All posts by Kat Lee

Kat is a top writer and thought leader
Entertainment, Movies, Tech

Following its Biggest Year Yet, what does Disney have in store for 2020 and Beyond?

Lion KIng
Simba from “Lion King”

In Spite of the Oscar Drought, 2019 was an Unmitigated Success

2019 was Disney’s year. Countless blockbuster releases including “Avengers: Endgame,” “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” “Captain Marvel,” “Aladdin,” “The Lion King,” “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” “Toy Story 4,” and more (not to mention the launch of Disney+ and the opening of “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” at Disney World) made 2019 the Walt Disney Company’s most lucrative year by a landslide.

As Disney enters 2020, however, the entertainment conglomerate seems to be pumping the breaks, or at least shifting gears. So far this year, there is yet to be a major theatrical release from Disney, and its highly anticipated films such as Pixar’s “Onward,” the live action “Mulan” or Marvel’s “Black Widow” will not come out until March 6th, March 27th, and May 1st respectively.

So what is Disney doing in the meantime? Is CEO Bob Iger just counting his paychecks from last year, or is the company plotting something new? Or are they scrambling for new ideas now that Marvel has concluded its eleven year Infinity Saga and Star Wars is on a filmic hiatus according to Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy?

The answer lies somewhere in the margins between everything above. It is unlikely that the company will top its 2019 earnings in 2020 and it is also unlikely that they will have the same dominance over the box office.

However, it seems as if Disney is turning its attention away from the big screen this year and onto its other entertainment mediums. For example, even though the company has not yet released a major movie for 2020, it has been doing immense marketing for the new “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance” ride at Disney World and Disneyland theme parks.

“Rise of the Resistance” is a narrative, interactive attraction at the parks’ Star Wars themed Galaxy’s Edge. The attraction opened at Orlando’s Disney World in December and has since been expanding to the company’s other parks around the globe. Attendance and spending at the parks has gone up since the ride debuted, likely making it Disney’s most profitable draw of 2020 thus far.

“The Child” a.k.a. Baby Yoda

Full-on Entry into Streaming Wars and an Impressive Initial Push

Likewise, with Disney+ coming out in late 2019 and receiving an immense number of subscribers in just its few months of existence, the novel online streaming site will certainly be one of Disney’s biggest priorities for 2020. Production has already begun for Season 2 of “The Mandalorian”—the service’s most popular original show, set in the Star Wars universe—and a number of additional original programs are set to come out this year including Marvel’s “WandaVision” series and a late final season of Disney Channel/Cartoon Network’s “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” Given the copious number of streaming services set to come out in 2020, Disney will have to put its best foot forward to keep Disney+ above the competition.

What consumers often forget about Disney, especially after a year like 2019, is that the company is far more than a just film production enterprise. The Walt Disney Company encompasses amusement parks, books, radio, music, television, comics, and much, much more. While Disney might seem like it is slowing down based on its movie catalogue for 2020, the business is still running strong thanks to its many other sectors.

Furthermore, Disney owns more than just Marvel, Lucasfilm, and Pixar. 20th Century Fox, ESPN, Blue Sky Studios, Searchlight Pictures, Hulu, National Geographic and over a dozen more labels also fall under its corporate umbrella. Therefore, the studio will presumably continue profiting from the box office in 2020, even if it’s signature logo is not always plastered on the content.

Nevertheless, Disney still does have a handful of movies in the works for 2020. In addition to the aforementioned “Onward,” “Mulan,” and “Black Widow,” Disney will come out with “Call of the Wild” on February 21st, a Harrison Ford starring retelling of Jack London’s classic canine-centered novel. It will then team up with Pixar again to release “Soul” on June 19th, the animated comedy from the director of “Inside Out” and “Up.” We can also look forward to the releases of “Artemis Fowl” on May 29th, “Jungle Cruise” on July 24th, and “The One and Only Ivan” on August 14th before Disney comes out with more highly anticipated titles towards the end of the year such as Marvel’s “The Eternals” in November and Stephen Spielberg’s “West Side Story” remake in December.

Once again, 2019 was Disney’s year, but that does not mean that its momentum will stop in 2020. The 2010s marked the company’s acquisition of Lucasfilm and Fox as well as its game-changing capitalization on Marvel. What Disney has in store for the next decade is unknown, but it is likely to be just as magical—and highly profitable—as always.

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Breaking News, Climate Solutions

Greta Thunberg Nominated For The Nobel Peace Prize for the Second Year in a Row

Incredibly Effective Teen has been Raising Issues and Confronting Power across the Globe

Jens Holm and Hankins Svenneling, two Swedish lawmakers, have nominated Greta Thunberg for the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize. The two nominators chose Thunberg because of the international awareness she has raised about the climate crisis and the peace she has created by pressuring countries to lower emissions and stand by the 2015 Paris Climate Accord.

The Nobel Peace Prize is a Scandinavian-based award that annually recognizes a single individual for his or her accomplishments or commitments towards bringing nations together and nullifying global violence. Started in 1901, the tradition has lasted nearly 120 years. Any international lawmaker can nominate someone for the Peace Prize and the five-person Norwegian Nobel Committee decides the winner. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes alongside the Literature, Physics, Physiology/Medicine and Chemistry Prizes.

At just seventeen years old, Greta Thunberg is one of the youngest people to ever get nominated for the prestigious award. Three Norwegian lawmakers also nominated her for the last year’s Prize, but she did not end up winning. Usually the award is given to a politician or a member of an international organization (or the organization itself). Thunberg, however, is far from a politician and acts more-or-less independently in her mission.

Thunberg dropped out of school at age fifteen to protest climate inaction outside of the Swedish parliament building. She has since inspired many other young people to follow in her footsteps and produce additional school strikes in the name of environmental activism.

No Nonsense or Self-Aggrandizement Needed

Over the span of just a couple years, Greta’s message has spread around the planet, and she herself has also traveled far and wide, meeting with world leaders and influencing them to prioritize fighting the climate crisis with progressive policy. She spoke at the 2019 U.N. Climate Summit in Madrid and has the endorsement of many international figures.

Collaterally, Greta has garnered a quasi-celebrity reputation. However, she is far from hedonistically seeking attention or hollow gratification for her movement. Focused on tangible results, Thunberg renounces symbolic gestures and has even turned down several awards. Her bitingly direct rhetoric used at public events is a testament to this.

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All the same, though, a Nobel Peace Prize is the prime filet of social justice recognitions. The title has gone to the likes of Barak Obama, Martin Luther King Jr, and esteemed institutions such as the EU and the Red Cross. By acknowledging the nomination alone, Thunberg could greatly benefit her cause, raising greater awareness political momentum than before. At the same time, the concept of receiving any award runs contrary to Greta’s “less-talk-and-more-action” agenda.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee choses the annual winner in November, and he or she receives the Prize at a ceremony in December. Nominations were due on the first of February, but not all submissions become public knowledge. Thus, there could be more than just two votes for Thunberg.

As of this writing, Thunberg herself has not commented on her nomination.

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Entertainment, Movies

“The Assistant”: both Drama and Thriller aims to bring the #MeToo Movement to the Big Screen

Video
https://movietrailers.apple.com/movies/independent/the-assistant/the-assistant-trailer-1_h1080p.mov
Official trailer for “The Assistant”

Hollywood take on Social Media Zeitgeist

Whenever a political movement on the side of justice takes place, Hollywood usually hops on it and renders it the plot of a movie in due time. In the worst of circumstances, this model is exploitative and undermines the actual movement. In the best of circumstances, however, this same model can teach lessons, champion real world heroes, and inform larger audiences of unsung stories.

Sometimes, those topics can hit close to home for filmmakers, though. Particularly, the #MeToo movement and the women who unveiled the systemic sexual harassment in the entertainment industry is a rich, dignified story that deserves a quality retelling. One would think, however, that Hollywood wouldn’t want to produce such a film because of how many entertainment industry executives were tangled up in a number of sordid cases. That would be the unsettling assumption, but lo and behold, Annapurna Pictures and director Jay Roach made “Bombshell” this past year, a critical and commercial hit of a film that shares the fresh, true story of real women who took down Fox News executive Roger Ailes for sexual transgressions.

The success of “Bombshell” may have paved the way for a new (perhaps overdue) breed of films that take on the workplace sexual harassment and misogyny. Already, we are getting a second one.

“The Assistant” comes out on January 31st, and upon viewing the trailer, it explores many unsavory aspects of workplace misconduct. Written and directed by Australian filmmaker Kitty Green, an eerie drama that dances along the lines of horror, it had its debut at the Telluride Film Festival in August, where Bleeker Street acquired it for this oncoming wider distribution.

Ozark Standout in Leading Role

Julia Garner of “Ozark” stars as the titular character, a recent college grad and aspiring movie producer who lands her first industry job as an assistant to an entertainment tycoon. As she goes through the day-to-day woes of working as an assistant—long hours, uncomfortable interactions, and covering for her darkly mysterious boss—it slowly becomes more apparent that something suspicious is going on behind closed doors.

Her boss is bringing young women into his office and asks the assistant to lie about it when his wife calls. There are mistakes in the bookkeeping that she is told to ignore. Corruption, misinformation, and borderline criminal activity bleed through every pore of the business’ higher-ups, and to make matters worse, it seems as if the boss is also engaging in inappropriate sexual activity.

The assistant works to uncover the truth and make it public. In doing so, she risks her job (and possibly her entire career) in a highly competitive industry. More than that, she also risks her safety, for damaging the reputations of powerful people does not come without consequences.

The movie is a raw portrayal on an unfortunately commonplace situation. Having the story take place in an entertainment mogul’s office will draw parallels to the current Weinstien trial. Barring the possibility of a supernatural twist at the end, the sad reality is that “The Assistant” is not based on one true story, but on thousands of true stories both told and untold, remembered and forgotten. It is a thriller that many have lived through, and many have taken to the grave. At last, it gets representation.

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Climate Solutions

2% Beneath The Surface is Big: Report Shows Oxygen Levels in the Ocean are at Severe Risk

At the Climate Summit in Madrid, the International Union for Conservation of Nature recently released a report stating that the amount of oxygen in the ocean has decreased by two percent between 1960 and 2010. The report was penned by 67 scientists from 17 countries, nearly all of whom found evidence linking this deoxygenation to climate change and other human activities.

A two percent reduction in oxygen over fifty years may not seem like a lot, but it is an unprecedented rate of decline for the ocean, causing the sea to warm and acidify at a record speed. Being a body of salt water, the oceans respond to such elemental losses differently than the surface would. Dr. Dan Laffoley, one of the report’s editors, explained to The New York Times that if the heat absorbed by the ocean in the last fifty-five years went into the atmosphere instead, then the surface world would experience a roughly 65 degree (Fahrenheit) increase in global temperatures.

Furthermore, the two percent figure is only an average; oxygen levels are not uniform across the entire ocean. Some areas have a healthy amount of oxygen, but it is not evenly distributed. According to the journal Science, certain tropical waters have found a 40 to 50 percent drop in oxygen.

Most of the ocean’s oxygen is actually getting condensed towards the surface. In a self-perpetuating cycle, deoxygenation makes the water warmer, and warmer water is more buoyant. Therefore, the O2 floats to the top, but it comes at the expense of deeper waters that end up gasping for air. Likewise, when the water is warmer, marine life actually uses the reduced oxygen at a faster rate because all the creatures are vying for each breath.

Without adequate oxygen in the ocean, its vast species cannot survive. If they want to keep sustaining themselves, they have to change their behavior. This means altering migratory patters, diets, and habitats. When one species deviates from its typical behaviors, it can jeopardize entire food chains and ecosystems. Given the surplus of oxygen near the surface, for example, more animals are moving towards higher waters, oversaturating these environments with competing and invasive life-forms.

The main solution that the scientists offer for this issue principally involves reducing greenhouse gas emissions around the world. The ocean is the world’s largest natural carbon drain, but it is now becoming overburdened and overheated, making it incapable of holding as much oxygen or effectively doing its job. As another side effect, warm water also takes up more space through thermal expansion, so deoxygenation in the ocean actually accelerates sea level rise as well.

This report should be a reminder to world leaders at the UN Climate Conference that nature is not expendable in the fight against climate change. Preserving our oceans and forests is an essential element in protecting the human race. These landscapes mean more than just animals and plants. It is these very ecosystems and everything in them that give us the privilege of living in an environmentally sound world. We should not take them for granted, for an ocean ruined by humans will eventually lead to a ruined humanity.

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Climate Solutions

European Union Announces $1 Trillion Investment Plan to Support Green Deal through 2030

Photo / Adobe Stock

Laudable Climate Goals, if Met or Exceeded…

On December 11th 2019, the European Union announced its plans for a Green Deal. Proposed by EU President Ursula von der Leyen, the Green Deal daringly aims to make Europe the first carbon neutral continent by 2050, with a number of incremental goals along the way. The plan involves reducing fossil fuel reliance, transitioning to renewable energy, and promoting more sustainable infrastructures. Naturally, though, the first step is figuring out how much the plan will cost, and where the financing will come from.

Earlier in January, the EU finally crunched the numbers and reported that the Green Deal will cost a quarter of the bloc’s budget for its first ten years. On top of that, in order to keep the plan on track for 2050, the EU will also have to shift 1 trillion Euros ($1.1 trillion) in investments towards a more environmentally friendly European economy by 2030.

The European Commission claims that half of the investments will come directly from the EU’s budget, and that the other half will come from a mix of public and private funds. 100 billion Euros are expected to come from member states’ federal governments, and another 300 billion will hopefully come from the private sector.

These figures are hefty, and some leaders and businesspeople remain skeptical of the plan. Even Jonah Van Overtveld, head of the EU Budget Committee, expressed his doubts about the Green Deal’s fundraising tactics.

Rather than dodge the financial disbelief, though, the EU has addressed it head on, actively making efforts to frame the Green Deal as an economic boost for the countries involved and creating incentives for investing in a sustainable Europe.

This plan focused on stimulation principally requires frequent opportunities to invest in clean energy. Regional EU programs such as InvestEU and the European Investment Bank will be leading these opportunities, using the Commission’s budget guarantee to mobilize financial support.

Support for Lagging Economies Built into the Deal

Still, the Green Deal’s harshest critics remain the pac’s countries that rely heavily on fossil fuels. Poland, for example, refuses to comply with the plan due to its ongoing dependence on coal. The country produces 80% of its electricity from coal and would suffer disproportionately if expected to cut coal from its energy economy.

Once again, however, the EU has not ignored the plights of countries like Poland and has proposed a 100 billion Euro “Just Transition Fund” to financially help the nations hit hardest by giving up fossil fuels. The Fund will not just support those countries through the transition, but it will also help their laborers remain afloat after the reformation.

Part of the Green Deal’s economic incentive features a large number of jobs created for the clean energy economy. The Just Transition Fund would help former employees of fossil fuel companies become versed in new eco-friendly trades. Turning Europe into a continent dependent on renewable energy will require a new, learned workforce as well as lots of laborious construction. Optimistically, this will more than cover the jobs lost by minimizing the fossil fuel industry.

European lawmakers will vote on the proposed finance plan on Wednesday, January 22, and van der Leyen wants to have the Green Deal put into legislation by March. There is still more support to be wrangled up for the Deal, but its supporters are evidently looking at the task pragmatically. Although becoming carbon neutral by 2050 is ambitious, it is also expensive, so the EU is counting the Euros carefully and strategically. That being said, when it comes to the climate crisis, time is of the essence. Ambition is not an option, but a necessity.

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Climate Solutions

Oscar Contender Joaquin Phoenix Arrested with over 100 including Martin Sheen in support of Jane Fonda

Photo / Joker / Warner Brothers

Celebrity Voices begin to Come Together on the #1 Issue of the Day

During a Golden Globes ceremony that had no shortage of politically charged dialogue, actor Joaquin Phoenix delivered one of the most memorable acceptance speeches of the evening. After winning the Best Actor in Drama Motion Picture award for his titular role in Todd Phillips’ “Joker,” Phoenix diffidently took to the stage and, before even expressing any obligatory thank yous, he first applauded the event’s efforts to be plant based. He then went on to condemn Hollywood’s egregious carbon footprint, urging his fellow stars to live up to their rhetoric and make tangible changes in their lives for the good of the planet.

Since Phoenix gave this unconventional speech on January 5th, there has been a lot of debate surrounding celebrity activism. Fueled also in part by 77th Golden Globes host Ricky Gervais’ opening monologue where he accused movie stars of hypocrisy, some are questioning weather celebrities actually do their part to combat climate change when the cameras aren’t rolling.

It has been argued, by the Extinction Rebellion (XR) and others that charges of celebrity hypocricy leveled at any who dare to speak up, encourages others to stay silent, thus achieving the opposite of what the climate, and the world actually needs. And cries of “stay in your lane” or “stick to entertaining” and even celebrities lobbing insults at each other, is precisely what the fossil fuel industrial complex needs to keep the movement to raise awareness of the climate crisis from gaining a larger following.

While we can’t speak for all of the winners who addressed the climate crisis in their acceptance speeches, Joaquin Phoenix recently showed concrete solidarity with the ideals he preaches, by getting arrested at a climate action rally in Washington DC.

Jane Fonda’s Leadership continues to Inspire and Energize

The climate rally was held on Friday, January 9th, just four days after the Globes. It was the last in a series of DC rallies led by actress-turned-activist Jane Fonda. Inspired by Greta Thunberg’s environmental campaigns, Fonda has been hosting weekly events, known as Fire Drill Fridays, on Capitol Hill since mid-October.

Fonda has used her own celebrity status and that of her friends to garner attention for the cause. At the final rally, both Joaquin Phoenix and fellow actor Martin Sheen also attended, and they each gave speeches to the crowd. Sheen expressed his admiration for Fonda among other female activists and then read “Where The Mind Is Without Fear,” a modernist poem by Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore.

When Phoenix spoke to the audience, his speech echoed that of his from the Globes. He pressed people to make changes in their individual livelihoods and particularly talked about consumption, once again championing plant based diets as the easiest and most effective way a single person can lower his or her carbon output.

As the rally escalated, the Capitol Police soon issued a warning for the protestors to vacate the Capitol Building’s steps or risk prosecution. When the protestors did not comply, the Police arrested 147 of the participants—both Phoenix and Sheen among them. The arrestees were charged with crowding and obstructing before being released.

Due to an increasing number of previous arrests, Fonda has been careful not to end up in handcuffs again herself. Nevertheless, she expressed her appreciation and unity with those willing to get a criminal record for Fire Drill Fridays’ goals. Fonda is now returning to Los Angeles to film the final season of Netflix’s “Grace and Frankie,” so she will not be seen in the capitol as consistently. Nevertheless, she is likely to continue her activism wherever she goes.

Photo / Joker / Warner Brothers

Expect More Celebs to Join and Repeat

As for Phoenix and Sheen, neither have announced any future Hollywood projects just yet—with the exception of a rumored “Joker 2” for Phoenix. Sheen will be appearing in the upcoming “The Adventures of Theo Star” and “12 Mighty Orphans” while Phoenix will be in “C’mon C’mon” later this year. However, all of these films are already in post-production. Therefore, the actors have seemingly free schedules, so we can likely expect to see them at more rallies and events in the future.

Phoenix’s arrest is a testament to the honesty behind his Golden Globes acceptance speech. While cries of celebrity hypocrisy may rise among perma-critics and those that carry water for the fossil fuel companies, Phoenix (and Sheen) are show their true colors and the willingness to put themselves on the front line for environmental justice. For that, they, along with Fonda, Sam Waterston and others can be seen as genuine role models and deserve commendation.

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Entertainment, Movies

77th Golden Globes Recap: Ricky Gervais hits a nerve, On Stage Activism & Netflix goes Unsung

’Big Winners Mostly Among the Predicted with a few Notable Exceptions

With the 77th Golden Globes concluded, Hollywood’s 2020 awards season is officially underway, celebrating the best and brightest that the film and television industries had to offer in the past year.

The Golden Globes took place on Sunday, January 5th at the famous Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California. The ceremony began at 5:00 PM Hollywood time, when stars from around the world took their seats to eagerly await the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s picks for 2019’s best film, show, actor, actress, and so on… as well as the obligatory drama and awkward moments that come with any award show.

The event started far from subtly, as host Ricky Gervais took the stage. A notoriously raw British comedian, Gervais did not shy away from controversy in his opening monologue. He poked fun at just about every industry professional in the room, humorously calling out individuals for their leftist stances on political issues while engaging in an exploitative business led by capitalist juggernauts like Apple, Amazon, and Disney. Add in a Jeffrey Epstein suicide joke, a comparison between Joe Pesci and Baby Yoda, and a shot at Felicity Huffman’s prison sentence, and the night was off to a deliciously cringey start.

Despite his forewarning jests, through, Gervais did not manage to silence the award winners in their acceptance speeches. With few exceptions, it seemed as if each recipient used his or her stage time to make a statement regarding the world’s current turbulent condition.

Upon receiving the award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV film, “Fosse/Verdon” star Michelle Williams spoke out for a woman’s right to choose; While accepting his Best Director title for “1917,” Sam Mendes made a sly remark about war that was indubitably tied to President Trump’s recent actions in Iran; Actor Jared Harris also touched on the cost of political lies when getting the Best Limited Series award for the ever-so-relevant “Chernobyl.”

Undoubtedly (and unsurprisingly), however, the social issue most addressed on the stage was climate change. Nobody addressed this topic more profoundly than Joaquin Phoenix, who upon winning Best Actor in a Drama Motion Picture for his performance in “Joker,” took to the stage with peculiar reticence before immediately thanking the HFP for making the event plant-based. He then proceeded to get on Gervais’ level by dropping several f-bombs in calling out Hollywood hypocrisy. The speech was jarring, yet well received, as the actor delivered the message with far more sincerity than Gervais did at the night’s beginning.

Climate change was on many people’s mind throughout the night, especially in light of the ongoing bushfire epidemic in Australia. Russell Crowe even missed winning best actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie for his performance in “The Loudest Voice,” because he was Down Under protecting his house and family from the catastrophic infernos. In absentia, Jennifer Anniston read the New Zeland-born (yet Australian-raised) actor’s acceptance speech, where he definitively articulated the link between the country’s present forest fires and the planet’s continuing climate crisis.

Ellen DeGeneres also started out her speech expressing her concern and love for Australia. DeGeneres was honored with winning the Carol Burnett Award for achievement in television. After her touching words for Australia, the comedian-actress-talk show host shared her humble rise to stardom and her thoughts on the power of television, all with a characteristically stellar mix of endearing humor and unmistakable earnestness.

Later in the evening, actor Tom Hanks won the second special award of the night—the Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award. Hanks gave a deeply impassioned speech and even got choked up while thanking his family. He touched on the duty of an actor to think creatively, know ones part, and “show up on time.”

This brings us to the meat of the event—the actual winners. While the drama, activism, and jokes all make for good television, the Golden Globes are ultimately there to recognize yesteryear’s outstanding works in the entertainment industry.

First off, we obviously had a number of expected outcomes. On the TV side, Brian Cox and Olivia Coleman won best series actor and actress for their respective work in “Succession” and “The Crown.” “Succession” also won Best TV Drama Series while “Fleabag” won in the Comedy category.

As for movies, we saw the anticipated Brad Pitt win Best Supporting Actor for his role in Quentin Tarantino “Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood.” Tarantino himself also won Best Original Screenplay and the film as a whole won Best Film in the Musical or Comedy category. Similarly predictable, the Korean “Parasite” won Best Foreign Language Film, Hildur Guðnadóttir won best original score for “Joker,” and Renée Zellweger won Best Drama Actress for “Judy.”

1917 is Stealth Favorite and Takes Top Drama

The upsets, however, came about in some other fields. As aforementioned, Sam Mendes won Best Director for “1917,” and the movie went on to win Best Film in the Drama category. Neither award was anticipated for Mendes. On the directorial front, he faced competition from the likes of Tarantino and Scorsese. Likewise, for best picture, he went up against bona fide critical hits such as “The Irishman,” “Joker,” and “Marriage Story.” “1917” is yet to get a wide release, however, which may be the reason many people did not foresee its success.

Another upset occurred in the Best Musical/Comedy Actor category, where Taron Egerton won the title for portraying Elton John in “Rocketman.” The thirty-year-old actor beat out stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Eddie Murphy, and Daniel Craig. Furthermore, in the Animated Film category, Laika Entertainment’s “Missing Link” beat DreamWorks’ “How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” along with Disney’s triple-threat nominees “The Lion King,” “Toy Story 4,” and “Forzen II.” “Missing Link” performed abysmally in the theaters and director Chris Butler was utterly baffled during his acceptance speech. Evidently, big studios and box office figures do not always correlate with talent or translate to critical success.

That being said, the films that had no box office earnings whatsoever (i.e. the copious direct-to-streaming nominees this year) did far worse than expected at the 77th Golden Globes. Going into the night, Netflix had more film nominations than any other production company. Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story” led the race with six nominations, trailed only by Scorsese’s “The Irishman” with five—both of which were Netflix originals.

It seemed as if the Globes was going to be a game-changing event for the streaming world as well as a defining moment for Netflix to rebrand itself as the “prestigious” streaming platform amongst the competition. Maybe just getting the nominations was enough for Netflix to earn this reputation. However, the company walked away with just one film award—Laura Dern for Best Supporting Actress in “Marriage Story.” For all the hype that Netflix’s “The Irishman,” “Dolemite Is My Name,” and “The Two Popes” went in with, they all left empty handed.

Contrary to expectations, perhaps the Hollywood Foreign Press was not quite ready to hold direct-to-streaming titles in the same regards as traditional theatrical releases. Maybe the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences will think otherwise, as they announce the Oscar nominees on January 13th—if nothing else, maybe they’ll at least select a host with a touch more compassion.

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Business, Tech

Google’s Larry Page and Sergey Brin Step Down, Displacing Accountability To Sundar Pichai

Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the founders of Google and respective President and CEO of its parent company Alphabet Inc, have officially announced plans to step down from their high-ranking management roles in the tech world. Page and Brin created the Google search engine in 1998 when they were PhD students at Stanford University. Since then, the two have expanded the company into a multi-purpose technological empire. 

Now, twenty-one years later, the forty-six year old entrepreneurs are resigning from their leading positions at Google. However, given the stress that Google is under, they are retiring at a suspiciously convenient time. And even though they are sacrificing their titles, they are simultaneously managing to maintain stakes in the Google brand.

Taking over for Page and Brin is Pichai Sundararajan—better known as Sundar Pichai, the former number-two at Google who has practically been acting as the face of the company for the past few years. As the two founders have found themselves more invested in Google’s experimental sectors recently—Brin focusing on GoogleX’s driverless cars and Google Glasses while Page has shifted his attention towards flying automobiles—most of the Google’s more widely-used properties have fallen under Pichai’s supervision.

Pichai has been with Google since 2004. He is responsible for convincing the company to start its own browser in 2008, which lead to the immensely successful Google Chrome. In 2013, he took over the Android Division, better integrating Google properties into the line of smartphones without sacrificing their affordability. He also spearheaded the development of Chrome OS, the operating system that fuels Google’s popular Chromebook laptops.

Indeed, Pichai is an obvious choice to replace Page and Brin as CEO of Google and Alphabet. The man has practically been running the company’s mainstream innovations for the past ten years, while its founders take the backseat to play out their billion dollar tech fantasies. 

Then again, Page and Brin are far from exiled from the Google community. Although they are no longer acting leaders, they will still keep their fourteen percent stakes in the company’s finances. As majority stockholders, they will also retain influence over Alphabet’s decisions. Thus, Page and Brin’s step down from power is hardly a step down at all, but rather an excuse to hold onto control while dodging personal accountability in trying times.

And trying times these are indeed for Google. Within the past year especially, Congress and other authorities have been cracking down on tech conglomerates such as Facebook, Amazon, Apple, and of course, Google. Like its fellow cyber juggernauts, Alphabet has been criticized for having a monopoly on data. Not only are users starting to think that Google wields too much power, but they also fear what it is doing with such power, as the worldwide company becomes oddly elusive when questioned about its privacy standards, information distribution, and business ethics.

Even Marc Zuckerberg had the slightest integrity to come before Congress and speak for Facebook during the Senate Committee hearing on big tech last year. Page and Brin, however, were nowhere to be found. Despite being requested at the hearing, they left a conspicuously empty seat in Washington DC with Google’s name on it.

Ever since cyber ethics and big tech have become hot topics in the media, the founders of Google have been moving further and further away from the spotlight. Their resignation from Alphabet as a whole signifies their ultimate fall into the shadows, where no one can accuse them of immorality or illegality on behalf of the company. The burden will now fall on Pichai.

In a way, little has changed. Pichai has more or less been answering for Page and Brin for a while, handling publicity and leading all of the launches that come from Google. Now, however, he holds the actual crown—even if Page and Brin are keeping the royal treasure. With any luck, though, maybe Pichai will improve Google, not just by creating more innovative software, but by bettering Alphabet’s approach to security, designing tech with human decency in mind, and actually owning up and responding to some of the company’s mistakes as they come.

It’s unlikely and perhaps foolishly optimistic, but it’s a silver lining that users can grasp onto given the (albeit somewhat empty) change in Google’s leadership.

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Entertainment, Movies

Keanumania: “John Wick 4” and “The Matrix 4” Set To Release on the Same Day

2019 has been a big year for Keanu Reeves. With a reprised leading performance in “John Wick: Chapter 3—Parabellum,” a voice acting role in “Toy Story 4,” and a plethora of social media attention through interviews and memes, the fifty-five year old actor has found himself back in the spotlight for the first time in about fifteen years. Fans have affectionately dubbed this resurgent stage in his career, “The Keanussance.”

Happily, the Keanu Reeves fun will not stop anytime soon. Recent announcements from Warner Brothers and Lionsgate respectively reveal that “The Matrix 4” and “John Wick 4” will be released on the same date—May 21, 2021, a day that the Internet is already starting to declare “Keanu Reeves Day.”

Neither of these upcoming films have revealed their plots yet, as “The Matrix 4” is merely in pre-production and “John Wick 4” remains in development. All we really know is that they are each the fourth installments in their franchises, and that Keanu Reeves has been casted in both of them.

The last Matrix film, “Matrix Revolutions” came out in 2003. “Revolutions” wrapped up the science-fiction, reality-bending narrative, and left Neo—the main protagonist played by Reeves—dead. Thus, we are all very curious to see how Reeves returns in “The Matrix 4.” Likewise, it will be interesting to find out what Warner Brothers does with the story given the conclusive nature of “Revolutions.”

Warner Brothers has actually stated that Neo will not be the main character in “The Matrix 4,” and that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II of “Watchmen,” “Aquaman,” and “Black Mirror,” will play the new protagonist. Nevertheless, Reeves will somehow still be reprising his role in the film, as will “Revolutions” co-star Carrie-Anne Moss. Additionally, Lana Wachowski will be back behind the camera, directing a script from Aleksandar Hemon and David Mitchell.

Compared to the nineteen-year gap between “The Matrix: Revolutions” and “The Matrix 4,” “John Wick 4,” is a much quicker turnaround from the third film in its franchise. Once again, all we know for sure is that Reeves will be back as the titular character. Given the John Wick series so far, the fourth film will likely follow the same James Bond style, action-packed storyline as the last three movies. We can expect lots of gun, knife, and fist fights to happen and for Keanu to give yet another performance that can only be described as “badass.”

Furthermore, although it has not formally been asserted yet, we can reasonably anticipate the return of director Chad Stahelski for “John Wick 4”, as the stuntman-turned-filmmaker has directed all of the Wick movies so far.

Whoever he ends up fighting in the two films, Keanu Reeves will ultimately be going up against himself at the box office that fateful weekend in 2021. Both films are bound to be summer blockbusters, but which movie will fare better commercially is anyone’s pick. “The Matrix 4” is coming off of a classic franchise that redefined the sci-fi genre in 1999. However, the source material is admittedly a little dated, and The Matrix sequels tended to diminish in quality as the series continued. “John Wick 4,” on the other hand, is young and fresh, but it lacks the same longevity and cinematic prestige as The Matrix.

It’s impossible to tell which movie will end up triumphant on Keanu Reeves Day. Most fans will probably end up seeing both, but a lot can happen in the next year and a half. Until then, we can look forward to the dual release and enjoy the Keanussance throughout 2020, as Reeves will appear in movies such as “The Spongebob Movie: Sponge On The Run,” “Bill & Ted Face The Music,” and “Fast & Furious 9.”

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Entertainment, Movies

Five Movies in Theaters: Holiday Film Choices

Now that the final days leading up to 2020 are here, it’s a great time to check out what films are currently available in theaters…

Bombshell

photo-link to Bombshell article and trailer

Uncut Gems

photo-link to Uncut Gems article and trailer

Richard Jewell

photo-link to Richard Jewell article and trailer

Rise of Skywalker

photo-link to Rise of Skywalker article and trailer

Spies in Disguise

photo-link to Spies in Disguise article and trailer

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Entertainment, Music

Billie Eilish shows Support for “Music Declares Emergency” by wearing “No Music on a Dead Planet” shirt

Photo Illustration / Lynxotic / AMA

At the 47th American Music Awards on Sunday, November 24th, seventeen-year-old artist Billie Eilish was one of the most highly anticipated guests. Nominated for six awards and winning titles for best new artist and favorite alternative rock artist, Eilish performed her song “All The Good Girls Go To Hell”, and did it while sporting an unequivocal environmental message.

Eilish is known for wearing baggy attire on stage, and at the AMAs, she decided to don an oversized black t-shirt reading “No Music On A Dead Planet” in sparkling red letters.

Seeing one of the world’s biggest stars pointing out the truth of that dire scenario, bringing to mind a planet with no-life whatsoever, let alone such a vibrant life as exemplified by her music, is a haunting, powerful image and message.

Her being roughly the same age as Greta Thunberg further hits home, as they could both be seeing life deteriorating decade by decade for the rest of their lives, while many in positions of power, such as septuagenarians like Trump and other politicians that currently actively block positive environmental changes, will be long since gone. Good for them, bad for the rest of us.

The quote is the slogan for Music Declares Emergency, a group made up of artists and professionals who strive for change, and to represent the music industry’s response to the climate crisis. The organization not only stands for lowering musicians’ carbon footprint through more sustainable forms of touring and performing, but it also aims to promote wider systemic change using artists’ cultural influence and communication powers.

Billie Eilish has millions of fans around the world. By taking a stand against climate destruction and supporting Music Declares Emergency, other artists and members of her fan base are certain to follow in her footsteps. Additional artists and bands that have already expressed solidarity with the group include Foals, Savages, Milky Chance, The 1975, and Radiohead amongst others.

Music Declares Emergency is an independent, democratic organization run by volunteers. Anyone can participate and donate, but it cites the Extinction Rebellion, Culture Declares Emergency, and other music-affiliated charities as inspiration.

The group’s primary goal is to make climate change a political prioritization. While Music Declares Emergency can make as much alterations within the music industry as possible, it’s leaders know that combating the climate crisis most effectively requires grass roots political action. Thus, before one deems Billie Eilish or any other Music Declares Emergency-affiliate hypocritical, one must remember that they are attacking the looming crisis in the most important way possible.

In more ways than one, Music Declares Emergency’s mission is reminiscent of the Extinction Rebellion’s letters signed by a number of Hollywood actors and personalities last month. In these letters, stars such as Benedict Cumberbatch, directors such as Alfonso Cuaron, and musicians such as Adam Clayton acknowledged their hypocrisy for being part of a high carbon lifestyle, but at the same time, they articulated their unhindered support for the Extinction Rebellion.

In total, celebrity activism is understandably not a perfect, tangible, or foolproof solution. However, stars using their spotlights to inform and encourage ecological reformation can be very powerful, and it is the kind of radical wide-ranging action the planet needs in such a critical period.

Music, like fame, is a fickle thing; one cannot touch or hold it, but one can certainly feel it, and it can definitely influence the way one thinks. Thus, it is a perfect medium to inspire through during trying times. Music Declares Emergency aims to evolve our world for the better. Having an ally in Billie Eilish—one of the hottest up-and-coming stars of 2019—is bound to help its cause.

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Politics, Tech

Twitter has Deleted almost 6000 Saudi-State Backed Accounts for Violating Platform Manipulation Policies

The Six Thousand Accounts were part of a Larger Spam Network of 88,000

On casual observation, there appears to be a surge in bogus accounts attempting to manipulate on Twitter recently and now this has been confirmed, partially, with six thousand accounts deleted with Twitter disclosing the inauthentic behavior and violations as well as the State-backed Source (Saudia Arabia) in its blog today.

The disclosure shows some very interesting tricks that various bad actors are using to try and mask their true intent in order to “survive” longer on the platform without having their accounts deleted.

According to the Twitter blog the Saudi Arabian government backed accounts were engaging in retweeting, liking and replying, using automation, in order to mask tweets with a political agenda favorable to Saudi Interests.

The method of masking the true goal of an account that is an automated spam bot is becoming more common based on our observations of the platform. Accounts favorable to Trump, that appear inauthentic (robots) will retweet and even retweet liberal content, such as tweets favorable to AOC, to mask their intent. Then, if the account is followed, pro-Trump spam is sent via private direct messages, for example.

As the Tricks get Deeper and the Stakes Higher, Twitter must also Evolve in its Response

It appears that , with this report on the eighty-eight thousand account take down, Twitter is learning and following as these attempts to avoid detection are created, developed and implemented.

Twitter also disclosed that a social media marketing and management company based in Saudi Arabia called Smaat was behind the platform manipulation. The company has also been “permanently” banned from using Twitter due to the activity. In an interesting additional action, the accounts of senior executives of the company were also deleted and the persons banned.

The company used third party automation services to produce high volumes of activity related to non-political content. This, based on the content, is not necessarily against Twitter policy as such amplification of non-political content in allowed. In this case, however, the high volume of activity was used to mask the political content that was interspersed in the “storm” of activity.

Here is the quote from Twitter that serves as a comment on the action and what they intend for future cases:

“We exist to serve the public conversation around the world. To this end, we’ll continue to take strong enforcement action against any state-backed information campaigns which undermine our company’s mission, principles, and policies.”

– Twitter

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Climate Solutions

The European Union Sets Its Own Eco Standards With Green Deal

Euro Attempts to Lead in Climate Fight

While leaders from around the globe were coming together to seek climate consensus at the UN Climate Conference in Madrid, the European Union is making its own efforts in Belgium. On Tuesday, December 11th, the EU met in Brussels and introduced what it is calling the “Green Deal,” an outline of policies for the bloc to implement in the fight against climate change. 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented the Green Deal at the EU meeting. It is her first major proposal (and a bold one at that) since she first took office on December 1st. The plan is part of an overarching ambition for the EU to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.

The Green Deal aims to achieve this ambition through fifty policy measures. Among them are a $110-Billion fund to help transition away from coal, updated production standards to eliminate waste, and a carbon border tax for imports. There would also be more money set aside to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and decrease the level of trade dependency on air travel. 

When von der Leyen introduced the Deal, she called it “Europe’s ‘man on the moon’ moment,” likely alluding to United States President John F. Kennedy’s famous “We Choose To Go To The Moon Speech” that kicked off the Space Race in 1962. Like Kennedy’s declaration to put a man on the moon, the Green Deal is unprecedentedly daring. It consciously sets out to challenge the nations involved and bring out the best in their politicians and citizens alike. If all goes well, then the end result could be beyond anything mankind has achieved in the past.

The irony in von der Leyen referencing JFK in her remarks, however, is that part of the Green Deal states that the EU will no longer engage in trade agreements with nations not participating in the Paris Climate Accords—that means to United States. Thanks to President Trump’s recent withdrawal from the global agreements set upon during the Obama Administration, the Green Deal could leave the U.S. without a few vital trading partners in Europe.

Man on The Moon is an Understatement: Resistance is a Factor

With any luck, maybe this economic incentive will convince the United States to hop back on board the Paris Accord. After all, one of the Green Deal’s primary aims is to inspire other places around the world to politically prioritize the climate crisis and lower carbon emissions. While certain governments have already made progress in these areas, the Green Deal marks the first time that a multi-nation bloc this big is directly attacking the issue on such a wide, in depth scale.

That being said, not everyone is a fan of the Deal. Although it won the support of the conservative European People’s Party (the most prevalent party in Parliament), the Green Deal has its cynics on both sides of the political spectrum. The far-right wingers fear the Deal’s potential effect on extractive industries and the economy. Meanwhile, far-left parties like the Green Party and the European United Left, are weary that the plan is not enough and that it needs to offer more solutions to additional issues. 

Still, all but three of the 28 countries in the EU have agreed to the Green Deal’s 2050 carbon neutral goal. The outliers are Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary, three Eastern European nations that rely heavily on coal and other fossil fuels. 

Understandably, the Green Deal will not get adopted and accepted overnight. There are a lot of countries that have a say in its guidelines and not all of them see eye-to-eye. Nevertheless, the fact that an entity as large and influential as the EU is proposing such a plan—and that it is getting received relatively well—is a big step for environmental progress. Soon enough, maybe the rest of the world will fall in line too, realize the dangers at hand, and compromise for the betterment of the entire planet. 

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Entertainment, Movies, Tech

Golden Globe Nominations: Hollywood Foreign Press Overlooks Female Filmmakers in 77th Awards

Photo Collage / Lynxotic – Adobe Stock

Diversity Theme Crops Up Once Again in Hollywood Awards Season

The 77th Golden Globe nominations are finally revealed, and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) has made a few bold choices when it comes to their top picks for film and television from 2019. To no one’s surprise on the television side, Netflix’s “The Crown” and “Unbelievable” led the race along with HBO’s “Chernobyl,” each program receiving four nominations. Likewise, when it comes to film, we had the usual suspects in each category; “The Irishman,” and “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood” respectively nominated for best drama and best comedy; Joaquin Phoenix and Brad Pitt respectively for best actor and best supporting actor; Scorsese and Tarantino for best director; “Frozen II” for best animated feature; and many more noms that don’t raise any eyebrows.

What is more conspicuous, however, is what was left out of the running this year. While Christian Bale received a nomination for his performance in “Ford v. Ferrari,” his co-star Matt Damon was stubbed. Likewise, right on the heels of Adam Sandler’s NBR Award for “Uncut Gems,” the actor was ignored by the HFPA. Even De Niro did not get a leading nomination for “The Irishman,” while Joe Pesci and Al Pacino both got supporting nominations. Jordan Peele was similarly left out of the best director and both best picture categories for “Us,” as was Tom Hooper for “Cats.” Meanwhile, HBO’s innovative new “Watchmen” series also missed the cut.

The most egregious absence comes on a larger, more systemic scale, though. In all of the nominations for best director and best picture, there is not a single female filmmaker on the ballot. And this is a year when women made a number of quality films.

Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women” came out this month. It is a compelling film focusing on the relationship between women and art, and despite receiving high praise from critics and audiences, it got little love from the HFPA. It’s only nomination came in the Best Actress in a Drama Motion Picture category for Saoirse Ronan’s performance. The same situation occurred for Lorene Scafaria’s “Hustlers.” Even though the film made a riot at the Toronto Film Festival, its only nom was for Angelina Jolie as Best Supporting Actress.

Moreover, although this was an enormously successful year for Netflix—earning four Best Picture nominations and “Marriage Story” achieving the most recognition of any title—the HFPA overlooked the streaming service’s female led productions. Particularly, it ignored Ava DuVernay’s “When They See Us,” a highly important race-focused miniseries about the Central Park Five. Directed by a black woman, this commended show was completely shut out, not earning a single nomination in any category.

Glass Ceiling Not So Easy to Break

Adding insult to injury, several of the most nominated pictures in this year’s running are not just man-made, but they are also highly man-centered. The two most talked about nominees, “The Irishman” and “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood,” are practically devoid of complex female characters. Through their respective focuses on the mafia and Hollywood stardom, the two films portray distinct images of patriarchal institutions. The same goes for “Joker,” which paints mental illness through a jadedly masculine lens, and “1917,” which spotlights wartime fraternity.

Ultimately, not much room is made for feminine movies like “Portrait of a Lady On Fire” from director Céline Sciamma, which only got nominated in the Forgiven Language category. Set in 1770 France, this underrated yet captivating period piece employs a nearly all-women cast to tell a uniquely female story. It delves into sorority, lesbianism, art, and feminism to share two ladies’ experiences during a highly patriarchal time in history. Sciamma getting ignored in the best director category could almost be forgiven if it weren’t for the brilliant cinematography, costumes, sets, and performances that she brought to her work—validating the film as a powerful art piece, and not just a piece of feminist propaganda.

In the wake of the #MeToo movement and remaining concerns about gender inequality in Hollywood and beyond, it is imperative that female filmmakers get the recognition they deserve. Of course, the HFPA choses its nominations not based on politics, but on artistry and talent. Nevertheless, just as those in the studio executive chairs ought to start listening to broader ideas, those in the critics chairs should also learn to see the value in female-centered releases and consider feminine themes on the same level as the masculine themes that we’ve been applauding in movies for the past seventy-seven years.

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Entertainment, Movies

4 New Trailers: Birds of Prey, Black Widow, No Time to Die and Richard Jewell

Video
https://video-lynxotic.akamaized.net/rev-1-Dom_Trailer_2_BDPRY_No_Slate_720p.mov
Official Trailer for “Birds Of Prey”

You ever hear the one about the cop, the songbird, the psycho and the mafia princess? “Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” is a twisted tale told by Harley herself, as only Harley can tell it. When Gotham’s most nefariously narcissistic villain, Roman Sionis, and his zealous right-hand, Zsasz, put a target on a young girl named Cass, the city is turned upside down looking for her. Harley, Huntress, Black Canary and Renee Montoya’s paths collide, and the unlikely foursome have no choice but to team up to take Roman down.

In the Warner Bros. Pictures film, Margot Robbie (“I, Tonya”) returns as Harley Quinn, alongside Mary Elizabeth Winstead (“10 Cloverfield Lane,” TV’s “Fargo”) as Huntress; Jurnee Smollett-Bell (HBO’s “True Blood”) as Black Canary; Rosie Perez (“Fearless,” “Pitch Perfect 2”) as Renee Montoya; Chris Messina (“Argo,” TV’s “Sharp Objects”) as Victor Zsasz; and Ewan McGregor (upcoming “Doctor Sleep,” the “Trainspotting” films) as Roman Sionis. Newcomer Ella Jay Basco also stars as Cassandra “Cass” Cain in her feature film debut. Directed by Cathy Yan (“Dead Pigs”) from a script by Christina Hodson (“Bumblebee”), the film is based on characters from DC. Robbie also produced, alongside Bryan Unkeless and Sue Kroll.

https://movietrailers.apple.com/movies/marvel/black-widow/black-widow-trailer-1_h1080p.mov
Official Trailer for “Black Widow”

Black Widow is an upcoming American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is intended to be the twenty-fourth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film is directed by Cate Shortland, written by Jac Schaeffer and Ned Benson, and stars Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, alongside David Harbour, Florence Pugh, O-T Fagbenle, and Rachel Weisz. Set after the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016), the film sees Romanoff on the run and forced to confront her past.

https://movietrailers.apple.com/movies/mgm/no-time-to-die/no-time-to-die-trailer-1_h1080p.mov
Official Trailer for “Time To DIe”

The latest (number 25) in the James Bond franchise, “No Time To Die” features Daniel Craig in his fifth outing as the MI6 agent James Bond. Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, Rory Kinnear, Jeffrey Wright, Léa Seydoux, and Christoph Waltz reprise their roles from previous films, with Rami Malek, Ana de Armas and Lashana Lynch joining the cast. 

Development of the film began and confirmed in 2016. It will be the first film in the series to be internationally distributed by Universal Pictures, acquiring the rights following the expiration of Columbia Pictures‘ contract after Spectre. In the United States, United Artists Releasing holds the rights. Universal will also release the film on home media domestically.

https://movietrailers.apple.com/movies/wb/richard-jewell/richard-jewell-trailer-1_h1080p.mov
Official trailer for “richard jewell”

Directed by Clint Eastwood and based on true events, “Richard Jewell” is a story of what happens when what is reported as fact obscures the truth. “There is a bomb in Centennial Park. You have thirty minutes.” The world is first introduced to Richard Jewell as the security guard who reports finding the device at the 1996 Atlanta bombing—his report making him a hero whose swift actions save countless lives.

But within days, the law enforcement wannabe becomes the FBI’s number one suspect, vilified by press and public alike, his life ripped apart.

Reaching out to independent, anti-establishment attorney Watson Bryant, Jewell staunchly professes his innocence. But Bryant finds he is out of his depth as he fights the combined powers of the FBI, GBI and APD to clear his client’s name, while keeping Richard from trusting the very people trying to destroy him.

https://movietrailers.apple.com/movies/wb/richard-jewell/richard-jewell-clip-press-conference_h1080p.mov
Bonus Clip “Richard Jewell PRess Conference”

The film stars Oscar winners Sam Rockwell (“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”) as Watson Bryant and Kathy Bates (“Misery,” TV’s “American Horror Story”) as Richard’s mom, Bobi; Jon Hamm (“Baby Driver”) as the lead FBI investigator; Olivia Wilde (“Life Itself”) as Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Kathy Scruggs; and Paul Walter Hauser (“I, Tonya”) stars as Richard Jewell.
Oscar winner Eastwood directed from a screenplay by Oscar nominee Billy Ray (“Captain Phillips”), based on the Vanity Fair article “American Nightmare—The Ballad of Richard Jewell” by Marie Brenner.

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Entertainment, Music

2020 Grammy Noms Out with Lizzo, Lil Nas X, and Billie Eilish #1, ‘World’s Biggest Boyband’ Snubbed

“Truth Hurts,” “Old Town Road” & “Bad Guy” take the lead in Incredibly Diverse “Record of the Year” Lineup

Like most highly televised award shows, the Grammys are slow to catch up to the times. Although the 2020 nominees list champions young and fresh faces like Lizzo, Lil Nas X, and Billie Eilish leading major categories, the award show has yet to recognize global, non-western artists.

As the New York Times notes, this 2020 nominee list is evidence of the Recording Academy’s attempt to “align its awards with the musicians pushing pop into the future.” Historically, the Grammys has been criticized for its tendency to favor older, white artists, often in the rock genre, for awards over the younger, up and coming pop artists making their mark in the industry.

Thankfully, the artists nominated for the major categories are young, fresh, and not white for the most part. Lizzo, a rising young black woman rapper, singer, and musician, dominates with a total of eight nominations, four of which are in all four general categories. Another young black artist, but from the primarily white country music genre, Lil Nas X receives a total of six nominations. And Billie Eilish is another fresh-faced youth who received six nominations as well. These three are the main artists to look out for as all three of them are first-time Grammy Award nominees, all of which would be a win for diverse representation in the music industry.

Grammy veterans also appear on the list, but only for a few categories. For example, Taylor Swift is a 10-time Grammy Award winner, but since she released her “Lover” album just before Grammy Award cutoff date, it is not included in this year’s lineup for Record of the Year. Her song “You Need to Calm Down,” however, did receive a nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance.

Grammy Awards Continues to Forget International Artists, Even when they Outsell in the U.S.

But, who isn’t on this list? Global, international, non-western artists who have broken music records worldwide. Most notably, BTS, the seven-member South Korean Hip-Hop / Pop boy group dubbed the “Biggest Boyband in the World,” are nowhere to be found on the 2020 Grammy List. Their worldwide success and fame is said to rival The Beatles as BTS achieves three No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 chart within 11 months, making them the first group to achieve that record since The Beatles during 1995 and 1996.

Many of BTS’s fans took to social media to express their righteous outrage over the matter as the group continues to be shut out of major award show category nominations despite their overwhelming records in sales that outsell a number of western artists. For example, BTS’s “Map of the Soul: Persona” outsold Beyoncé’s “Homecoming,” which was nominated for a Grammy, with over 4 million copies sold worldwide.

While the Recording Academy proclaims itself “as the world’s leading society of music professionals,” it seems like they’re doing a pretty good job at shutting out artists who come from outside of the western world.

The 62nd Grammy Awards Show will be televised on CBS on January 26, 2020 live 8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT from the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and hosted by Alicia Keys.

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Climate Solutions

Destroying the Planet Will Cost More than Saving it: The Paradox of Suicidal Shortsighted Financial Gain

Photo / Adobe Stock

Whenever a solution to climate change is proposed, one of the first questions is “how much does it cost?” Perhaps the premiere reason that the world perpetually fails to prioritize the climate crisis is because of money; countries, corporations, and individuals around the planet do not want to spend more in order to combat an issue that feels so removed.

This, however, is a paradox. When the effects of climate change come to fruition (as if they have not already), they will affect everyone. The environment will not discriminate. Obviously, developing nations with low GDPs will be the most vulnerable to the nature’s wrath, but the impact will make a dent in the global economy, hurting everybody’s wallets.

A new study from the Economist Intelligence Unit says that over the next generation, climate change could reduce the world’s economic growth by 3%. It will hit parts of Africa, South America, and the Middle East most severely, but it will also affect wealthy parts of the world in significant ways.

The United States, for example, could see its growth reduced by 1% in the next thirty years. If global temperatures continue to rise, that figure could increase to over 10% within the next century.

This should be an economic wake up call for governments and people around the world to start taking the battle against climate change seriously, and to start investing in the fight now because the cost is only going to go up over time. 

The fact that 2019 is likely to go down as one of the hottest years on record should also signal that global warming is not as removed as some might think and thus demands more immediate action. Events in 2019 such as the floods in Venice, the wildfires in California, Hurricane Dorian, and the ongoing melting of the polar ice caps have already cost the world billions of dollars. Natural disasters like these will start happening at greater frequencies as carbon emissions increase—and the money will keep pouring out of our pockets as a result. 

Sadly, another study (this one from the UN Environment Programme) reports that despite ambitions of sustaining global temperatures at 2 degrees Celsius, we are still burning 50% more fossil fuels than necessary to achieve that goal by 2030. Then, if we change the temperature goal to 1.5 degrees Celsius—as many climate scientists have suggested is required—then we are burning 120% more fossil fuels than needed.

These are harrowing figures not just for our global health, ecosystems, and well-being, but also for our currency. Right now, burning fossil fuels is a big money maker, and switching to alternative energy sources could be costly. If we keep relying on non-renewable energy, though, then we might as well be throwing dollar bills into the furnace. Evidently, our financial and ecological priorities are correlated.  Industry, Governments and politicians need to realize this connection and act upon it before it’s too late. And we all need to remind them, as loud and often as necessary.

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Entertainment, Movies

“D’oh!”—Disney+ Modifies ‘The Simpsons’ to 16:9 Aspect Ratio at the Expense of Series’ Trademark Humor

Graphic Collage / Lynxotic

Disney+ reels Subscribers in with Massive, Nostalgia-Inducing Hoard, such as 30 Seasons of “The Simpsons”!

Disney+ is here, and for the most part, it is living up to astronomical expectations. The streaming service has everything it promised under the Walt Disney Studios banner, from Marvel, to Pixar, to Star Wars, to Disney Animation vault material, to originals and more. The service allows its 10 million patrons to re-watch childhood classics and also discover something new, all for the affordable price of $7 per month.

One of the most appealing pieces of content available on Disney+ is all 30 seasons of “The Simpsons,” which Disney acquired when it purchased 20th Century Fox earlier this year. “The Simpsons” has been on the air since 1989, making it the longest running scripted television series. Its characters are household names and its humor has transcended generations.

Visual Humor is Extremely Delicate, and the Aspect Ratio makes can make a Huge Difference

Naturally, many people were eager to watch their favorite episodes of “The Simpsons” when Disney+ launched last Tuesday. Given that “The Simpsons” golden years are often considered between seasons 3 and 8, most users flocked to these chapters in the show’s history. 

However, when fans finally selected the episodes and pressed play, they may have found themselves confused and disappointed to see that the show looks different than it did in their memory, and that it is missing a few jokes as a result.

This is not a case of people misremembering something as better than it actually is—“The Simpsons” is undoubtedly a hilarious show. The reality is that Disney adjusted the show’s aspect ratio for seasons 1-19 when adding it to the streaming service. While seasons 1-19 originally aired in a primitive 4:3 aspect ratio, Disney+ edited the episodes to fall in line with its contemporary widescreen 16:9 ratio. 

A Funny Case in which Opting for a “modern upgrade” Backfires

This change could maybe be forgiven or perhaps even go unnoticed if it weren’t for the fact that the adjusted ratio comes at the expense of some of show’s humor. With the adapted framing, shots are cut off at unnatural edges. Therefore, some of the visual jokes in “The Simpsons” end up entirely out of frame.

Sometimes these graphic gags are subtle, but other times they are the focus of the entire scene or episode. Either way, many users consider this change insulting to both “The Simpsons” fandom and its creators. Viewers want to watch “The Simpsons” how they fondly remember it, in its original form.

Disney+ Responds Timely to Criticism Handling an American Television Staple

Seasons 20-30 of “The Simpsons” have gone untouched on Disney+ simply because these episodes were already made in 16:9 ratio. Disney+ wanted to create consistency amongst the series so it went for the latest, most often seen ratio. Unfortunately, it is the show’s development over time and that very inconsistency that enriches “The Simpsons’” as the series is watched in its original form, one can see its evolution over the years and better appreciate its long run as a staple of American television.

Disney has responded to complaints about the change, stating that it will soon release seasons 1-19 in their rightful 4:3 aspect ratios. This will happen in early 2020, at which time users will have the choice of how they want to watch “The Simpsons.” Nevertheless, it will keep the 16:9 ratio available for the sake of oncoming Disney+ features and unspecified digital viewing innovations. 

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Climate Solutions, Politics

150 year Epic Floods in Venice Foreshadow what’s in store for Coastal Cities as Sea Levels Rise

Venice Gondolas / Affinity Photo Stock / Pixabay

Floods are Seasonal in Venice, But they’re Not Normally Devastating

Residents of the beautiful, canal-lined city of Venice, Italy usually take pride in their immediate access to the water. Even if every autumn the high tide comes in for flooding season, the wash-over is typically manageable enough for Venetians to cope with it and carry out their lives. 

This past week challenged the city’s relationship with water, though, as Venice experienced some of the harshest floods it has ever seen.

Between Wednesday and Friday, Venice became submerged in 6 feet and 2 inches of water. This is the second highest flood in the city’s history, just two inches away from the city’s highest flood on record, which took place in 1966.

Flood Exacts Ironic Revenge upon Far-Right Climate-Change-Deniers in Venice Regional Council Building

The salty water rode over the city’s aged barrier security system and ran through the streets. It destructively made its way into houses and stores and even did some damage to the famous St. Mark’s Square and its historic cathedral. Poignantly, the water also flooded the Venice Regional Council building—soaking the very chambers where members of Italy’s far-right League party turned down a number of propositions to combat climate change and protect the region’s environment.

Granted, Venice’s floods were not the direct cause of climate change. Their severity was more due to gravitational and astronomical idiosyncrasies that dramatically affected the tide. Nevertheless, global warming leading to rising sea levels may mean that floods like these could be happening more often. The fact that Venice saw these massive events in episodes over the course of just three days already shows that something is ecologically off. 

The vast majority of the world’s population lives by the coast, and most of the globe’s major cities are ports. Therefore, Venice could be a harrowing foreshadow of what is to come for many people once the effects of climate change come to fruition. Venice may be the first of many environmental disasters that bring glorified cities down to their knees.   

Floods and More Disaster likely as Governments Continue Passivity in the Face of Climate Crisis

There is a certain poetic justice to the fact that this happened so recently after Venice’s government decided to sideline environmental policies. The conservative council has avoided all efforts to make the region more eco-friendly, and now they are facing the tangible consequences. It is a microcosm of governments around the world denying or refusing to address climate change—their inaction will soon lead to demolition.

From Venice, we can also take away the fact that climate change is no longer a future issue. These disasters are happening right now and in real time. This changes the temporal frame of climate change, granting it immediacy and sounding the alarm for people in power to prioritize it before it’s too late.

Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro is currently witnessing firsthand how offsetting ecological issues helps no one in the long run. He has declared a state of emergency for the city and expects that repairing damages will exceed €1 billion. If we continue not to act on climate change, this number (like the tide) will only get higher and will submerge more cities around the world, drowning us perhaps to a point where no amount of money will be able to keep us afloat.

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Business

Disney+ Vastly Exceeds its own Expectations, Achieving 10 Million Subscribers within First Day

Video
https://movietrailers.apple.com/movies/lucasfilm/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-trailer-2_h1080p.mov
Star Wars

Streaming Wars are adding Choices for Consumers

Nobody ever doubted that Disney+ would be a success. From the second that the streaming service was announced, almost everyone knew that the website—which offers nearly every film and TV show in the Walt Disney catalogue—would be an enormous step forward for the company.

When Disney+ finally arrived on Tuesday, however, it did not just meet expectations. It immediately surpassed them, surprising even its parent company in the process. 

Within twenty-four hours of the website’s launch, Disney+ reached over 10 million subscribers. This is a number that many did not expect Disney+ to reach for at least a year. To put it in perspective, Disney+ already has more subscribers than HBO Now, CBS All-Access, and Showtime… all reputable services that have been in existence for several years. Disney+ surpassed each of them in the course of a single day.

Of course, this is reason for the Walt Disney Company to celebrate. Even at the affordable price of $7 per month or $70 per year, Disney+ is bound to be a financial goldmine for the company. 

That being said, not all of the 10 million current subscribers are guaranteed customers. Disney+ offers new members a seven-day free trial, so we can assume that at least a few people will binge for a week and then drop the service once they have to pay. Likewise, Verizon has offered the service for free to some of its users, which could account for some of the people lumped into Disney’s hefty figure. 

Nevertheless, not even the higher-ups at Disney anticipated so many people to subscribe on day one. The website’s initial activity was so intense that it actually overwhelmed the service, leaving many users with Error pages and foreboding screens reading “Unable to Connect to Disney+” accompanied by Disney’s very own Wreck-It-Ralph. Over ten thousand reports of this took place on Tuesday, making many subscribers nervous. Luckily, Disney apologized for the inconvenience and swiftly adapted to the unexpectedly large number of patrons. 

The service has been running smoothly ever since, offering users everything that it advertised. With very few exceptions, the service has every piece of Star Wars, Marvel, and Pixar content along with Disney classics, National Geographic shows, and several original programs, most notably “The Mandalorian,” which is the first ever live-action series to take place in the Star Wars universe. 

Baby Yoda / Photo / Disney

Do I sound like a Fan? Ok, sorry, you got me

And this is only the beginning! The service promises more originals including “WandaVision,” “Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” “Loki,” and “What If…?” under the Marvel banner as well as two more Star Wars series: one focusing on Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi from the prequel trilogy and another one focusing on Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor from “Rogue One.” This is not even to mention all of the original movies, animated content, and pre-released Disney titles that are yet to make their way onto the service. Clearly, the current 10 million subscribers are only seeing the tip of the iceberg.

The only ones not celebrating Disney+ right now may be its streaming competitors. While Netflix responded to the Disney’s success with optimism, looking forward to improving their own brand with original content, Amazon, CBS, and other companies of the sort are probably shaking. Likewise, we can imagine that WarnerMedia, Apple, and NBCUniversal, each of whom are about to launch their own streaming services, are sitting on the edges of their seats, fearfully glaring at Disney’s instant accomplishment.

The streaming wars have begun. Many more armies are yet to arrive on the battlefield, but Disney+ has certainly made its presence known. Not even a week into its life, it is striding into combat with confidence, power, and a militia of 10 million soldiers, joyfully armed with a vast inventory of intellectual property that is far from tapped out.

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Photography

2019 iPhone Photography Awards: The Complete Collection Vol. 1-10

Video
https://video-lynxotic.akamaized.net/PhotoAwards-1-M-final.mp4
ABOVE: Short Intro Video for Our iPhone Photography Awards Series
The 2019 iPhone Photography Awards: Here are the Top Winning Photos
iPhone Photography Awards Announced, Volume 3: Architecture and Animals
iPhone Photography Awards Announced, Volume 4: Panorama and Nature
iPhone Photography Awards Announced, Volume 5: Children and Landscape
Apple iPhone Photography Awards Announced, Volume 6: News / Events and Floral
iPhone Photography Awards Announced, Volume 7: Trees and Lifestyle
Photo by Vicki White / iPhone Photo Awards

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Cutting Edge, Tech

Apple, 5G and Musk: iPhone 12 and 5G Revolution, Tesla Takes Berlin and Butterfly is Finally Toast

Video
https://www.apple.com//105/media/us/macbook-pro-16/2019/fa0563a0-8534-4e01-a62a-081b87805fea/films/product/macbookpro-16-product-tpl-cc-us-2019_1280x720h.mp4
Apple Produced Video for 16-Inch MacBook Pro

Just in case you missed it, here’s our latest coverage on the newest cutting edge technology from Apple and Tesla:

Apple releases new 16-inch MacBook Pro, 80% Faster and, Finally, a new Keyboard
T-Mobile to Launch 5G Network Nationwide in December: iPhone 12 could start 5G Revolution
Musk Announces Tesla’s 4th Gigafactory Location: Model 3 wins Midsize Car of the Year in Germany
Photo / 16-inch MacBook Pro /Apple

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