“The film will premiere in theaters and then around the world on Apple TV +”
Yeah, well… at least the last part of that sentence rings true.
I think we all need to remember we’re talking about an industry that is notoriously bad with change. It was only a few short years ago when they were actively fighting against streaming an online distribution, they’re not going to suddenly have a robust plan to get the big releases out there.
It’s one thing for the smaller releases but not the blockbuster where potential billion dollar movies are at steak. Plus there’s no date on a situation like this so no studio is going to want to be first.
1 Like
But billions are at stake no matter what. And if this industry does one thing well, it‘s earning money.
If the cinema chains did not have a mafia-like grip on studios we already were reviewing NTTD from our home video experience.
It is looking like we’ll have another shut down by August 1st.
August 1? Several states are already shutting down. In hindsight, its very difficult to say whether or not the shutdown was a good idea. 20 million people are out of work and the economy has nose dived with no chance of recovery until those people are working again. The shutdown certainly hurt many things, however, the real problem seems to be (what many of us around here correctly surmised) that states and the federal government pushed to re-open too early and failed to promote (and in some cases actively fought) proper measures to contain the virus. The result is the US seeing a massive resurgence in the outbreak while many other countries are not.
1 Like
Without a shutdown the virus can run free and infect too many. With a shutdown ending too early the rise of infections is not stopped in order to prevent hospitals from overcrowding.
It’s really as simple as that. Infection rates can be mathematically predicted.
2 Likes
Shutdown was unequivocally a good idea. The problem is the federal government used the time and everyone’s sacrifice and goodwill to do… absolutely nothing. And it’s always harder to ask people to make a sacrifice a second time.
1 Like
There was really no alternative to the lockdown. I‘ve read countless pieces arguing against it, mainly based on infection numbers going down before lockdown in certain areas - but that effect is conclusively explained by people already social distancing before authorities acted. This has an effect on the r-rate but won’t be enough to flatten the curve. To do that you need a lockdown.
Hoping good advice alone would do the trick doesn’t help; just look at Sweden. Most people may have common sense, and may not be inclined to harm their peers. But a small amount of people refusing to act sensibly is enough to keep the spiral going. All you achieve with goodwill is pushing the peak a bit further.
And much the same happens when you lock down and open up too soon: all you‘ve managed then is prolonging the virus cycle. That may be a good tactic if you use the time won to counter the virus by track and trace and tests and quarantine. If you don’t use the time you’re going to just be hit all the harder.
2 Likes
Because they knew that not to re-open would require massive support for the social safety net, an option they are more desperate to avoid than being infected by the coronavirus. Ever since they were enacted, there has been an attempt to roll back New Deal/Great Society advances.
Will you please stop being sensible SAF. Next thing we know, you will be advising us to wash our hands and wear masks. What is the German word for killjoy? LOL
3 Likes
It’s strange, 'cause you are expecting the population to react well to “We wasted the last time you gave us, and we really wasted it, so you have to give us a bit more”
I really hope Americans take note
And on cue: America’s elected officials not working for us:
What drives me crazy is that we have to have all these trial balloons to test the waters (how is that for mixing metaphors) before anyone will take steps that Stevie Wonder can see need taking.
2 Likes
In a situation like this you absolutely need clear and decisive leadership. People cannot be expected to get to the bottom of it all on a diet of social media, paranoia theories and wishful thinking. People must be told that this is easily the worst thing they will encounter in a generation, a pandemic hitting an ill prepared and unequal society already strained by numerous forces. And states which are based on just this inequality, mining its weaknesses, will be hit worst.
2 Likes
I’m not arguing against the lockdown. I’m saying that the outcome we have had makes it harder to say that it was a good idea. The lockdown was handled in a way that very much disproportionately affected the lower and middle classes and small businesses. 20 million in the US lost their jobs and a large portion those 20 million are black and other minorities. The government did not properly take care of the public, but made sure to give hundreds of millions of dollars in relief to corporations and the super rich. As a result, we have evictions piling up and so many out of work that our economy threatens to reach Great Depression-era levels. The lockdown was done to prevent overflows at hospitals which it did, but re-opening early negated most of that and created great economic hardship that will resonate for years. The blame for all of this falls on government officials that are more interested in their own self-interests than actually listening to and fighting for their constituents. This is why I’m saying its hard to say the lockdown was a good idea. It may also be very pessimistic, but I also sort of believe that Republicans may have deliberately sabotaged the economy to protect the rich and also make the argument that the lockdown hurt the economy as it was championed by liberals.
2 Likes
From what one can read out of the various governments’ responses the overarching impetus has been to get out of this crisis as cheap as possible. Not to sabotage or profit but simply to do as little as seems advisable without seeming to do nothing. This is not a national-specific pattern; it seems all governments initially prefer not having to concern themselves with problems which are simply greater than their own influence reaches.
From a certain point onwards the factual evidence then left no other options but to act swiftly and decisively. And wherever reason and sanity haven’t left the government premises such action was taken then. But it’s entirely logical that those whose livelihoods depend on the economy - the gig economy - will have a vital interest in seeing their business back open as soon as possible. This is not a question simply of right or wrong but a constant and ongoing process we witness everywhere where the lockdown was eased already.
The specific reasons why some countries have been hit so hard, or will see a second wave, are more or less known. The only takeaway from it can be to learn from the failures and do better.
1 Like
The shutdown was entirely the right thing to do. It’s not the fault of the majority of the people, who did what they should have done during the lockdown, that the government completely wasted the time and didn’t at all do with it what they should have done to build up the infrastructure needed to continue the slow of the spread once things were reopened. I definitely don’t fault those that want to get back out to work and get the economy going again, as it’s difficult to continue asking people to sacrifice when the initial sacrifice was not treated with the respect that it so clearly deserved. I do fault those that deny the existence of the virus and/or don’t take the easy, common sense precautions that could not only help significantly curb the spread of the virus but also, more importantly, save tens of thousands of lives.
4 Likes
Hanks makes the right comment:
I can’t figure what the writers feeling on the topic is… 
Nothing can really replace the theatrical experience and while most of us have adapted since movie theaters have been closed since mid-March in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, it’s pretty clear that certain films were made to be experienced on the big screen.
The war film was clearly intended for a big-screen debut and Hanks says he’s heartbroken over the fact that GREYHOUND is skipping theaters for that very reason.
Hanks and all involved were likely very invested in presenting the best film possible so it has to sting that the effort to make the film look and sound like it was equipped for the big screen, will now be regulated to our smart TVs at home.
Throw in a good surround sound system and GREYHOUND could look and sound pretty good at home but I’m well aware that it won’t be near the level of experiencing the film in theaters.
So good the impartiality of journalism, we wouldn’t want the writers personal feelings taking four paragraphs with his actual headline taking up a word out of context and A single sentence before hastily copy and pasting a press release as an update…
True, but I was concentrating on this:
“This is a magnificent gift that’s come to us because of Apple. Because COVID-19 did something heartbreaking to us all. It closed down the theaters. We don’t have the cinema. There isn’t anybody that doesn’t like going to see a good movie with 800 other people and coming out with something in common. Barring that, Apple Television has saved the day for us. We had a magnificent movie that was not going to be seen because of the realities.”
I got you, it was the update with the press release you were drawing attention to. Hanks is talking about not making perfect the enemy of good.
I was just then very distracted by the original article on Hanks actually had very little of Hanks in it.
Yep. I´m just delighted that someone like Hanks is ready to say: We won’t have any cinemas for the foreseeable future. Time to release our movies on VOD.
2 Likes