.The Magazine: NOW PLAYING #2

The Pitch: A
newcomer (not like George Francisco) to the magazine world, NOW PLAYING
bills itself as ‘pop culture for the rest of us’ and features a staff
filled with names familiar to fans of the sci-fi web and print wold.

The Cost: $3.99
The Month: Summer
The Publisher: Same
Cover Story: What to See, What to Flee

Main Interview: Kristen Bell

PRO:

  • Very solid summer movie preview. Loaded with info and rather comprehensive.

  • Good choices in focusing on Criterion and a few off the beaten path up and coming stars instead of flavor of the month X and Y.

  • The price tag is lower than most everyone else out there, and in a world where Starlog and Fangoria ask for $7.99 this is a good countergent.

CON:

  • The tech stuff is done to death in every other magazine. We don’t any more jack of all trade publications.

  • One page for your cover girl? Weak.
  • The pages have a very muted color scheme, including the pictures. They’re not vibrant and it hurts the visual appeal of the mag.

  • Music? Are there not enough music magazines. Now Playing has a very solid staff of movie people. The states don’t have their EMPIRE. It seems like it’d be better to swing for the fences than be just another "almost" publication.

OVERALL:

I’m still not sure what they’re trying to do or if they’re concerned with having their own identity.

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