Author: Harish
Film-focused social media platform Letterboxd plans to launch a curated TVOD (transactional video-on-demand) service, targeted at its 20 million-strong cinema-obsessed user base. Letterboxd unveiled the plans at the Cannes film festival on Tuesday, saying the Letterboxd Video Store would feature themed rental “shelves” highlighting film festival selections, overlooked titles, global cinema, and emerging filmmakers. Rentals will be available either on demand or within timed windows modeled after festival screenings. The Letterboxd TVOD service plans to curate its selection informed by user activity and enthusiasm across its site. “Every day, we see members recommending films to each other, adding to their…
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son delivers remarks next to U.S. President Donald Trump at an ‘Investing in America’ event in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 30, 2025. Leah Millis | ReutersSoftbank’s Vision Fund business on Tuesday posted a loss in the fiscal year ended March as it booked slowing gains at its massive tech investment arm.The Vision Funds are a key focus for investors who are looking for signs of improvement at SoftBank’s huge investment arm, after it swung to a surprise loss in the company’s fiscal third quarter.SoftBank’s stock is down about 17% this year as volatility in financial markets and…
Hong Kong-based Animoca Brands is preparing for a listing in New York, citing US President Donald Trump’s relaxed regulatory stance on digital assets as a window of opportunity to enter the world’s biggest capital market.Animoca executive chair Yat Siu told the Financial Times that an announcement may be made soon, with the company currently evaluating various shareholding structures.Siu said the decision to pursue a US listing would not hinge on market conditions but rather on timing and strategic positioning.Animoca, which was delisted from the Australian Securities Exchange in 2020 over governance concerns and the status of some cryptocurrencies, has since…
May 13, 2025Ravie LakshmananCybercrime / Ransomware Moldovan law enforcement authorities have arrested a 45-year-old foreign man suspected of involvement in a series of ransomware attacks targeting Dutch companies in 2021. “He is wanted internationally for committing several cybercrimes (ransomware attacks, blackmail, and money laundering) against companies based in the Netherlands,” officials said in a statement Monday. In conjunction with the arrest, police seized over €84,000 ($93,000) in cash, an electronic wallet, two laptops, a mobile phone, a tablet, six bank cards, two data storage devices, and six memory cards. The suspect’s name was not disclosed. But he is said to…
Kelvin Harrison, Jr., who voiced Taka, AKA Scar, in Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King, has joined the ever-growing cast of Lionsgate’s latest installment of The Hunger Games franchise, the adaptation of the latest Suzanne Collins bestseller, Sunrise of the Reaping. Glenn Close is also said to be circling a role in the feature, although sources say it’s unclear whether a deal can me struck on that front. Reaping stars Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy, with Whitney Peak playing Haymitch’s girlfriend, Lenore Dove Baird. The prequel story is focused on fan favorite Haymitch, who in the original Hunger Games book trilogy (and…
Welcome back, folks! As usual, Free Comic Book Day crept up on me last week—I didn’t even remember it was this past weekend in time to mention it in last week’s column. I hope folks were able to pick up some free comics? I wanted that one Mega Man comic, but my local shop didn’t carry it. Oh well. I had a nice day otherwise. It turns out, mochi doughnuts with ube icing are nice. This is… Ecco the Dolphin Remasters Announced, Along With New Title I’ve given Sega plenty of guff in the past for ignoring a lot of…
Filmmaker Joon-ho Bong; BLACKPINK members Lisa, Rosé; more make list Image via WEBTOON Entertainment’s websiteAsia-Pacific non-profit organization Gold House named WEBTOON Entertainment founder and CEO Junkoo Kim, WEBTOON Entertainment CFO and COO David Lee, The Pokémon Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara, Penguin Random House CEO Nihar Malaviya, and Crunchyroll president Rahul Purini part of its Most Impactful Asians A100 list for 2025.Others who made the list this year include filmmaker Joon-ho Bong, BLACKPINK members Lisa and Rosé, K-Pop group Seventeen, and Tubi CEO Anjali Sud for their contributions to entertainment, technology, and storytelling. Gold House Foundation is a non-profit organization that…
Australia’s crypto industry has expressed positivity after the recently reelected government named pro-crypto politician Andrew Charlton as assistant minister for the digital economy, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters in Canberra during a May 12 press conference that Charlton would be the new assistant minister for science, technology and the digital economy, working with Tim Ayres, the minister for industry and innovation. Ayres and Charlton will administer policies and programs promoting advancements in emerging technologies, science, technology, innovation and the digital economy, according to Albanese. Charlton has shown strong support for the industry in the past. During…
The Red Sea Film Foundation has named Faisal Baltyuor as its new CEO. The veteran Saudi film producer and industry pioneer, who begins his new role on June 1, will officially succeed Mohammed Al Turki after Al Turki took on an advisory role with the organizer of the annual Red Sea Film Festival. That led Mohammed Asseri to step in as interim head. “I am deeply honored to assume the position of CEO at the Red Sea Film Foundation, a leading institution at the forefront of Saudi Arabia’s cultural and cinematic evolution. In a remarkably short time, the Foundation has…
“Tom Cruise has done it again!” That’s the very early verdict from press screenings for the Hollywood icon’s latest film, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, with the film variously described as “astonishing,” “jaw-dropping,” “insane” and the “action movie of the summer.” Following a series of press screenings, first reactions to Final Reckoning are hitting social media after the embargo lifted on Monday night. The social media reactions come ahead of official critics’ reviews, which drop on Wednesday. The eighth film in the long-running Paramount Pictures spy action franchise, Final Reckoning has a lot riding on it for the studio…