Beauty and the Beast to Go 3-D

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Animation, Classics, Family, Musicals, Technology

As hard as it is to believe, it’s already been 17 years since Beauty and the Beast first premiered. And though it’s still nice to still along with Gaston and Lumiere via the DVD, we will soon have a new way to experience the movie all over again.

Come 2010, Disney will rerelease the Oscar-nominated film - it was the first full-length animated movie to be up for Best Picture - as a new 3-D theatrical feature. This update is just one of several reissues the studio has in store. Plans for a revamped Toy Story and Toy Story 2 have already been in the works.

In addition to this weekend’s release of Bolt, upcoming 3-D titles for Disney include the Jonas Brothers 3-D Concert Movie, Toy Story 3, Up, G-Force, Alice in Wonderland and Rapunzel.

Read More | Variety

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story

Toshiba Stops HD DVD Production

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Picturehouse, Universal, Corporate Shakeups, Home Entertainment, Technology

It’s official.  HD DVD is DOA.

Toshiba finally announced Tuesday what had been rumored for days—it is pulling out of the high-definition market.  Although the HD DVD system preceded Sony’s product, Blu-ray sales have steadily outpaced its competitor.

In the past few months, major studios have aligned themselves with the Sony brand.  Even though Paramount and Universal continued to offer their titles on HD DVD, it was clear the Toshiba format was being crippled.

Recent decisions made by Wal-Mart and Netflix helped drive a nail into the HD DVD coffin.  The companies announced they would no longer be making the high-def option available to its customers.

Shipments of the Toshiba systems will wrap up by March.

Read More | Hollywood Reporter

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (2)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story

Proposed New Year’s Resolutions for Movie Studio Executives

Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: Distribution, Filmmaking, Lists, Technology, Trailers, Upcoming Releases

A quintessential holiday morsel:

‘Tis the season to be jolly
Fa la la la la … la la la la

And there must be no shortage of jolliness for big-name film studios as we enter the last days of the year—2007 has been one of the most lucrative in film history. But after the holiday parties end, and the final box-office spreadsheets have been tucked under the pillow (or thrown on the fire), the time comes for rebirth and renewal. After all, the target demographic will be looking for something new, and the critics certainly weren’t impressed with much of this year’s fare. Perhaps everyone can be happy in 2008, as the medium returns to its glory days of content-rich, engaging filmmaking.

Alright, you people aren’t buyin’ it.

Click to continue reading Proposed New Year’s Resolutions for Movie Studio Executives

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story

Review: Sunshine

Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: 20th Century Fox, Action, Adventure, Drama, Religious, Science Fiction, Thrillers, New Releases, Theatrical Reviews

The Alex Garland/Danny Boyle team is back with another harrowing look at humanity, it’s need for hope and willingness to sacrifice, both on a grand scale and within each of us.

The year is 2057.  The sun, the source of all life on Earth, is dying.  A spaceship called Icarus II is 60 million miles from the world, en route with a crew of eight scientists, physicists, and astronauts to set off a type of nuclear bomb in hopes of reigniting the dwindling star.  This group of experts represent the last hope for Earth and all of mankind, and their mission, like that of the first Icarus journey, is based on theoretical science in the face of unknown conditions — mere miles from the surface of the sun.

Visually stunning and intense beyond imagination, Sunshine  reminds everyone of the insignificance humanity represents on a grand scale, while simultaneously inspiring us to fight for it.

Click to continue reading Review: Sunshine

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (2)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story