Tuesday, December 23


Up Next: New Amazon Studios pilots suffer from weak storytelling

The rise of online original programming has revolutionized the way we consume television. But are any of these new shows actually worth watching? Up Next highlights noteworthy original content from Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Studios and examines how the flexible online format functions within each show. Read more...

Photo: “Really,” a dramatic comedy, about couples in Chicago, often more potential than other Amazon Studios pilots this fall. (Amazon Studios)


Second Take: ‘Twin Peaks’ makes comeback, 25 years later

Grab a cup of hot, black coffee and a box of small chocolate bunnies because “Twin Peaks” is returning to television. On Oct. 3, creators Mark Frost and David Lynch hinted at the show’s return in a tweet released at 11:30 a.m., the precise minute Special Agent Dale Cooper first arrived in Twin Peaks to investigate the murder of homecoming queen Laura Palmer. Read more...

Photo: On Oct. 6, “Twin Peaks” creators Mark Frost and David Lynch officially announced via Twitter the return of the cult classic to Showtime. (ABC)


Q&A: Faculty member’s film ‘Bitter Honey’ explores polygamy in Indonesia

With his experience as an anthropologist guiding him through the process, UCLA anthropology assistant adjunct professor Robert Lemelson set out to record seven years in the lives of three polygamous families in present-day Bali, Indonesia in his documentary, “Bitter Honey.” Lemelson said after the regime of the second president of Indonesia, Suharto – which lasted from 1967 to 1998 – fell, the country was shook with a wave of sexual violence, he added. Read more...

Photo: Robert Lemelson, a UCLA anthropology assistant adjunct professor, is the director of the documentary “Bitter Honey,” which follows polygamous relationships in Bali, Indonesia. These relationships involve husbands with many wives and are often plagued by violence and infidelity. (Courtesy of Robert Lemelson)


Movie Review: ‘Mudbloods’

A girl is tackled to the ground by a player twice her size. Broom in hand, she gets up, dives for a volleyball and sends it through a hoop, scoring 10 points while narrowly avoiding a wayward dodgeball. Read more...

Photo: UCLA TFT alumnus Farzad Sangari will premiere his documentary about the UCLA Quidditch team. (Courtesy of BOND/360)


Sundance Institute Story Lab sets scene for creative intensity

The Sundance Institute gave 10 writers with aims for careers in television the opportunity to have their work pulled apart and put back together in a week-long burst of creative intensity guided by peers and industry professionals. Read more...

Photo: The first Sundance Institute Episodic Story Lab took place in Utah from Sept. 27-Oct. 2 at the Sundance Resort. It aimed to help emerging writers, both for television and online. Two of the 10 writers selected, Heather Marion and Crystal Liu, are UCLA alumnae. (Courtesy of Fred Hayes)


Up Next: ‘House of Cards’ exploration vital for future of online programming

The rise of online original programming has revolutionized the way we consume television. But are any of these new shows actually worth watching? Up Next highlights noteworthy original content from Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Studios and examines how the flexible online format functions within each show. Read more...

Photo: A&E columnist Savannah Tate discusses the prevalence of online original programming, beginning with the popular Netflix Original “House of Cards.” (Netflix)



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