Disney has finally decided that it would part its association with Miramax. After much speculation, Disney sold off Miramax for $660 million. Analysts have figured out that Miramax off beat movies did not comply with the expectation of Disney owners. It was the end of a long partnership. It all started when Disney took Miramax [...]
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">
Here’s a candidate for the Canadian parent of the year award. Police in Richmond B.C. are looking for a couple that used their kids to load up on over $3000 worth of Blu-ray and DVD discs from Future Shop. The estimate is that the couple took between 80 to 100 movies. The parents took the children into the store, and then allowed them to walk around picking the movies that the wanted to watch, and then loaded them into the stroller. The couple then left the store without paying for the merchandise. Of course in the US, they would have been harassed and then let go, only to find that all the cases were filled with rocks. Police are currently looking for help in identifying the couple and the children.
Loyal readers, I give you a Steampunk Sin City concept made on 1000 Euros. Now if one of you could kindly tell me what in the world is going on in it? via [ Dvorak Uncensored ]
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">
The 5D mk II 2.0.3 firmware was supposed to be the end-all solution for the Canon super camera. But it wasn’t. It caused more issues not worth the enhanced movie mode it added. Canon of course of pulled the firmware from its site cause many 5D mk II owners to cry a little. Because, as everyone knows, Canon owners are notoriously emotional unlike the cool and collected Nikon crowd. But chin up 5D mk II owners, the proper firmware is now available. Canon In the Version 2.0.4 firmware, the following phenomena that occurred with the Version 2.0.3 firmware (which was to enhance the movie functions) have been corrected. There was a phenomenon in which the manual recording settings made in C1/C2/C3 were changed and sound could not be recorded if manual sound recording was used in the C1/C2/C3 settings and the camera was subsequently turned off (or if Auto Power Off was activated). This does not occur in modes other than C1/C2/C3. The Version 2.0.4 firmware includes the movie function enhancements listed in items 1 through 5 below, and also incorporates the correction listed in item 6. Adds or changes the following movie frame rates. NTSC: 1920×1080 : 30 fps (changed – actual 29.97 fps) 1920×1080 : 24 fps (added – actual 23.976 fps) 640×480 : 30 fps (changed – actual 29.97 fps) PAL: 1920×1080 : 25 fps (added – actual 25.0 fps) 1920×1080 : 24 fps (added – actual 23.976 fps) 640×480 : 25 fps (added – actual 25.0 fps) Adds a function for manually adjusting the sound recording level (64 levels). Adds a histogram display (brightness or RGB) for shooting movies in manual exposure. Adds shutter-priority AE mode (Tv) and aperture-priority AE (Av) mode to the exposure modes for shooting movies. Changes the audio sampling frequency from 44.1 KHz to 48 KHz. Fixes a phenomenon where communication between the camera and the attached lens is sometimes interrupted after manual sensor cleaning. (This phenomenon only affects units with Firmware Version 1.2.4.) Caution: Firmware Version 2.0.4 is for cameras with firmware up to version 2.0.3. If the camera’s firmware is already version 2.0.4, it is not necessary to update the firmware. Movies captured using EOS 5D Mark II cameras with Firmware Version 1.1.0 to 1.2.4 can be played back on cameras updated with Firmware Version 2.0.4. However, if you try to play back movies captured with a camera with the new firmare on a camera with a previous firmare version, a message, Cannot play back image, appears on the camera’s LCD monitor. It is recommended that you use the latest Canon applications*1 to edit movies captured with EOS 5D Mark II cameras that have the latest firmare because some previous versions do not support movie-editing functions and the frame rates that are added or changed by the latest firmware. You can download the latest Canon applications from our Web site. *1 ZoomBrowser EX Version 6.5.0 or later (compatible operating systems : Windows XP/Vista/7) ImageBrowser Version 6.5.0 or later (compatible operating systems : Mac OS X v10.4/10.5/10.6) In addition to the enhancements to the movie function, the accompanying instruction manual has also been revised. Users are asked to download both the latest firmware and the latest instruction manual. You can proceed to download the instruction manual by clicking the [I Agree] button from the bottom of this page.
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">
Who saw The Hurt Locker ? Oh, right: none of you . Even if you didn’t you probably are already familiar with the basic concept: a U.S. Army guy whose job it is to disable I.E.D.s sorta goes crazy. That’s the gist of it. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defense in the UK has unveiled something called the Dragon Runner , a remote-controlled robot that disables bombs. It has four—count ‘em, four!—on-board cameras that transmit the images of what’s what to the soldat behind the controller. Said soldat can then use the robotic arm, which can lift up to 100 pounds, to try to disable a bomb or move it to a safer location. That’s pretty much all there is to it. Back to The Hurt Locker . It was an OK movie, sure, but there’s no way in hell you can tell me it was better than Un prophète .
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">
I love how this is controversial. Sony Pictures (creators of Spider-Man ) chairman Michael Lynton has suggested that movie theaters offer healthy snacks in addition to their usual parade of garbage, and people have reacted with blind rage . How dare you tell me how to live my life, you pinko liberal communist! It’s like, really? What is so terrible about not covering your popcorn with metric tons of liquid “butter”? You would think movie theater owners would go out of their way to make their theaters as welcoming as possible, right? Yes, last year was a record year for Hollywood, but take away Avatar , an outlier if there ever was one, and do the numbers look as hot? Not bloody likely. If I were a theater owner, I’d make it so that I’d have, yes, plenty of garbage (buttered popcorn, soda, etc.) on hand, but I’d also have fruits and vegetables to cater to the Whole Foods crowd. Can you imagine a small movie theater opening up in Park Slope that has arugula as a snack? I’d be a millionaire! A selection of the comments that made me laugh… Hmmmm, watching Terminator 12 eating blueberries. That should pack them in to the theater. I think I’ll wait for the DVD and have my popcorn at home. I hate liberals always telling me how to live my life. *** is he WANTING to kill of cinema?! *** He can have my popcorn when he pries it from my cold dead fingers. *** The sony idiot would make a perfect democrat congressman, one who loves to tell you how to live your life. When will the public quit voting for these morons? *** You might have already guessed it, but Drudge linked this story, too. I’m trying to remember the last time I went to a movie theater, and I’m pretty sure it was to see Casino Royale . I picked a Sunday 11am showing, figuring most of the troublemakers would still be hungover. But no! Who should sit next to me but a rather large woman with two bags of popcorn and a soda! What she eats is her business, obviously, but my God in Heaven she was rattling the bag like she was auditioning for Stomp . 3D cinema may be a draw right now, but the minute I break down and say, “Eh, let’s go see Alice in Wonderland ” and find that the theater is populated by loud, obnoxious people is the moment I walk right out the door. And where is it written that you have to eat at all during a movie? Can’t people sit still for two hours without ingesting 18 bags of Milk Duds? Flickr
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">
I could have sworn “piracy” was killing the movie industry. Apparently not, when you actually look at the data ! The year 2009 was the single best year in Hollywood history as far as “money” is concerned—if you can find a single decent movie produced by Hollywood last year I’d love to see it—where it made $29.9 billion in ticket sales alone. (Never mind how much Blu-ray and DVD sales will bring in.) So again: if piracy is killing the industry, how do you explain these numbers? Well, we’ll try to explain them. Last year was the year of Avatar — Avatar is 3D, to be exact. A ticket to a 3D showing cost quite a premium, something like $14-$15 (or more!) depending on your location instead of the usual $10ish. That’s pretty much the only explanation. Avatar was to Hollywood what the Wii was to Nintendo for a while there—simply a money-printing machine. Perhaps it speaks to an earlier thesis: you cannot “pirate” the 3D “experience,” so Hollywood should be flying high for a little while.
Nowhereelse found what amounts to be a sneak peek for a new version of Predator , now called Predators which I suspect will eat les balles. Oh well.
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">
Tonight’s Oscars are as much about technology as they are good movies. Granted, movie-making has always been about embracing new technology—critics complained when movies first appeared, when they added sound, when they added color, etc.—but Avatar can be looked at as nothing more than a glorified tech demo. A win for Avatar tonight is a win for 3D technology , end of. I write this not having seen any of the movies nominated for best picture. This year just seemed sort of “meh.” I did grab the movie Un Prophète , but the odds of me staying away from Napoleon: Total War long enough to closely watch it are pretty much non-existent. (Note: Napoleon: Total War is my Game of the Year so far. Unless Crysis 2 is as good as it looks, and unless Gran Turismo 5 actually comes out this year, which, well, the less said the better, it’ll probably stay that way. Worst constructed sentence ever.) But let’s put it this way: if Avatar was only a plain ol’ 2D movie, would it even have been nominated for the Oscar? Based on what I’ve read, no. So, 3D. It’s going to be the savior of Hollywood , so they say. It makes going to the movie theater a fun experience, and discourages staying at home and watching, say, There Will Be Blood on Blu-ray on your 60-inch plasma. Well, until 3D TVs come down in price, but don’t expect that to happen too soon. Plus, based on what I saw at CES this past January (and having played Battlefield: Bad Company 2 in 3D last week), I’m going to say that your Avatar -like movie-going experiences are going to be unique enough that they’ll continue to be a draw, at least for a little while. Alice in Wonderland , also in 3D, did huge numbers this weekend , so there’s that. But will it win, and should it win? The second point—should it win—is the more contentious question. It’s basically Pocahontas in Space (again, as I understand it), and if I wanted to see a movie that’s sorta based on Pocahontas, I’d see The New World again. (That reminds me to watch The Thin Red Line again soon. Now there’s a competent director .) Will it win? Is Avatar better than Hurt Locker ? I’ve heard mixed things about Kathryn Bigelow’s film: some people love it, and others think it’s just OK. Precious ? Inglorious Basterds ? Neither of those are really the savior of Hollywood—how much money did James Cameron make everybody with his film? Whether or not Avatar wins tonight, 3D technology is here to stay—we’ve already seen how sports networks have begun to embrace it. One thing I do know: come 8pm tonight, I’ll probably be playing Napoleon: Total War and listening to Ron and Fez’s live Oscar coverage (there’s no way in hell I’m going to watch the actual Oscar ceremony) on Sirius XM satellite radio—maybe I’ll even join in on that Twitter party fun? Oh, one more thing: FIFA stinks . That has nothing to do with anything, but whatever.
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">
When I saw Roger Ebert’s face for the first time in that Esquire article I was so, so sad. He and Gene Siskel were a great force in movie-making (and reviewing) and their opinions mattered so much to me as a youngster and a young man. I loved watching them and loved their show. I remember they’d always have something great to say about all of the movies I loved as a kid. Here he is talking to his wife on the Oprah show. After losing his jaw to cancer, he he has his voice back. Using a MacBook Pro and software that grabbed little snippets from his TV appearances, he is able to speak in his own voice again, even if it’s a bit robotic. Thanks for this, CereProc . Honestly. via Giz
© 2012 Headline News. All Rights Reserved. Log in