theater
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Netflix deal screens movies both online and in theaters
Netflix's first experiment with showing its original movies in theaters didn't extend very far, but you're about to get a better chance at catching those productions on a giant screen. The streaming service has forged a deal with iPic Entertainment that will screen movies in iPic's upscale theaters the same day they're available online. The agreement covers just 10 titles (starting with The Siege of Jadotville on October 7th) and will be limited to theaters in New York City and Los Angeles, at least at first. However, it's a start -- and iPic's posh dine-in experience should make it more engaging than firing up a projector at home.
Scientists create glasses-free 3D for the movie theater
Watching glasses-free 3D on a TV is no longer an outlandish concept, but that hasn't been true for movie theaters. How are you supposed to create the same parallax effect for everyone, whether they're up front or way in the back? Researchers at MIT CSAIL and Israel's Weizmann Institute for Science finally have a practical answer. Their Cinema 3D tech creates multiple parallax barriers in a single display, using lenses and mirrors to deliver a range of angles across the whole theater. And unlike previous attempts at large-scale glasses-free 3D, you don't have to take a hit to resolution.
Twitch is taking auditions for an internet-wide talent show
Twitch may have started as a broadcasting service laser-focused on beaming your gaming exploits out to the world, but it certainly isn't staying that way. Now, the Creative banner has been expanded to include comedy, music, theater, voice acting and illusions magic tricks.
The first livestreamed Broadway show is happening June 30th
There have been theatre and opera performances streamed live over the internet before, but until now the famous Broadway stages have been off limits. That will change June 30th, when BroadwayHD streams She Loves Me to customers not in a movie theater, but at home or on the go. The Roundabout Theater Company production features familiar names from TV like Zachary Levi and Jane Krakowski, and will be available both live and afterwards via video on-demand. BroadwayHD has been streaming replays since late last year, and has apps available for both the new Apple TV and Roku (PC and mobile viewers will need to watch on their web browser.)
Watch PlayStation's E3 2016 event in a movie theater
It's almost E3 time, and that means something big for theater-going PlayStation fans: Sony's PlayStation E3 Experience is back. This year, you can watch the company's gaming presentation on June 13th at over 85 theaters in not only North America, but Latin America as well. Everyone who gets in will walk out with some obligatory swag, including a currently-mysterious digital "gift basket." Tickets will be free when they're up for grabs on May 31st at 1PM Eastern, so you'll want to move quickly -- there will be plenty of gamers curious to see Sony's future products on the biggest screen possible.
IMAX wants to host your indoor cycling sessions
If you live in in the heart of a city, it's hard to enjoy biking outside... not unless you like weaving through traffic. IMAX might have the next best thing, though. It's testing IMAXShift, an indoor cycling experience that promises to be more interesting than pedaling at the gym. The effort ultimately amounts to a cycling class in front of a giant screen, but IMAX argues that this could be a big motivator -- instead of riding either indoors or in a dreary urban landscape, you can travel along the Hawaiian coast or through the Solar System. There are even promises of "music-reactive visuals."
The original 'Star Wars' trilogy is returning to theaters
If you yearn for the heady days when you could watch the original Star Wars movies in theaters, you're in for a treat. Alamo Drafthouse (a very big fan of classic movies) has arranged screenings of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi in special locations over 20 cities over the course of August, starting in 7 cities on August 6th. These are the tweaked re-releases from 1997 (sorry, no despecialized versions here), but they'll give you a hint of what it was like to see the adventures of Luke, Leia and Han in their initial format.
London theatre shines lasers at audiences to deter phone use
In a bid to stop audiences from distracting actors on stage, staff at a London theatre are shining lasers at audience members who won't turn off their smartphone. The Times reports that Jermyn Street Theatre, a small auditorium in the West End, adopted the practice after hearing reports of its success inside the Shanghai Grand Theatre and Beijing's National Centre for the Performing Arts in China.
ICYMI: Underground AI delivery, sea life discovery and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-255157{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-255157, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-255157{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-255157").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: The Xenoturbella deep sea creature doesn't have a brain, eyes or functional gut, but its genetics prove it is one of the oldest forms of ocean life. Also, it looks like a discarded purple sock.
Step aside Gershwin: Computer-generated musical to premiere in London
Computers might be ideal productivity companions, but sometimes they need to express their creative side too. They produce music, design knitwear, create art and delicious recipes; even write news stories (*gulp*). But their next creative achievement is on an altogether grander scale. Commissioned by UK TV channel Sky Arts for an upcoming series, and debuting in the Arts Theatre in London's West End early next year, Beyond the Fence isn't your typical musical. In fact, the full-length stage production features a plot and score conceived principally by machines.
BroadwayHD streaming service brings the theater to you
There's no doubt live and on-demand streaming services are the future of entertainment. Knowing that, BroadwayHD is launching a new product with video content from over 100 theater performances. The digital service, created by two stage producers, features a vast library of previously recorded shows that are being distributed in a Netflix-esque way. You'll find stage productions like Memphis, Romeo and Juliet, Copenhagen and Jekyll and Hyde, as well as a variety of others in categories including classics, comedy, drama and musicals. BroadwayHD offers an annual access tier for $170, or $15 per month, while two-day rentals can be purchased for $8. At the moment, there's no app for the service, but its mobile site does support both AirPlay and Chromecast -- and you could always watch on your laptop or desktop, of course.
Billie Holiday's hologram is slated to play the Apollo theater
Joining the ranks of Tupac, Selena, Liberace and Michael Jackson, Billie Holiday's posthumous hologram is slated to play the Apollo over the holidays. And she won't be the last. The famed theater, one of the country's first racially integrated clubs, announced on Wednesday that it also plans to be the first venue in America to routinely feature holographic performances.
'Game of Thrones' will be the first TV series to hit IMAX theaters
If you think that some TV shows are so grandiose that they deserve a full-fledged theatrical release, you're not alone. HBO is drumming up attention for the fifth season of Game of Thrones by screening the last two episodes of season four (plus a special season five trailer) in IMAX theaters -- the first time that any TV series has been remastered for the large-scale visuals and sounds of the IMAX format. Should you be eager to see those big fantasy battles on the big screen, roughly 150 theaters across the US will play the episodes between January 23rd and January 29th. It's hard to know if fans will pay to watch GoT content they've almost certainly seen at home. However, HBO and IMAX are really just testing the waters. They want to know if special theatrical runs can both draw attention to a TV series (especially important with HBO's stand-alone internet service on the way) and fill seats that might otherwise stay empty.
George R.R. Martin and indie cinemas want 'The Interview' to live on
Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin has called the cancellation of Sony's The Interview "a stunning display of cowardice," and says he'd be glad to show it in his own theater, the Jean Cocteau Cinema in New Mexico. Like other celebrities (including George Clooney), the Game of Thrones author is critical of both the chains and Sony itself, but the comments posted to his blog are particularly pointed. He says "it's a good thing these guys weren't around when Charlie Chaplin made The Great Dictator. If Kim Jong-Un scares them, Adolf Hitler would have had them shitting in their smallclothes." He ends the post saying "come to Santa Fe, Seth [Rogen], we'll show your film for you."
Movie theaters ban Google Glass and other camera-toting wearables
Many individual American movie theaters are already hostile to guests who use wearables like Google Glass, and they've now made that opposition official on a national level. Both the Motion Picture Association of America and the National Association of Theater Owners have instituted a "zero-tolerance" rule that bans recording-capable wearables during showings. While the policy doesn't say exactly what qualifies, it's clearly targeted at Glass and other headgear. It could technically include camera-equipped smartwatches like the Gear 2, although you probably won't have to worry about stowing your timepiece.
The Big Picture: That's no moon, that's a movie theater
What do you do after you've retired from running the Official Star Wars fan club and magazine? You recreate the iconic space opera in your own home, of course -- at least that's what Vic Wertz and Lisa Stevens did. Not only is the above home theater a stunning tribute to George Lucas' films, but it was also designed by Doug Chiang: the lead designer of The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. In addition to drawing inspiration from Darth Vader's Imperial Star Destroyer, the theater features raised floors and halls that resemble the Death Star, sliding doors, a poster-laden lobby and a door shaped like a carbonite-frozen Han Solo. Most impressive. The project is a few years old, but the designer just posted a fresh gallery on Imgur. Check it out at the source link below.
UK cinemas to ban Google Glass over piracy fears
The UK's data regulator may have clarified that Google Glass shouldn't be singled out for special measures over personal use, but that isn't stopping domestic companies from enforcing their own rules. The Independent reports that just a week after the Google wearable finally went on sale in Britain for a hefty £1,000, UK cinemas are banning it over fears that "Explorers" could use them to pirate movies. "Customers will be requested not to wear these into cinema auditoriums, whether the film is playing or not," says Phil Clapp, chief executive of the Cinema Exhibitors' Association (CEA), which offers guidance to 90 percent of the UK's cinema providers. Movie chain Vue is enforcing a ban, asking users to remove their eyewear "as soon as the lights dim," while Odeon requests that "guests and employees do not wear Google Glasses [...] capable of recording images and video within the cinema auditorium."
Paramount now releases movies only in digital form
While it's no secret that film-based movie distribution won't last much longer in the US, the big Hollywood studios haven't officially completed their transition to digital. However, one of them may have quietly made that leap -- sources for the LA Times claim that Paramount is the first large studio to send its major movies (not just smaller flicks) to American theaters solely in digital form. Anchorman 2 was reportedly the company's last high-profile analog release, while The Wolf of Wall Street was the first to go all-digital. Paramount hasn't commented on the apparent leak. If the report is accurate, though, the 8 percent of US theaters without digital equipment now have little choice but to upgrade if they want to offer the same selection as most of their peers.
Honda intros Project Drive-In to save outdoor movies through digital projectors (video)
Drive-in theaters outlasted VHS tapes, but they may not survive the transition to digital-only movies -- many drive-ins can't afford the professional digital projectors they need to stay in business. Honda wants to give those outdoor venues a second chance through its new Project Drive-In rescue effort. At a minimum, the endeavor will donate digital projectors to five theaters based on web voting; further donations will depend on the results of an Indiegogo fundraising campaign. While there's no guarantee that Honda can save a drive-in near you, it may be worth chipping in to preserve some classic Americana through modern technology.
The Road to Mordor: Sandbox features that would serve LotRO well
The tug-o-war in the MMO community between the virtues of sandbox vs. themepark designs looks like it's starting to result in a muddy heap in the middle: the sandpark. Personally, I think there are wonderful aspects of both designs (and drawbacks too), and a marriage between the two could offer more player freedom and creativity while keeping it structured and balanced. So I've been thinking about Lord of the Rings Online in regard to this and how it might benefit from a greater number of sandbox features in the future. I mean, on one hand we have one of the most "on rails" PvE games out there, but on the other hand there are seeds of great player freedom. Elements like the music system, the Winter-home theater, Hytbold, and the quite robust crafting system all serve to take us a step beyond the themepark. But what if LotRO took a few more steps toward sandboxy goodness? Seeing as how the original vision for the game was to make it a pure sandbox, I think that's not too farfetched a question. Here are several sandbox features that I think if married to the game would add to its appeal and variety.
