Slow Day at Work Means Interesting Discussion

First - today is a day I hate folks who went to film school and this new wave of "hipsters" who simultaneous revile and steal culture so that soon we will have nothing but genres.
I love the commercial film industry. It is not evil because we are not artists. Unless we're animators, then art is not our primary goal. And animators could bear that title, and most choose not to. They just love the work. Funny ol' world, idn't it?
That being said, this is a brilliant industry, beautiful as it is convoluted. So -
Understand the system before you criticize commercial film makers, and then take a moment to realize that there is almost no such thing as an independent film any more. Not like we want to think there is. Independent film is as much of an illusion as our cultural ideas of happiness. And I don't mean that as a cynic, I mean that as someone who sees something seriously wrong with the lack of culture, community, and commonality of purpose that used to make us human. Or humane.
And perhaps, selfish being that I am, I am hypocritical in saying any of this.
But today I was stuck in a facebook argument - I'll remark on that tragedy in another post because facebook, like "film makers", has worn me thin.
Big films, broad films, fund little films.
Sometimes, books, such as those by Isaac Asimov, don't get sold unless they can be made bigger, better, faster. Asimov is going the way of the dodo. Emmerich directing Foundations might not be ideal, but if he's willing, maybe another junior high or high school kid will hear about the original books and learn something new.
And hell, if there's an audience for it, doesn't that validate it as film?
A slippery slope, I know, but it's a question, not necessarily my belief.
Which brings me to number 2.
The New York Times had a photo accompanying their article about the Georgian luge racer killed at the Olympics. His last moments of life became a horror photo instead of a tragedy.
Sure, there is free speech. And sure, I don't believe in censorship, but what happened to taste and respect?
Perhaps if this were a film pitch, if this were a story being made about the incident and not a news article about the film itself, then maybe it's appropriate. But as it stands, I'm not sure this is. I think it's sensationalism at the expense of his family, friends, and fellow racers who survived him.
A frustrating day for media. Except for this:


It's a Beacon movie! Suzann Ellis, mentioned as EP in the article, is the woman for whom I work! Go Suzann! Go Beacon! I'm super excited for this project!