Like its six predecessors, Star Wars: Episode VII will be filmed in the United Kingdom, Lucasfilm announced today.
“We’ve devoted serious time and attention to revisiting the origins of Star Wars as inspiration for our process on the new movie, and I’m thrilled that returning to the UK for production and utilizing the incredible talent there can be a part of that,” company president Kathleen Kennedy said in a statement posted on the official Star Wars website Friday.
“Speaking from my own longstanding connection to the UK with films like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Empire of the Sun and recently War Horse, it’s very exciting to be heading back.” Portions of the previous Star Wars films were shot at British studios such as Shepperton and Pinewood.
Production should be starting soon on Episode VII as the J.J. Abrams-directed and Michael Arndt-scripted movie is expected out in 2015. In fact, Kennedy and the rest of the Jedi gang might be back in Britain for a while. Disney bought Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion in October and immediately announced that three new Stars Wars films would be coming in the next several years.
The return to the UK also likely includes some sweet tax benefits for the hugely successful franchise. The online announcement noted that “earlier this year, representatives from Lucasfilm met with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, in London to establish an agreement to produce Star Wars in the UK” and had a gushing comment from the government minister accompanying it.
If the $1 trillion student loan debt crisis in America doesn't have you freaked out yet, we're willing to bet this new film will do the trick.
"The Red" is a mini horror film directed by the same team behind thrillers like “Martha Marcy May Marlene” and “Simon Killer."
But the bad guy isn't a ghost or the spooky neighbor next door. It's the $25,000 student debt bill that haunts most of today's college graduates.
The end goal isn't just to frighten viewers, but to encourage them to be proactive in paying down their debt early. It's a message that works just as well for anyone in debt but the casting of 20-something characters will really hit home for young people.
“It isn't easy to get young people who feel panicked about their debts to do something about it,” said Sue Burton of the nonprofit American Student Assistance, which financed the film. “To connect meaningfully with them, we produced something very entertaining that acknowledges how frightening it can be, yet portrays their own power and offers a path out of the nightmare.”
The best part about the film is that it perfectly captures not only the financial impact of debt, but the emotional and psychological repercussions as well. Debt is crippling in every facet of life, and the effects only worsen with time unless, as the film depicts, you face it.
Over the past two years, the Cannes Film Festival brought the debuts of such films as “Moonrise Kingdom,” “The Tree of Life,” “Rust and Bone,” “Melancholia,” “On the Road” and the Oscar winners “Amour,” “Midnight in Paris” and “The Artist,” in addition to a number of acclaimed arthouse movies.
What will join the Cannes honor roll this year? We’ve singled out 15 movies from the Cannes lineup – 10 that could be in competition for the Palme d’Or, and five more outside the main competition section of the festival.
'Behind the Candelabra': Liberace's story made for HBO.
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Steven Soderbergh won the Palme d’Or with his first film, “sex, lies and videotape” in 1989, and he’s back in the running for his final film, a Liberace story he made for HBO when he couldn’t get a studio to back it.
'The Immigrant': A historical drama set in 1920s New York City.
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James Gray has competed at Cannes with “The Yards,” “We Own the Night” and “Two Lovers,” and is back with his historical drama set in New York in the 1920s, with a powerhouse cast that includes Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Renner and Joaquin Phoenix.
'Inside Llewyn Davis': Set in Greenwich Village's 1960s folk scene.
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Joel and Ethan Coen won the Palme d’Or with “Barton Fink” 22 years ago, while “Fargo” and “The Man Who Wasn’t There” also picked up best-director awards at Cannes. They could mine a (typically twisted?) vein of nostalgia with this look at the 1960s Greenwich Village folk scene, with a lead character loosely based on Dave Van Ronk.
While most of the products featured in the film are organic to the scenes containing them – the Brookes Brothers menswear, the Prada womenswear, Tiffany's jewelry, and The Plaza Hotel to name a few – many of the shots showcasing Moët & Chandon champagne did not seem particularly natural. For some reason the film's producers felt no shame about introducing unrealistically humongous bottles of the high-end bubbly, their labels pointing directly to camera. (See the screengrab below as a case in point.)
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To be fair, Moët isn't the only brand guilty of the artless product placement. Take a look at some other companies who have perpetrated the same crime.
The first film to unabashedly to peddle products was the 1927 silent movie, "Wings." A Hershey's chocolate bar was not-so-subtly introduced into the narrative.
The appearance of FedEx branding in the 2000 drama "Castaway" starring Tom Hanks is technically not a product placement since the courier company didn't not pay for the screen time. After the film's release FedEx saw a significant increase in brand awareness in Asia and Europe where brand recognition was low.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.The Wolfpack returns to theaters Friday in "The Hangover III."
They'll have a lot to live up to after the last film was highly criticized as a carbon copy of the first.
If you're not up to speed with the films, the franchise follows the hijinks of "The Wolfpack" made up of Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and Doug (Justin Bartha).
The first film follows the crew as they head to Vegas to celebrate Doug's bachelor party while the second takes the Wolfpack to Bangkok before Stu's wedding.
Though the latest film will be a departure from the last two, it's receiving a beating in reviews.
Added with tough competition from Paramount's "Fast & Furious 6" this weekend on top of a jam-packed May box-office schedule, it won't be easy for the third film in the franchise to stand out and pull in large numbers opening weekend.
This time the Wolfpack will reunite complete with giraffe, a trip to Tijuana, and cockfighting.
However, their third adventure may not best some of the hijinks from the first two films. To get prepared, we've ranked the most outrageous stunts the crew has pulled off over the years.
15. Get a face tattoo to match Mike Tyson's.
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Stu got a matching tattoo to Tyson's. ("The Hangover 2")
14. Elope with a stripper named Jade.
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Stu married Jade (Heather Graham) the night before his wedding. ("The Hangover")
13. Pull out a tooth.
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Stu wakes up to find he pulled out his tooth the night before. ("The Hangover")
A French thriller with graphic sex scenes won this year's independently-sponsored Queer Palm award for gay-themed cinema on Saturday at the Cannes Film Festival.
French director Alain Guiraudie's film "Stranger at the Lake" tells the story of a man who finds himself attracted to a local killer, set against the backdrop of a serene lakeside beauty spot.
Some scenes were described by one critic as "hardcore".
But Guiraudie said he had not set out to be deliberately provocative.
The film had its premiere at Cannes last Saturday in the new-talent section Un Certain Regard.
Cinema drew artificial distinctions between romantic love and graphic sex, categorising the latter as pornography no matter what the context, Guiraudie said.
"I wanted to mix the two. I wasn't looking to have beautiful love scenes interrupted by pornographic vignettes," he said.
"I wanted to mix all that, so that it all goes together, that the sex be beautiful," he added.
The film was one of two at the Riviera film festival to stir controversy with graphic depictions of gay sex.
"Blue is the Warmest Colour", a lesbian love story, also generated buzz with scenes described as "the most explosively graphic lesbian sex in recent memory".
The festival's top Palme d'Or prize for best film will be awarded at the closing ceremony on Sunday.
The Queer Palm was first awarded in 2010. It was founded by journalist and organiser Franck Finance-Madureira to recognise a film for "its contribution to lesbian, gay, bi or trans" issues.
Since its opening Thursday, the film has earned a remarkable $125 million in the U.S.
Warner Bros. has been trying to find a way to bring a Superman reboot back to the big screen for a while. There are plenty of reasons why they got it right this time.
After seeing the film a second time over the weekend with excited moviegoers in a more relaxed atmosphere and without expectations, we enjoyed director Zack Snyder's take on Superman much more.
Not only does Snyder's version have longevity for a newly-announced sequel, but a "Justice League" film as well.
Superman's home planet of Krypton gets a bigger back-story.
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Most people know the story.
Superman's home planet of Krypton is facing imminent doom and as a last-ditch effort his parents send him to Earth while they perish along with the alien planet.
The film doesn't rush by here.
Instead, director Zack Snyder and his producers spent time researching a way to extend the Kryptonian culture in the film.
They reached out to University of British Columbia linguist, Dr. Christine Schreyer to help create a new language. In addition, producers decided that Superman's people should be inspired by the the Kings of medieval times, complete with a caste system in order to make them more realistic.
If you've seen the 1978 "Superman," Snyder gives some nods.
(Source: "Man of Steel" production notes)
Krypton's no longer a crystallized ice palace.
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Snyder took creative liberty to make Superman's home planet look less like Snow Miser's ice kingdom.
Now, it looks like something out of James Cameron's "Avatar" complete with giant mythical beasts, a creepy pod center to artificially grow Kryptonian life, and a core that brings back memories of Pandora's Tree of Souls.
We're not taken through Superman's entire childhood.
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When Kent lands on Earth, we don't follow along to see what happens next.
That's okay.
Instead, we're blasted 33 years into his future, which is fine because we get to see bits and pieces of his early life in flashback sequences. It's a fresh take on the earlier Superman films before it.
I woke up this morning to find an interesting scene outside my window: a motorcade of 20+ police cars driving by Lincoln Center with their lights on, but no sirens.
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It led me to believe something was going on, so I went downstairs with my iPhone. I first noticed this flyer saying they'd be filming a "Movie" on my block, so buses wouldn't be stopping at their usual spot.
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I came across this truck that said Sony Pictures. I figured only a big-budget film would have the means to shut down a busy Broadway intersection on a Saturday morning.
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Crew members were taping blue X's over the NYPD police cars.
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They were also fixing fake license plates onto the cars:
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Hey! There's a huge group of what appears to be cast members, posing for paparazzi photos in between scenes.
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Here, the paparazzi capture the moment:
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I zoomed in on the group shot and noticed this guy in the back row, standing next to a girl wearing a Spider-man shirt. He looked a lot like Andrew Garfield, the star of the upcoming "The Amazing Spider-man 2" movie.
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Could it be his body double? He was wearing some sort of body suit that looked like it would be helpful for filming stunts.
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Here were two other interesting characters from the group shot: A homeless man with a boom box around his neck and his lady friend getting cozy.
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This fruit cart in the scene looked nicer than the carts you see on the streets of Manhattan.
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At closer glance, the sign seemed fake to me.
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I was right; it's a prop! Here is the crew packing it up.
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Whatever scene they'd been filming with the police car motorcade was over, so I followed the cast and crew to their lunch spread a few blocks away where there was a solid assortment of hot food. Actors got in line to eat first, followed by production assistants.
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I stayed just in time to see what looked like the real Andrew Garfield ride off into the distance in a black car.
Like in any other field, even the most talented movie directors don't get to just jump into the best jobs without paying their dues.
Many film directors start out on the writing side of movies. Others get their first jobs directing commercials and music videos.
We've rounded up some of the best commercials directors made before they were famous.
Before he made "Bad Boys" and "Transformers," Michael Bay made the original "Got Milk?" commercial in 1993.
Famous for "Se7en,""Fight Club," and "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo," David Fincher's early works include the most intense Coca-Cola ad you'll ever see. This was also made in 1993.
Known best for "Alien,""Blade Runner," and the famous "1984" commercial for Apple, Ridley Scott got one of his early breaks with this Hovis ad in 1973.
Before he made "Pan's Labryinth" and this summer's "Pacific Rim," Guillermo del Toro directed (and starred in!) this campy 1991 Alka-Seltzer commercial.
Edgar Wright, creator of cult-hit "Shaun of the Dead," made this Pizza Hut commercial back in 2000.
After "The Elephant Man" and "Blue Velvet," but before "Twin Peaks" and "Mulholland Drive," David Lynch made a series of commercials for Calvin Klein in 1988.
Instead of going the traditional route of getting a movie funded through big-name studios, Lee is using the Internet to help him.
Lee is hoping to raise $1.25 million over the next 30 days for a new film which Lee calls, "The Newest Hottest Spike Lee Joint." At the time of this writing, the film has already raised $4,792.
In a letter posted yesterday to Kickstarter, Lee explains his love of filmmaking and how difficult it is today for independent filmmakers to get movies financed that don't involve, "Super Heroes, Comic Books, 3D Special EFX, Blowing up the Planet Nine Times and Fly through the Air while Transforming."
Lee is taking a page from the books of the crowd-funded "Veronica Mars" film and actor-director Zach Braff's success of raising $3.1 million for his film, "Wish I Was Here".
The new movie is meant to display human beings dealing with each other on a human level, Lee says. It will also focus on human beings addicted to blood. The film should be "funny, sexy, and bloody (and it's not "Blacula").
The lowest amount support can pledge is $5, that will get you a special thanks tweet from Lee and access to behind the scenes project updates. The most expensive donation will set you back $10,000 and will get you a special dinner with Lee and the honor of sitting next to him courtside at Madison Square Garden to see the New York Knicks play. There are 11 other levels of donation.
Here's the video Lee put together for his fundraiser.
"Starship Troopers" has pretty much everything you want from a satirical science-fiction action flick.
There's the over-the-top action, with guns that hold seemingly infinite ammo.
There's the incredibly cheesy dialogue, with such gems as, "The only good bug is a dead bug!"
And then there's the awesome technology that the makers predicted we'd have in the future.
While much of it's still in the realm of fantasy — like faster-than-light space travel — the movie also predicted many things that are already part of our everyday tech.
All of the students in Starship Troopers use tablet computers (though they're still as thick as tech from the 90s)
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Based on the stylus, it looks like the Surface Pro beats the iPad in the Starship Troopers universe.
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The movie's government ads are a pretty accurate portrayal of today's visual web, using a combination of interactive links and videos.
This is a notice to all film critics that you need to step up your game when it comes to comparing movies to video games in your reviews. You're not paying attention. You're still doing it wrong, and it's getting embarrassing.
The most recent round of movie-to-video game comparison fails with the release of Neil Blomkamp's terrific "Elysium," a special-effects heavy, science fiction action-adventure film filled with high tech gun-play and big ideas. And as a result, ripe for a few of you reviewers to totally miss the point yet again.
Here, one of your rank and file says of "Elysium," "None of the characters are particularly memorable or worth caring about which means that any of the scenes meant to generate poignancy fall flat. Ultimately, 'Elysium' is yet another shallow, dumb blockbuster that could easily be turned into a video game."
Fox News' Justin Craig, while not as harsh, your comment isn't any better, "People expecting another 'District 9' or who expect a little more substance from their science fiction films will most likely be disappointed by 'Elysium,' but those who like their videogame-style sci-fi shoot-em-ups will have no problem here."
Both of you are calling out the weaknesses of "Elysium" by comparing the film to video games and intoning that games are "shallow and dumb" and those who would enjoy video games won't mind the fact that a movie might be lacking in substance.
Such remarks usually get made by somebody with little knowledge of what it's actually like to play video games.
I want to help you with that.
"Elysium" is the latest, but not the first, film to draw the comparison
Many of you have repeatedly over the years made the comparison, and those picked out here in this story are only a small sampling.
In an AP review for the 2009 film "Raid: Redemption" you — the film critic — made a similar comment when you said, "Small amounts of backstory bleed out of the action, but there's little propelling things beside the simple kinetic kick of the film's video game-like plot, the next guy coming around the corner."
Joe Neumaier of New York Daily News, you're off base when you say, "'World War Z' the film, however, feels like a video game. It’s merely fast-moving flesh-rippers with clicking jaws giving chase."
Have you ever played "The Last Of Us" or any of the episodic "The Walking Dead" games? Both are compelling experiences that do the overexposed zombie genre better than the film-adaptation of "WWZ," which wasn't nearly as good as the book it was based on. The book did not feel like a video game, but it probably would have worked better as one than a film.
Leonard Maltin, you're guilty as well. From your 2004 "Van Helsing" review: "After a b&w prologue that pays homage to classic Universal horror films, this noisy, interminable, video-game-like movie discards all semblance of story or characterization."
The fact that you compared "Van Helsing" to video games is an insult to video games, and even nine years later that statement still stings.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.What many of you don't seem to recognize, is that a video game can actually pack more substance and emotion into three hours than a movie can.
A game such as "Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons" is such a compelling, emotional experience with a deep plot that even with only three to four hours of game-play, it left more of an impact on me than any film I've seen this year. And I'm not the only one.
But you seem to think all video games feature "Call Of Duty" shoot-ups and machismo or "Killzone" aliens and "Halo" space marines and generally lack that emotional connection with the viewer/player. They don't. Even in many of those big-name games the emotional connections, plot, and overall experience goes beyond the cliché and grabs you in ways a film simply cannot.
Susan Granger, your "After Earth" review implies that when a filmmaker writes a long backstory for a movie, then it must be for the video game tie-in. Just because there's a lot of backstory written about a movie, doesn't mean it was created for a video game spinoff. Nobody wants more "After Earth," gamers included.
When a movie has bad special effects, that doesn't make it like a video game
Movie-to-game comparisons like those with "Elysium,""World War Z,""After Earth," and "Van Helsing" are nothing new, but you've also failed when you've tried to compare unrealistic special effects in film to that of a game. For example, this gem comes from David Edelstein'sNYMag's 2009 review of the dud "Transformers 2: Rise Of The Fallen" where he likens some of the effects to "video game weightlessness."
Video game weightlessness? Dave, have you played "Portal"? Tried out the physics in a "Red Faction" game? What gaming experience exactly are you basing this "weightlessness" issue on?
Richard Lawson of The Atlantic, you unfortunately throw up a brick in your review of "The Hobbit" titled "The Hobbit: Like One Bad Video Game," where you point out that what was great about the previous "Lord Of The Rings" movies is that they have an elegant, painting-like wonder and the new one just looks like a video game.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.The issue with your analysis and analogy is that there are some incredibly artistic games out there that don't actually look or feel like video games — and whether or not they are bad isn't the point. Bad games can still look great. "Braid,""Limbo," or "Killer 7" are all prime examples of great art direction in a video game.
They are but a few of many vibrant and immersive titles that exist "somewhere between imagination and the real world.""Braid" actually looks like a painting in motion.
Watching a bad movie isn't like watching somebody play a video game
Over the years, you've compared the inability to connect emotionally to a movie to watching somebody else play a video game. Efilmcritic's "Avatar" review called it impossible for the audience to have any genuine connection with the heroes "beyond the kind one might develop while watching someone else play a video game."
Circling back around to the game "Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons," my wife watched me play through all three hours. She was completely enthralled. She is by no means a "hardcore gamer." She enjoys puzzle and cooking games on her smartphone. But she developed a connection with the unfolding story of Brothers in the same way she might have with a Harry Potter film. She participated in solving the puzzles in the game and helped me — as the controller of the main characters — move the story along to its heart-wrenching ending.
So Richard Roeper, when you say a movie is "relentless and monotonous" and that watching it is "like watching somebody else play a video game!" maybe that's true for some games, but in general that's a false statement. There are many people out there who would tell you that watching somebody else play a "Halo" game is more entertaining than watching "Battle Los Angeles."
Some of you just be hating
Rex Reed, here's looking at you. Your "Battleship" review goes out of its way to make the video game connection:
"As another cookie-cutter ripoff inspired by comic books and video games (this time, Hasbro’s naval-combat pencil and paper-cum-board-turned-video game), you’re better here than with the idiotic Marvel’s The Avengers."
The movie was inspired by a board game. Not a board game turned video game, but a board game that happened to be made into a couple little video games. You're stretching, reaching, and failing to make the connection.
"Now, in a grave, last-ditch effort to join the youth brigade, they sit around playing violent video games and discussing the merits of endless installments of Iron Man, The Avengers and The Wolverine. Bring back Ray Bradbury." - Rex Reed, Pacific Rim review.
Worse still, your "Pacific Rim" review stereotypes those who might be interested in the movie with such an intensity that it makes the reader wonder if you actually have any idea of who the main demographic is that tends to read about movies online. Here's a hint, they sit around playing video games and discuss the merits of endless installments of "Iron Man,""The Avengers" and "The Wolverine."
Your review also implies you've probably never played a video game in your life. Those same fanboys and gamers you're trying to stereotype are also the same ones reading Ray Bradbury obsessively, who you want to bring back.
Even if every one of your stereotyped lonely dorks who love violent games went to see "Pacific Rim," that's not enough to account for the $97 million it has earned domestically, and certainly doesn't account for the $247 million it's raked in internationally. The world's taste in entertainment might be more varied than you realize. Maybe a lot of folks even like video games.
Rex, stop hating. It's childish and does nothing but make you look like a critic who's so set in his ways that he has to go out of his way to insult people.
Your homework assignment
For those with knowledge of video games — even a rudimentary knowledge — consistently reading the misused analogies by film critics is grating and quite honestly, insulting.
Luckily, there is a solution to save you from continuing to make yourselves look like you're out of touch.
Go into your kid's room and play some of their games. Try to get the hang of it and play something all the way through even if your thumbs don't initially cooperate.
No kids? Then get to a friends house who has a PS3 or Xbox 360 and fire up "Journey" or "Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons." Neither game will take long to finish, so even for those with shorter attention spans they're both doable. Borrow "Bioshock: Infinite,""Uncharted," or dive into the "Mass Effect" series if you're really feeling ambitious. The list goes on. A little research goes a long way.
As entertainment writers, it makes sense to have a well-rounded understanding of the different mediums does it not? You read books I'm sure. You go to live theater. You can probably even appreciate art and photography. How is it, then, you still have no clue how to reference what is a $70 billion entertainment industry?
It's time for you to understand what exactly it is about those darn games millions of people play that they love, and why, just maybe, you need to avoid weak analogies and transparent attempts at being clever for marketing cover quotes.
Skateboards, American flags, and American flag bikinis aren't standard in Mercedes-Benz commercials, but they're all over a new ad from filmmaker Casey Neistat.
Then again, the CLA-Class isn't a standard Mercedes. What sets it apart is its unusually low price tag of just $29,000, and its young target market: newly wealthy buyers looking for their first luxury car.
Neistat is known for his creative YouTube videos, including a hugely popular video he made of himself biking into obstacles blocking NYC bike lanes. In the new Mercedes ad, a car drives on the Bonneville Salt Flats and through a city, towing a skateboard-riding Neistat.
The message appears: "Sometimes you just have to say yes."
It's a lot of fun to watch, and a perfect fit for the demographic Mercedes is trying to reach.
Watch:
Then compare it to a recent ad for the E-Class, a much more expensive Benz:
Neistat also made a series of videos on the making of the commercial, you can watch Part 1 here.
"Noah", the 17-minute film that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival this week, is unlike anything you've seen before in a movie, but so much like what many of us see on our computers every day.
Created by Canadian film students Walter Woodman and Patrick Cederberg, the film begins when our high school senior protagonist types in his password, and unfolds across familiar mediums. We first saw the film on Fast Company.
We learn of a relationship, thanks to the background photo on his desktop. Through Noah's perspective, we see the way the couple communicates, either in Facebook chat or Skype, having important conversations (like ones about the future, and college):
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While our protagonist seems present in the moment, we see he's simultaneously engaged in a slew of activities, like chatting with friends (named Kanye East, a nice touch from the filmmakers), looking at cat photos, or gawking at porn.
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The film takes us through the actions following that Skype conversation; wordless actions set to the steady rhythm of chat notifications, iTunes music, and alerts. Sounds so familiar and part of our daily online routine that they were nearly impossible to discern from the realtime melodies coming from our own desktops as we watched. Actions so commonplace that their gravity is not always realized until it's too late.
In an interview with Business Insider, creators Woodman and Cederberg said they were able to make with film without spending a penny, a feat nearly unheard of in the Film Festival circuit.
We shot everything on webcams in our apartments. We also had made all the fake Facebook accounts and had been running about six fake Facebooks for just over 6 months to make it realistic.
Realistic, yes. It almost feels too real, a sign that "Noah"is truly a 17-minute cautionary tale of digital culture.
There are so many scintillating technologies in the works one imagines looking back on James Cameron’s Avatar as almost quaint. As absurd as that sounds, looking around the technology space is like looking into a future that would have seemed nearly impossibly only a decade ago. With the truly mind blowing speed with which the internet, smart phones and digital cameras have increased in functionality and ubiquity, so to has the ways in which you can shoot, and distribute. New camera technologies and new tools to watch their work on just about any screen you have are popping up all the time.
Here’s a quick look around the world at some emerging technologies:
Dynamic Target Tracking Camera
Well this is just wild. The University of Tokyo has created a camera that can capture high-speed flying objects and center them on the screen at all times. Imagine what a director like, say, Danny Boyle or Kathryn Bigelow (arguably the greatest action director working) could do with a camera like this? As Hiromasa Oku, assistant professor at the University of Tokyo explains, typically to change the direction a camera faces you have to manually or mechanically move the camera itself, but with this prototype, it’s not the camera that moves but the mirrors. In the demonstration above, the camera is able to track, and center, the tennis ball despite it moving extremely fast. The mirrors that allow the camera to track the tennis ball can move at high speeds on the order of milliseconds.
This proof-of-concept system from Microsoft Research will blur the lines between what’s happening on your TV screen and the rest of your living room, immersing you in a gaming experience like no other. Using a Kinect for Windows camera and a projector, the IllumiRoom will combine the virtual and physical world by changing the appearance of your room, inducing apparent motion, extending the field of view, or enabling new gaming experiences. If you’ve ever played a video game and wished your entire room was the gaming environment, well, you’re in luck.
This joint venture between DreamWorks Animation and Technicolor has deals with major studios to allow them to stream films on the same day and date that they become available on Blu-ray and DVD. Now M-Go is going to be available on 2012 and 2013 LG Smart TVs, which will allow people to stream new video releases right on their TVs, in addition to its app, which works on Samsung and Vizio TVs, tablets, and Blu-ray players. This is just another solid addition in a market that has plenty of great streaming opportunities, as Hollywood continues to make high-quality streaming possible, and legal, protecting the hard work of artists while freeing film lovers to see the latest releases where they want, when they want.
More Realistic Simulated Cloth
Of the many challenges that animators for films and video games are faced with, creating clothes that look right is every bit as hard as getting their facial expressions or movements down. Rendering cloth has long been a problem for filmmakers. Henrik Wann Jensen, a Ph.D. advisor to Iman Sadeghi, the developer of a new model for rendering realistic cloth, said that cloth in movies often looks wrong. “This model is the first practical way of controlling the appearance of most types of cloth in a realistic way,” he said in a press release. That new model is the work of computer scientists at the University of California, San Diego, who have developed it with ‘unprecedented accuracy’ on the way cloth and light interact. Developed by Sadeghi, the model is based on a new approach that simulates the interaction of cloth and light by simulating how each thread scatters light. ”It essentially treats the fabric as a mesh of interwoven microcylinders, which scatter light the same way as hair, but are oriented at 90 degrees from each other,” Sadeghi said in press release. Sadeghi is not new to the film world—he is an expert on the subject of simulating lighting interacting with hair. While he was a Ph.D. student he developed a model that was later used in Disney’s Tangled, in which Rapunzel had 70-feet of simulated blonde hair. This new model for cloth simulation can not only be used for existing fabrics, but can also “act as a framework to visualize what new fabrics would look like,” Oleg Bisker, a co-author on the paper, said in a press release. “We can simulate any combination of weaving pattern and thread types.”
Creating 3D Images Through a Single Lens (Without Moving the Camera)
Leave it to the brains at Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences to devise a way for photographers and microscopists to create 3D images through a single, stationary lens. The technology these researchers have created relies on computation and mathematics for the counter-intuitive ability of seeing a stereo image with, essentially, one eye-closed. It is nearly impossible for a single eye to get a sense of depth perception, but the Harvard team, utilizing new hardware-microlens arrays and absorbing masks that record the direction of light, use the angle of light on each pixel to approximate that angle on every pixel, focusing the camera at different depths and using the information from the slight differences between these shots to create brand-new images as if the camera had been moved to one side. The Harvard team’s research is aimed at creating a way to create a stereo image without the need for expensive hardware, and this technology could also create an accessible way to create 3D images of translucent materials, such as biological tissues.
If you thought the 2009 blockbuster "Avatar" was visually amazing, Lucasfilm has a message for you: You haven't seen anything yet.
Lucasfilm, the studio founded by George Lucas, the creator of the "Star Wars" saga and "Indiana Jones" series, has always been known for inventing new ways to use computer graphics.
Its latest trick is to use video game development technology to create the realistic computer-graphics scenes it's known for in less time by letting actors and directors see the CGI they're working with as they act.
The Inquirer's Lee Bell attended a recent event hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts where Kim Lebreri, Lucasfilm's chief technology strategy officer, showed how a modified game engine can be used in combination with "performance capture stages" to film scenes full of computer generated imagery without having to wait for artists and animators.
Here's a video of the tech in action:
Here's how it works:
All of the actors wear full-body motion capture suits and wear camera rigs mounted on their head that capture their facial movements.
That motion data is sent to a computer rendering the scene. In this case, the scene is essentially the same thing as a level in a video game.
This means that almost any aspect of a scene can be changed at any time while filming. For instance, a director can see what a scene would look like if it were filmed at different times of day or in different weather conditions.
While the actors act out their roles, a CGI character is overlayed on top of their body in the computer rendering. Thanks to the motion capture tech, the CGI character does everything the actor does — from awkward shrugs to a frenzied smile.
The game engine also simulates physics for in-game objects, which means that an actor can interact with CGI props and see what it will look like.
Why it's awesome:
This is very similar to the technology behind James Cameron's 2009 blockbuster, "Avatar."
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However, what Lucasfilm is showing has the benefit of 5 years of graphics and video game technology improvements behind it.
Since so much can now be shown while "filming," the processes of pre-production/production/post-production can take place simultaneously. If the artists have a 3D model ready, the director can see what it looks like in the scene as it's being filmed. If it's not ready, it can be added later.
It's also incredible to see how quickly this technology is moving forward. Here's a video from 2010 in which Conan O'Brien visited Industrial Light & Magic and got to try out their real-time motion capture — it's laughably bad compared to where they are today (skip to 4:55):
It was announced this week that Kurt Russell is set to star in the new "Fast and Furious 7." This is excellent news, as whenever it is announced that Kurt Russell is going to be in a new movie it should be celebrated with the appropriate amount of nostalgic excitement.
And why do people get excited whenever Mr. Russell is announced to have a part in a new movie? Because we all love and remember just how awesome 1980s Kurt Russell was.
Yes, he had some great movies and roles in the '90s that included "Backdraft,""Captain Ron,""Tombstone,""Escape From L.A.," and "Breakdown," but the decade that defines Kurt Russell was easily the '80s.
Without further delay, here's a 1980s Kurt Russell retrospective of his "most Kurt Russelly" films and roles.
"Used Cars" (1980)
Character: Rudy Russo
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When "Used Cars" hit in 1980 it marked Russell's first big part in a Hollywood film. He had a role in 1976's "The Captive: The Longest Drive II," but the Robert Zemekis-directed and Steven Spielberg-produced wacky comedy hauled in $11 million domestically and put Russell on the map, which led to his role in the cult classic "Escape From New York."
In the movie Russell plays the sleazy Rudy Russo, a used car salesman who takes over the lot when the owner dies. He has to make the lot a success before the dead owner's brother, Roy L. Fuchs (Jack Warden), can swoop in and take over. Hijinks ensue with a couple of classic scenes that include faking the death of a dog to get a family to buy a car, a stuntman driving a man around wildly to induce a heart attack, and interrupting Jimmy Carter's presidential address to show a foul-mouthed car commercial. "Those prices are just TOO ... F**KING ... HIGH!"
Have to watch out for those protesting nuns.
"Escape From New York" (1981)
Character: Snake Plissken
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John Carpenter's "Escape From New York" is an utterly ridiculous movie, and for that reason it has achieved cult classic status and spawned a similarly fun sequel in 1996 called "Escape From L.A." But "Escape From L.A." didn't quite match the insane fun of the first.
Russell stars as Snake Plissken, a convicted bank robber who is sent into Manhattan — which in the film's universe is a max security prison in 1997 — to save the President.
This is Snake. Snake is a badass.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
You don't mess with Snake.
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He shoots.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
He flies and shoots.
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He's 1980s Kurt Russell. Action star.
"The Fox and the Hound" (1981)
Character: Voice of "old" Copper
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In the same year that Russell starred as the gun-toting Plissken, he also voiced the character of the "old" Copper in Disney's animated film "The Fox and the Hound." While the movie has never particularly been looked upon as a classic, it was classic tear jerking Disney and added another notch in Russell's acting belt; that of voice actor.
But he soon ditched voice acting to fight aliens that same year.
"The Thing" (1982)
Character: R.J. MacReady
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From used car salesman to rampaging Snake Plissken to the voice of an animated dog, Russell then took on one of his most recognized roles as R.J. MacReady in John Carpenter's horror sci fi classic "The Thing."
"The Thing" was an awesome, gruesome thriller of a movie that featured Russell fighting to survive against a shape-shifting alien hell bent on taking over Earth after being awakened when he was pulled from a spacecraft buried beneath the arctic ice.
"The Thing" is now widely thought to be the pinnacle of John Carpenter's career even though it bombed out at the theater.
Russell's gritty performance moved away from the cheese he'd previously displayed and showed he had some real chops and range. Comedy? Check. Action? Check. Horror thriller? Check.
Russell took a couple years off from making iconic movies with a stretch that included the likes of "The Best Of Times," and "Silkwood." But then in 1986 Russell took on a role that would forever change the history of film.
"Big Trouble in Little China" (1986)
Character: Jack Burton
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John Carpenter's BTILC got destroyed at the box office, pulling in $11 million after costing $25 million to make. No matter. This is the film that gave us the truck-driving, ninja- and supernatural-challenging, and wise-cracking Jack Burton.
Russell again channels his goofy action demeanor to venture into the depths of the supernatural Chinese underworld of San Francisco.
This is Ol' Jack.
Ol' Jack was perpetually lost and confused.
While it did nothing in theaters, BTILC has gone on to live a long life on late night cable and DVD. Long live tank top wearing, quotable, confused Ol' Jack Burton.
"Overboard" (1987)
Character: Dean Proffitt
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Starring alongside Russell is his long-time love Goldie Hawn whom he met on the set of "Swing Shift" in 1983. "Overboard" has Russell essentially kidnapping a rich Hawn and enslaving her into indentured servitude as his wife and "mother" of his children after she awakens from a fall off a yacht, resulting in amnesia.
Oh the hilarity.
"Overboard" still managed to somehow turn the slightly horrible premise into an at-times funny and now nostalgic comedy, and largely did so because of Russell and Hawn's chemistry.
Russell loved his tank tops in the '80s.
"Tango and Cash" (1989)
Character: Lt. Gabriel Cash
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Rounding out Russell's '80s run was "Tango and Cash," another return to action where he starred alongside Sly Stallone as one-half of a pair of cops who are framed and out to something something to clear their name something or other.
The plot isn't important. What's important here is Russell teaming up with Sly in a cop buddy movie. Every actor worth his salt in the '80s had to star in at least one buddy cop movie.
"Tango and Cash" wasn't a good movie per se, though it did spawn talk of a sequel, feature every '80s action movie cliché and some suggestions that Tango and Cash were a bit more than buddies ...
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris waited six years in between directing the Oscar winning Little Miss Sunshine in 2006 and Ruby Sparks in 2012, but it doesn't appear as though the duo will be waiting that long to make their third feature together.
The Wrap reports that Dayton and Faris have settled on their next project, which is set to be an adaptation of the memoir I'm Proud of You written by author Tim Madigan.
The book was first published last year and, according to the publisher's description on Amazon, tells the story of how Madigan, who worked as a journalist in Texas, started a deep and long-lasting friendship with none other than Fred Rogers a.k.a. Mr. Rogers.
The two first met when the writer was doing an assignment for a newspaper back in 1995 and became fast friends, the television icon ultimately helping Madigan through a time of deep depression and a rough relationship with his father. The two remained close until Rogers' death in 2003. Noah Harpster and Micah Fitzerman-Blue, who wrote the upcoming thriller The Motel Life starring Dakota Fanning and Emile Hirsch, are handling the adaptation's script, while Peter Saraf and Marc Turtletaub’s Big Beach Films are serving as producers (having previously worked on Little Miss Sunshine).
Most audiences, of course, know Rogers from his long running children's series, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, which began in 1963 and ultimately made more than 1,000 episodes over 31 seasons. The man spent decades working to teach young people about the importance of manners, politeness, and what it means to be a good human being. And who could ever forget that amazing theme song?
Of course, one of the biggest challenges of this film will be finding the right actor to play the television legend. Given that the story begins when Rogers was 67, they'll obviously have to find an older performer to take the part, but who out there could possibly match the kind and positive energy that Rogers produced? As Madigan's book explains, the man was a unique personality and the world has seen few like him. It's possible that the list of 60- to 70-year-old experienced actors in Hollywood could even end up being too short for Dayton and Faris, making them look to an unknown actor to take the part. It still may be a while before we actually hear any casting news, as it sounds like this project is still in its earliest stages, but it's certainly something to ponder over.
Who do you think they should get to play Mr. Rogers in I'm Proud of You? Let us know what you're thinking in the comments below.
After struggling through the first two episodes of Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," I made it to the third and was hoping for something better than the first two episodes.
Didn't happen. And how the show started off didn't set a great tone.
Not as bad as episode 2, but not as good as the pilot, "The Asset" left me underwhelmed. But I'm not here to talk about how disappointing "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." is so far, this is about sweat stains.
Moving, disappearing, and re-appearing sweat stains. This isn't a new phenomenon in film or TV. There are many takes to a scene, and sometimes getting continuity right between shots doesn't always happen, and it doesn't happen here.
An early scene in "The Asset" is the newest example of a continuity fail. In the scene where S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Grant (Brett Dalton) is playfully sparring with Skye (Chloe Bennet), showing her the ropes, there are multiple cuts throughout the conversation.
Watch Grant's shirt. These are in sequence.
Notice it starts off just under Grant's neck.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Whoa! Next thing you know he's a sweaty beast. The sweat has creeped all around his neck in a split second.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
And in motion ...
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The immediate next shot Grant is back to his original sweating ways.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Wait what? He turns to talk to somebody and he's no longer sweaty.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.He turns back to Skye and he's sweating again. I'm getting dizzy.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Next up a dry shirt again. I need to sit down.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Not even 10 minutes into the show, I'm completely taken out of it.
