Assemblog: November 16, 2012

Skyfall

New this week on Popshifter: Cait has the scoop on the newest Marshall Crenshaw single and subscription service, reviews the reissue of 1985’s Romance from David Cassidy, and is delighted by The Edie Adams Christmas Album; I have good things to say about School of Seven Bells’s new EP Put Your Sad Down as well as The Barrens on Blu-Ray; and Elizabeth outlines your options if you’re thinking of ditching your cable TV subscription.

If you haven’t seen Skyfall yet, I highly recommend changing that soon. You don’t have to be a Bond fan or have seen the last two Daniel Craig outings to appreciate it, trust me.

Don’t take my word for it; here’s Amanda Mae Meyncke’s exquisitely written review from Pajiba. Landon Palmer at Film School Rejects praises the film as well, putting it into the context of his own experience with the Bond franchise as well as how the film fits into the modern zeitgeist (and hey, I like “fucking Duran Duran” and their Bond song contribution!). The Substream’s Matt Brown also loved the movie, and even though he had a few mild critiques, they are covered in a most agreeable manner.

Rachel Feldman has a couple of similar issues with the film, but still declares it as “feminist mom approved” on Women and Hollywood. Both Ard Vijn and Jason Gorber from Twitch enjoyed the film yet managed to point out what they viewed as flaws without ranting, using the term “plot hole,” or blaming everything on the screenwriter. As always, take care to avoid spoilers if you worry about that sort of thing.

Certainly, if you’re a fan of Arrested Development, you’ve heard about the upcoming new, Netflix-only season of the show. Here’s another new, Netflix-only show: House of Cards, starring Kevin Spacey. /Film has the trailer and it definitely looks promising. Did I mention it’s being directed by David Fincher? It premieres on February 1.

Theater chain Cinemark is trying to reward those who don’t text in theaters through an app called CineMode. According to /Film:

The national theater chain has just unveiled a new iPhone and Android app called CineMode, which tracks whether a cell phone is used during a film. Smartphone owners who refrain from playing with their glowy screens are then rewarded with digital coupons.

It sounds promising, but according to comments on the article, it’s been active for a few weeks now and there isn’t much feedback on the success rate. How do you feel about this approach to dealing with annoying people in movie theaters? Do you think it will work?

I hope the makers of these don’t get into copyright troubles because I love the idea of action figures from Taxi Driver and My Bloody Valentine. (H/T to Fear.net). Which one is your favorite? Which ones would you like to see?

—Less Lee Moore, Managing Editor