Dear Kevin,
You don't know me, but my name is Remedios Varo. I've been a fan of Marvel characters since I was a pre-teen and fell in love with the X-Men on X-Men: Evolution. Since then, I've moved on to enjoying the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and now, little by little, Marvel Comics.
I am writing you today because I have a few concerns. Just a few days ago, you gave a rather troubling answer to the question of how close Marvel is to having a superhero movie with a female lead. You said,
"I think it comes down to timing, which is what I've sort of always said, and it comes down to us being able to tell the right story. I very much believe in doing it. I very much believe that it's unfair to say, 'People don't want to see movies with female heroes,' then list five...
Lifestyle
Dear Wikipedia,
I am Philip Roth. I had reason recently to read for the first time the Wikipedia entry discussing my novel “The Human Stain.” The entry contains a serious misstatement that I would like to ask to have removed. This item entered Wikipedia not from the world of truthfulness but from the babble of literary gossip—there is no truth in it at all.
Yet when, through an official interlocutor, I recently petitioned Wikipedia to delete this misstatement, along with two others, my interlocutor was told by the “English Wikipedia Administrator”—in a letter dated August 25th and addressed to my interlocutor—that I, Roth, was not a credible source: “I understand your point that the author is the greatest authority on their own work,” writes the Wikipedia Administrator—“but we...
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Dear Mr. Perry,
Let me begin by congratulating you on your massive success. It is truly commendable to overcome the obstacles you have—molestation, poverty, abuse and homelessness—to becoming the highest paid man in entertainment. If nothing else, your story of triumph is living proof that achieving a dream is attainable even when one’s circumstances reek of hopelessness and despair.
I write this letter as a black woman, journalist and media critic. I have also watched 95 percent of your films and several of your plays. I have had countless debates with intellectuals about the quality of your work and whether or not your depictions of the black community are damaging. In those conversations I’ve often played devil’s advocate arguing both sides of the debate. I have taken offense at...
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Dear Amazing Randi:
I just read your widely publicized letter to the Smithsonian about its decision to air The Privileged Planet, Discovery Institute's film on intelligent design. You find it "impossible to comprehend" why the Smithsonian has chosen to screen such a film. And, I see that you are willing to pay the Smithsonian Institute $20,000 so that they don't do it.
I want you to know, you're doing the right thing. I figure the American people are dumb as posts. Who knows what ideas a film like that could put into their heads? You haven't seen the film either, am I right? See no evil, see no evil is what I always say.
But here's the thing, Randi. I was sort of planning to screen the film right here in my apartment in Paris. I've got a little screening room I call The...
2,273
Dear Deepika Padukone
It takes courage to take on a media house and tell them where to draw the line. That they continued to draw some more jagged lines shows their folly in perception.
I'm talking about your 'cleavage chatter' that hit the headlines after your bold tweet to the offending video clip, sometime in September last year.
Our media went into overdrive and it was surprising to see a supplement be so generous in its rebuttal in its display of space which usually goes for anything over Rs 10 lakh! You scored baby, big time!!
You of course, very firmly and gently, put an end to that banter by refusing to go further. Social Media went on, other publications tried to censure the offending media house. It worked both ways: for the media house and for HAPPY NEW YEAR, the film many...
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Dear WETA:
We are writing in support of Dawn Porter’s letter to Jeff Bieber and to WETA regarding the programming of her film Spies of Mississippi and the rest of the films that several series offer for Black History month. It is frankly disturbing to note the spate of excellent and important films that are being displaced out of your prime time schedule and replaced with re-runs and Antiques Roadshow.
Running these programs in timeslots other than the ones set for the national series makes it difficult, if not impossible, to build effective civic engagement/outreach campaigns that bring an audience to a program. We are not unsophisticated about the nature of PBS and its relation to the local stations. However, many stations find a way to air the programs in the series slot and we...
2,275
Dear Warner Bros.,
Hey guys! You don’t know me, but I’ve given you quite a bit of money over the years. For the most part you guys really seem to have solid heads on your shoulders, what with releasing A Clockwork Orange, THX 1138, Deliverance, Mean Streets, Caddyshack, Chariots of Fire, Blade Runner, Gremlins, Full Metal Jacket, Driving Mrs. Daisy, Goodfellas, JFK, Heat, L.A. Confidential, The Matrix, The Iron Giant, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, The Prestige and what have you. That’s only a fraction of your impressive resume, and for three or four decades you’ve made other studios more than a little jealous. But enough sucking up, because we’ve got some real business to discuss.
I was doing my rounds on Twitter and saw rumblings of a prequel to The Shining, my personal favorite of your films...
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Dear Members of the Legislative Assembly:
Last month has been difficult for everyone involved in the discussions about Nova Scotia’s Screen Industry. As the vote on the 2015 Financial Measures Act draws near, Screen Nova Scotia would like to review with you the ‘state of play’, so that your vote can be as informed as possible. As you contemplate the upcoming vote, we respectfully ask you to consider:
The changes in the incentives offered to the screen sector came out of the blue. There are no economic studies illustrating the need for them. Neither the Broten tax review nor the Ivany report advocated the radical change introduced in the April 9 budget.
The changes outlined in the FMA have a deadline of July 1 for implementation. This date is unreasonable, unrealistic, and is...
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Dear friends (no names, regrettably),
Many thanks for your invitation, which I in no way regard as a provocation or baiting; on the contrary, I understand you motivations and frankly am impressed by your engagement and concern. Nonetheless, I do not agree with the arguments you put forward. I would therefore like to briefly set out my vision, noting that I would be happy to meet with you to discuss this further at your earliest convenience, and pledging to give honest answers to all of your questions.
The Financial Situation
1. The seven million euro deficit threatening to develop by 2017 if policy does not change stems principally from a combination of falling student numbers, reductions in indirect government and contract research funding and students failing to meet credit...
2,456
Dear Mr. Cronenberg,
My name is John Lepper. I am the owner of theblood-shed.com and one of its writers. Today I happened upon a couple of articles regarding your statements pertaining to the legitimacy of internet film critics. You said, and I quote,
"I think the role of the critic has been very diminished, because you get a lot of people who set themselves up as critics by having a website where it says that they're a critic. Even now if you go to Rotten Tomatoes, you have critics and then you have "Top Critics", and what that really means is that there are legitimate critics who have actually paid their dues and worked hard and are in a legitimate website connected perhaps with a newspaper or perhaps not.
Then there are all these other people who just say they're critics and...
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