Things I've been ignoring during MIFF

I've had my head in the cinematic sand for the last two weeks as I've taken in all MIFF has to offer. But around me, the cinematic world has continued to spin. I thought I might quickly catch up with some of those things I would have written about if I didn't have to recap Melbourne's film festival in excessive detail.

1) Aretha Franklin died. Very sad.

Anyone looking to find the cinematic relevance of her passing need look no further than The Blues Brothers. But this is one of those that transcends any particular medium. Franklin was a cultural giant and I feel like she was the voice of good times -- not the TV show, but the feeling of being on top of the world. If you are having a good day and want to strut down the street, who better to celebrate your mood than the soaring voice of Aretha Franklin? I will miss that voice.

We have a terrific Atlantic Records compilation from the years 1966 to 1969 that we've played the kids a couple times on vinyl. It includes "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)," "Do Right Woman - Do Right Man," "Respect," "Baby I Love You," "Chain of Fools" and "Think." They were all in rotation last night as we held an impromptu dance party around the dinner table.

2) The Oscars created an insane new category. Very sad.

Best popular film? Ugh.

At first I thought this was going to be a minor curio like best animated feature, but it sounds as though they will present it at or near the end of the show. Ugh.

I agree with the Oscars listening to feedback about how to make the show more relevant. There's nothing more frustrating than an institution that is smugly content with the way it has always done things, unwilling to change.

But I can't say I can get behind this change. Nor can I get behind the idea of presenting some of the 23? 26? categories off screen, during commercial breaks. Sure, we may never see that animated short subject or documentary short, but that's always been a part of my Oscar ballot, dammit, and I cherish it in all its obscurity.

3) MoviePass is still alive. Good ... I guess?

I wrote a few weeks back about the expected demise of MoviePass, but it appears they did not die. Instead, they created new rules that barely prove to be an advantage to their customers, if at all.

So if I'm understanding it correctly, they will now only allow you to see three movies per month on the pass, and they can limit which movies those are based on certain whims or the number of days since the movie's release? Not awesome.

Might as well just go out in a blaze of failed idealism than this lame introduction of a business model that we always assumed was the only way they could be sustainable.