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Former ARRI exec pleads guilty to hacking into rival CEO's e-mail account, faces jail time
There's some Oscar-worthy drama brewing in California, where ARRI executive Michael Bravin has pleaded guilty to hacking into a high-level e-mail account at rival camera maker Band Pro Film and Digital. In a plea agreement filed yesterday with a US District Court, Bravin admitted to intentionally accessing a corporate e-mail account belonging to Amnon Band -- Band Pro's President and CEO. More details after the break, including a potential connection to RED's Jim Jannard.
MoviePass gets kicked out of theaters before it can get a ticket
Here's a bad idea: announce a beta run for your discount subscription movie ticket service, but neglect to inform the 21 San Francisco-based theaters listed that they're part of the fun. That's essentially what Landmark, AMC, Camera Cinemas, and Big Cinemas are claiming MoviePass did earlier this week, and boy has the corn begun to pop. According to The Wrap and Variety, the chains weren't pleased to find out that MP had worked with mutual partner MovieTickets.com to set admission prices without their consent; the intriguing tidbit here is that despite the low cost for consumers, the theaters would still be paid full admission. MoviePass had been hoping to gain more support with the test phase, but it looks like that'll be on pause for a good while. No word on whether the beta will see a rescheduling, but you'll find the full details in the links below, and a PR rebuttal from AMC past the break.
MoviePass wants to be Netflix, but for theaters
Here's a scenario: you'd love to see the latest blockbuster, but aren't willing to fork out a month's wages to do so. Cue MoviePass, a startup seeking to make life cheaper (fiscally, not emotionally) for repeat cinema moviegoers. The $50 subscription allows for "unlimited" cinema screenings, provided you're okay with a few caveats: 3D or IMAX screenings incur a $3 surcharge, and you'll be limited to one flick per day. Tickets must also be purchased on a partner website, netting you a coupon code that's exchanged for stubs in-theater. Not the most elegant solution, but the reliance on paper prevents folks from re-watching or double-dipping while inside. If that sounds just a bit too jovial for you, the company's also considering a chopped-down $30 plan, which would impose a four movie limit each month. It's launching as a trial this weekend in San Francisco, so if you've nothing better to do, give it a go and let us know how it works out.
Augmented reality app concept conjures movie scenes shot in your location (video)
AR technology has been getting seriously powerful recently, but we still need smart little ideas like this to keep us interested. "Augmented Reality Cinema" is a concept which would spot when you're in a famous movie location and then trigger playback of the relevant scene. Although we can't be sure the app actually works yet, the video after the break does at least show off the idea with some memorable London clips, including the classic post-infestation Westminster Bridge scene from 28 Days Later. If the designers ever need movie fans to go around tagging cinematic locations, then obviously we're keen to register our interest.
James Cameron ponders 48 or 60fps shooting of future Avatar films, because he's trendy like that
Oh, Jameson. You trendy, trendy trendsetter. After coercing the entire world of cinema to bow down and worship the art of 3D, it looks as if James Cameron will soon be spearheading the effort to back away from the tried-and-true 24fps shooting method in favor of far faster options. The Hollywood Reporter is claiming that Cameron copped to the idea of shooting Avatar 2 and 3 at higher frame rates, likely 48fps or 60fps. The reason? It'll provide an "added sense of reality," and it'll probably create a wave of new camcorders, software and plug-ins to handle the dirty work. Onward and upward, we suppose.
Dolby introduces lighter, cheaper 3D glasses to better compete with RealD and IMAX
Dolby has been working on getting the cost of its 3D glasses down since bringing Infitec color shift technology to theaters back in '07 and it couldn't wait for CinemaCon 2011 next week before announcing the new models seen above. These should please theater operators by being cheaper than the old ones -- down to $12 or less per reusable pair from $17 last year and $27.50 the year before that -- and hopefully cinemagoers by being lighter, with a new multilayer optical film from 3M and redesigned frame to help block extraneous light. There's also RFID tags to help keep them from walking out of the moviehouse, and it claims they will fit over 98 percent of prescription glasses. So far RealD has lead the market with its cheaper glasses, multiple styles and home HDTV cross-compatibility, while IMAX is synonymous (usually) with big screens, but if theaters start passing down that savings in the form of lower ticket prices we might pick out a Dolby screen among the other 3D theater competition the next time we head to the theater.
Apple's new Berlin store will open in upscale Kurfürstendamm
Two different German Mac news sites report that Apple's latest store in Berlin will be placed in the Kurfürstendamm section of the city, an upscale shopping avenue that houses big fashion store name hotels and nice restaurants. That sounds about right for an Apple store. Both iFun and Macerkopf report that the location will have 5,000 square feet in a former movie theater located across from the Hard Rock Cafe. Posted to Flickr by user Katymcc, the photo to the right shows the location in 1950, when it was renamed the "Wien," formerly known as the Union Palace. iFun says construction is waiting on a few permissions, but there's no word on when the store will be done or officially opened. Apple is making a nice push for retail overseas lately, so by the time this new Berlin store is completely finished, it should be yet another jewel in the Apple retail crown.
Vizio shows off its full 2011 HDTV lineup: ultrawidescreen, 3D, Google TV, widgets & all
No more dribs and drabs of information leaking out as Vizio has finally listed its entire 2011 LCD lineup, again featuring LED back & edge lighting across all models. That includes two ultrawidescreen 21:9 Cinema models in its Theater 3D line in 50- and 58-inch sizes, two VIA Plus TVs with Google TV in the XVT3D476SP and XVT3D556SP, and continuation of its existing Yahoo! Widgets based Vizio Internet Apps features including WiFi and Bluetooth QWERTY remote across TVs sized 22-inches and above. Check the press release after the break for all the models and what they offer, perhaps wisely there's no detailed information about when and for how much they'll be available just yet, so we'll still have to speculate about which models will represent the sub-$300 3D portion of the lineup.
EVE trailer debuts in selected cinemas before showing of Tron
Earlier this month, we heard the news that a few selected US cinema theaters would be showing a new EVE Online trailer. On the EVE forum, CCP Manifest published a list of the participating theaters and told players that the trailer would be aired between eight and fifteen minutes before the main movie showing. The new trailer is essentially a re-cut of the impressive and very cinematic Incursion trailer released last month, adapted for the big screen and the general cinema audience. With Tron's release last week, the EVE trailer has already been seen at several theaters on CCP's list. This is the first time CCP has tried to advertise via cinema, and if things go well, we could see more trailers on the big screen in the near future. This showing is the first of a series of small-scale tests designed to see how effective cinema can be as an advertising venue. If you'd like to see your local theater featured in future test-showings, post its name and location in the thread for CCP's marketing department to look into it. For those unable to attend one of the participating theaters, the short 30-second cinema trailer has been published as promised on CCP's YouTube page. Skip past the cut to watch the cinema trailer, embedded in high definition.
Angry Birds spreading to consoles, sequels, feature films
The whole premise seems pretty simple, right? Evil piggies steal eggs, birds get angry, angry birds attack pigs, gamers struggle with addiction. But not so fast: have you ever wondered what the pigs think of all of this? Speaking at the Virtual Goods Summit in London, Rovio CEO Peter Vesterbacka let it drop that there was, indeed, a sequel to Angry Birds in development, going on to say that it would "surprise people. No one has told the story from the pigs point of view." But that ain't all! The company is apparently planning to milk this franchise for all it's worth, a multiplayer game "like old school Worms games" and a Facebook game taking priority, as well as porting the game to PSN, Wii, and Xbox, and some sort of film or TV show. We have to wonder who's going to play the red bird. Please let it be Alan Thicke. This is the best news since we heard there was a possible Asteroids movie in the works!
Apple Store offline... and back up with no changes
Yup, the US store is down. Couldn't tell you why just yet, but if you really wanted to buy that new MacBook Air this evening, you'll have to wait until it comes back up. When we see something new, we'll post about it here -- or just stay tuned to the comments on this post! What could it be? A Mac revision? A revamped cinema display? The rumored dead white iPhone? Your guess is as good as ours. Update: The store is back up, with no obvious changes. Looks like it was just a maintenance update, which wasn't all that surprising since it went down on a Saturday night.
Found Footage: Using an iPhone and a movie theatre to propose marriage
Wow! These days, it seems, if you're going to propose, popping the question needs to be done in a super creative, ultra romantic fashion. Gone are the days of proposing to your love after a few drinks at the local pub or after a few too many at a New Years Eve party (Both proposals I know of, both ladies said yes)! Apparently, If you're going to do it right in this day and age, you need to do it akin to the stratosphere that B.B Bling did it in. This guy took his girlfriend to the cinema where they watched their first movie together (OK, nothing too special there), but after a few commercials, what appeared to be an iPhone commercial came on the screen. However, it turned out to be a full blown music video proposal, written and performed by the groom to be. Using apps from his iPhone, the song declared Bling's undying love for his stunned girlfriend, culminating in an on screen proposal. Thankfully, she said yes, and the rest of the cinema goers burst into applause. To to top it all off, the track is now available for purchase on the iTunes store to finance the wedding. From all of us here at TUAW, we say well done to you, sir! And congratulations to the happy couple. Now, why didn't I think of that? For all the juicy details, click here.
A cinematic tour of fake computer UIs
When your film or TV show takes place in a high-tech landscape, an important part of the mise en scène is the computer interface that your protagonist / supervillain uses to save the planet / initiate the self-destruct sequence. But time and again, that blockbuster GUI is far too high-tech for the film's setting... or just plain silly. According to a recent NPR interview with Hollywood interface designer Mark Coleran, this is no accident: the convention began in the early 1980s, when most people's computer knowledge was limited to coin-op videogames. "The entire point of those things," he says, "is to tell a story... in two seconds, onscreen." Besides, who among us hasn't wanted access to a smiley-faced "virus launch panel" at some point? Hit up the source links for some examples of UIs that have "gone Hollywood," and feel free to drop any of your favorites into the comments.
Philips' Cinema 21:9 Platinum HDTV finally takes the leap into 3D
It's kind of hard to outdo yourself with only two dimensions when they read 21 and 9, respectively, so Philips has decided to do the only thing left for a trendy display maker: go 3D. Though we saw (and loved) a 3D prototype of the 56-inch variant at last year's IFA, this new, 58-inch Cinema 21:9 Platinum HDTV looks set to bring the third dimension to actual retail. It's got the Ambilight wall illumination that some people will like, LED backlighting with local dimming that most should love, and a slimmer, brushed matte bezel that will be appreciated by all. The 400Hz panel is capable of pumping out Full HD 3D and is expected to cost around €4,000 ($5,112) in Europe or £3,500 in the UK with a launch set for later this month. And if you want one in the US, well... things aren't looking very Ambibright for you. %Gallery-101115%
Metropolis gets twenty-five minutes of lost footage, please don't tell Giorgio Moroder
Metropolis, Fritz Lang's 1927 epic, predated many of our own cinematic obsessions by decades. At over two and a half hours this heady mix of dystopian science fiction and German Expressionism divided critics upon its initial release, even as it is now universally praised. Indeed, as a result of its length (not to mention the squeamishness of American distributors) the thing has been variously edited (cannibalized) over the years, to the point where it was doubtful that we would ever get to see it the way that the director intended. That's why we were psyched when we came across this clip from BBC's Newsnight detailing the discovery of what is presumed to be a copy of the original director's print, which was taken to Argentina by a private collector in 1928, where it sat until discovered in an archive of the Museum of Cinema in Buenos Aires in June, 2008. Wild, huh? Hit the source link to watch the clip.
Toy Story 3 in 4K 3D: does higher-res equal higher enjoyment?
We'll be straight with you, the Engadget staff is somewhat ambivalent about 3D: some of us believe it to be a gimmick, while others see it as a legitimate advance in film technology that takes our movie enjoyment up to its next logical station. What you won't find us disagreeing on, however, is that everything looks better when it's taken to a 4K resolution. Sony has been busy rolling out its new 4K projectors across the US and Europe, and invited us yesterday to see Toy Story 3 in some ultra-advanced 4K 3D. Because of it having four times the resolution of the more conventional 2K stuff -- which Avatar, the big 3D (and 4D) flagship, was delivered in -- Sony's projector is able to deliver both the left- and right-eye frame on the screen at the same time, rather than having to alternate them in hummingbird fashion. That should ideally provide a more pleasurable overall experience for the viewer and ultimately pay off for the company in more people ponying up more cash for the extra goodness. So, we moseyed along to an Apollo Cinema in central London -- the chain has already installed Sony's hero 4K projectors in 11 of its venues -- and all you'll need to do is click past the break to see what we thought.
Ridley Scott, YouTube announce 'Life In A Day' crowd-sourced feature film project
Is the future of cinema truly this democratic? We dunno, but if you want to find out there's probably no better person to ask than Ridley Scott, who is teaming up with Kevin Macdonald and YouTube to produce Life In A Day. The idea is to get people from all over the world to submit videos taken on July 24, 2010. From here, director Kevin Macdonald will assemble a feature length documentary, to premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. What's more, if your footage makes the cut you can be one of twenty lucky folks invited to the festival. Pretty wild, huh? Hit the source link for info on submitting your masterpiece. Trailer after the break.
Oculus3D vies to be the greener solution in disposable 3D shades
As of December, RealD cinemas alone served 100 million moviegoers, and even if the vast majority recycle, that's still a ton (probably several thousand tons, in fact) of plastic 3D glasses. According to a company called Ceroplast, those glasses aren't biodegradable; if so many as 10 million pairs end up in a landfill, it would result in C02 emissions equivalent to burning 50,000 gallons of gasoline. Of course, Ceroplast wouldn't be quoting statistics if it didn't have a greener solution. Under the brand of partner Oculus3D (whose co-founder Lenny Lipton is RealD's former CTO), it's presently making biodegradable polarized shades out of polylactic acid that it intends to deploy -- along with the company's proprietary OculR projectors -- as early as summer of this year. As for which theatres you should expect to see them in, well, we're still in the dark on that one.
Rain Design's iMac turntable sends the iMac for a spin
iMacs are great, except when you have one sitting with its back to a wall and you need to plug something into the back of it. Particularly with the larger models, you end up having to pick up the iMac and swing it around to get to those ports on the back. Wouldn't it be a lot easier if you could just spin it? That's the idea behind the Rain Design i360, a turntable that encloses the base of an iMac or Apple Cinema Display, and then allows easy movement of the display. Want to show a co-worker on the "back" side of your iMac something? Just spin the entire computer around. Need to plug or unplug something? No problem -- just swing the iMac or Cinema Display around and do it. I've had an i360 on my first-generation Intel iMac since just after I bought it, and I can't count the number of times that it has saved me from having to pick up the computer and slide it around to plug something in. I've recommended the i360 to many of my Mac consulting customers who have iMacs or Cinema Displays, and many of them end up buying the device.
Inside the new 27-inch iMac
You know by now that once Apple announces a new piece of hardware, it's only a matter of time before someone gets their hands on one only to rip it up and tear every little piece out to see what's in there. And that's exactly what iFixit did with the brand new iMac -- most of us would kill to get one and keep it, and they got one and killed it (Update: Apparently they didn't kill it -- they ended up putting it all back together again). But at least we can learn from their destruction: the LCD panel is the same horizontal resolution as the 30" Cinema display, and the screen itself weighs 11 lbs. The hard drive sits right in the center of the machine, right behind the screen. And there's probably more heat dissipation methods in there than you'd expect: six temp sensors, three fans, two heat sinks, and even a partridge in a pear tree. We're not sure how that last one helps. Overall, it's a beauty. And the last twist is probably the most interesting -- other than showing off your Mac-itude and lighting the area behind your screen, the Apple logo is apparently wrapped with an Airport antenna. Because the whole thing is encased in aluminum, that's the only place to get a signal, and so that's where they stuck it. Now when people complain that you're just being trendy by showing off the Apple logo, you can tell them you're actually just trying to help out the Wi-Fi reception. [via Engadget]
