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R.I.P. The strike, Roy Scheider, HD-DVD, etc.
Seems like every time I go on a vacation, there’s some sort of major change in the wind. You know how they say death comes in threes? Well, three passings caught my attention while I was gone.
The Writers’ Strike: The strike officially ended last night, although the news that the end was at hand came while I was gone - and to all this I say: it’s about flippin’ time. I watch very little TV, so very little of my entertainment was impacted by the strike. (Although as lousy as the movie selection has been recently, I was starting to wonder if scabs had already written scripts.)
The only serious impact it had on us movie fans was turning the Golden Globes into an even bigger embarrassment than they were already. Now that the Oscars are forging ahead with a regular show (participants TBA Thursday), the folks at the HFPA must really be smarting. Good for them.
Roy Scheider: I was saddened by the passing of the actor who will always be remembered most as the man who kept Jaws grounded while Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw and Bruce the shark all had the flashier parts. Not a bad legacy, that. Still, his best performance was his excellent work as Bob Fosse’s stand-in in All That Jazz. That movie marked the end not only of Fosse’s world, but of Scheider’s great run in the 70s. He didn’t have many great roles after the 80s began, so in a sense, All That Jazz turned out to be a corker of a career capper for him.
HD-DVD: So does anybody besides Toshiba and Universal really believe HD-DVD has any worth now that Warner Bros., Best Buy and Netflix have all either dropped it or de-emphasized it in favor of Blu-Ray? At least the HD-DVDs can make for nice Christmas ornaments. All that said, I remained unconvinced that Blu-Ray has much of a future. Blu-Ray may gain a foothold for a while, but I don’t think it will dominate the market as long as VHS or standard DVD did - not with the on-demand downloads that will come our way.
So what do you have to say about any of these passings? Or any other movie issues, for that matter? Let’s make this a free-for-all. I’d like to generate some new blog ideas and would love to hear your feedback. (Insert cheesy PA voice): Remember, it’s your blog, too.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Sir Critic muses
Comments
By SRCputt
February 15, 2008 1:03 PM | Link to this
HD-DVD vs Blu-Ray is a big “who cares” for me. In the ongoing attempt for companies to grab my money, this one failed. Neither is going to be around for long enough for me to dump DVD before downloads becomes the industry standard. So Hollywood, you may stick your HD-DVD and your Blu-Ray where the sun don’t shine, becuase I’m not buying, and I’m never buying.By TJ
February 13, 2008 5:11 PM | Link to this
Hello— Just saw “Fool’s Gold” and despite some issues with some of the other characters (the ditzy rich girl and the rapper/gangster in the movie) I loved seeing the chemistry between Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey. I think they work well together and I thought the movie was entertaining. Maybe you could talk about some of the great film duos—or ensembles—in film?