Movie Reviews and News

Burlesque movie trailer looks promising

2010-08-11T10:48:00.000-07:00

Plot Synopsis: Ali Rose (Christina Aguilera) is a small town girl with a big voice who escapes hardship and an uncertain future to follow her dreams to LA. After stumbling upon The Burlesque Lounge, a majestic but faltering theater that is home to an inspired musical revue, Ali lands a job as a waitress from Tess (Cher), the club's owner and headliner. Burlesque's outrageous costumes and daring choreography delight the young ingenue, who is inspired to perform there one day.

Soon enough, Ali builds a friendship with a renowned dancer (Julianne Hough), finds an enemy in a performer troubled with jealousy (Kristen Bell), and attracts the attention of Jack (Cam Gigandet), a bartender and musician. With the help of a shrewd stage manager (Stanley Tucci) and gender bending host (Alan Cumming), Ali makes her way from the lounge floor to the stage. Her spectacular voice restores The Burlesque Lounge to its former glory, but not before a charismatic businessman (Eric Dane) comes along with an attractive proposition ...

My thoughts: Honestly, it looks a bit like a revamp of Showgirls, but this time with less skin and loads more talent. Color me shocked, but it looks like Christina Aguilera can act!

Watching 'Inception' prompts director to change 'X-Men: First Class' movie

2010-08-04T10:10:00.000-07:00

Inception which was the number one movie at the box office for the last three weeks, had a strange effect on viewers worldwide, almost requiring repeat business to unlock its mysteries. But Inception also had an unlikely effect of a certain uncanny superhero franchise: Marvel Comics' X-Men. According to the X-Men: First Class director Matthew Vaughn, a viewing of the recent blockbuster film by Christopher Nolan forced Vaughn to change his own movie because of similarities, mainly surreal zero gravity fight scenes in rotating rooms.

Vaughn explained his revisions to the LA Times: "I saw Inception, which I loved, but my heart sank when I saw that a few of the ideas we had were up [on the screen]. So it's either leave it in and look as if you're copying or change things. We completely ripped out about 12 pages of the script and the storyboards."

Vaughn admitted that he had imagined rotating rooms in his new film, but now that is very closely associated with Inception, which featured a real life, 120 meters long, 30 meters wide corridor wiring and precise choreography.

About X-Men: First Class
Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr became known as Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before being arch-enemies, they were the most intimate of friends, working together with other mutants (some familiar, some new) to prevent the greatest threat the world has ever known. In the process, a rift opened between them that began the eternal war between the Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants and Professor X's X-Men.

Speaking of stealing idea's, it seems some folks are claiming Inception is a blatant rip-off of a Scrooge McDuck comic. You can read the comic for free here and decide for yourself.

5 minute Thor trailer revealed at Comic-Con

2010-08-02T11:29:00.000-07:00

The web was briefly abuzz over a 5 minute Thor movie trailer revealed at a Marvel Studios panel at Comic-Con. Until then, all fans had seen were artist mock-ups of costume designs and the like.

The Thor trailer of course found it's way online almost immediately. Unfortunately, the trailer was not intended for public release and seemingly all sources of it have been removed online. Here's a picture though to give you an idea:


Chris Hemsworth as Thor with Anthony Hopkins as Odin

If you're not familiar with the Marvel comic book version of Thor, then here's a brief synopsis of what the movie will be about: God of thunder Thor is a mighty warrior, but arrogant, and is sent to Earth to live as a human and learn humility for his actions that rekindled a war recklessly. But after a dangerous villain from his home sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth, the hammer-wielding Thor must learn what it takes to be a true hero to save humanity.

From what I could tell of the trailer, the only real deviation from the comic is that Thor (as a human) is not Dr. Donald Blake. Fans of the comic can rejoice that many secondary characters such as Sif, Volstagg, Heimdall, Hogun, Frigga, etc are in the movie as well. Also watch for lovely Natalie Portman as Dr. Jane Foster.

I would watch the Thor Official Movie Site in hopes of seeing the next (approved) Thor trailer, though there isn't much to see there at the moment. The official release date will be May 6, 2011. Mark your calendars!

Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog

2009-05-26T08:02:00.000-07:00

Conceived as an "online miniseries event" during the 2008 writers' strike, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is a 42 minutes of musical romp that bears the distinctive stamp of Joss Whedon. Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) plays the title character, who video-blog on his twin goals of joining the Evil League of Evil and win the right to Penny (Felicia Day of Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer series and in The Guild), a woman he met on site laundry. Dr. Horrible is foiled on both fronts, however, by his arch-nemesis, self-absorbed superhero Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion, Castle and Whedon's Firefly).

Dr. Horrible was written by Whedon, his brothers Zack and Jed, and Maurissa Tancharoen, and the songs were written by Joss and Jed (who also produced, orchestrated, played, etc.), with some lyrics by Tancharoen. (Jed and Tancharoen have backup singing roles.) The offbeat, off-the-cuff humor is laugh-out-loud funny, and as Dr. Horrible wants to take over the world, the songs will take on its head: they're engaging ( "My Freeze Ray"), exciting ( "My Eyes") and sweet ( "Penny's Song"). "So They Say" is particularly evocative of Jonathan Larson's Rent, but with Joss Whedon's musical episode of Buffy, "Once More with Feeling", the influences are diverse. It is difficult to imagine a better cast. Harris, who is singing Sondheim on Broadway, is a great leader and clearly the best singer, Day is completely charming, and who better than Captain Tightpants to play the gallant hero? We could argue about the ending, and shows the independent budget, but Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is a completely enjoyable romp for everyone, especially for those who like music with quirky humor. You will watch this over and over again!

If you watched or downloaded Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, there are a number of bonus features on the DVD that may interest you. There are two commentary tracks: Harris, the three Whedons, Tancharoen, Day, and Fillion have a spirited discussion of the movie, and there are also "Comment! The Musical," which ignore the movie altogether and sing about the writers' strike and each other (Fillion sings "I'm better than Neil") - the songs are not as good as the songs in Dr. Horrible, but good silly fun. A 20-minute making-of discusses the cast, the recording sessions, as the film became a phenomenon, videos, and 10 (half an hour total) were recorded by fans who want to join the Evil League of Evil.

Outlander

2009-05-24T12:12:00.000-07:00

So, I was at the video store and I ended up picking up this movie called Outlander- thinking at the time that it would either be really good or really bad. I had never even heard of it, but it had big names like James Caviezel, John Hurt, Sophia Myles, and Ron Perlman, but so did In The Name of the King which also had Ron Perlman and boy, did that stink! Two things on the cover caught my eye: "Beowulf meets Predator" - okay, that's promising, and "BEST...MOVIE...EVER" by some critic whose name doesn't mean much to me, but strong words. So I grabbed it and another DVD to watch in case it turned out to be a stinker.

This movie was terrific! Really, the Beowulf meets Predator tagline is dead on - I'm fairly certain that's precisely what the writer had in mind when he wrote the script. "Let's do Beowulf, but this time what if ..."

Brief synopsis:
During the reign of the Vikings, Kainan (James Caviezel), a man from a distant world, crash lands on Earth, unknowingly bringing with him an alien predator known as the Moorwen. Man and monster both seeking revenge for violence committed against them. As the Moorwen rampages through the Viking world, killing everything in its path, Kainan forms an unlikely alliance with the primitive but fierce Viking warriors. Combining his advanced technology with their Iron Age weapons, the hero leads a desperate attempt to kill the monster - before it destroys them all.

So they made this movie, had a select screening, and now it's out on DVD and Blu-Ray. Why not a wide theatrical release? Or advertisements for the DVD? It was entirely happenstance that I picked this up, and I'm glad I did. If you're an action fan I strongly encourage you pick it up! Better yet, click the above cover, and buy it! You will want to own it, I promise. Don't believe me? Check out the trailer. Yeah, it's good, right?

The Changeling

2009-05-07T14:16:00.000-07:00

Something has been bugging me for awhile now. Since the Changeling movie came out with Angelina Jolie, John Malkovitch, and Jeffrey Donovan from Burn Notice, I had hoped the 1980's movie with the nearly same name starring George C. Scott and Trish Van Devere would get some mention, but alas, these days it's all about what's NEW more so than what's GOOD.

"How did you die, Joseph...? Did you die in this house...? Why do you remain...?"

George C. Scott plays a man who loses his family in a snowy road side automobile accident. In an attempt to pick up the pieces and move on with his life, he accepts a college teaching position. The local historical society are pleased to allow him to stay in an old mansion that would otherwise fall into disrepair. Shortly after moving in, strange noises and occurrences prompt him to begin looking into the history of the home.

This is one of the creepiest movies I have ever seen. It isn't bloody or gory, but will definitely have your skin crawling at parts and jumping out of your seat at others. With lighting, pacing, and subtlety they made it scarier than if entrails where strewn across the floor, and the walls were painted with blood. I showed it to a girlfriend of mine, a film snob, who loved and appreciated it on an entirely different level than I did.

JCVD

2009-05-05T11:05:00.000-07:00

That's right. Jean-Claude Van Damme ... like you never saw before. Jean-Claude plays himself as an out-of-luck actor. He is out of money, his agent can't find him a decent production, and the judge in a custody battle is inclined to give custody of his daughter to his ex-wife. When he goes to a post office to receive a wire transfer, it is in the middle of a hostage situation. Due to an unfortunate error, the police think Van Damme is responsible for the crime. As the events are played from different perspectives, Van Damme is acting as a hero to protect the hostages and a negotiator that the alleged author.

Jean-Claude Van Damme was a familiar name for a long time. Everyone knows him for his action films, but has not really taken it seriously as an actor - until now. You may be surprised to know that JCVD has been very well received by critics, and is the first Van Damme film to be "Certified Fresh" on Rottentomatoes.com "Tomatometer" (at 84% - which is pretty Van Damme good). If you're waiting for Street Fighter 3, you will be sorely disappointed. Whether or not this will make some epic turn in Jean-Claude's film career has yet to be seen, but it shows that he (and filmmaker Mabrouka El Mechri) had a vision and made a great action / comedy film.

2008-05-12T00:08:00.000-07:00

HD Movies: HD-DVD Officially Dead, Blu-ray Wins Format WarToshiba announced today that it is officially pulling the plug on their HD-DVD format. Citing "recent major changes in the market"--specifically announcements from Wal-Mart, Netflix, and Best Buy last week in support of Blu-ray--Toshiba has chosen to stop manufacturing and selling HD-DVD players.

From an article in TWICE magazine:

"We carefully assessed the long-term impact of
continuing the so-called 'next-generation format war' and concluded
that a swift decision will best help the market develop," stated
Atsutoshi Nishida, Toshiba president and CEO. "While we are disappointed for the company and more importantly, for
the consumer, the real mass market opportunity for high definition
content remains untapped and Toshiba is both able and determined to use our talent, technology and intellectual property to make digital convergence a reality."

Nishida said that Toshiba will continue to produce some HD-DVD drives for laptops and PC according to customer demand and will provide support for existing units, but will now focus largely on computer hardware and peripherals such as "flash memory, small form factor hard disk drives, next
generation CPUs, visual processing, and wireless and encryption
technologies.”

So Sony's Blu-ray has come out on top, and we can all breathe a sigh of relief that the format war is over.

(EDIT: Looks like Amazon Screening Room beat me by a few minutes...)

--Aric A.

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2008-05-10T21:12:00.000-07:00

HD Movies: Exclusive Deleted Scene and microsite from Walk HardWatch an Amazon.com exclusive deleted scene from Walk Hard - The Dewey Cox Story. You can also watch clips and exclusive character interviews, get free downloads, listen to sound bites and more on the Walk Hard microsite.

Brooke

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2008-05-08T04:49:00.000-07:00

Action Movies: "Wolverine and the X-Men" animated trailerCourtesy of MovieWeb, you can sample a three-minute segment of an upcoming-sometime-in-the-future animated series called Wolverine and the X-Men. Looks good, though we'll have to wait and see whether it's different and better than previous X-Men animated series like X-Men Evolution. --David

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2008-05-06T22:53:00.000-07:00

HD Movies: Universal Jumps from HD DVD to Blu-Ray

Universal announced today that they will switch from HD DVD to Blu-ray shortly after Toshiba's official announcement to discontinue manufacturing HD DVD players and recorders.

Per Craig Kornblau, President, Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Universal Pictures Digital Platforms: "The path for widespread adoption of the next-generation platform has finally become clear."

There has been no official statement made by other HD DVD supporters (e.g., Paramount Pictures) at this time, but we will continue to update our High-Def 101 page with the latest information as it becomes available. With Blu-ray the remaining high-definition disc format, today's announcements have brought a welcome clarity for those waiting to convert to high-definition. --The Amazon.com High-Def Team

Related News Links:

Reuters

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2008-05-04T23:03:00.000-07:00

Action Movies: "Jericho": Sometimes the best shows finish last... A few days ago, CBS finally announced that Jericho would air its final episode this Tuesday. It's getting canceled, AGAIN, due to bad ratings. Our trusty Stephanie Reid-Simmons was on the ball (as usual), and blogged the announcement immediately. Well, now I'm here to gripe about it!

A lot of shows come and go, but I was truly rootin' for Jericho. Not only was it one of the best shows to hit network TV in a long time, it has some of the most diehard and dedicated fans I've ever seen. For those who don't know the scoop, this show had already been canceled before. That's right--but the fans united to bring back their beloved post-apocalyptic town! Together, they sent over 20 tons of peanuts to CBS headquarters. CBS folks must like their legumes because, acknowledging that this was the largest ever protest over a show cancellation, they brought it back for a second season. Why nuts? Well, you'll just have to watch the season one finale to find that out.

CBS minded their business P's and Q's though. They filmed seven new episodes that promised to wrap up the series, but left open the possibility for an extension if the season got good ratings. They even filmed two versions of the season finale--one that would bring the series to a close, and one that would end with a cliff-hanger.

Well, the second season opened up to great reviews, but with the worst ratings yet.

I'm honestly thankful to CBS for at least bringing the show back for a second season to wrap things up. The first season ends with a true cliff-hanger, and I (along with millions of others) would have gone literally insane without some closure. Sure, the second season seems a little rushed, and it definitely doesn't have the magic of to first 22 episodes. One can't really complain when the writers are attempting to wrap up such a complex plot. But I'll be glued to the TV this Tuesday night to discover the fate of those folks from Jericho.

But wait! A glimmer of hope! Rumor has it that Jericho could come back as a cable series. Showtime? The Sci-Fi Channel (which already airs re-runs of the first season)?

I'm inclined to think that this isn't very likely, but I'm going to hold my breath. I really want this story to continue...

--Jordan Thompson

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2008-05-02T22:56:00.000-07:00

Action Movies: "Star Wars" spoofs, courtesy of "Family Guy" and "Robot Chicken"Who said the Star Wars spoof went out with Spaceballs and Thumb Wars? (OK, nobody said that, but anyway....) The sub-subgenre appears to be live and well with Family Guy: Blue Harvest and Robot Chicken: Star Wars, both of which you can sample below. --David

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2008-04-29T06:47:00.000-07:00

Action Movies: Appleseed the ThirdFirst there was Appleseed , a 1988 anime feature based on the futuristic post-war manga series by Masamune Shirow (Ghost in the Shell). Then in 2004 came a motion-capture CG remake. New for 2008 is Appleseed Ex Machina, which our Amazon reviewer describes as "the most elaborate, stylish, and violent of the three adaptations." Below you can watch a clip with bits from the movie as well as some info on the history of the anime genre. Appleseed Ex Machina was produced by action master John Woo, so I can't wait to see if the characters will be diving sideways with guns blazing. --David

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2008-04-27T23:01:00.000-07:00

Action Movies: Oscar Forecast: Nominations Full of Surprises When the nominees are announced, you always wait for an upset... and this year's crop boasted a good number of them. You can see our complete list of nominations here and visit Oscar Central for past winners and features (video, actor essentials, etc.) on this year's honorees.

Among the highlights this morning:

-Michael Clayton makes a power showing, taking nominations in many of the top categories including picture, director (Tony Gilroy), screenplay (also Gilroy), actor (George Clooney), supporting actor (Tom Wilkinson) and supporting actress (Tilda Swinton).

-Sean Penn's Into the Wild, however, turns up with nothing but a nod for supporting actor Hal Holbrook and film editing. This is especially surprising considering it was on many critics' top 10 lists, made a strong showing at the Screen Actors Guild and that the Academy loves actors who direct.

-Atonement came into awards season as the movie to beat, but it mostly came away nods in the smaller categories as well as Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay and Supporting Actress (Saorise Ronan). Guess the Academy decided to favor dark and violent (There Will be Blood and No Country for Old Men led all films with eight noms apiece) over epic beauty. Joe Wright, along with Penn, also sees his Best Director slot go to Michael Clayton's Tony Gilroy and Juno's Jason Reitman.

-Everyone said he deserved it, but Tommy Lee Jones' performance in the little-seen In the Valley of Elah has been largely ignored until now. The actor who turned in two amazing performances (the other in No Country for Old Men) got his props in the Best Actor category.

-Cate Blanchett pulled a double nomination, for her portrayals of Bob Dylan (in I'm Not There) and Queen Elizabeth I (Elizabeth - The Golden Age). She's since been nominated five times; four of them in the last four years; she won in 2005 for The Aviator.

-Laura Linney, who was sorely missing from previous award shortlists, turned up a Best Actress nod for The Savages, her third nomination. Linney and Blanchett's showing meant nada for expected nominees Angelina Jolie (A Mighty Heart) and Keira Knightley (Atonement).

-Surf's Up instead of Beowulf or Bee Movie for Best Animated Film? Penguins still rule!

--Ellen

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2008-04-25T05:52:00.000-07:00

Action Movies: Oscar Forecast: Biggest Snubs of All TimeSo there will be an Oscar telecast. If Producers Guild, Director's Guild and Writers Guild awards are any indication, No Country for Old Men is poised to take it all. So there's nothing new to report there.

Instead, Entertainment Weekly is taking a look back at the 100 Worst Oscar Snubs Ever. (That's people who weren't nominated, but should have been) They've unveiled their 100-51 so far. See how many of these past performances you remember, decide if you agree, and stay tuned for their top 50. -- Ellen

<--100. MOLLY RINGWALD, Sixteen Candles (1984)

99. LAUREN BACALL, To Have and Have Not (1944)

98. CHRISTOPHER WALKEN, Pennies From Heaven (1981)

97. HARRY BELAFONTE, Kansas City (1996)

96. SEAN CONNERY , From Russia With Love (1963)

95. NICK NOLTE, North Dallas Forty (1979)

94. CATHERINE O'HARA, For Your Consideration (2006)

93. STEVE MARTIN, All of Me (1984)

92. RALPH FIENNES, Quiz Show (1994)

91. LAURENCE FISHBURNE, Boyz N the Hood (1991)

90. GILLIAN ANDERSON, The House of Mirth (2000) -->

89. MICHAEL CAINE, The Man Who Would Be King (1975)

88. MIEKO HARADA, Ran (1985)

87. ANGELA BASSETT, Waiting to Exhale (1995)

86. MATT DAMON, The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

85. LIV ULLMANN, Scenes From a Marriage (1974)

84. LIONEL BARRYMORE, It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

83. ERIC ROBERTS, Star 80 (1983)

82. JOHN MALKOVICH, Being John Malkovich (1999)

81. FAYE DUNAWAY, Mommie Dearest (1981)

<-- 80. CHRISTINA RICCI, The Opposite of Sex (1998)

79. MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL, Sherrybaby (2006)

78. KATE WINSLET, Heavenly Creatures (1994)

77. JOANNE WOODWARD, The Glass Menagerie (1987)

76. JOSEPH COTTEN, Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

75. BILL MURRAY, Groundhog Day (1993)

74. MAUREEN O'HARA, The Quiet Man (1952)

73. ALFRE WOODARD, Crooklyn (1994)

72. NAOMI WATTS, Mulholland Drive (2001)

71. ROBERT WALKER, Strangers on a Train (1951)

70. VINCENT D'ONOFRIO, Full Metal Jacket (1987) -->

69. FALCONETTI, The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

68. RICHARD PRYOR, Blue Collar (1978)

67. BUSTER KEATON, The General (1927)

66. TONY CURTIS, Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

65. ALAN RICKMAN, Die Hard (1988)

64. JEAN-PIERRE LEAUD, The 400 Blows (1959)

63. ALEC GUINNESS, Kind Hearts and Coronets (1950)

62. JOHNNY DEPP, Ed Wood (1994)

61. EWAN McGREGOR, Moulin Rouge (2001)

<--60. SISSY SPACEK, Badlands (1973)

59. ROBERT MITCHUM, The Night of the Hunter (1955)

58. CHER, Mask (1985)

57. ERROL FLYNN, Gentleman Jim (1942)

56. MARLENE DIETRICH, Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

55. PETER SELLERS, The Pink Panther (1964)

54. BORIS KARLOFF, Frankenstein (1931)

53. GENE WILDER, Young Frankenstein (1974)

52. DYLAN BAKER, Happiness (1998)

51. ED HARRIS, The Right Stuff (1983)

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2008-04-23T05:50:00.000-07:00

Action Movies: Green Lantern and the Justice League in "The New Frontier" Justice League: The New Frontier is the second animated movie from the new DC Universe (following Superman: Doomsday), based on Darwyn Cooke's popular graphic novel that resets the Justice League during the cold war. (If you're interested in reading it, by the way, Cooke's retro style looks great in the Absolute Edition.) Here's a clip about one of the characters, Green Lantern, that also shows some bits from the movie. --David

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2008-04-21T23:41:00.000-07:00

HD Movies: High-Def Movie Players and Firmware

Having trouble with your high-def disc player? Will certain movies
just not play? Before you return the player to the store, you might
want to check its firmware. That’s the term for the software and
programming inside of your movie player, and all high-def disc players
(both Blu-ray and HD DVD) can receive updates to this firmware. Though
some past updates have added new software features, the usual reason
for a firmware update is to fix a technical problem.

Rest
assured, if your player works fine, you can safely choose not to update
its firmware--unless specified by the manufacturer, such updates do not
usually add bells and whistles to your player. However, once problems
start popping up (significant delays in playing titles, some not
playing at all), a firmware update will often do the trick. The process
is meant to be simple and do-it-yourself, and it will not void your
warranty, but be sure to follow every single instruction to the letter
to avoid harming your player; you may want to allow up to 30 minutes of
time to complete the update.

There are several ways to get updated firmware depending on your player manufacturer and model number.

Request a CD-ROM With New Firmware From the Manufacturer

Some
manufacturers supply a postcard with their players, allowing you to
sign up to receive new firmware update discs by mail. Others provide
them when you call their customer service centers to request one. The
upside about getting firmware updates this way is that it requires the
least amount of technical work on your part; simply put the
manufacturer’s disc in your player, and it should automate the process.
The downside is the delay in waiting for the disc in the mail.

Download a Firmware Update and Burn to Disc

Most
manufacturers do a good job of putting firmware updates on their web
site in a timely manner. In order to load this firmware into your
player, you will need to download it and burn it to a disc. Make sure
you follow the burning and installation instructions exactly, as there
are very specific steps that have to be done. The upside of getting
firmware this way is you don’t have to wait for a disc to arrive in the
mail; the downside is you need to make the disc yourself, which can
prove difficult if you do not have experience with burning discs on
your computer.

Download a Firmware Update Directly to Your Ethernet Equipped Player

If
your high-def disc player has an Ethernet port, connecting it directly
to the Internet is the most streamlined way to check for and install
updates--though this requires that you connect an Ethernet cable from
your Internet connection to your high-def movie player, which may prove
difficult depending on your setup. Since every player is different,
refer to your owners’ manual for instructions on how to connect your
player to the internet and how to update the firmware. With some
players, you may have to power cycle the player after changing network
settings before you can download firmware.

For your convenience, we have compiled an extensive list of links to manufacturers' sites with firmware information for most every Blu-ray and HD DVD player on the market. Click here for the list. --Adam

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2008-04-19T21:48:00.000-07:00

HD Movies: Will the Long Tail Bring A Big Fix?There are a number of film titles that I store in the My Movies section of IMDB that have inexplicably not been published on DVD, and I use the list to periodically check to see if they've finally surfaced. And it looks like I've got an inkling of hope of marking some titles off of my list, thanks to movie studios looking to the long tail to counter falling DVD sales. This week, Sony (which owns such studios as Columbia, Tri-Star, and Screen Gems) announced that it would license older DVD titles not currently released for production and distribution through HP's manufactured-on-demand service. As Studio Briefing notes:

The deal will allow consumers to order movies that ordinarily would not be stocked by dealers because they are too obscure or too old. HP indicated that it expects to sign similar deals with other studios. "We're hoping this provides another option to make available products that wouldn't necessarily garner widespread retail shelf space," Jason Spivak, head of strategic development at Sony Home Entertainment, told the Times. Added Doug Warner, head of HP's digital content business, "If studios can sell more catalog than previously, they can generate more money."

Sadly, this won't help me with the lost movie that's at the top of my list--The Big Fix, which starred Richard Dreyfuss as a 1970s gumshoe--as Universal Studios owns that property (and it's been frustratingly available only on VHS for years... c'mon, it's Richard Dreyfuss!). But if this venture is successful, hopefully we'll see other studios move to production-on-demand.

In other optical disc news, it seems that Warner Bros. announcement that it was moving exclusively to the Blu-ray high-definition disc format is pretty much killing off the HD DVD format. Noting sales for the week after the announcement just before CES, Electronista writes that Home Media Magazine found that "83 percent of movie sales were for Blu-ray versions of movies, leaving the remaining 17 percent to HD DVD."

~Agen G.N. Schmitz

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2008-04-17T02:48:00.000-07:00

Action Movies: Quick! Who's This Actor?

Before you go Googling, take a guess. (Hint: It's an Oscar-winning actor, so, no, not Eddie Murphy.) He's starring in a remake of the horror classic The Wolf Man, makeup courtesy of reigning prosthetics king Rick Baker. Click here to find out who it is, see more pictures, and read an interview with Baker on the upcoming film. -- Ellen

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2008-04-14T22:53:00.000-07:00

Movie Trailers: "Wolverine and the X-Men" animated trailerCourtesy of MovieWeb, you can sample a three-minute segment of an upcoming-sometime-in-the-future animated series called Wolverine and the X-Men. Looks good, though we'll have to wait and see whether it's different and better than previous X-Men animated series like X-Men Evolution. --David

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2008-04-13T03:45:00.000-07:00

Movie Trailers: Seen the New Indiana Jones Trailer Yet?

You should ... My favorite fanboys and girls are practically hyperventilating over it, justifiably. And though some aren't sold on Shia LaBeouf, but I've been a fan of his since Holes. The only bummer about this preview? A blink-and-miss-it Marion!!! We've been waiting a long time to enjoy having Karen Allen back in the franchise, and I guess we'll have to wait a little longer. Find high-res versions of the Indy preview here. -- Stephanie Reid-Simons, Unbox TV Freak (and Indy fan)

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2008-04-11T21:10:00.000-07:00

Action Movies: Interview with Jason Statham (Amazon Wire #62)This week on Amazon Wire we're talking to Hollywood actor and action hero Jason Statham about his new movie Revolver.

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2008-04-09T05:42:00.000-07:00

HD Movies: HDMI: The Full Story (Part 3)

Last time I covered when and why to use HDMI and some issues
to be aware of. This final installment
will explain the different versions of HDMI, then cover some purchasing
considerations.

HDMI Versions

Much like USB connections on your computer, multiple
versions of HDMI have been rolled out over the years. And just like USB, they’re
all compatible with each other, reducing to the lowest version sensed on either
side, so for essential functionality, you shouldn’t run into trouble if
anything in your home theater system doesn’t “match up.”

Newer HDMI versions add additional, optional features, and
manufacturers actually are not required to incorporate any features in HDMI 1.1
or higher, even if they are ranked as newer. Just because your new source
device says it has HDMI 1.3 doesn’t mean that it supports any of the features
listed below for 1.3, so make sure its box confirms support for a specific
feature that you may be interested in. Also, some features (like lip sync)
require that multiple devices in the HDMI chain have the same chipset and
feature support to use them.

Here is a list of the different HDMI versions and the
optional features they can support:

HDMI 1.0 (December 2002) Initial standard supports 1080p
video and multichannel audio (up to 8 channels of 192kHz, 24-bit)

HDMI 1.1 (May 2004) Added support for DVD-Audio

HDMI 1.2 (August 2005) Added additional support for PC
applications and SACD

HDMI 1.2a (December 2005) Added support for Consumer
Electronic Control (CEC) which allows components to communicate; when you power
on your high-def disc player, the connected receiver and display power on and
change to the correct input.

HDMI 1.3 (June 2006) Added support for additional bandwidth
to support future applications including Deep Color, Broader color space
(x.v.Color), Lip Sync, and HD lossless audio bit stream support.

Purchasing Considerations

While each installation or system is different, there are
some basics to consider before you purchase HDMI components. Look for products that support the HDMI
options you need, and don’t worry about the ones that don’t. When it comes to purchasing cables, I
recommend buying ones that are HDMI-certified.
Any cable bearing the HDMI logo is supposed to have been tested and
certified. There are two certification
levels for cables: Standard and High Speed.
Cables tested and certified as Standard must perform at speeds of 75Mhz
(the equivalent of 1080i video). Cables
tested and certified as High Speed must perform at 340Mhz which is the highest
supported HDMI speed. High Speed cables
are designed for 1080p and beyond.
Before you go hunting for High Speed certified cables, be aware that
almost all Standard certified cables will work fine with 1080p signals when you
keep your cables under 10 feet, and some will go further, so feel free to use
standard cables to connect your gear. If
you are installing an HDMI cable in the wall that is longer than 10 feet, I
recommend that you get one certified for High Speed. Since HDMI is digital, it either works or it
doesn’t. If you see “sparkles”, blinking
lines or no picture, try using another cable.

Most importantly, do not equate cable certification with
cost. Despite what some manufacturers
and retailers claim, you do not need to spend a lot of money on HDMI
cables. Some premium cable manufacturers
use their own speed ratings and marketing terms to justify premium pricing, but
there is no need to spend more money for an expensive, name-brand HDMI cable
when any HDMI-certified cable will do. --Adam

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2008-04-08T00:42:00.000-07:00

Action Movies: "Star Wars: Clone Wars" hits theaters in August I was a fan of the Clone Wars animated series that aired on Cartoon Network and was released on DVD a few years ago. Today came the announcement that a new Clone Wars feature film will play in theaters beginning on August 15, 2008 and be followed by a TV series on Cartoon Network and TNT. George Lucas said, "I felt there were a lot more Star Wars stories left to tell. I was eager to start telling some of them through animation and, at the same time, push the art of animation forward." Go to starwars.com to watch an introduction to the series. --David

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