They called it “Streamageddon,” and it was brutal: on May 1, nearly 1800 titles expired from Netflix Instant streaming, prompting wailing and gnashing of teeth among movie buffs, to say nothing of a last-minute flurry of marathon viewing. (We tried to warn you.) The cause was simple enough: the company’s licensing deals with several key providers — including MGM, Universal, and Warner Brothers — came to a close, and they were not renewed. This kind of thing has happened before (the site lost eight percent of its streaming content when their partnership with Starz Play ended last year); it’s the cycle of shifting deals and fluctuating content. But the way the company has responded to the backlash, and the increasingly erratic and frustrating landscape of streaming in general, raises some troublesome questions about where online viewing is going. … Read More
Amazon
Which of Amazon’s Comedy Pilots Are Worth Watching?
In a fascinating push to introduce democracy to digital streaming, Amazon has released six children’s show pilots and eight comedy pilots for audiences to watch and nominate for development into a full original series. The response so far has been strong: according to Amazon, the pilots made up 8 out of the 10 most watched instant streaming shows this past weekend. Although the pilots are free and easily accessible, eight 25-minute episodes is quite a lot of viewing for all but the most die-hard television fanatics. Luckily, the Flavorwire staff has watched each pilot and is here to help you decide what to watch and rally around. From cartoons to musical comedy, here’s the rundown on Amazon’s experiment with original programming.
Hilarious, Scathing Netflix and Amazon Reviews of Terrence Malick Movies
Terrence Malick’s latest movie, To the Wonder, hits theaters this week, and there are few filmmakers today whose work inspires as much fierce advocacy among movie lovers. But for all the hyperbolic praise of his films, there are bound to be those who see them as muddled, indecipherable, or inexplicable. We’re not saying his movies are without flaws — but they tend to inspire some rather hilarious vitriol in anonymous public forums, so it’s time to return to one of our favorite sources for unsolicited film criticism, Netflix reviews, to see what people have to say about his films. This time, we checked in with the folks on Amazon as well. The best of what we found is after the jump. … Read More
Flavorwire Video Premiere: Hitler Reacts to the State of Publishing
Well, we always knew Amazon reminded us of someone. In this bookish spin on one of our favorite video memes of recent memory, a certain publishing superpower is angry at his lack of complete control of the industry. He’s right about one thing, though: “Cheating is the whole point of the Internet!” If you’ve been following the industry’s recent power struggles with any attention, be prepared to watch the following video, sent in by an enterprising reader, with glee. … Read More
5 Things You Need to Know About Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos just unveiled a slew of tweaked versions of its Kindle Fire tablets and a cheaper Kindle Touch at a press conference in Santa Monica, but it’s the company’s new electronic ink display e-reader, the Kindle Paperwhite, that we’re seeing the most chatter about online. (Well, that and the fact that Amazon didn’t unveil that much-discussed smartphone that they’ve been busy at work on.) After the jump, we’ve compiled a very brief list of everything that you need to know about the Paperwhite. Let us know if you’re planning on grabbing one of your own in the comments! … Read More
Amazon Reveals the Most Well-Read Cities in America
This morning, Amazon unveiled its second annual list of the Most Well-Read Cities in America — at least if we’re taking “well-read” to mean “buys a lot of stuff from Amazon,” that is. According to the press release, ”the ranking was determined by compiling sales data of all book, magazine and newspaper sales in both print and Kindle format since June 1, 2011, on a per capita basis in cities with more than 100,000 residents.” So, that’s a rather loose definition of “well-read,” but we’re not going to judge. Some fun facts from the release: Berkeley residents ordered the most travel books, those healthy exercisers in Boulder bought the most books in the Health, Fitness & Dieting category, Cambridge kids cleaned out the Business & Investing category, and Alexandria, which topped the entire list, did so by ordering tons of romance novels. No word on which city ordered the most literary fiction, memoirs or nonfiction, though. Any guesses? Click through to see where your city stands on Amazon’s Most Well-Read Cities in America list, and let us know what you think in the comments. … Read More
Amazon to Develop Original TV Programming
Everyone’s getting in the TV production game these days, huh? With Netflix debuting Lilyhammer, splashily reviving Arrested Development, and rumored to be picking up CBS’s Jericho, and companies like Hulu, YouTube, and Yahoo following suit, it’s no shock that Amazon is jumping on the bandwagon. The online retail giant has announced plans to… Read More
What's On at Flavorpill: The Links That Made the Rounds In Our Office
Today at Flavorpill, we hoped to avoid America’s worst airports. We watched a schizophrenic world tour of various accents. We read about two Cuban actors who defected to America following the success of their movie about Cubans defecting to America. We thought this Nickelodeon and Avengers mashup was fun. We… Read More
Gallery: A Night Out with Jeff, One Lonely Guy and Friends
Earlier in the week we hosted the book-launch party for Jeff, One Lonely Guy at NYC hotspot CultureFix, bringing together fans of narrative exploration and postmodern experimentation for a night of readings, drinks, and music. The book’s co-authors Jeff Ragsdale and David Shields were in the house, eager to share stories and reveal more about what happens when you give everyone in the world the chance to anonymously vent. Check out our gallery of photos from the event, then check out an excerpt from the book and grab a copy of your own. … Read More
The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories
1. Hot on the heels of an announcement by Barnes & Noble and Books A Million that they wouldn’t stock books being published by Amazon, there’s a new rumor floating around that the online retailer is planning to open its first brick and mortar store in Seattle within the next few months. [via … Read More
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