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Netflix May Be Setting Up For a Sale to Amazon[teaser]One analyst suggests that the reason Netflix split off the businesses is so they could sell to Amazon more easily. [/teaser] There's been a lot of discussion about sales recently, and with Hulu potentially pulling itself from the market, all eyes are on Netflix. The company split off into two recently and one analyst says that he knows why. "Netflix’s streaming has current content deals that provide it with access to movie content during the premium cable TV window," says Michael Pachter of Wedbush Securities, who suggests that the reason for the split was to package the streaming service up for easy sale. As far as the buyer is concerned, Pachter says that Amazon looks most likely. As analysts go, Pachter tends towards the grandiose predictions and has a habit - especially in the gaming world - of being more of a rock star than an analyst. Still, his idea here makes a lot of sense. Source: Home Media MagazinePosted Mon Sep 26, 2011 at 07:00 AM PDT by: -
'The Clowns' Blu-ray Detailed[teaser]Federico Fellini's 1970 'I clowns' getting the Blu-ray treatment in October has been detailed. [/teaser] As previously reported, RaroVideo is getting ready to send in 'The Clowns' on Blu-ray on October 17. Fellini's fascination with the circus and the surreal come to a head in one of his final masterpieces, 'The Clowns.' The film reflects Fellini's childhood obsession with clowns and begins with a young boy watching a circus set up from his bedroom window. Though comical and referred to as a "docu-comedy", this film explores deeper human conditions such as authority, poverty, humility and arrogance all of which manifest themselves through the characters of the clowns who vary from the local sex-crazed hobo, a midget nun, to a mutilated Mussolini disciple. The film then diverges from its narrative and dreamy state to a more documentary like approach as Fellini searches out these jesters of his youth in Paris to see what has become of them. Featuring Anita Ekberg, the star of his 1960's masterpiece, 'La Dolce Vita' and the director himself. The Blu-ray will have a new HD transfer from original 35MM negative and extras contain a rare and exclusive short film by Fellini, a video essay on the genesis of the film and a 50 page booklet with exclusive Fellini drawings. Hard-to-find, this 1970 film melds memoir and documentary into a circus of fiction and reality where Fellini delights in the role of ringmaster. The carnival-sounding score composed by Nino Rota, and an appearance by Anita Ekberg (star of Fellini’s 1960’s masterpiece La Dolce Vita), enhances the Fellini-esque experience. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $39.98. You can find the latest specs for 'The Clowns' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under October 17.Posted Mon Sep 26, 2011 at 06:00 AM PDT by: -
'Captain America: The First Avenger' Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D Dated and Detailed![teaser]Marvel's patriotic superhero is already suiting up for both high-definition formats in late October! [/teaser] As previously reported, Paramount is preparing 'Captain America: The First Avenger' Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo pack and 'Captain America: The First Avenger - 3D' Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD combo pack for a fall release, and now that date has been officially confirmed for October 25. The action-packed adventure stars Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, the scrawny weakling turned super-soldier and future leader of The Avengers. The film co-stars Hugo Weaving as Red Skull and Samuel L. Jackson reprises his role as Nick Fury. The releases will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 soundtrack, and supplements will include: Commentary by director Joe Johnston, director of photography Shelly Johnson and editor Jeff Ford; Deleted scenes with optional commentary; the Marvel One-Shot: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer; Outfitting a Hero; Howling Commandos; Heightened Technology; The Transformation; Behind the Skull; Captain America Origins; The Assembly Begins; and trailers. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is set at $42.99 and the Blu-ray 3D is $54.99. You can find the latest specs for 'Captain America: The First Avenger' and 'Captain America: The First Avenger - 3D' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where they're both indexed under October 25.Posted Sun Sep 25, 2011 at 01:05 PM PDT by: -
HDD Deal of the Week: 'Apocalypse Now: Disclosure Edition (3 Disc Set)' Blu-ray $28.99 at Amazon[teaser]Francis Ford Coppola's classic 1979 war epic is this week's Blu-ray bargain at Amazon! [/teaser] Amazon is selling 'Apocalypse Now: Disclosure Edition (3 Disc Set)' for $28.99 (52% off the suggested retail price). The 'Full Disclosure Edition' includes The 1979 Cut and Redux along with the documentary 'Hearts of Darkness' with optional audio commentary with Eleanor and Francis Ford Coppola; 48-page collectible printed booklet with special note from Francis Ford Coppola, never-before-seen archives from the set, behind the scenes photos and more; John Milius Script Excerpt with Francis Ford Coppola Notes; Storyboard Gallery; Photo Gallery, including images from photographer Mary Ellen Mark; and Marketing Archive, plus all of the supplements from the 'Apocalypse Now (2-Film Set).' Click here to own one of the best war films of all time! This offer is available from now through October 1.Posted Sun Sep 25, 2011 at 06:59 AM PDT by: -
Bonus View Digest - September 23, 2011[teaser]Can you believe September is almost over? Today is the first day of fall! Time sure flies when you're having fun talking about the latest in movies, games, and television. That's what we do over on The Bonus View and we'd love for you to join us. Here are some of the topics we've been discussing this past week.[/teaser] Theatrical News Josh took a big trip to the Toronto Film Festival and saw some great, and not-so-great movies. He's been submitting reviews of movies that you will most likely see later on down the road, all this week. Check out his reviews for 'Extraterrestrial ,' 'Carre blanc ,' 'The Moth Diaries ,' 'Butter ,' 'Samsara ,' 'The Lady ,' 'Life Without Principle ,' 'The Kid with a Bike ,' and 'Rebellion .' This past week saw the release of the new movie 'Drive ' starring Ryan Gosling. Aaron saw it and gave it a rave review. If you're on the fence, take a look at this review and then head on over to your local Megaplex as fast as you can. Luke gave us the Weekend Box Office update, along with the interesting tidbit that if you get into a 'Moneyball' pre-screening, you may just be treated to an eight minute preview of David Fincher's new film 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.' Luke also saw and reviewed the remake of 'Straw Dogs ,' which was also great. In the Trailer Park we discussed trailers for 'Underworld: Awakening 3D' and 'Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.' Home Theater News Are you sick and tired of that spider web of cords behind your entertainment center? Well, Dick has the product for you. It's called the PowerSquid. TV Recaps It's been a busy week as far as TV is concerned. The Emmys were announced on Sunday, and this week saw the premiere of a bunch of new shows. One of those new shows was 'Ringer ' starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. Find out what Josh thought about the pilot. Other recaps include, 'Project Runway ,' 'True Blood ,' 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia ,' 'Suits ,' and the series finale of 'Entourage .' We also learned that the movie 'Source Code ' will be getting adapted for television. What do you think? Is that something you'd watch? Special Features This week in the Weekend Roundtable we discussed our favorite movies that take place in a school setting. What are your favorites? Join in on the discussion at let us know. This week's Mid-Week Poll was television related. With all the new shows coming out for the fall we wanted to know which ones you'd be watching. Next week we're covering all the new comedies, so stay tuned. Thanks for making this another fantastic week of high-def discussion over at The Bonus View. And if you haven't joined us yet, we hope to see you very soon. Have a great weekend High-Def Digest readers!Posted Fri Sep 23, 2011 at 11:00 AM PDT by: -
'Looney Tunes Showcase: Volume One' Blu-ray Announced[teaser]A bargain priced collection with 25 animated shorts featuring Bugs, Daffy, Tweety, and the rest of the loveable gang is in the works for January. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Warner Brothers is preparing 'Looney Tunes Showcase: Volume One' for Blu-ray on January 10. The release will include 25 of the shorts and the same supplements from the first disc of the previously announced 'Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1' hitting stores in November. The shorts include: "Hare Tonic" "Baseball Bugs" "Buccaneer Bunny" "The Old Grey Hare" "Rabbit Hood" "8 Ball Bunny" "Rabbit of Seville" "What's Opera Doc?" "The Great Piggy Bank Robbery" "A Pest in the House" "The Scarlet Pumpernickle" "Duck Amuck" "Robin Hood Daffy" "Baby Bottleneck" "Kitty Kornered" "Scaredy Cat" "Porky Chops" "Old Glory" "A Tale of Two Kitties" "Tweetie Pie" "Fast and Furry-ous" "Beep, Beep" "Lovelorn Leghorn" "For Scent-imental Reasons" "Speedy Gonzales" Special features will include: Wagnerian Wabbit: The Making of What's Opera, Doc?; Twilight in Tunes: The Music of Raymond Scott; Powerhouse in Pictures; Putty Problems and Canary Rows; A Chuck Jones Tutorial: Tricks of the Cartoon Trade; The Charm of Stink: On the Scent of Pepé le Pew; plus numerous commentary and music-only tracks. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $24.98. You can find the latest specs for 'Looney Tunes Showcase: Volume One' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under January 10.Posted Fri Sep 23, 2011 at 10:00 AM PDT by: -
Disney Will Make All The Blu-ray Money It Can![teaser]The company sees a move to a digital marketplace as inevitable, according to the company's CFO.[/teaser] There's a lot of nay saying when it comes to retail sales of media. CDs are disappearing from stores and PC games are all but gone thanks to digital distribution. The unsure footing of retail isn't going to stop Disney from continuing to rock out Blu-rays while there's a market. Jay Rasulo, the CFO of Disney, says that the company is going to keep pushing out Blu-rays along with DVD and digital copies of the movie. Disney has one of the best conversion rates in the industry - that's the ratio of physical copies sold compared to box office performance - so they're not about to leave all that money behind. Rasulo says that there's no question that the retail media market is disappearing, but says that there's no telling yet just how fast. "We are maximizing Blu-ray for whatever it is," he says, "But clearly, over time, this is a market that is moving over to digital." Source: Home Media MagazinePosted Fri Sep 23, 2011 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
'Cream: Royal Albert Hall London 2005' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]The 2005 reunion concert goes high-def next month. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Eagle Rock Entertainment is prepping 'Cream: Royal Albert Hall London 2005' for a high-definition release on October 11. This epic 19-song high-definition reunion concert of guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker—who hadn’t played together in nearly 40 years—comes complete with an additional three bonus tracks: alternate versions of “Sleepy Time Time,” “We’re Going Wrong” and “Sunshine Of Your Love.” Interviews with all three legends make up the remainder of this historic two-hour and 47-minute classic. Cream’s four studio albums – Fresh Cream, Disraeli Gears, Wheels Of Fire, and Goodbye – were all successful, and yielded numerous hit singles. Still, it was their incendiary and revolutionary approach to live performance that made them stand out head and shoulders above their peers. This very special chemistry can be felt on 'Cream: Royal Albert Hall London 2005.' Despite being together originally from only 1966 to 1968, these three not only set the standard for power trios but became god-like to their fans in their virtuosity and intricate bombastic jamming. The interplay between the three of them—all three soloing simultaneously!—was like nothing that had ever came before. To even the surprise and delight of the musicians themselves, that bond did not break through the decades. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $19.99. You can find the latest specs for 'Cream: Royal Albert Hall London 2005' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under October 11.Posted Fri Sep 23, 2011 at 08:00 AM PDT by: -
'Terri' Blu-ray Dated and Detailed[teaser]The quirky coming-of-age tale is coming to Blu-ray in October. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, 20th Century Fox has slated 'Terri' for Blu-ray on October 11. From the producers of 'Blue Valentine' and 'Half Nelson' comes the extraordinary original and loveable comedy 'Terri.' An official selection at Sundance Film Festival and SXSW Film Festival, the critically-acclaimed cast includes Academy Award®-nominee John C. Reilly ('Chicago,' 'Cyrus'), Creed Bratton (“The Office”) and newcomer Jacob Wysocki (“Huge”) in a bittersweet coming-of-age story that will leave you cheering. An overweight social misfit, Terri Thompson (Wysocki), is the lone caretaker and guardian for his elderly Uncle James (Bratton). While struggling to find acceptance in school, Terri finds refuge in the company of his shy but pretty classmate Heather (Olivia Crocicchia, “Rescue Me”). In an effort to bring Terri out of his awkward pajama-wearing shell, his off-beat high school principal, Mr. Fitzgerland (Reilly) takes Terri under his wing to distract himself from his own painful divorce. What emerges is a lesson on growing pains for both of them, and learning to find a reason to spread their wings and fly. The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements will include: A Look Inside Terri and Deleted Scenes. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $29.99. You can find the latest specs for 'Terri' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under October 11.Posted Fri Sep 23, 2011 at 07:00 AM PDT by: -
HDD Interviews the Cast and Crew of 'Jurassic Park'by Michael S. Palmer [teaser]With the 'Jurassic Park Trilogy' coming to Blu-ray next month, Universal Studios Home Entertainment graciously invited High-Def Digest to sit down four members of the blockbuster film's cast and crew.[/teaser] On the crew side, we met Dennis Murren (the Godfather of CGI who cut his teeth on 'Star Wars' and 'Close Encounters'), Phil Tippet (a stop motion animator who also worked on 'Star Wars' and 'Temple of Doom'. He was original hired to do the dinosaurs for 'Jurassic Park' until the decision was made to go digital; he later designed the creatures for 'Starship Troopers' and runs a VFX studio), and John Rosengrant (who worked with Stan Winston until he passed away in 2008; his credits include everything from 'The Terminator' through 'Iron Man' and the last two 'Twilight' films). After talking to these guys, we then sat down with Ariana Richards, who played Lex in 'Jurassic Park' and 'The Lost World.' Dennis Murren, Phil Tippet, and John Rosengrant are effects wizards any film geek could follow around for days (or weeks), picking their brains and finding out how they did this or that. Sadly, we were only given a few minutes to speak with all three. It definitely wasn't enough time to get anything in depth, so for that I apologize in advance. Here's what they had to say: IT'S REALLY AN HONOR TO MEET ALL OF YOU. THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME. DO YOU GUYS HAVE HOME CINEMAS? [Phil and John shake their heads, no.] Dennis: No, but I have a 65-inch big screen TV. WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE DEMO DISCS? Dennis: All of them… '2001', 'The Shining', 'Black Narcissus', 'Citizen Kane'… John: I just watched 'Bullit' the other day and thought it was fantastic. 'JURASSIC PARK' IS ONE OF THE FIRST INSTANCES OF A PHOTO-REALISTIC CGI CHARACTER OR CREATURE, YET WHY DOES IT LOOK BETTER THAN MANY, MORE MODERN USES OF CGI? Dennis: Well, we had been working on the technology for that for at least a year or two, just to see if it was ready. And Phil had been studying animals for decades. And Stan's group had been studying animal sculpting for decades. So the basis of the look and the motion is in reality. I think what's going on now, and it's been going on for the last ten years, is that people are copying movies instead of copying reality. So if you see a dinosaur film that was made ten years ago, they were probably looking at 'Jurassic Park,' but those of us who made 'Jurassic Park' were looking at wild animals like rhinos and giraffes. We were looking at the real thing. I think that's so important to be able to make this stuff look real. Phil: You use your observational skills. John: There's this video game mentality too. You know, there's no gravity and it should be flying at 150mph. And with these animals, it was 'Oh, what could these animals really run at? How would he really move?' Phil: There's also an economic aspect to it too, which is off-shoring stuff. Sending it taxed based places where the studios get back millions of dollars, but the talent pool isn't there. So they save a bunch of money, but they get crap work. John: And if it does well at the box office that enables them to keep doing it. Because they're not looking at it from an artistic point of view. It's a bean counter's point of view. WHAT WAS EACH OF YOUR LOWEST POINTS DURING THE PRODUCTION, AND WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? Phil: I did fail! I thought I was going to get fired, but they kept me on. [editor's note: Phil was originally hired to use his go-motion stop animation to create the dinosaur effects before the decision was made to have digital dinosaurs. Spielberg kept him on the crew to help supervise Dinosaur movements and animation. One way he did this was by creating a stop-motion puppet with digital sensors; imagine an early version of motion-capture.] John: You switched tools; you got a new wrench. Dennis: I think every day could have been a failure, and I'm serious about that, but the dailies the next day were so exciting you just kept on moving and saying this is amazing stuff. But every day there were serious problems. John: It's hard work, but a labor of love. We were really excited about doing this so long hours or whatever it was taking to create a 9,000 pound T-Rex, we waded through it because it was so exciting to see that thing move. ARE THE T-REXS AND SPINOSAURUS THE BIGGEST CHARACTERS YOU'VE EVER CREATED? John: Yes. Absolutely, the Spinosaurus was enormous. It was 24,000 pounds, a thousand horsepower with the accumulators all moving. That thing was like a small plane. PHIL, DID YOU EVER IMAGINE YOU'D BE WORKING WITH DIGITAL EFFECTS IN YOUR CAREER? Phil: There were no digital effects when I started my career, so how could I possibly imagine it! It snuck up and bit me on the thigh. [he turns to John] What did you guys do with the T-Rexs. John: I think they were all dismantled. THEY'RE KICKING ME OUT. THANKS, GUYS. [THE STERN-LOOKING FOLKS OFF TO THE SIDE KICK ME OUT. I THEN RUSHED OVER TO ANOTHER ROOM TO MEET ARIANA, WHERE WE HAD A FULL FIVE MINTUES.] HI, ARIANA. I CHECKED OUT YOUR ART, AND IT'S FANTASTIC. REALLY IMPRESSIVE. Ariana: You did? Thank you so much. FIRST, HDD PRIMARILY REVIEWS BLU-RAY. DO YOU HAVE A HOME CINEMA OR ANY FAVORITE BLU-RAYS? Ariana: Of course, and how could I not care about seeing Jurassic on Blu-ray. I'm excited to see what they do with the HD for sure. HAVE YOU SEEN IT YET? Ariana: No, I actually haven't gotten to see it on Blu-ray yet, but it is coming very soon. IS THERE A QUESTION NO ONE EVER ASKS IN THESE PRESS JUNKETS THAT YOU'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO ANSWER (OR A SUBJECT YOU'VE WANTED TO TALK ABOUT)? Ariana: That's a very good question. Do you have something in mind? NO, I FIGURE YOU'RE HEARING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN, SO I WAS TRYING TO SPARE YOU THAT. Ariana: That's really nice of you, but I don't know. I'd like you to surprise me. OKAY, IN YOUR ART/PAINTINGS. HAS WORKING WITH A VISUAL MAESTRO LIKE STEVEN SPIELBERG, BEING ON SET AND WORKING WITH HIM, HAS THAT INSPIRED OR INFLUENCED YOUR WORK? Ariana: That is actually a really good question and thank you so much for that. Absolutely, working with Steven was so impactful for me. Watching the way he would work and visually compose scenes. He would walk around and do this [Ariana makes the universal director hand-framing a shot gesture] and frame up an image. That was very common for me to see, and I did. I embraced that and brought it into my work along with wanting to express the essence. When you play a character, you want the emotion to come through. So I'm doing that when I paint these portraits of people and express that magic of bringing them to life. Really, in a sense, becoming my own director. WHAT WAS THE CASTING PROCESS LIKE? I IMAGINE IT WAS MONTHS AND MONTHS. Ariana: The casting process was not months and months, actually. It was very fast. Steven had seen me in some other projects I had done prior to Jurassic and liked my work. And he wanted me to come in and audition screaming and be put on tape just screaming. I didn't even really know anything about the project at that time; I hadn't read the script for anything. So I screamed and then he, apparently, watched the tape of all the girls screaming that day. He was sitting at home on the couch next to his wife, Kate, who was sleeping. He went through a couple screamers, and there I was. As soon I started screaming, she leapt up off the couch and started running into the hallway to see if her kids were okay. So, shortly after that, Steven invited me to come into his office and meet him. This was on my way to Disneyland, so I decided it was okay to take a detour -- HA. Ariana: And after a few minutes, Steven asked me 'So, Ariana, are you busy this summer?' Of course I said no, and that was the beginning. And I have to say, maybe he did this on purpose, but when I first walked into his office, he got up and bumped his head on the chandelier, which put me at ease right away. So I think maybe he did that on purpose. WHAT'S IT LIKE ACTING AGAINST NOTHING (FOR THE CGI) VS. ACTING AGAINST ANIMATRONIC DINOSAURS? Ariana: Acting with the dinosaurs was so remarkable because they were so incredibly realistic, the level of detail that Stan Winston and Phil Tippet and Dennis Muren put into these dinosaurs. There was so much for me to draw from. I stepped into that world and really felt like I was in Jurassic Park. There were only very few times when there wasn't a dinosaur there, and in that case I would remember what it was like to work with them. AT THE TIME YOU'D BEEN ACTING SINCE A YOUNG AGE, BUT WHAT'S IT LIKE TO BECOME WORLD FAMOUS AS A TEENAGER? Ariana: That's an interesting question too. I went through Jurassic and it was so exciting. I had no idea it was going to be so huge afterwards. Then it hit and everybody was so excited about it. As an example, I couldn't eat lunch without a line of people wanting to talk to me and ask for my autograph. It was really intense, but at the same time, a lot of people were so positive about it, so excited. I never had anyone be difficult; they were always really appreciative of it, and excited to meet me. I have to say there were times when it got a little overwhelming. LAST QUESTION. YOU MENTIONED IN ONE OF THE BLU-RAY'S NEW DOCUMENTARIES THAT ONE OF THE REASONS YOU LOVED YOUR CHARACTER WAS THAT SHE WAS AN INSPIRATION TO YOUNG GIRLS IN TERMS OF COMPUTERS AND SCIENCE [editor's note: remember, this is 1993 folks and home computers were not quite as ubiquitous], DID YOU EVER GET A CHANCE TO MEET ANY OF THOSE FANS? Ariana: I did. Actually, I was really happy when I got a chance to talk to people who said, 'You know what, Ariana, after all these years, I wanted to let you know how much your work in Jurassic affected me, how much the story affected me and inspired me to take this direction in my life and learn these skills. And I want you to know how much you meant to me. And that is really been rewarding to me. EXCELLENT, THANKS VERY MUCH. AND THANKS AGAIN TO EVERYONE AT UNIVERSAL HOME ENTERTAINMENT. I WISH WE COULD HAVE SPENT MORE TIME WITH THE VFX WIZARDS, BUT IF YOUI CHECK OUT THE BLU-RAY ON OCTOBER 25TH, IT HAS A NEW SIX-PART DOCUMENTARY WHERE YOU GET TO KNOW THEM PRETTY WELL. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE SCENE OR EFFECT IN 'JURASSIC PARK'? AND HOW WOULD YOU RANK THE TRIOLOGY IN TERMS OF QUALITY? HIT UP THE FORUM LINK BELOW. CHEERS!Posted Thu Sep 22, 2011 at 02:00 PM PDT by:
