12
For a full explanation, please see the start of the countdown.
Monday, 4 August 2008
Articles
The buzz of internet film teasers by Alex Stanger
(from BBC News)
Interesting article about the importance of trailers to movies these days, though let down by being based on a poorly researched falsehood (the footage screened of Terminator Salvation at Comic-Con 2008 was all/mostly all new, not just the teaser trailer).
(from BBC News)
Interesting article about the importance of trailers to movies these days, though let down by being based on a poorly researched falsehood (the footage screened of Terminator Salvation at Comic-Con 2008 was all/mostly all new, not just the teaser trailer).
Philadelphia
A visit to this historic American city, including:
The Big Bus Company
Bus tour of various sites in the city, from Independence Hall (where the Declaration of Independence was signed) to the steps Rocky ran up. Very informative, therefore worthwhile.
Liberty Bell Center
A brief museum housing the Liberty Bell, one of America's symbolic artefacts (or, I suppose, "artifacts").
The Big Bus Company
Bus tour of various sites in the city, from Independence Hall (where the Declaration of Independence was signed) to the steps Rocky ran up. Very informative, therefore worthwhile.
Liberty Bell Center
A brief museum housing the Liberty Bell, one of America's symbolic artefacts (or, I suppose, "artifacts").
Sunday, 3 August 2008
TV
The Armstrong & Miller Show
A selection of random sketches thanks to YouTube, including their brilliant WWII RAF and Flanders & Swan spoof ones. Also, an absolutely exceptional one from an older series that you can see here.
At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper
Review of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
Respected reviewers Roger Ebert and original collaborator Gene Siskel review the first animated Batman film spun off from the ever-popular animated series in this piece (available for free online) from around 1995, naming it second only to Burton's Batman in the screen Bat-canon (of course, this was a decade before Batman Begins).
A selection of random sketches thanks to YouTube, including their brilliant WWII RAF and Flanders & Swan spoof ones. Also, an absolutely exceptional one from an older series that you can see here.
At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper
Review of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
Respected reviewers Roger Ebert and original collaborator Gene Siskel review the first animated Batman film spun off from the ever-popular animated series in this piece (available for free online) from around 1995, naming it second only to Burton's Batman in the screen Bat-canon (of course, this was a decade before Batman Begins).
Theatre
Walking With Dinosaurs: The Live Experience
(at Madison Square Garden)
Like the TV show on which it was based, this is theoretically an educational look back at the time of the dinosaurs. In reality, the real attraction is the spectacle of seeing life-size dinosaurs moving about in the real world. Spectacular it is, enjoyable with either a childish sense of wonder that there are dinosaurs right there or a more adult appreciation of the technical skill implemented to achieve this. The scale of the show means it won't be going everywhere, but if you're into dinosaurs -- or have a child who is -- it's unmissable given the chance. (Check out the show's official site for clips.)
(at Madison Square Garden)
Like the TV show on which it was based, this is theoretically an educational look back at the time of the dinosaurs. In reality, the real attraction is the spectacle of seeing life-size dinosaurs moving about in the real world. Spectacular it is, enjoyable with either a childish sense of wonder that there are dinosaurs right there or a more adult appreciation of the technical skill implemented to achieve this. The scale of the show means it won't be going everywhere, but if you're into dinosaurs -- or have a child who is -- it's unmissable given the chance. (Check out the show's official site for clips.)
Apple TV
My parents just got an Apple TV for their New York apartment, and within a couple of hours I can say it's a lot of fun. Movie trailers from Apple in HD or videos from YouTube load up blindingly quickly -- especially those HD trailers, whose speed beggars belief -- and, while it's slightly awkward to search using the onscreen letter selection, anything that's on YouTube can be found. It's all such fun.
Apple TV also plays music, synced wirelessly with iTunes on your home PC or Mac. It's also fun to browse your music collection on your TV, flipping through the album covers (if you've bothered to acquire them of course) and playing the music out through whatever speaker system you have there -- great if you've got a surround sound setup! This syncing also allows you to get at any videos that are on your iTunes, so whether you've legally bought it or illegally downloaded it, if it's playable in your iTunes you can now play it on your TV.
It also allows you to purchase movies and TV shows from the iTunes store directly from your TV, either as rentals in SD or sometimes HD (for films), or to keep (for either). That's definitely something we'll try out sometime soon. Apparently the quality of HD movies isn't as good as Blu-ray -- it streams them, rather than spending forever downloading a Blu-ray-sized video file -- but should still be impressive. Some of the TV shows are also very reasonable priced, making them seem like fair rentals (with the full-priced ones I often wonder why not buy the harddrive-crash-proof DVD or Blu-ray instead?) You can also buy music and music videos from your Apple TV.
In all, the Apple TV is a lot of fun if you download (or would download) a lot of TV and movies and would like to properly watch them on your TV, or have a good sound setup and would love to hear all your music through it. There are other solutions, of course, but this one integrates seamlessly and works perfectly. But then, it is made by Apple, so what did you expect?
Apple TV also plays music, synced wirelessly with iTunes on your home PC or Mac. It's also fun to browse your music collection on your TV, flipping through the album covers (if you've bothered to acquire them of course) and playing the music out through whatever speaker system you have there -- great if you've got a surround sound setup! This syncing also allows you to get at any videos that are on your iTunes, so whether you've legally bought it or illegally downloaded it, if it's playable in your iTunes you can now play it on your TV.
It also allows you to purchase movies and TV shows from the iTunes store directly from your TV, either as rentals in SD or sometimes HD (for films), or to keep (for either). That's definitely something we'll try out sometime soon. Apparently the quality of HD movies isn't as good as Blu-ray -- it streams them, rather than spending forever downloading a Blu-ray-sized video file -- but should still be impressive. Some of the TV shows are also very reasonable priced, making them seem like fair rentals (with the full-priced ones I often wonder why not buy the harddrive-crash-proof DVD or Blu-ray instead?) You can also buy music and music videos from your Apple TV.
In all, the Apple TV is a lot of fun if you download (or would download) a lot of TV and movies and would like to properly watch them on your TV, or have a good sound setup and would love to hear all your music through it. There are other solutions, of course, but this one integrates seamlessly and works perfectly. But then, it is made by Apple, so what did you expect?
Saturday, 2 August 2008
Articles
Che Remains In Storage
(from Studio Briefing)
"after garnering a raft of enthusiastic notices and a best-actor award for its star, Benicio Del Toro, Steven Soderbergh's $65-million Che [actually called Guerilla, according to IMDb] has still been unable to find a distributor [...] Even in the best of times for independent film makers, the film would have faced an uphill battle: it is more than four hours long; the actors speak Spanish" -- good luck!
Eventually, we will all hate Obama too by David Aaronovitch
(from Times Online)
Interesting article about how anti-American non-anti-Americans are, and how Obama can't win -- or, at least, can't keep -- the affection of the rest of the world.
If the US election were a novel, the climax came in chapter three - now it has literally lost the plot by Lionel Shriver
(from guardian.co.uk)
Another interesting article about the US Presidential election, in which author Shriver looks at the race as if it were a constructed work of fiction. (She then moves on to a bit about SUVs which is also amusing.)
Prince Of Persia Pushed Back To 2010 by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
It's pretty ridiculous how far in advance movie releases get planned these days, isn't it? Can you believe in the past they used to just make things and release them when they were done -- I bet that seems ridiculous to modern-day Hollywood money men.
Reviews by Roger Ebert of:
(from rogerebert.com)
The Mummy Returns
"I was not, however, pleased by The Mummy Returns (2001), although it inspired one of my funnier reviews."
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
"Moviegoers who knowingly buy a ticket for The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor are going to get exactly what they expect: There is a mummy, a tomb, a dragon and an emperor. And the movie about them is all that it could be."
Swing Vote
"The movie is determined to be bipartisan. It doesn't take sides. Both candidates would sell their mothers to win the election. That's the message, really: Our political system doesn't encourage politicians to tell the truth, but to say what they think voters want to hear. And the press assists them in that process."
The X-Files: I Want to Believe
A rare positive review for the X-Files sequel.
Wire-walk film omits 9/11 tragedy by Neil Smith
(from BBC News)
News piece / article / interview about the new documentary Man on Wire and why it includes no mention of the Twin Towers' destruction.
(from Studio Briefing)
"after garnering a raft of enthusiastic notices and a best-actor award for its star, Benicio Del Toro, Steven Soderbergh's $65-million Che [actually called Guerilla, according to IMDb] has still been unable to find a distributor [...] Even in the best of times for independent film makers, the film would have faced an uphill battle: it is more than four hours long; the actors speak Spanish" -- good luck!
Eventually, we will all hate Obama too by David Aaronovitch
(from Times Online)
Interesting article about how anti-American non-anti-Americans are, and how Obama can't win -- or, at least, can't keep -- the affection of the rest of the world.
If the US election were a novel, the climax came in chapter three - now it has literally lost the plot by Lionel Shriver
(from guardian.co.uk)
Another interesting article about the US Presidential election, in which author Shriver looks at the race as if it were a constructed work of fiction. (She then moves on to a bit about SUVs which is also amusing.)
Prince Of Persia Pushed Back To 2010 by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
It's pretty ridiculous how far in advance movie releases get planned these days, isn't it? Can you believe in the past they used to just make things and release them when they were done -- I bet that seems ridiculous to modern-day Hollywood money men.
Reviews by Roger Ebert of:
(from rogerebert.com)
The Mummy Returns
"I was not, however, pleased by The Mummy Returns (2001), although it inspired one of my funnier reviews."
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
"Moviegoers who knowingly buy a ticket for The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor are going to get exactly what they expect: There is a mummy, a tomb, a dragon and an emperor. And the movie about them is all that it could be."
Swing Vote
"The movie is determined to be bipartisan. It doesn't take sides. Both candidates would sell their mothers to win the election. That's the message, really: Our political system doesn't encourage politicians to tell the truth, but to say what they think voters want to hear. And the press assists them in that process."
The X-Files: I Want to Believe
A rare positive review for the X-Files sequel.
Wire-walk film omits 9/11 tragedy by Neil Smith
(from BBC News)
News piece / article / interview about the new documentary Man on Wire and why it includes no mention of the Twin Towers' destruction.
Friday, 1 August 2008
Films
The Spirit Theatrical Trailer
Very Sin City-esque -- perhaps too much so -- and also pretty bizarre. It'll either by impossibly cool or woefully poor, and I doubt we'll know til we see it.
Very Sin City-esque -- perhaps too much so -- and also pretty bizarre. It'll either by impossibly cool or woefully poor, and I doubt we'll know til we see it.
Articles
Matthew Goode Exclusive Interview – Watchmen by Frosty
(from Collider.com)
Fantastic interview with Matthew Goode, who can currently be seen as the lead in Brideshead Revisited, focussing on the forthcoming adaptation of Watchmen, in which he plays the key role of Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias. The interview contains a couple of casually-mentioned major plot spoilers, however, so if you haven't read the book and want to remain surprised you might want to skip this one.
Watchmen goes Hi-Res – All the Comic-Con Posters Are Here by Cal Kemp
(from Collider.com)
And, to go with that, a simply stunning set of character-based teaser posters. These are newbie-friendly, of course.
(from Collider.com)
Fantastic interview with Matthew Goode, who can currently be seen as the lead in Brideshead Revisited, focussing on the forthcoming adaptation of Watchmen, in which he plays the key role of Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias. The interview contains a couple of casually-mentioned major plot spoilers, however, so if you haven't read the book and want to remain surprised you might want to skip this one.
Watchmen goes Hi-Res – All the Comic-Con Posters Are Here by Cal Kemp
(from Collider.com)
And, to go with that, a simply stunning set of character-based teaser posters. These are newbie-friendly, of course.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard for ordinary folk
Potter fairytales to be published
(from BBC News)
"A collection of fairytales penned by Harry Potter author JK Rowling is to be published to raise money for a children's charity. The Tales of Beedle the Bard, which Rowling first mentioned in The Deathly Hallows, will go on sale on 4 December. A handwritten copy of the book was sold at auction for £1.95m last year [to Amazon.com]. Rowling wrote and illustrated seven copies of the book, but offered only one for sale. It was thought the book would never be published."
The book will be available in two editions: a normal paperback, RRP £6.99 or $12.99 (the UK edition and US edition have differing covers (the UK one is far, far better) but presumably identical content), or a £50/$100 Collector's Edition, available exclusively through Amazon and limited to "no more than" 100,000 copies. It looks rather pretty too.
Order now before it sells out, I say. Net profits from both editions go to the Children's High Level Group charity.
(from BBC News)
"A collection of fairytales penned by Harry Potter author JK Rowling is to be published to raise money for a children's charity. The Tales of Beedle the Bard, which Rowling first mentioned in The Deathly Hallows, will go on sale on 4 December. A handwritten copy of the book was sold at auction for £1.95m last year [to Amazon.com]. Rowling wrote and illustrated seven copies of the book, but offered only one for sale. It was thought the book would never be published."
The book will be available in two editions: a normal paperback, RRP £6.99 or $12.99 (the UK edition and US edition have differing covers (the UK one is far, far better) but presumably identical content), or a £50/$100 Collector's Edition, available exclusively through Amazon and limited to "no more than" 100,000 copies. It looks rather pretty too.
Order now before it sells out, I say. Net profits from both editions go to the Children's High Level Group charity.
Thursday, 31 July 2008
The evils of British Gas
Anger over £1bn Centrica profits
(from BBC News)
"British Gas owner Centrica revealed £5m-per-day profits, after announcing a record price hike [...] On Wednesday, British Gas raised gas bills by 35% with immediate effect, to restore "reasonable profitability". Centrica said the rise was justified and was needed to offset higher costs."
It seems amazing that such a high-profile company would do something apparently so stupid, but I still bet most people who use British Gas won't bother to change supplier, and shareholders won't go selling their shares in a moral outrage. So, in fact, while we can all be shocked and angered at such blatant abuse of consumers, no one's going to do anything about it.
(from BBC News)
"British Gas owner Centrica revealed £5m-per-day profits, after announcing a record price hike [...] On Wednesday, British Gas raised gas bills by 35% with immediate effect, to restore "reasonable profitability". Centrica said the rise was justified and was needed to offset higher costs."
It seems amazing that such a high-profile company would do something apparently so stupid, but I still bet most people who use British Gas won't bother to change supplier, and shareholders won't go selling their shares in a moral outrage. So, in fact, while we can all be shocked and angered at such blatant abuse of consumers, no one's going to do anything about it.
Films
Brideshead Revisited (2008)
[#49 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Teaser Trailer
It's certainly pretty-looking, and Potter himself is barely in the trailer! If the film retains that sort of balance -- focussing on the vital backstory of Tom Riddle / Dumbledore and cutting down the 'present day' plot -- it will be very interesting indeed. However it's treated, let's hope David Yates' excellent direction of the previous Potter outing can be paired with a better script (the last's was a bit like a two-hour montage) and produce a superior movie.
[#49 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Teaser Trailer
It's certainly pretty-looking, and Potter himself is barely in the trailer! If the film retains that sort of balance -- focussing on the vital backstory of Tom Riddle / Dumbledore and cutting down the 'present day' plot -- it will be very interesting indeed. However it's treated, let's hope David Yates' excellent direction of the previous Potter outing can be paired with a better script (the last's was a bit like a two-hour montage) and produce a superior movie.
Articles
Release Date, Extras, Specs & More for Firefly: The Complete Series on Blu-ray Disc! by David Lambert
(from TVShowsonDVD.com)
As nice as a new edition of Possibly The Greatest TV Show Ever is, I hope they don't bother releasing this on DVD. I'd feel compelled to buy it, but all that's new are two commentary tracks (which I rarely/never listen to) and a Cast Reunion featurette. They'll have to do more than that! Though I will of course get it on BD, if I ever make the upgrade.
Scoop on the DVD Release of 24: Exile - Special Creator's Cut by David Lambert
(from TVShowsonDVD.com)
Includes a plot summary for the forthcoming (in November) 24 TV movie (something I hadn't seen before), as well as info on a speedy and thorough DVD release. I hope R2 gets similar treatment.
(from TVShowsonDVD.com)
As nice as a new edition of Possibly The Greatest TV Show Ever is, I hope they don't bother releasing this on DVD. I'd feel compelled to buy it, but all that's new are two commentary tracks (which I rarely/never listen to) and a Cast Reunion featurette. They'll have to do more than that! Though I will of course get it on BD, if I ever make the upgrade.
Scoop on the DVD Release of 24: Exile - Special Creator's Cut by David Lambert
(from TVShowsonDVD.com)
Includes a plot summary for the forthcoming (in November) 24 TV movie (something I hadn't seen before), as well as info on a speedy and thorough DVD release. I hope R2 gets similar treatment.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)