An interesting read. And his 'cinematic' mode has a lot in common with the Firefly RPG's "taken out" mechanic (which means you're out of the scene; not dead), which is definitely appropriate to that game.
And yet...
Interesting that he then goes on to use the "Lord of the Rings" films as his 'cinematic' example - it's hard to argue that those movies would have been better had Boromir not died.
And yet...
At the beginning of my DM career, I noticed that some players got a sad face when their characters died, or that other players checked out and began fiddling with other stuff in the middle of the game. What did those players want that I wasn’t giving them? Sad faces and a lack of engagement are anathema to a DM. But from those two reactions came my two modes of D&D play.
Interesting that he then goes on to use the "Lord of the Rings" films as his 'cinematic' example - it's hard to argue that those movies would have been better had Boromir not died.