Remember when streaming services used to promise an ad-free experience? Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and HBO Max all launched on that premise, and one by one, those services are now adding in commercials in exchange for a slightly lower subscription price.
People are buying it too. Subscribers opting for ad-supported tiers are on the up, along with streaming bundles that feel a lot like the cable TV of old. Is it just us, or does the future of TV feel quite familiar? @nytimes has more (gift link).
Alright, I’ve got doctor’s orders to do “no physical activity” and a #Netflix account, let’s give #avatarthelastairbender live action version 2.0 a try…
I watched #Atlas last night on #Netflix recommendation. i.e. J-Lo battles robots in a mech suit
I enjoyed it. Well, I enjoyed it while I also programmed on my second monitor. What I can say is that the plot is quite thin; the contrivances are quite contrived.
But what I saw was a more interesting film of childhood trauma and how it drives us as adults. The acting was critiqued on imdb, but I thought it was subtle, damaged, and the best part of the movie's themes.
The thing about the theme, is that it's clearly about Atlas being abused as a 9 year old.
Manipulated by a adult (robot AI or not) to do something intimate they clearly don't understand. And that leading to a life of guilt and shame.
It's important that the film say out loud that it wasn't her fault. I would have liked it to make it clearer that Harlan was a manipulative abuser even before being set free, but the writing can't quite get there.