CINEMA BUZZ by Seymour Flix

FilmStruck

Launched last week, FilmStruck is a subscription video-on demand service featuring hundreds of classic and cult movies. Developed and sold by the Turner Classic Movies (TCM) cable channel, FilmStruck will be priced at $10.99/month or $99 for a full year's subscription.

TCM estimates that there are 15 million people in the 18-64 age group that would be interested in the service.  Available only in the U.S.,most of FilmStruck's titles will be available with closed-captioning.

TV - Do We Need It Any More


Broadcast and cable TV are losing their audience, that's a fact. A perfect example of the move away from broadcast programming are this year's Video Game Award Show. This Show features the biggest video game stars and titles but this year it will not be on TV. Instead, the Show will be live-streamed free of charge on a wide variety of internet platforms, including Xbox, PlayStation, Apple TV, and Roku, as well as, social media platforms Twitter and Facebook.

For the first time the Game Awards Show will be simulcast in China, the world's largest gaming market. The point being that the Show will have free worldwide distribution. "TV is not where our audience is, Geoff Keighly, executive producer of the Show told CMG, "we're 80% in the 18-36 demo and making the Show a free event and not a  broadcast TV event was very important. Broadcast and cable is very limiting."

The Game Awards nominees and winners are selected by voters at 28 gaming and entertainment publications, as well as, gaming fans that get to vote on-line.

The Game Awards will be held on December 1st at the Microsoft Theater in LA.,  - watch them on a digital platform near you and look for other big event shows to follow suit.

Piracy in Japan

The Japanese, noted for their law abiding and social code of honor,may not be so honorable when it comes to digital piracy. According to the Motion Picture Association of America 31% of Japanese internet user are involved in movie piracy which equates to $270 million in lost box office revenue.

Now, not nearly as bad as its larger and much more populace Northern neighbor (China, who knew) the Japanese use of pirate movie sites is huge and uncharacteristic of their adherence to other laws.

Recommended Movies To Be Seen BEFORE The Oscars

'Arrival' - a sci-fi thriller from Paramount
'Billy Lynn's Long Half-time Walk' - much acclaimed story of Iraq war hero
'Manchester By The Sea' - story of working-class hero, a top performer at film fests

'Lion' - drama about a man trying to locate the family he lost as a boy
'Jackie' - recap about Jackie Kennedy in the days right after the President's assassination
'La La Land' - musical about two lovers in LA
'Silence' - long awaited drama about Jesuit priests on a mission to spread Christianity in Japan
'20th Century Women' - comedy/coming of age film about a teen growing up in a house full of women.

Best,
Seymour Flix