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Star Wars flicks to see 3D re-release, starting with Episode 1 in 2012
The Star Wars series hasn't even hit Blu-ray yet, but The Hollywood Reporter reports sources are saying George Lucas definitely intends to refill his money pit in 2012 by bringing out the movies, one each year, in 3D. Unfortunately that means even if you're optimistically expecting a well done 3D conversion process Episode IV is at least five years away since the plan is to release the movies in numerical order. According to the sources, even after demoing converted 3D footage of the movies in the past, Lucas was moved to greenlight the process after experiencing Avatar and realizing that by the time the movies hit theaters, and eventually homes, there will be more than enough capable screens to watch them on. Of course, all could be forgiven if this meant there were enough petty cash floating around to convince Lucas it's time to restore and rerelease the original editions on Blu-ray, but we're not holding our breath.
James Cameron, Piranha 3D actor Eli Roth speak up in support of 3D conversions
After Clash of the Titans and Avatar: The Last Airbender, we're leery of any movies rocking the converted-to-3D tag, but a few directors (not coincidentally, ones with 3D productions in the making they'd likely appreciate us buying tickets to see) claim the process itself isn't the problem. Among other comments (including discussing the upcoming return of Avatar to theaters exclusively in 3D, sequels and a new 3D flick on the way from Guillermo del Toro) with MarketSaw, our friend Jimmy C said "[Titans] showed a fundamental lack of knowledge about stereo space, in addition to the shoddy work that comes from rushing." Of course, we'll have to wait to see what the converted version of Titanic looks like, currently undergoing a process taking between 8-12 months. Eli Roth is in Piranha 3D, which debuts next weekend and is also a film that was filmed in 2D and converted in post, but he claims it's different from M Knight's flick because they planned ahead: "You can shoot digital 3-D and it looks great, or you can shoot film and convert and it looks great - but only if you planned to do it that way from the start...With Piranha 3D, the very title of the film is Piranha 3D," he continues. "It was written that way and photographed to be converted. This means that when you're setting up a shot, next to the camera is a technical adviser from the 3D company who tells you exactly what light won't work for the 3D, how far the subject has to be from the lens if you want it to look good when it pops out of the camera, etc...It's not easy and it's not instant and when it's a last minute rushed decision we can see it immediately. But to associate Piranha 3D, a film which spent years planning this, months shooting it with the technicians on set checking the convertibility of every shot, and so far 8 months working on the conversion, is not fair." Check Bloody-Disgusting for the rest of his comments, and listen to Cameron in his own words on MarketSaw -- we'll see how audiences and critics react over the coming weeks and months.
Disney plans to shoot Pirates of the Caribbean 4 in 3D
Rumors have been floating around for some time, but word is Disney has gone ahead and decided to shoot the next edition of one of the biggest movie franchises going in 3D. There's some dispute over whether or not the folks in mouse ears plan to go Avatar-style for all or just some of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and convert the rest, but with a projected release date of May 20, 2011, we should know more very soon. 2D, 3D or otherwise with Johnny Depp is back as Captain Jack Sparrow, we're figuring it'll do ok at the box office.
Roger Ebert gives 3D thumbs down, shocking headlines two thumbs up
Apparently in need of something to take his mind off of the "are games art?" debate, film critic Roger Ebert has published "Why I Hate 3-D (And You Should Too)" in Newsweek. While standing up to "the biz side of show business," that only wants to see 3D succeed in order to sell new projectors and increase ticket surcharges, he instead suggests moviemakers focus on higher framerate solutions that would... require new technology and increase ticket surcharges. His often-contradictory nine points aside, the key to the success or failure of 3D will obviously be whether or not audiences think the difference is consistently worth the money, no matter what anyone says about it -- or how awesome it makes sports look. Until then, the choice of formats and how to make use of them is a decision best left to directors, like the 3D projects he mentions are currently under way from Martin Scorsese and Werner Herzog. Besides, the creative future of Hollywood is in great hands, just check out the trailer for Piranha 3D (embedded after the break.)
Sonic brings 3D movies into the home via CinemaNow
Like it or not, 3D movies are coming to your house. If you're looking to be one of the first on the block to stream the third-dimension onto your computer monitor or 3D-ready HDTV, Sonic Solutions is making sure you have that option. Announced today, the company is utilizing Roxio's CinemaNow platform to provide users access to 3D films, and all of those files are optimized for use with NVIDIA's GeForce GPUs and its 3D Vision / 3D Vision-ready displays. Frankly, we're shocked to see CinemaNow involved in all of this, but this just might be the offering that makes the service at least marginally relevant again. Sadly, there's no hard data surrounding pricing and release, but needless to say, you should probably go ahead and don those funky goggles just in case it goes down sooner rather than later.
