Media Matters

        President Zelenskyy is not only known as an extraordinary leader but after his recent virtual speech to the U.S. Congress, he will also be perceived as an excellent rhetorician. It doesn't even seem to matter if he wrote this public speech all himself. (We realize that  most politicians and heads of government do not. ) The point is, it had the hallmarks of an effective, eloquent and valuable contribution to Ukraine's fight for survival against Russia.    The address also proved that the TV medium is an effective, eloquent and valuable tool as well, particularly when war is evolved. Some of the reasons may be obvious. Some need more explanation.     First, as this "Media Matters" blog has pointed out in the last few weeks, TV can use persuasive emotional appeals, centering on strong visual imagery. Consider one outstanding example: Zelenskyy's integration of video into the body of his speech. Thus, it's likely that viewers will recall...

       TV coverage showing the Russian invasion of Ukraine operates on many levels, including information about various Ukrainian cities. The viewers are learning that Kyiv is not the only city in this country. As the war continues, broadcasters go back time and time again to report on what's happening in many of the same urban centers. Frequently, large maps help the TV audience follow the action. We begin to become familiar with the towns involved in the fighting. We even unconsciously select one place particularly that we feel as if we "know," that we can identify with.      Odessa, a southern port town on the Black Sea, is the place that this critic now "knows." First reason: because recent TV news showed residents covering its most famous monument  ( Duke de Richelieu )  with sandbags perhaps getting it ready for removal from the site. Second reason: the name, Odessa, recalls a real area in Brooklyn's Brighton Beach known as "Little Odes...

       To say that "persuasion" plays an essential part in all our lives is nothing special or earth - shaking. Nor does anyone need a lecture on the subject.      What is needed, however, is an understanding of the role it particularly imparts dealing with the TV coverage of the war between Russia and Ukraine.        Where do we start? How about in the distant past when Aristotle developed the idea of argumentation by observing it at work in the market places, the government and the courts? From there he evolved three types ( or proofs ) of persuasion which still operate today: emotional, logical and charisma/credibility.        Of all these various appeals, emotional ones seem to be the most potent over the years.  For instance, consider how TV has used finely crafted images to impact on our voting choices and politics generally.  And why not?  Emotional persuasion is probably the easiest one to ...

       It is now Day Six of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Up to this point, the TV broadcasts failed to catch my attention, although the event itself was important to me. If truth be told, my nationality lay rooted in Ukraine: my mother was born there and so was all her immediate family. As Jewish immigrants, she and her parents escaped from their homeland, her father carrying her on his shoulders across a river. To this day, I have yet to know which waterway. I only knew that it was 1908, and I was told all these years that my family ( and I ) were Russian.      As a media critic, I tend to see live broadcasts of war as "story telling," often replicating a Hollywood film. After all, wasn't the first Iraqi War during the early 2000's like a western or even horror movie, following a traditional narrative structure: introduction of a problem ( the enemy's takeover of Kuwait ); presentation of protagonists ( TV correspondents and particular military fi...

     Netflix films made during the Pandemic had some peculiar and provocative traits as this blog indicated several months ago. The new year again presents at least two worthwhile Netflix movies with  challenging plot structures and open endings; they also deliver unexpected twists and themes.       Consider initially "The Lost Daughter," directed by actress Maggie Gyllenhaal  and starring Oscar- winning Olivia Coleman. However, it's surprising that the work is critically appreciated in the first place because the story is confusing and presents more questions than it answers. For example, the resort's isolated location leaves us asking, where is this place any way? Maybe England, or is it possibly Cape Cod?   ( Actually it was filmed in Greece. )      The primary character ( Olivia Coleman ), appears to be a lonely woman with very little "back story. " Therefore , we know hardly anything about her or her motivations...

     Halloween has given this critic a chance to watch "Night of the Living Dead "again on TV. Imagine my surprise to see a scene with radio broadcasts warning the public of   Zombies on the loose: one such location was Cumberland, Maryland, a small, remote town where my father's family lived, including his cousin ( a judge ) and his nephew ( a pharmacist ). Not to mention a friend who was a cardiologist at the local hospital. While professional people existed in real life there, things were very different amidst the fictional world of Pittsburgh director George Romaro who explored an area where ordinary residents did their worse. (What is it with my Maryland hometown that also recalled another horror movie shot in a nearby isolated place: "The Blair Witch Project" ?)      However, there are other questions to consider about this particular film, even  53 years after it was made: namely, is there anything relevant today that makes ...

       It's a good feeling for film lovers to experience Ingmar Bergman once again with a recent 2021  HBO TV series -  thus reminding viewers of his own 1973 "Scenes From a Marriage." Oddly enough, that initial work was also a TV series; other superficial similarities are also present in the two series. First, the basic plot line is the same, featuring a couple's separation, affairs, bonding, rebonding and divorce.  The main actors in both programs literally look alike as well: it is apparent that Liv Ullmann's ( Marianne ) demeanor and body type resemble  Jessica Chastain's ( Mira ) physical traits, including her skin and hair coloring/ style. Ditto for Erland Josephson's ( Johan ) similarity to Oscar Isaac ( Jonathan ), including his beard and glasses.      That's where some narrative qualities have to end, since this critic did not see Bergman's original version. However,  selected clips reveal the Swedish director's si...