Media Matters

       This past week, TV news bombarded the airways with iconic images commemorating the first anniversary of the Ukrainian-Russian War. A lot were expected, like flying Ukrainian flags and destroyed housing complexes.  But the two most memorable ones, in this critic's mind, were notable because they were unexpected: the week's first such image was on Monday, February 20, showing Presidents Biden and Zelenskyy walking side-by-sided along a wide, empty Kyiv street. It will remain a meaningful symbol of solidarity between the two leaders.        The second such salient image depicted three young resistant fighters in Kherson, standing in the middle of a barren street, staring straight ahead. It was the last image in the MSNBC documentary, " On Assignment With Richard Eagel: Ukraine's Secret Resistance," broadcast on Friday February 24. Here's why they will be distinctly remembered by yours truly.      Oddly enough, the two Presi...

     In case anyone thinks yours truly works for Netflix or ever did so, now is the time to set things straight. As a media critic, I have written lots about films playing on Netflix, notably documentaries. Two particular works are not only recent, but also worthy of attention. "Pamela Anderson" is one of these, and the New York Times' Style Section concurs  in its positive article.  While the movie has one primary goal, treating the actress's image as a largely substantive and serious subject, she is still exploited in the process. Thus, it appears that very little has really changed.       Conversely, " Sr.," the other current Netflix documentary, covers a myriad of themes, not just one. Although the film is a bio-pic featuring Robert Downey Jr.s'  father, initially most of the audience focuses primarily on the son, a popular, award - winning and previously dope-addicted actor.       But "Sr." reaches beyond our ex...

     These last two weeks were not good times to watch TV news. Violence - centered events captured the audience's focus and effort, seemingly twenty - four hours a day: the bizarre attack on Paul Pelosi; the mass shooting in a California Asian  community; the horrendous beating of Tyre Nichols. All of these examples used live video to amplify and verify the violence.      Cut to the current Oscar nominations, where other instances of assault were represented in two notable "Best Picture" selections: ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT AND WOMEN TALKING. Of course, the savagery is different. The anti-war " All Quiet" is primarily physical violence seen through the lens of graphic depiction.  Conversely, "Women Talking" shows hardly any brutality, per se. Yet it many ways, it is just as harrowing, this time communicated through the female victims' speech.       The use of dialogue in director/ screenwriter Sarah Polley's movie is imp...