Pixar: the studio that kept betting on the harder idea
Pixar's run is usually explained by technology. The better explanation is structural: it kept choosing premises that should not have worked as family films.
News
News
Mozart in film: the shortcut directors keep reaching for
Mozart turns up in films about murder, war, and money far more often than in films about Mozart. What the music is doing there, and why it works as counterpoint.
Animals in film: the performers who never learned the script
An animal on screen changes how a scene is watched. What directors use them for, why audiences forgive a film almost anything except harming one, and the craft behind the performances.
Pizza in film: the most useful prop in cinema
A pizza box does more work than most supporting actors. It marks class, time of night, and who is not going home. A short tour of cinema's favourite delivery.
The companies that do not exist: fictional corporations in science fiction
Weyland-Yutani, Tyrell, OCP, Cyberdyne. Science fiction stopped using governments as villains and started using logos, and the corporate names became the genre's most durable invention.
Anxiety-inducing cinema: films that will not let you sit still
Some films are frightening. These are the ones that work on your nervous system instead: sustained dread, tightening frames, and sound design engineered to keep you braced.
Out of print: why that disc costs €80
A film goes out of print when the licence lapses, and the price stops following the film and starts following the pressing. How out of print works, how to spot it early, and when not to panic-buy.
Region-free players: what actually unlocks importing
Your player is Region B, and the disc you want is Region A. What a region-free player really does, the trap of DVD-only multi-region, and why a 4K player sidesteps the problem entirely.
Every Cineville cinema in the Netherlands: 82 screens in 47 cities
The full list of Cineville venues, by city. 82 independent cinemas and film houses across 47 Dutch cities, from Eye in Amsterdam to Ledeltheater in Oostburg.
Disc rot: real problem, or collector's ghost story?
Disc rot is real, rare, and mostly traceable to specific bad batches. What actually causes it, how to spot it on a second-hand disc before you pay, and how to store a collection so it never happens.
Blu-ray region codes: why the disc you bought will not play
Blu-ray uses three region codes, and a disc from the wrong one simply refuses to play. What A, B, and C mean, which discs ignore them, and how to check before you buy.
Filmmaking Now vs a Century Ago: What Changed and What Did Not
How has filmmaking changed in a century? From silent film sets to digital production - the tools changed, but what about the craft? A side-by-side look.
Building a Physical Media Fund Pitch Deck
How to build a pitch deck for a physical media investment fund. The 12 slides investors expect, market sizing, risk framing, and return benchmarks.
Tax Incentives for Cinema Investment in Europe
Country-by-country guide to tax incentives for investing in cinemas and cultural retail in Europe. SOFICA, SEIS, EIS, KfW and more.
Co-op vs Private Fund for Media Retail
Should your cinema or media store fund be a co-op or private vehicle? An honest comparison of governance, returns, fundraising, and regulatory burden.
Blu-ray Store Economics: Revenue Breakdown
What does a Blu-ray store actually earn? Margins on new vs second-hand discs, revenue mix, overhead costs, and break-even analysis for European stores.
Community Investment Models for Independent Cinemas
From UK community shares to French cooperatives - a country-by-country guide to community investment models for independent cinemas in Europe.
How to Start a Local Cinema Investment Fund
A practical guide to creating an investment fund for independent cinemas and physical media stores. Legal structures, fundraising, and candidate selection.
5 Funds Already Saving Independent Cinemas
These five investment funds and community initiatives have saved independent cinemas across Europe. Here is how they did it and what investors can learn.
How Vinyl Revival Predicts Physical Media's Future
Vinyl was declared dead. Then it grew for 17 straight years. Here is what the vinyl revival tells us about the future of Blu-ray and physical media investment.
The Real Cost of Losing Your Local Cinema
When a local cinema closes, the damage goes beyond culture. Here is the economic multiplier data on what cities actually lose - and what replaces it.
Why Physical Media Stores Are Worth Saving
Physical media stores are closing across Europe. Here is the economic and cultural case for keeping them open - and why it matters more than nostalgia.
Why Blu-ray still beats streaming for serious film lovers
Streaming is convenient. Nobody disputes that. But convenience is not quality, and it is not ownership. Here is what you actually get when you buy a Blu-ray disc instead of pressing play on a streaming app.
The cinema of alien contact, from Close Encounters to Disclosure Day
From Close Encounters of the Third Kind to Arrival, science fiction has spent decades imagining what first contact might look like. Now, with UFOs rebranded as UAPs and Steven Spielberg returning to the subject, the conversation has changed.
Official Cinema is live
A curated library of films, a physical media store directory, a marketplace, upcoming Blu-ray releases, events, and community ratings. Official Cinema is open.