Category Archives: Television

In the Online Streaming War, Will the Machines Win?

Television, , , ,
Santa Clarita Diet, Netflix

This weekend, one of my favorite shows on Netflix bit the dust. Victor Fresco’s gleefully bizarre “Santa Clarita Diet,” about an undead realtor and her family murdering bad folks to keep her fed, was one of the strangest and most stylistically unique shows around. It was consistently hilarious in the way that audiences often appreciate, yet fail to properly value in a show until it’s ostensibly gone (see also: the fan outcry when the under-the-radar Brooklyn 9-9 was cancelled).

The cancellation was especially shocking, not just because the show ended on a major cliffhanger, but because nobody really knew it was in danger. We couldn’t, because Netflix famously does not share viewership numbers with anybody, even the people who actually create the shows. It’s easy to see why Netflix keeps this information close to the vest; if nobody knows how popular their shows actually are, then they can attract subscribers based on the perception that they have great, popular content. They don’t have to worry about failure narratives when their shows’ numbers start to dip the way that a series like The Walking Dead does.

Continue reading In the Online Streaming War, Will the Machines Win? →

The Wild, Wonderful, and Extraordinarily Convoluted World of Digital Movie Ownership

Movies, Television

Depending on who you ask, we’re either in the beginning of a transition to a fully-digital media environment, or we’re already there. Services like Netflix and Spotify have given users access to an unprecedented array of entertainment options, and platforms like iTunes and Steam have made true digital ownership a modern reality. However, when it comes to digital ownership of films and television, no one platform has truly taken hold. There are dozens of storefronts, such as iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Microsoft, Sony, and Vudu. But no store’s library is universally accessible from all devices, meaning digital owners often find themselves purchasing only on the storefront that is most convenient for them, or finding their libraries stretched out over a bunch of segregated storefronts.

In past years, the closest thing to a solution has been the Ultraviolet platform. While users can play back their movies and TV shows on Ultraviolet if they choose to do so, it’s true utility is in interconnecting various services and storefronts so that media is shared throughout. If somebody purchases a blu-ray with a digital copy or buys a movie on Vudu, that media will be shared with a linked Ultraviolet account which then redeems the same movie on studio’s storefronts, as well as other third party streaming services like (the now-defunct) Flixster. Even better, multiple Ultraviolet users can join together as a “family,” meaning all of their media is shared with each other across all platforms.

Continue reading The Wild, Wonderful, and Extraordinarily Convoluted World of Digital Movie Ownership →

What Is the Role Of Entertainment In Defining Our Values?

Movies, Television, Video Games

inglouriousbasterds

“This whole Nazi resurgence is because we stopped shooting them in video games after Call of Duty 4, isn’t it?”

I tweeted the above this week in response to the horrifying video of Richard B Spencer leading the alt right in a Nazi salute to President Elect Donald Trump. It was a joke. You have to be able to make light of the insanity America is currently facing, or you’ll crack completely.

Continue reading What Is the Role Of Entertainment In Defining Our Values? →

Subjectivity in Storytelling: When It’s Okay To Lie To Your Audience

Television

mr_robot

(The following contains spoilers for Mr. Robot and The Walking Dead)

I’ve been very critical about how The Walking Dead has treated its audience over the last season. First, when the Glenn fakeout debacle occurred, I wrote about how such trickery betrayed the trust that the show had established with the viewer and weakened the stakes of the series. Then, when the show decided not to tell the audience who died at the end of the season, I called them out for cheaply manipulating the audience in hopes of increased ratings. I still stand by both criticisms: The Walking Dead had an unfortunate habit of being dishonest with its audience last year, and it soured a lot of the more positive aspects of the season.

However, since writing those articles, I’ve caught up with another show that is somewhat notorious for lying to its audience. The first season of USA’s Mr. Robot structured itself around the fact that there was more to the story than we were being told. While the viewer likely realizes that something is amiss, and may be able to predict a particular twist (especially if they’re familiar with Fight Club), the full scope of the show’s withholding isn’t revealed until late in the season.

Continue reading Subjectivity in Storytelling: When It’s Okay To Lie To Your Audience →

Dueling Conventions of Love and Hate: Comic Con vs The Republican National Convention

Movies, Television, Video Games

luke-cage_q8btYe

The best horror movie of the last week has been the Republican National Convention. The event pushed the narrative that we are all part of a huge battle between the “real” Americans and…well, everybody else. There are the Muslims who supposedly hate us, the immigrants and criminals who are more prevalent than ever (or at least it “feels” that way, which New Gingrich says is more important than facts), and the dastardly liberals and their Lucifer-following ways. It all painted a picture of a society on the brink of collapse, unless an orange, toupeed “blue-collar billionaire” can come to our rescue.

And yet, at the same time, another gathering suggested that maybe all of the above blustering is a crock of shit. The San Diego Comic Con kicked off on the night of July 20th, just as the Republican National Convention was winding down. The massive convention center south of San Diego’s Gaslamp District flooded with an irresponsibly large body of fans, all of whom had happily made their pilgrimage to the event.

Continue reading Dueling Conventions of Love and Hate: Comic Con vs The Republican National Convention →