Are Movies Dying?
Let’s see what the experts have to say
Media mogul, dystopian island architect, and First Gentleman of wrap dresses Barry Diller believes the movie business is dead.
"These streaming services have been making something that they call 'movies,'" Diller said in a recent interview with NPR. "They ain't movies. They are some weird algorithmic process that has created things that last 100 minutes or so." Spoken like someone who does not understand the emotional stakes of The Princess Switch 2: Switched Again.
Diller’s sentiments echo Martin Scorsese’s recent Harper’s essay about Federico Fellini (who?), in which he writes that “the art of cinema is being systematically devalued, sidelined, demeaned, and reduced to its lowest common denominator” as streaming services see films only as “content.” Once again, I have to ask: Has “Martin Scorsese” ever committed to screen anything as intellectually rewarding as The Kissing Booth or The Cloverfield Paradox?
Is streaming killing movies? Let’s turn for answers to the New York Times, where tech critic and unofficial Ray-Ban spokeswoman Kara Swisher’s monthly column quota recently forced her to consider the art of cinema. “When streaming is an option, given the decline of the price of home theaters and boom in streaming capabilities, increasing numbers of people will take it,” she writes under the headline “Sorry, We Aren’t Going Back to the Movies.” Finally, a member of the media elite who understands the magic of the small screen. Kara, you are welcome to come over and watch Resort to Love anytime.
