While many news items this week relayed casting developments -- with a welcome emphasis on Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong'o -- cultural shifts in or influenced by Hollywood earned several headlines of note.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Motion Picture Association of America has submitted a petition to the Federal Aviation Administration requesting permission to use "unmanned aircraft," or drones, for filming. Drones could make aerial shots safer to film, the body claims, and would constitute a new innovative filmmaking tool. The MPAA is seeking exemption from strict FAA regulations that stipulate a licensed pilot must be present whenever a drone is released into U.S. airspace, among other requirements.
Drone cameras may be the wave of the future, but it's the futuristic The Hunger Games that is presently roiling among Eastern waves of unrest. Protestors in Bangkok were photographed throwing up the mockingjay symbol of solidarity on Sunday, the three-fingered salute followers of Games protagonist Katniss use to identify themselves, and which, in The Hunger Games books and film adaptations, has revolutionary overtones. The activists gathered to protest the military regime that has overthrown Thailand's civilian government. Per the Reporter, those involved in the demonstration wrote on Facebook that the act of holding up one's pointer, middle and ring fingers represents "freedom, equality and brotherhood." And they say blockbusters are among the more vapid of Hollywood offerings...
"Vapid" is certainly no word for Lupita Nyong'o, who has announced her involvement in two upcoming projects. The first and more high-profile of the pair is Star Wars: Episode VII, although no details regarding her role in the film have been released yet. Nyong'o will also star in, as well as produce, an adaptation of the novel Americanah for the production company behind 12 Years a Slave, Brad Pitt's Plan B. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's book tells the story of a romance between two Nigerians.
So far as we know, neither Nyong'o nor her love interest will burst into song at any point in Americanah, but lovers of musical romances need not feel disheartened -- Emma Watson and Miles Teller are here to provide our collective theatrical fix. The pair of young stars will headline La La Land, a "song-and-dance" musical set in L.A.
Sounds rather old-fashioned, but possibly great, as does the rumor that Denzel Washington will star in a remake of the golden-oldie Western The Magnificent Seven.
Flipping this idea of "everything old is new again," artist Peter Stults imagines what the posters for modern films would like if the films had been released in an earlier era. What would the poster for Drive look like if it had been released in the '50's? Naturally, the film would have been directed by John Ford and starred James Dean... and Clark Gable. Why not?
We can't help but think "why not?" was the motivation behind this Vulture post that claims The Fault in Our Stars the film is better than the book. Some of their points could easily serve the opposing argument, but on the off-chance you're not The Fault in Our Starsed-out yet, some of the memes are worth a look (in particular, the last).
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