The Edit: There's always a price to pay

Hello from The Auteur Edit, a roundup of what’s keeping me sane, inspired and awestruck in the madness that is the media arts business. Here’s this week’s list.* The EMA’s climate bill. Like a lot of inside-the-Beltway news media, I have my eyes on a scheduled House vote of the highly divisive climate bill, today. The Environmental Media Association, which promotes sustainability in media production, is touting Senate passage of the legislation earlier in the week. Part of a bigger package to reduce inflation, the EMA calls it “flawed but overdue.” While homeowners get tax breaks for implementing energy efficient initiatives, it’ll raise taxes on “large, profitable companies,” according to the WSJ. Large companies (if you consider >$400K a year, large) that include independent media production companies. So, sustainability savings for some is still gonna cost others. * Cable news ratings. Speaking of the Beltway press, opinionated anchors and hosts could be costing cable news companies in viewership. I’d like to say, for the record, I saw this coming. So, it’s not surprising that so much has been written in the trades on this lately. The Wall Street Journal’s James Freeman opines that, “ratings are down from their Trump-era heights across cable news, but declines at CNN are particularly pronounced. The network has drawn an average of 639,000 people in prime time this quarter, according to data from Nielsen, a 27 percent decrease from a year ago. It trails MSNBC, which is down 23 percent in prime time during the same period, and Fox News, where viewership is up about 1 percent.” Some media analysts, this one included, think the ‘Big 3’ should focus on what they’re good at —traditional news and entertainment. * Bullet Train’s box office. Okay, maybe they didn’t spend billions (I just like the alliteration) but the millions spent to promote Brad Pitt’s much talked about movie Bullet Train, can’t seem to save it from getting skewered by media critics. It’s been highly promoted since early this year in aggressive marketing campaigns. Produced by Antoine Fuqua, with a reported $90 million and millions more spent in pre-marketing, the Sony-backed film has netted just $30 million at opening weekend, been met with mixed reviews and will “likely be” the lowest grosser at the box office since March, according to IndieWire. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 54% rating with this consensus from critics.Bullet Train's colorful cast and high-speed action are almost enough to keep things going after the story runs out of track.I’ll save my review for when I actually watch it, but suffice it to say — as much as I love Brad Pitt and assassin flicks — it’ll have made its way to streaming before I get around to it. Sony is hoping it’ll pick up and recoup those expenses in the international film market.* Conservation as entertainment. So, what I am actually watching is Alone on Netflix, by way of the History Channel and here’s the gist of it.Ten people, dumped in the middle of nowhere, with hellish conditions, left to fend for themselves and little to no resources except the land to live off, for weeks on end. The one who lasts longest wins the pot of gold ($500,000). First let me say, apparently I’m pretty late to the party on this one. There are 11 seasons! I only just caught the 8th season on Netflix and I’m still scratching my head as to where I was for the other 10. With that many seasons, that tells you all you need to know about its appeal. But I must say, although I was glued to the screen watching Season 8, I’m still not sure how I feel about putting people into remote locations to hunt animals for sport. It’s one thing if these folks really have to hunt to live, as some real people do, but for sheer entertainment? I say leave the wild, wild. But, I digress. I’m putting the show on the list because it really is a good show. I watched every episode in the season and it’s more than just compelling television. Many of the contestants’ needs-based stories really do tug at your heart strings. Plus, there are lessons in conservation and survival that might come in handy — for somebody, someday. It’s not likely that I’ll go back and watch the other seasons, which are airing on Hulu, not Netflix. But, that’s the beauty of this kind of reality TV, I don’t have to. It’s the kind of show that can be picked it up at any point, with any season and still make sense. If that’s your thing, give it a watch.* Social realism with soul music. Speaking of gold. July marked the golden (50th) anniversary of Curtis Mayfield’s soundtrack for the film Superfly and it’s worth a listen, on repeat. Getting his big break on the big screen after a screenwriter approached him backstage, is detailed in this inspiring oped, which also explains why Mayfield’s soundtrack is a “prime example of social realism and messaging through soul music.”* Smart shopping. Keeping with the sustainability and savings theme let me finally say that if you haven’t made it to a farmers market this summer, you should. If you can’t, consider that your grocery store is likely to have a section dedicated to food and produce from local growers. Aim for that aisle and other efforts to support our small farms by shopping sustainably.And that’s it for this week’s Auteur Edit. Thanks again for your support. Have a great weekend. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.tarawall.com/subscribe