Michael Jennings responds to a post of mine.

James Russell links to this report on Warner Bros. plans to establish an arthouse specialty unit, and comments that he fears the prospect of major studios making arthouse movies.
It is a bit late for that, given that most major studios have specialty units already. [...] These specialty units have produced or distributed plenty of good films over the years. The majors keep them on because they don't cost all that much and they tend often make films that win awards. That is, they are largely about prestige and ego. Plus, once in a while they produce a breakout hit. ( The Full Monty made so much money for Fox to pay the overhead for Fox Searchlight for decades).
My problem is not with the idea of major studios producing arthouse films, but with Warner Brothers producing arthouse films. Warners are the most bureacratic and lumbering of studios. If the problem with Hollywood is that studios were once owned by people who love movies but they are now owned by bean counters, then Warners is the worst case of this.

Read the rest. Typically good stuff.

posted by James Russell | 5:34 PM