Archive for Entertainment
06.01.07
Posted in Entertainment, Movies at 11:14 am by stark
If you thought going to the movies was already annoying with the excessive number of commercials, insanely inflated food prices, and unassigned seating, things just got that much worse. Now, by buying a ticket in Canadian theaters, you’re subjecting yourself to random search of your bags, backpacks, and outerwear.
This was hanging every 2 feet at my local theater here in Toronto. Just another reason I’ll probably just be staying home to watch the DVD instead…
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03.16.07
Posted in Entertainment, Movies at 12:40 am by stark
It seems not only did 300 set the record for biggest march opening and is now ranked number three for biggest R rated opening ever, it may have set a totally different type of record. According to the folks at Ain ‘t It Cool News, 300 might actually be the first movie ever to owe the majority of its success to Internet advertising. Movies are usually the domain of television, but in this case, most viewers reported hearing about it on the Internet first.
In Warner’s Top Secret polls - 60% chose the Internet as what brought them to the theater.
And at IMAX - that number grew to 68%.
These numbers show a HUGE growth in the Internet’s growing pull for where people decide to see their weekend movies. Of course - the traditional commercials are MySpaced and YouTubed into Viral attacks. The exposure on AICN and CHUD and DARKHORIZONS and SUPERHEROHYPE, etc… have continued to grow. All your personal bloggings have really begun to affect why 300 has done so well.
Looks like another blow for the old machine!
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03.11.07
Posted in Entertainment, Movies at 3:18 pm by stark
According to MPAA chairman Dan Glickman, the feature film ratings system everyone is used to may be receiving an overhaul in the coming months. There are two major problems they feel need to be addressed. First, the R rating is too broad in its current categorization of films.
[…] the R rating is too broad, encompassing everything from a few swear words or brief flashes of nudity to repeated scenes of stomach-churning mutilation and disembowelments.
Secondly, the current top end rating, NC-17, has a negative association and most film makers will make drastic changes to their work to avoid the rating. This is mostly due to the fact that traditionally, NC-17 films have had a hard time finding theatres to show them, which hurts everyone right where it counts…the pocketbooks.
The goal is to find a category for some films that are now informally called “hard R’s” — i.e., content so graphic that no one under the age of 17 should be allowed to see it at all in theaters. The new generation of horror pics, namely, the “Saw” and “Hostel” franchises, are pushing the limits of the “hard R” category.
Is there a need for new categorization like this? What is your opinion?
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03.08.07
Posted in Entertainment, Movies at 12:22 pm by bobbyjoe
After a very long 25 years of disussion Tintin will finally be brought to the silver screen again! Thanks to the help of Steven Spielberg and his company DreamWorks who have agreed to procuding at least one Tintin movie. A completed movie could show up in theatres by 2009 or 2010, Nick Rodwell told a press conference. Nick Rodwell is head of Hergé’s Moulinsart Studios, which holds the rights to Tintin.
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03.06.07
Posted in Entertainment, Movies, Television, Videos at 10:49 am by stark
If you’re a fan of the television series Heroes, you might have noticed that last nights episode came with a little bonus, a preview clip of the upcoming film Spider-Man 3. I warn you though, this clip definitely spoils at least a couple small plot points, so if you’re one of those people who wants to be 100% surprised, stay away from that link. Personally, I think this movie is looking amazing and has loads of potential to beat both the previous two. I guess we only have a few more weeks to wait now, and then we’ll all get to see it…
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02.25.07
Posted in Entertainment, Movies at 4:25 pm by stark
While there have been rumors for months now, it was finally confirmed this weekend that JJ Abrams will be directing a new Star Trek feature film for Paramount Studios. Abrams, the creator of the television series’ Lost and Alias and director of Mission: Impossible 3, will direct Star Trek XI which is said to revolve around a young James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock while initially at Starfleet Academy. After the poor performance of the last few Star Trek films, XI is a reboot for the franchise, introducing new stars and breathing fresh air into the entire universe. It will be interesting to see what Abrams can do with such an established history and universe. Hopefully he can give this entire series the shot in the arm it really needs…
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02.22.07
Posted in Technology, Entertainment, Television at 1:57 am by stark
With such huge hype behind the big G’s takeover of Youtube last year, one can’t help wonder how good a decision it really was when yet another huge partn er seems to be reconsidering it’s deal with the search engine giant. According to a person knowledgeable in the talks, CBS has decided to step away from a multi-million dollar deal due to an inability to come to an agreement on the length of the deal. Responsible for blockbuster shows such as Survivor, CSI, and The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS has been the leader in television broadcasting for several years and is definitely a big loss to the entire Youtube userbase. While an agreement is not yet ruled out, it is looking likely that a much smaller agreement is the most likely possibility. So, with last weeks news of Viacom throwing down the hammer and walking away from Youtube, did Google make a big mistake in purchasing the online video resource? I would never count Google out, and all it takes is one big application and all these broadcasters will be right back at Google’s doorstep…
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02.17.07
Posted in Entertainment, Music at 1:27 am by stark
Last month we heard news that Audioslave band members (formerly of Rage Against the Machine) were reuniting for a one time concert with former frontman Zach de la Rocha at this year’s Coachella festival. The story continues to get interesting though as current Audioslave frontman, Chris Cornell, announced today that he will be leaving the group due to “irresolvable personality conflicts as well as musical differences.” This has the rumor mill spinning like a top with speculation that Zach de la Rocha may be rejoining the band permanently after the festival. No official news has been released either way, but with Rage Against the Machine being at the forefront of anti-establishment hard rock in the 90’s, they have millions of fans who would love to see a new project from the band hit the streets. Will it happen? I guess we’ll just have to see if the band still has what it takes to “take the power back.”
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