With every passing story I read about border control or security insanity, I'm beginning to think that once you have any responsibility for your country's safety, you go insane. Everyday objects become suspect (like a friend harassed in the US for having a couple pictures of an ex amongst the pics he was traveling with), and sometimes, objects are given extraordinary value. I was once charged a couple hundred dollars in Canadian tariffs for a Buffy DVD that was sent to me as a gift, and had to prove that the box set wasn't worth their astronomical estimated cost. But I guess I can consider myself lucky that "Buffy" didn't make the border powers that be think the discs were porn.
Canoe reports that a new Canadian film from John N. Smith (Dangerous Minds) was held at the border because of its name: Love and Savagery. The romantic drama headed to Ireland last month to shoot some scenes, and then the footage was shipped to Montreal for processing, where it was stopped by the border patrol. Smith says: "There was a big kerfuffle and they suspected us of being involved in the pornography trade. They were insisting they were going to send it off to the RCMP lab to develop it to see if we were engaged in pornography." This created a bit of a panic as they worried about the potential damage RCMP processing would have on the footage.
Well, okay: maybe that's hyperbole about the death of DVD. On the other hand, maybe it's not. In what has to be seen as a major vote of confidence in online content delivery, almost all of the major studios (including Fox, Disney, Paramount, Warner Bros., Universal, Lionsgate, and what's left of New Line) have signed with Apple to offer many of their movies on the iTunes Store's download-to-own service -- simultaneously with the release of the DVDs. This seems to show that they're not squeamish about losing DVD sales -- or at least not squeamish enough to turn down the attractive deal Apple no doubt offered.
Most new movies currently offered for sale on iTunes cost 10 to 15 bucks and about 1 GB in hard drive space (depending on the length). AppleTV, the device that Apple hoped would make the iTunes Store even more prevalent by making content purchased there watchable on users' television sets, has been beset by problems, and free advertising-supported content providers like Hulu.com also present a challenge. But whether or not iTunes wins, we're getting inexorably closer to the day of physical media obsolescence. The studios have now shown they're willing to go there (this announcement comes on the heels of Time Warner's decision to offer all of its movies via On-Demand cable day-and-date with DVD releases).
Of course, videophiles will still want their Blu-Ray, and it's hard to blame them. But it's only a matter of hard drive space. Tick-tock.
Once in awhile I come across little stories that are relevant to this column that don't necessarily call for so many words of commentary. But it's a shame to skip over them, so occasionally, I'd like to break The Exhibitionist up a bit and write about a few of them at once.
The first thing that caught my attention this week was a report of a study focused on ambient lighting, such as the kind used in cinemas. According to research conducted by academics at the University of Cumbria in England, and at University College Dublin in Ireland, movies should be viewed in rooms that are as well lit as the movies themselves. So, yes, that means your local multiplex has the lights dimmed way too low.
But, you wonder, isn't it dark in theaters because we can see the movie much better that way? And when we're at home don't we turn out the lights, or, when it's daytime, close the shades for the same reason? Well, yes, but incorrectly so, say Cumbria's Professor David Manning and UCD's Professor Patrick Brennan. Their findings indicate that such darkness actually hinders the eye's ability to see at optimum capability. "Ideally, ambient light should be adapted to the brightness of the screen for the eye to pick up as much detail as it can," Manning said. "However, most people prefer to watch films in a darkened room, but as the eye adapts to the surrounding light these conditions may not be conducive to picking up maximum visual detail."
I saw this floating around several different websites over the weekend (I believe JoBlo first pointed me there), and, at first, I totally thought they had discovered some real girl who looked exactly like Jessica Rabbit. Yup, I just about freaked. Then I began reading the post and realized this dude (or dudette) created the image above using photoshop (click to enlarge). Oh well. She looks pretty damn real, though, and this person over at Pixeloo has created similar pieces for both Homer Simpson and Mario from Super Mario Brothers. The Homer one just freaks me the hell out, but the Mario one is pretty spot on.
Oh Jessica Rabbit ... how come we only had you in our lives for one feature-length film and three shorts? Which animated (or video game) character should Pixeloo tackle next? Personally, I'd love to see one of the South Park kids, like Cartman. You? (Additionally, for those curious, you can head after the jump to watch a sped-up video of the first hour of this Jessica Rabbit creation. Very cool stuff -- check out which popular actress is used to help make Jessica Rabbit a reality.)
Is film really better than digital? Or vice versa? Following the news that Steven Spielberg is allegedly to blame for the slow rollout of digital projectors into cinemas, I've been thinking about the questions all week. And I have no idea. But not because siding with Spielberg, just because he's Spielberg, is difficult when he suddenly announces a new digital 3-D project (Ghost and the Shell) he'll be producing. The reality is that I'm not technologically informed enough and, more importantly, my eyesight isn't good enough for me to really make the distinction anymore.
That isn't to say I can't tell if I'm watching film or digital. I definitely can. Especially when it's digital 3-D, or when it's an incorrectly projected HD copy of The Wackness, which looks very crisp but also very dark (for the purpose of this week's column, it's not important to point a finger at the cinema responsible). What I can't tell is which format is better. And I mean better in a sort of ideological mixed with functionality context. If just going by ideals, I have to keep pledging allegiance to film, but perhaps only as a traditionalist. Yet if going by functionality, I have to swear by digital, from DVD to DLP to 4K to whatever (again, I just can't keep up tech-wise), but perhaps only as a futurist.
There's been a flurry of buzz around theatrical 3-D lately, perhaps because James Cameron has come out of hiding to talk a bit about Avatar. (If you haven't yet read this interview with the King of the World, do so immediately.) The last thing we heard was that exhibitors have ganged up on Steven Spielberg for apparently standing in the way of the digital revolution. But Spielberg seems to have seen the light: he's acquired the rights to the Japanese manga Ghost in the Shell for Dreamworks, which plans to film it in -- you guessed it -- digital 3-D. A Dreamworks suit boasts that the story "epitomizes 3-D live-action motion picture possibilities."
If that title sounds familiar, it's because the manga has already been adapted into one of the most celebrated anime films of all time. The story involves an attempt to fight cyber-crime by creating a breed of ultra-powerful cyborgs, which strikes me as a terrible idea. I found Mamoru Oshii's movie visually spectacular but impenetrable -- I'm not an anime buff, and it confused the hell out of me. I'm sure that if nothing else, Dreamworks will find a way to solve that problem. Jamie Moss (Street Kings) is taking a crack at writing the adaptation.
The completely deranged practice of watching movies on cell phones just got a boost. The Hollywood Reporter has a story on Sony's recent deal to put some of its classics catalog on AT&T's "Mobile TV" network starting this May. Soon, subscribers will be able to watch movies such as Philadelphia, Stand By Me and Ghostbusters while on the subway or in the dentist's waiting room. Whether or not they will want to is an open question.
To their credit, the honchos behind this seem to recognize that people aren't going to sit there and stare into a tiny cell phone screen for two hours. According to a Sony exec, the objective isn't to get people to watch the whole movie, and they don't expect too many customers to watch Ghostbusters for the first time on a two-inch display. Rather, this is intended for those who've already seen the films and want to rewatch certain scenes on a whim.
Sony, of course, was responsible for the fleeting phenomenon of watching movies on your PSP (portable Playstation), and they don't seem to be giving up on "mobile entertainment." I guess there's been some traction; I have friends who keep up with their favorite TV shows on their commutes. My mind still boggles at the concept of this actually being a viable business model -- Don't your arms get tired? What do you even see in there? -- but I suppose people are starting to embrace anything they can carry with them on their gadgets. I'll leave you with David Lynch's immortal -- and entirely correct -- words on the subject, after the jump.
I miss the days when the Incredible Hulk used to evoke only images of green-muscled mayhem and comic goodness. Since Ang Lee's take on the film, the name is met with as much apprehension as it is fan praise. Of course, we're getting a re-do soon courtesy of Edward Norton, The Incredible Hulk, but so far, the production has not quashed fan fears, and it looks like it might succumb to them.
We're finally getting the trailer debut on Wednesday night, 9:56 p.m. on all MTV channels, VH1, and Spike. The trailer's super-late release hasn't helped get fans pumped, and if Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily is right, that's not the only reason to be apprehensive. Her sources say that Norton and Marvel are fighting over how to cut the film. "Insiders say Norton was 'promised tremendous involvement and access'" into the feature, and now there is "a lot of posturing going on between Edward's camp and Marvel over how you edit the final version." They go on to say that the camps are meeting to try and come up with an "amicable resolution."
Some are saying that Norton is being his difficult self. Others say that Marvel won't listen to him. Whatever the case, this could definitely hurt the film -- will the best cut reach our apprehensive eyes? If Norton isn't happy, will he promote the film? And if he doesn't, what will that mean for the expensive, action-packed picture?
Wow, two stories in one day on that coin-flipping madman. That's rather appropriate!
We already knew that Christopher Nolan's version of Two-Face was going to be miles away from Tommy Lee Jones' frightening (in all the wrong ways) portrayal of the villain. Even if we haven't seen any footage of Aaron Eckhart yet, the recent Wizard interview showed he recognized that the character wasn't a scarred caricature.
But it looks like Eckhart is going to be just as surprised by what appears on film as we are. CHUD's Jeremy Smith has the story on the unique approach Nolan is taking with the character. For every Two-Face scene, Nolan shot Eckhart twice -- once in make-up and once without. Yes, that's been done with Gollum and Spider-Man's Green Goblin, but the difference is that you'll be getting two wildly divergent performances in the same shot. Both will be present, but one side will dominate at any given moment. The entire performance can be altered, at will, in the editing room. Smith wonders if all this technical trickery is the reason Two-Face's appearance has been delayed so long.
I guess it was because I grew up with Michael Caine as the star of such fantastic flicks as Jaws: The Revenge and Blame it on Rio that it took me awhile until I really understood why everyone thought he was such a genius. For me, the revelation came about 10 minutes into Sleuth, by far one his best performances. Guardian reports that two of Caine's early works are getting the HD treatment. In honor of Caine's upcoming 75th birthday, Zulu and The Italian Job will be re-mastered and aired on Britain's Sky Movies for television.
Released in 1964, Zulu was the story of outnumbered British soldiers battling Zulu warriors at Rorke's Drift. This was Caine's first starring role in the true-life story (albeit with some creative license) as Lt. Gonville Bromhead. The Italian Job is the more famous of the two films. Peter Collinson's caper about a plan to steal Turin gold starred Caine as master thief Charlie Croker. It was another iconic role for Caine, who was already the epitome of Swingin' London. It also led him to some his most famous roles in the 1970's including Get Carter and Sleuth.
Expect to see a lot of retrospectives in the coming year as Hollywood continues to reformat their back catalogs for HD. For movie lovers it comes as a relief that these classics are being preserved for future generations. According to Sky Movies' Ian Lewis: "Watching a classic title re-mastered in HD is like viewing a restored painting." Luckily, Caine was a little more pragmatic about some of the downsides of HD resolution: "I love HD ... of course, it's very unforgiving, especially on young beautiful ladies, but thank God I'm old, I don't care."
We were all just waiting for the announcement. And here it is, finally and inevitably. Blu-ray called, "red rover, red rover let Paramount come over," and Paramount went over. Now all six major studios are on board, and HD DVD is being fitted for its casket. Thank goodness. The format war is over! And no, I won't be telling anyone to go out and buy any HD DVD products this time around (although Roger Ebert mentioned the other day that this is a great time to buy VHS tapes, so he's apparently even more insane than I am). But I'm not just going to jump on the Blu-ray wagon just yet either (remember: I'm a cheap bastard). Who knows how soon the next format war will come about anyway? It's best to just sit around and read books. They'll never be obsolete. Oh wait, I forgot that I'm a movie blogger. Never mind. Buy movies! And buy them on Blu-ray!
Well, it's just about done. We told you the other day that Toshiba would most likely concede to Blu-ray this week, and they have officially done just that. With the manufacturer and distributor of HD-DVD consumer products out of the way, one assumes Blu-ray will reign supreme within the next couple of months. For those that have already invested in Toshiba's HD-DVD products, they will still offer support and continue to stock parts for the next eight years. There's no word as of yet whether Paramount and other Hollywood HD-DVD supporters will turn, though we should expect announcements in the very near future.
Keep in mind I don't know all the technical differences between the two formats (sorry folks, I'm limited in that area), but at first glance -- and from a marketing standpoint -- I totally thought HD-DVD would eventually win this war. My friend and I always said that consumers would go with the name they most easily related to. If they had an HD TV, they would buy an HD-DVD player. It just seemed right. But I guess the flashier name won out. On a personal note, I'm happy I opted to side with Blu-ray this past Christmas, because now I'm not out all that money. Had you picked a side yet? And how do you HD-DVD supporters feel about all this?
For the complete Toshiba press release, head on over to our sister site Engadget.
Forget all those retailers and studios abandoning HD DVD. Here's the biggest domino to fall: Toshiba, which was surely the biggest and most important exclusive supporter from the beginning, releasing the first commercially available HD DVD player back in 2006. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Japanese company is expected to discontinue production of HD DVD products, including players and other devices related to the format. Apparently, however, they will continue selling existing equipment and have only ceased development and manufacture of new HD DVD products. There has been no formal announcement, though, from Toshiba. The trade quotes a vp of marketing for Toshiba America as saying the company still believes HD DVD to be technologically the best high-def format (over Blu-Ray) for customers. The decision, if in fact true, comes on the heels of, and is surely an effect of, last month's news that Warner Bros. and then (maybe) Paramount were going Blu-ray exclusive and recent announcements from Netflix, Best Buy, Blockbuster and Wal-Mart that they would each stop renting and/or selling HD DVD discs (or in Best Buy's case, stop selling HD DVD players yet continue selling the discs, but push/recommend Blu-Ray as the favored format) within the year.
The Hollywood Reporter details some of the more recent HD DVD history, including Toshiba's desperate moves to stay in the game after Warner's abandonment. The company significantly cut the cost of their players, but still Blu-ray was the champion in the market. Additionally, new Blu-ray movie titles are constantly out-selling new HD DVD movie titles. The trade mentions that Toshiba's "last ditch effort" was a TV commercial that ran during the Super Bowl and which cost the company $2.7 million. Now all eyes are on the few HD DVD supporters that are left: Microsoft; Universal; DreamWorks and Paramount. How long before they all admit defeat? Within the week?
What's hotter Hansel? It's not Derek Zoolander. It's 3D. My good lord, studios are really pushing the hell out of this format. I just don't get the rabid push. Some films, I get. This obsession, I don't get. I saw Harry Potter on IMAX 3D... The entire 3D portion had me dizzy and confused, and it also ruined the goodbye to a character I particularly liked. (Perhaps that was the seating, but since I was just off of dead-center, I don't think so.) Anyhow, with the full-speed-ahead 3D push, Disney has decided to re-release Pixar's Toy Story with the added dimension.
Variety reports that this release is slated to hit theaters on October 2, 2009, a few months before its sequel gets the same treatment on February 12, 2010. Both, of course, are coming out to lead up to the release of Toy Story 3, which is slated for June 18, 2010 -- a film which is already being prepped for 3D goodness. I sure hope they keep to the schedule -- moving the date for one is tricky -- moving the dates for three is trickier.
This move is the latest in the Mouse House's plans to release more of its animated films in 3D. Toy Story follows the likes of The Nightmare Before Christmas, Meet the Robinsons, and Chicken Little. I wonder how far back they'll try to go...
In a deal that could have intriguing implications for film lovers, Reuters is reporting that Hewlett-Packard (HP) has signed up Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) for their manufactured-on-demand DVD (MOD) service. In the year since the service was introduced, HP has contracted with 40 other content providers and digitized "about 5,000 titles for its electronic library."
Sony becomes "the first major studio to license niche and older titles" for the MOD service, according to the article. David Bishop, president of SPHE, says that Sony has been reluctant to release certain content on DVD, including some unspecified foreign and independent movies, because of the uncertainties involved in gauging consumer demand and maintaining inventory. There is no word yet on titles, either which or how many, and pricing.
For HP, the deal is a good way to reposition their service, which was originally trumpeted as a way to make sporting events and broadcast TV shows available on DVD within a few days of their original air dates. Sony's unreleased back catalog content includes classic TV, religious and food shows, and local sporting events, in addition to the aforementioned foreign and independent movies.
Several companies already offer their own versions of MOD service; Amazon's CreateSpace, for example, allows individuals to sell their own content on DVD and other media. This could be a viable alternative for folks who prefer to have a DVD rather than a downloaded computer file. And if it opens up the studio's back catalogs and unleashes some long in-demand titles, so much the better.
With every passing story I read about border control or security insanity, I'm beginning to think that once you have any responsibility for your country's safety, you go insane. Everyday objects become suspect (like a friend harassed in the US for having a couple pictures of an ex amongst the pics he was traveling with), and sometimes, objects are given extraordinary value. I was once charged a couple hundred dollars in Canadian tariffs for a Buffy DVD that was sent to me as a gift, and had to prove that the box set wasn't worth their astronomical estimated cost. But I guess I can consider myself lucky that "Buffy" didn't make the border powers that be think the discs were porn.
Well, okay: maybe that's hyperbole about the death of DVD. On the other hand, maybe it's not. In what has to be seen as a major vote of confidence in online content delivery, almost all of the major studios (including Fox, Disney, Paramount, Warner Bros., Universal, Lionsgate, and what's left of New Line) 
There's been a flurry of buzz around theatrical 3-D lately, perhaps because 
The completely deranged practice of watching movies on cell phones just got a boost. The Hollywood Reporter has 
I miss the days when the Incredible Hulk used to evoke only images of green-muscled mayhem and comic goodness. Since Ang Lee's take on the film, the name is met with as much apprehension as it is fan praise. Of course, we're getting a re-do soon courtesy of 
Wow, two stories in one day on that coin-flipping madman. That's rather appropriate! 
I guess it was because I grew up with 
We were all just waiting for the announcement. And here it is, finally and inevitably. Blu-ray called, "red rover, red rover let Paramount come over," and 
Well, it's just about done. We told you the other day that 
What's hotter Hansel? It's not Derek Zoolander. It's 3D. My good lord, studios are really pushing the hell out of this format. I just don't get the rabid push. Some films, I get. This obsession, I don't get. I saw Harry Potter on IMAX 3D... The entire 3D portion had me dizzy and confused, and it also ruined the goodbye to a character I particularly liked. (Perhaps that was the seating, but since I was just off of dead-center, I don't think so.) Anyhow, with the full-speed-ahead 3D push, Disney has decided to re-release Pixar's 
In a deal that could have intriguing implications for film lovers, 
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Cinematical Seven: When an Animated Series Goes Live Action ... and Gets it Right_thumbnail.jpg)
Full 'G.I. Joe' Cast Photos!
