Latest Video: FilmCrunch 067: Hairspray, Chuck & Larry, Premonition reviewed
Veronica Santiago and Neil Estep review Hairspray, Chuck & Larry, and Premonition in this episode of FilmCrunch.Play Video
James McAvoy Slams 3D Movies
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Action, Thrillers, Celeb News, Celebrity Gossip, Filmmaking, Technology
X-Men: First Class star James McAvoy thinks that 3D movies are a "waste of money."
The actor - who plays Professor X in the movie prequel - believes the technology is simply an excuse to get more money out of the cinema going public for a product that is not significantly better than normal films
"I think it's good thing X-Men is not 3D. In fact, thank God this movie is not in 3D. 3D is just an excuse to charge you an extra 10 bucks at the theater. And then in the end it's not 3D at all, it's just a waste of money. The idea of things coming out of the screen and making you jump out your seat are done very well but I think it's a waste of time and money and I wouldn't pay for a ticket to go to one of those films."
James cites the widely panned Clash of the Titans as an example of how not to do 3D movies, slamming the decision to add in the special effects in just a few weeks after production. "I maintain you can't do a good conversion of a two-hour movie with high quality in a few weeks like they tried to do with Clash of the Titans. I don't mean to throw that movie under the bus because my buddy Sam [Worthington] is in it, but I think everybody realized that this was a point at which people had gone too far."
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No 3D Launch for Harry Potter’s Part 1
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Warner Bros, Adaptation, Adventure, Family, Sequels, Technology, Trailers, Upcoming Releases, Videos
Sorry, 3D fans, you’ll just have the view Harry Potter the old-fashioned way…for now. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 will be released only in 2D.
It turns out the 3D version of the film won’t be ready in time for the worldwide release date.
The successful film franchise isn’t likely to lose any fans over the disappointing change, though the 3D aspect of the film has been greatly hyped in all the trailers.
Read More 
| CNN
Christopher Nolan Hesitant About 3-D For Batman
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Classics, Sequels, Thrillers, Distribution, Filmmaking, Rumors, Technology
Inception director Christopher Nolan is “wary” of 3-D.
The director admits he still doesn’t think the technology has been advanced enough to properly suit cinematic releases, but is considering giving in to fan demand for the style to be used in the next Batman movie.
“Until we get rid of the glasses, or until we really massively improve the process, I’m a little wary of it. But we’ll be looking at it, and if that’s what audiences are demanding from blockbusters - and we’re making blockbusters - then it’s something we’ll address.”
Although considering using it himself, Christopher isn’t a fan of 3-D movies and believes a good movie should be so “well-shot and well-projected” that they don’t need to use the new filming technique.
“I’m taking a bit of a wait-and-see attitude towards 3-D. It’s come and gone many times over the years. I don’t particularly enjoy watching films in 3-D films because I think that a well-shot and well-projected film have a very three-dimensional quality to it. So I’m somewhat sceptical of the technology.”
Filming of the currently unnamed movie, which will star Christian Bale in the title role and be Christopher’s last for the franchise, is due to start in March 2011.
James Cameron’s Avatar Excitement
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: 20th Century Fox, Action, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Science Fiction, Celeb News, Celebrity Gossip, Filmmaking, New Releases
James Cameron was like a “kid in a candy store” on the set of Avatar.
Actress Sigourney Weaver - who stars as Dr Grace Augustine in the new 3-D animated blockbuster - said watching the director helm his first movie in 12 years since the epic Titanic was incredibly rewarding.
“He invented the cameras, he was using the cameras. He was shooting his characters in the flora and fauna he created with the creatures that he created. He was having a great time, and so were we. To see him on the set of Avatar was like watching a kid in a candy store.”
James - who spent four years producing the movie - used revolutionary CGI techniques that required the actors to work wearing a camera fitted to a helmet, which picked up their facial expressions. The 60-year-old Hollywood star said the director managed to create a “magic” on set.
“When we were in our little suits with our ears and tails we could see what we looked like in Jim’s magic camera - I don’t know what he calls it, I call it the magic camera - so we were free just to be with each other as actors, as characters and Jim’s focus was completely on us.”
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
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
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
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
‘The Dark Knight’ Shot With Imax Cameras
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Sequels, Thrillers, Casting, Filmmaking, Technology, Upcoming Releases
We’ve barely gotten through this summer of sequels and yet it somehow feels appropriate to look ahead to next year. I, for one, would gladly sit out most of the offerings this season if it meant that I could get to the Batman Begins follow-up sooner.
The Dark Knight is not even slated to be released until July 18, 2008…but we now know how some of it will look. Director Christopher Nolan has announced that four sequences of the movie will be shot with IMAX cameras. While viewing movies reformatted for an IMAX screen is not unusual, this is the first major motion film to actually be shot with these cameras (as opposed to 35mm). I personally detest waiting in long lines for any movie, but the opportunity to see Christian Bale looking larger-than-life may be worth the pain.
New arrivals to the latest saga will include Heath Ledger (as The Joker) and Maggie Gyllenhaal (replacing the I’ve-got-better-things-to-do-Katie-Holmes-Cruise).
Read More | Hollywood Reporter
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