Media Matters

      Let's face it: we can take just so much of "TRUMP ON TRIAL." All day, every day. Yet some people like me watch it anyway so we won't miss something important. No matter: we are still going to miss a lot. The primary reason why is obvious. The trial is not being televised.       At last: we got a break a few nights ago, on MSNBC's "The Last Word" with Lawrence O' Donnell. No, TV cameras didn't suddenly appear to broadcast the proceedings in the New York City courtroom.  But long-established newscaster O'Donnell changed the way we experienced the event. His verbal introduction placed the viewers in the court itself, along with Donald Trump, Judge Merchan, the lawyers, jury, newspeople, and every other appropriate person. Particularly, we followed the day's witness, Stormy Daniels, as she entered and took a seat. O'Donnell's description was so precise and comprehensive, that we were able to picture her clothes, posture, demeano...

      Each year there are lots of traditional TV programs that give credence to American culture. Some are entertaining and exciting, remaining in our memory. But there are some which are pretty boring.  Last week, however, President's Biden's "State of the Union" and the "96 th  Academy Awards" did not put the average viewer asleep like examples from the past.      There were many reasons why, such explanations being somewhat similar. Because TV is a visual medium, the images we saw in the two productions were unusually arresting this year. This is not  suggesting that President Biden's speech resembled a Broadway play, for instance, even though the female Congressional members wearing white clothing did garner attention and convey a theme like a Broadway show.       Simply stated, the images at the Oscars were the best in years. The reason was rather obvious, communicating the adage, "Less i...

       This past summer's lineup of movies presented an interesting challenge, especially for two of them. Thus, amid the myriad of fantasy, adventure and horror offerings ( like  " Indiana Jones: The Dial of Destiny," "Spider - Man: Across the Spider-Verse," and "Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning" ), the two most popular films essentially defied such classifications: BARBIE AND OPPENHEIMER. ( However, we can't deny that, obviously, "Barbie " could still be described stylistically as a fantasy ). Despite stylistic matters, this critic also wondered how these movies' distributors had the guts to even think about releasing both of them at the same time.     Yet various considerations aside, there remains the fact that "Barbie" is very different from any of writer Baumbach's other works.   And therein lies an important conclusion: we discover that Baumbach is an innovative, imaginative and inspiring filmmaker.    ...

     Leonard Bernstein's biopic, "MAESTRO," starring Bradley Cooper, is a recent film that deserves to be seen and appreciated. But that observation is not because it's a biopic about a great American composer/conductor. In fact, the movie is also about another  creator, namely the director, producer and screenwriter of the work itself: Bradley Cooper. Thus, the style, content and themes derive from Cooper's own imagination, beliefs, and even, perhaps, his real life. ( Pardon yours truly from being presumptuous on that last assumption. )      Another point about the importance of "Maestro" needs attention as well. Both Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg are the film's producers, men who are considered by many as great American movie makers. (Scorsese, particularly, owes his success to someone else - a NYU cinema professor who was his mentor ). While Scorsese and Spielberg have produced many projects showcasing the talent of other individuals, we fe...

       It's time to put aside the visual images seen on recent TV broadcasts, especially those covering the Israeli-Hamas War. Instead, language has often taken a special place now, causing the audience to question the meaning ( and thus the irony ) of what is taking place. There are many examples, naturally, but a particularly relevant phrase is the Israeli pronouncement, " "Hamas uses people like human shields." Those words have always struck yours truly in an odd way: the term is both well-worn and also makes a point that doesn't fit. While "like human shields" is a figure of speech, a simile to be exact, it provokes more literal images than figurative ones. We end up being confused; how are we to interpret "human shields?"     Other words used recently also seem ill-advised. Trump's favorite designation of late, VERMIN, is a case in point. We can't really be sure if he wanted to make a comparison to Hitler's and Mussolini's...

      Instability runs rampant nowadays, showing itself in this summer's cinematic Block Busters. Movies like "Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning," "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,"   and "Haunted Mansion" are adventure/fantasy films that basically entertain the audience, allowing them to forget both the forthcoming 2024  election and the ongoing mistreatment of minorities, immigrants, and women who need abortions.       Included in this group of movies is Christopher Nolan's "OPPENHEIMER," an odd man-out story which is a real-life chronicle of J. Robert Oppenheimer, father of the atomic bomb. It also doesn't conform to the current motion pictures which are entertaining. Here's the point: "OPPENHEIMER" is ambiguous, contradictory, and emotionally distressing. Real life often is.      Here's a second, related point: director/producer Christopher Nolan took a big chance by making this film in the first place and...

      There are times when writing about the TV news media is rewarding: enjoyable, exciting, and valuable. Meaning informative, innovative, and important. Such programs don't occur that often; rather it's "Breaking News" stories which bombard the cable news airways: regularly repetitive, sometimes unreliable and often boring.                                      The last  two weeks were different, however, at least in this critic's view.  Coverage featured three diverse programs ( including one on Netflix ), that were indeed informative, innovative and important.  Yet, these examples were not only about social issues or psychological concerns or political problems. Rather, they confronted personal subjects that yours truly cared about which recalled the past.      The first coverage concerned the coverage of "The Tennessee Three" and specifically o...