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  • Why Home Renovation Shows Are So Popular

    Why Home Renovation Shows Are So Popular

    By Frankie Wallace.

    Home renovation shows are available on several TV channels as well as through streaming and subscription apps including Hulu and Netflix. Some of the most popular design celebrities have earned rock-star level fame from their home design shows including twins Drew and Jonathan Scott, AKA Property Brothers. They went from a show on home renovation to selling half a billion dollars of their home design products in just one year. And then there’s the farmhouse style power couple, Chip and Joanna Gaines of the show Fixer Upper, who are responsible for one of Target’s most coveted home collections season after season: Hearth & Hand with Magnolia. 

    What makes home renovation shows — and the personalities behind them — so popular? Here are four reasons why.

    1. Do It Yourself (DIY) Is More Accessible Than Ever

    Decades ago, home renovation projects were left to contractors or professionals. A trip to the hardware store may have meant approaching the man behind the counter, asking for an item, and waiting while he went to find it in a box in the back room. It wasn’t exactly an empowering experience if you were in the mood to change out your light switches.

    Home Depot came around in 1978 to revolutionize the way consumers saw home improvement projects. All of a sudden, anyone could wander the aisles of the store for design inspiration and marvel at the variety of stylish (and affordable!) interior and exterior lighting collections, or choose a paint color from the hundreds of paint swatches available. The home improvement superstore even hosted clinics on weekends so people could learn how to do home projects themselves.

    The TLC show Trading Spaces debuted in 2000 as what’s arguably the first show to highlight how people could transform a room on a small budget and lots of sweat equity. Then came the explosion of DIY design blogs and Pinterest, inspiring people to try their hand at more creative home renovation projects. Home renovation shows reflect and reinforce the DIY home improvement movement. Watching someone you identify with complete a successful kitchen remodel on TV may encourage you to take matters into your own hands and finally finance the kitchen of your dreams. 

    2. As Home Values Rise, More People See Their Home as an Investment

    Home values have risen consistently in the last decades. Of course, there are peaks and valleys as recessions come and go, but in general, buying a home is one of the most important investments you can make towards your future. The Scott brothers’ show, Property Brothers, shows how a fixer-upper can increase in value with a few home renovations. Most homeowners today are aware of the investment value of their homes and how making improvements can impact their bottom dollar when it comes time to sell. 

    A homeowner may tune-in to home renovation shows for ideas on projects they can do to increase their home’s value. Interestingly enough, many of the home improvement projects that return the biggest bang for your buck can be completed over a weekend such as replacing the front door, adding a backyard deck, or making smart-technology home upgrades.

    3. Homeowners Want a Home That Reflects Their Personality

    For most people, their home is their sanctuary. Life can be hectic and chaotic. A home environment that fits your personality is your getaway from the hustle and bustle. 

    Then there’s the growing number of remote workers who work from home. They may want, more than ever, a beautiful and functional space. This demographic may need ideas on how to make a smaller home work well as an office and living space. 

    The variety of home renovation shows means there’s a design show for every style, need, and personality. There are shows for apartment and loft dwellers, for viewers who prefer to live green and sustainably (or even off the grid shows like Cabins in the Wild on Netflix), and design shows for people in search of tiny house projects, such as Tiny House, Big Living, or for dream vacation homes.

    4. Design Tastes Are More Sophisticated Than Ever

    Besides the home renovation shows, movies play a large role in what we think about home and design as a whole. The average homeowner or renter may not necessarily pick up a copy of Architectural Digest magazine for their home design ideas, but they may find design inspiration in a movie or TV show setting. Who can forget Diane Keaton’s gorgeous Hamptons beach house in Something’s Gotta Give?

    As people are more exposed to aesthetically pleasing room settings in movies, they’re receiving a design education they may not even be aware of. AMC channel’s Mad Men TV series ushered in a wave of cocktail-chic rooms and Fifties fashion that dominated trends long after the show ended. The show revived MidCentury Modern design and a whole new wave of hipsters was born.

    The Evolution of Style

    As the public becomes more exposed to design in TV series, movies, and other forms of print and digital media, home renovation shows come out on top. The most successful ones fill the public’s need to elevate the style of their home or make changes that reflect their tastes and personalities for a feel-good home environment, and the hosts or trendsetters who are the face of the show become celebrities in their own right with lucrative household lines for sale at your favorite big box or online retailer.

  • John Boyega Edition: Bits & Pieces

    John Boyega Edition: Bits & Pieces

    John Boyega Edition: Bits & Pieces – Space is hard, but this podcast makes it look easy. Join host and star Jimmy O. Yang starting May 29th as he welcomes the cast and crew behind the new Netflix series SPACE FORCE for a 10-part podcast exploring the stories behind the show. New episodes Mondays and Thursdays each week, with guests like Steve Carell, Greg Daniels, John Malkovich, Ben Schwartz, Tawny Newsome, Diana Silvers and many more.

    Jack Tyson is a young man partaking in an illegal Mexico to California car race when a desperate woman, fleeing from her abusive gangster boyfriend who is financing the tournament, jumps into his car pleading for his help and who has an incriminating USB drive that could send her thug boyfriend, among others, to prison.

    CK Films in association with Red Rock Entertainment announces today the digital release of its award-winning feature, Steven Berkoff’s Tell Tale Heart starring Steven Berkoff, Henry Goodman, Hugh Skinner and Dudley Sutton, directed by Stephen Cookson and adapted by Berkoff and Cookson from the short story by Edgar Allan Poe.  The film, which has garnered multiple awards in film festivals across the world, including Best Feature Film in the Videoscream Film Festival, Best In Show – IndieFest Film Awards, Best Feature – Independent Horror Awards, and Best Actor (Steven Berkoff) – Independent Horror Awards, will be available on DVD from June 11 2020 and on various digital platforms including Amazon, Apple TV and Google Play in the subsequent weeks.

    ROGER WATERS: US + THEM, a film documenting the acclaimed 2017-2018 tour of the iconic Pink Floyd artist, comes to 4K, HD and SD Digital on Tuesday 16 June from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Viewers on digital will have access to all-new post-feature content including two additional concert songs not included in the original feature (“Comfortably Numb” and “Smell the Roses”) as well as A Fleeting Glimpse, a documentary short featuring behind-the-scenes moments from the tour.

    In 2009, fed up with increased poverty and widespread corruption, Madagascar’s citizens took to the streets in protest. After the president was forced to resign, the international community terminated most foreign assistance to this chronically impoverished island nation. Over 60% of the country’s revenues were immediately wiped out, resulting in the dramatic curtailment of education, health care, sanitation and access to food. 

    “Funny Pains” follows stand-up comedian Wendi Starling, whose career, working process and life areclosely examined in the film, as she navigates one of the entertainment’s toughest, most competitive professions – all during the height of the #MeToo movement, feminism, and the infiltration of stand-up comedy by the politically correct. Above all else, the film delves into serious issues of sexual assault and mental health, with Starling revealing her not-so-private personal traumas.  

    The Social Thriller Anthology “Tales from Da Ville” is now available for FREE on Youtube hosted by Brooklyn’s own Rapper, Bam Vito.  Bam is widely known for performing the theme song for the popular web series, Money & Violence. The rest of the talented New York cast are actors on the rise seen on stage and screen.  Credits include Blue Bloods, Hell House 3 Lake of Fire, and many more! 

  • Krabi 2562: Review

    Krabi 2562: Review

    It’s interesting how one’s perception can change during a pandemic. People wandering around in hazmat suits, once unusual, begin to look ordinary. Things that may have appeared unfamiliar only a few months ago, seem quite normal now. Krabi 2562, no relation to Beverly Hills 90210, refers to the current year in the Thai Buddhist calendar.

    It’s the type of film where nothing much appears to be happening, but you’ll be thinking about it for days afterwards. A man with not much to say and nowhere to go; a forgotten wardrobe assistant; a guide’s commentary drowned out by a boat’s motor; and a wandering woman in search of something mysterious, that is not a fertility elixir. The curious mix of what appears to be both documentary and fiction keeps you questioning what it is exactly that you’re watching, appealing to a desire to understand what is indeed the truth.

    If you can get beyond needing to classify by genre, then Krabi 2562 is both an intriguing look at the way people may interact in and around the southern Thai town of Krabi, as well as a series of amusing discords and daily banalities. It incorporates the substance that makes up the life of a community, with the occasional cultural contrast, while exploring the landscape and stories.

    The eclectic characters merge with stunning images including an enigmatic woman slowly disappearing into the mouth of a cave, and birds fleeing a desolate cinema. 

    Krabi 2562 is Anocha Suwichakornpong’s third feature film as writer-director. Mundane History (2009) being the first, along with five shorts and the omnibus movie Breakfast Lunch Dinner (2010).

    Ben Rivers is a director and cinematographer, known for The Hunchback (2016), Un sort pour éloigner les ténèbres (2013) and Two Years at Sea (2011).

  • 1917 Makes Triumphant Return

    1917 Makes Triumphant Return

    1917 returns to Number 1 on the Official Film Chart following its release on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K UHD. The award-winning WW1 flick racked up 146,000 physical copies this week, knocking last week’s chart-topper Bad Boys For Life down to Number 2.

    Onward hangs on at 3 as Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker climbs two places to Number 4. Little Women drops one place to Number 5.

    Two big debuts are up next. The Call of the Wild lands as this week’s highest new entry at Number 6. Harrison Ford stars as John Thornton in this remake about a dog named Buck whose life is uprooted when he is removed from his home and ends up in the wilds of the Alaskan Yukon during the 1890s Gold Rush. 

    Our second Top 10 new entry comes from the star-studded big-screen adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic musical, Cats, in at 7. Taylor Swift, James Corden, Jason Derulo and Dame Judi Dench all star as tribe of cats, the Jellicles, must decide which one of them ascends for the yearly reincarnation.

    Finally, Frozen 2 (8), Jumanji: The Next Level (9) and Jojo Rabbit (10) hang on in the Top 10 for another week.

    This week’s Official Film Chart features a preview of Robert Downey, Jr. and Antonio Banderas in the new adaptation of Dolittle, available to Download & Keep from June 1.

    The Official Film Chart Top 10 – 27th May 2020

    LWPosTitleLabel
    211917ENTERTAINMENT ONE
    12BAD BOYS FOR LIFESONY PICTURES HE
    33ONWARDWALT DISNEY
    64STAR WARS IX: THE RISE OF SKYWALKERWALT DISNEY
    45LITTLE WOMENSONY PICTURES HE
    NEW6THE CALL OF THE WILDWALT DISNEY
    NEW7CATSUNIVERSAL PICTURES
    78FROZEN 2WALT DISNEY
    99JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVELSONY PICTURES HE
    510JOJO RABBIT20TH CENTURY FOX HE

    © Official Charts Company 2020

    VIEW THE FULL TOP 40 – https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/film-chart/

  • Bombshells And Dollies: Review

    Bombshells And Dollies: Review

    Pin-Up girls became fashionable in the 1940’s where men would pin pictures of beautiful, glamorous women on the walls by their beds or to the inside of the airplanes before they were sent into battle. They became a symbol for the types of things the soldiers were missing back home, and let’s face it, they must have helped out a few of those soldiers on a long, lonely night.

    Cut to the 21st Century and Pin-Up girls have had a resurgence, the 1940’s fashions of not only clothes but hair and make up have inspired women from all over the world to become another symbol – one of body positivity and empowerment.

    Bombshells and Dollies is a documentary that follows the annual Miss Viva Las Vegas Pin-Up Contest over the course of two years that interviews the contestants, the event holders and even a couple of those icons of the Pin-Up world. Bombshells and Dollies looks at the women behind the hair, make up and glamorous clothes and explores what most people may think is only skin deep.

    Talking to many of the contestants who go by their Pin-Up monikers of Cherry Dollface, Bo Huff and Pin-Up Little Bit, Bombshells and Dollies gives the women a chance to speak for themselves, showing the audience that the Pin-Up lifestyle truly is their calling. Stories of heartbreak, abuse and a crippling lack of confidence are at the heart of many of these stories, and so the documentary shows that the Pin-Up lifestyle can be an escape where they can be themselves and not looked down upon by others.

    There are also stories of the other sides of the contestants’ lives that may surprise some of the audience. Stories of the intelligent, successful and enterprising women who take part in the Pin-Up lifestyle who show that first impressions can be misleading.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsXOOKZsJ3c

    Bombshells and Dollies may not entirely convert people who judge the Pin-Up lifestyle at face value, but it shows how much fun and confidence it gives the people who indulge in the lifestyle, celebrating a side of life most people wouldn’t dare venture into.