day long. When you can't watch anything without fear of being arrested or paying a hefty fine, what do you do? When a population becomes subject to arrest at any time, what happens?
Bad laws have the effect of making more people criminals while simultaneously lowering the respect for laws.
This is the *exact* letter I got from my Senator that bothered to write me. I haven't heard from the other one (Senator Dayton) nor my Representative.
Is it possible that the industry already has a form letter written for the legislators or do all legislator's staff write the same thing?
Remember TV isn't a free market either.
I've been out of the field for over a year now. I can handle all facets of web design: graphics, code production, info archtitecture, useability testing, and product strategy. I've done it all since '95. I don't mind hard work (even like documentation) and would love a regular job where I am respected. Heck, I've even done contract work for the government before.
Oh wait! I'm not in a location that does a lot of gov't contracting (minnesota) and I have no money to move. People look at my resume and see no tech employer for a year and think I am behind the times. Nevermind all the volunteer and non-profit work I've been doing the past 4 years.
So got some ideas on how to break in to this lucrative career fold?
OT I know, but that is EXACTLY what happens in asset forfeiture for illegal drugs charges. Heck, you have to sue the State to get them back, but most people don't becuase they can't afford the legal expenses. So such practices are entirely legal, just not likely in this case.
Isn't this what a business account is for? What is it that the company is whining and crying about? Are you running P2P or servers? If so, then get a business account and put your money where your mouth is.
Not a personal slam, just quit whining about paying consumer prices and wanting a business plan (as defined by the provider)
It was Wendy. Glad somebody else knows what questions to ask. :)
Well if you like Wendy Carlos or Journey, it is a great nastalgia blast. I loved the former at that time, but loathed the latter.
Sounds like a good buy. Wish all DVDs had a copy of the music soundtrack too.
"On a more on-topic note....I think this may be an attempt to prevent copying of digital content...not viewing."
Not according to the article:
"By putting the SmartRight technology in place, which enforces rights management in the home, said Lafaye, "we can help content owners create a new business revenue model." Content owners, for example, can start charging consumers every time their digital content is re-distributed within the home, or viewed several times during a certain number of days specified by them."
This is the outcome of DRM technology: controlled access and pay per view. If you can't see that then you are either a Congressman or watch the TV news.