"Most movie-goers are overdosing on star coverage; it's the ultimate example of too much information"
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Bart’s line lands like a diagnosis disguised as a sigh: the audience isn’t just mildly distracted by celebrity news, they’re “overdosing” on it. That medical metaphor is doing the heavy lifting. It frames star coverage not as harmless entertainment but as a substance with side effects - dependency, dulled perception, a narrowing of appetite. The target isn’t fame itself; it’s the media pipeline that turns movies into mere delivery systems for personalities.
Calling it “the ultimate example of too much information” also dates the critique to a particular cultural pivot: the late-20th-century acceleration of entertainment journalism into a 24/7 churn. Bart, as a longtime industry editor, is speaking from inside the machine, which gives the complaint bite. He’s not moralizing from the cheap seats; he’s warning that the promotional ecosystem is swallowing the art it’s meant to serve. When every interview becomes a brand extension and every red-carpet photo a “story,” the film risks shrinking into an afterthought.
The subtext is a challenge to both studios and audiences. Studios lean on stars because stars reduce risk; they’re pre-sold narratives. Audiences accept the trade because celebrity coverage offers a faster dopamine hit than two hours of ambiguity, craft, or discomfort. Bart’s intent is less nostalgia for a purer cinema than an alarm about attention: once marketing becomes the main text and the movie the footnote, “information” isn’t empowering. It’s noise with a publicist.
Calling it “the ultimate example of too much information” also dates the critique to a particular cultural pivot: the late-20th-century acceleration of entertainment journalism into a 24/7 churn. Bart, as a longtime industry editor, is speaking from inside the machine, which gives the complaint bite. He’s not moralizing from the cheap seats; he’s warning that the promotional ecosystem is swallowing the art it’s meant to serve. When every interview becomes a brand extension and every red-carpet photo a “story,” the film risks shrinking into an afterthought.
The subtext is a challenge to both studios and audiences. Studios lean on stars because stars reduce risk; they’re pre-sold narratives. Audiences accept the trade because celebrity coverage offers a faster dopamine hit than two hours of ambiguity, craft, or discomfort. Bart’s intent is less nostalgia for a purer cinema than an alarm about attention: once marketing becomes the main text and the movie the footnote, “information” isn’t empowering. It’s noise with a publicist.
Quote Details
| Topic | Movie |
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