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Oldboy director Chan-wook Park shoots new movie on iPhone 4
Last year, I caught a top 10 list somewhere that listed the top movies ever with twist endings. All but one of them I'd already seen, that one being the critically acclaimed Korean film Oldboy, directed by Chan-wook Park. Seeing as it was available for streaming on Netflix, I pulled it up that night. Suffice to say, it has one hell of a twist ending, and I'll warn you now that it's... uncomfortable. Oldboy isn't the only movie on Park's resume, though it's arguably his most recognized. The director is adding yet another film to his IMDb page, and this one has a different sort of twist involved: it was filmed entirely on an iPhone 4. The film, titled Paranmanjang ("life full of ups and downs" in Korean) clocks in at about 30 minutes and was made on a budget of only US$133,000. Park says he took advantage of the iPhone 4's small size and low price (relative to the project) to easily utilize multiple iPhones for many different camera angles. I wonder what iPhone apps Park made use of in the recording of his film, other than the native Camera app. Would there be any reason he'd want to not shoot natively and do the full post-processing later on larger gear? Paranmanjang is set to hit theaters on January 27 in South Korea.
Blockbuster Express kiosks test $2.99 per night new release rentals, Redbox looks unimpressed
28 days. It's more than an unappreciated flick from the turn of the millennium, it's also driving the executives at Redbox, Netflix and a smattering of other unorthodox rental companies mad. Movie studios have been hellbent on keeping their new release DVDs and Blu-ray Discs out of instant-rent hands for 28 days after release, noting that dollar-per-night rentals could drastically reduce DVD / BD sales in the all-important launch window. Now, however, it seems that at least a couple of 'em are willing to bend. Starting this week in four major cities (Atlanta, Miami, Phoenix and San Francisco, for those curious) DVDs for Warner Bros.' "Inception" and 20th Century Fox's "Knight and Day" are being slipped into NCR's Blockbuster Express kiosks. The catch? It'll be $2.99 per night to rent either of them, a nearly threefold increase in the nightly rate that Redbox charges. Additional details on the trial are few and far betwixt, but it's safe to say that Redbox isn't any closer to nabbing fresh flicks sooner, and unless you're down with a 3x price hike, neither are you.
Mo-DV bringing major motion pictures to microSD cards
Hard to say why this here fad is just now catching on -- after all, select studios warmed to the idea of putting their content onto portable flash storage years ago. That said, we've seen both Flix on Stix and this here contraption surface within the same month, but honestly, we're having a hard time believing that it's a niche waiting to explode. Mo-DV has just announced a new Universal Player for microSD cards, enabling Symbian, Android, Windows Mobile and your everyday Windows PC to play back DRM'd movies stored on a microscopic slab of memory. As for Android users, they'll need version 2.1 or newer, and while few details are given, the company has confessed that more platform support is coming (good luck, Windows Phone 7). No one's talking pricing or release information just yet, but potentially more frightening is this: has anyone ever considered just how inconvenient it is to keep a handful of microSD cards around, let alone swap them in and out of your smartphone?
Vizio and OnLive mulling subscription-based video services for next year
As if we didn't already know that video on demand was the hot new ticket, the Wall Street Journal is today reporting that a couple more companies are ready to throw their hats into the ring. OnLive, the cloud gaming upstart, has confirmed its intention to offer up a subscription-based movie streaming service at some point next year, while HDTV vendor Vizio is said to also be looking at its options. What makes these new guys intriguing (aside from the fact that Vizio sells a lot of TVs in the US) is the general feeling among media companies that Netflix is growing uncomfortably big and should be diversified away from. Well, whatever happens, neither we nor content distributors should be strapped for VOD choice come 2011. Hit the source link for a more expansive look at the current situation.
Peter Jackson nabs thirty RED EPIC cameras to film The Hobbit, tempt you to blow your savings
We're still slightly bummed that Peter Jackson never made Halo, but this should patch things up a tad -- the Lord of the Rings director will film The Hobbit in 3D entirely on thirty hand-machined RED EPIC cameras, starting early next year. That's the news straight from RED founder Jim Jannard, but that's not all, as a limited number of pre-production EPIC packages will be available to early adopters as well. $58,000 buys your deep-pocketed budding director a machined EPIC-M body, titanium PL mount, Bomb EVF and 5-inch touchscreen LCD, a REDmote, a four-pack of batteries, a charger and a solid state storage module with a four-pack of 128GB SSDs. Jannard expects to hand-assemble that first batch of 5K imagers in December or January, start the real assembly lines a month after that, and hopefully have widespread availability by NAB in April, though he's not making any promises there. That's how RED rolls. PR after the break. [Thanks, Patrick]
Sony's Qriocity video-on-demand services goes live in Europe
Sony said it was coming, and come it has. Just in time for expatriated Americans basking in the glory of being paid in pounds to enjoy over "Thanksgiving," Sony has flipped the switch on its Qriocity on-demand movie service. The UK launch marks the European debut of the service (we're also hearing that it's like 'across Europe'), offering "hundreds" of pay-per-view streaming flicks to those with a network-enabled BRAVIA TV, Blu-ray player or Blu-ray home theater system. We're told that the library consists of material from Fox Home Entertainment, Lionsgate, MGM, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Starz Digital Media, The Walt Disney Company, NBC Universal and Warner Bros., with both new releases and heralded classics up for grabs. Rental prices for SD content start from £2.49 for library content and £3.49 for new releases, while HD content start respectively from £3.49 and £4.49. Not exactly free, but it's a small price to pay to keep that keister planted on Turkey Day.
Lovefilm movie streaming now live on UK PlayStation 3 consoles
Sony's "it only does everything" claim for the PS3 seems to be growing stronger with every day that passes. After getting Hulu Plus in the US recently, the versatile console has just seen the green light to start some movie streaming action in the UK, courtesy of a hookup with Lovefilm. To get this free extra, you have to have a £5.99 or above monthly Lovefilm subscription (that's excluding its Games offering), though there's a limit on how much streaming you can do at that price point. Such stipulations fall by the wayside on the £9.99 top tier, leaving you and your console to enjoy as many movies as you can handle.
New image manipulation software results in a skinnier you on film, leaves the real you feeling inadequate
German researchers have developed a new form of image manipulation which really gets to the heart of the matter: we all want to be skinnier and have better looking muscles. The new software, developed at the Max Planck Institute for Informatics, allows both pro and amateur filmmakers to 'dramatically' alter the physical forms of the people on screen -- a process which was previously limited to tedious and time-consuming frame-by-frame techniques. The technique was developed by the team doing full 3D scans of 120 men and women of various shapes and sizes, then merging them into one seriously awesome human form, resulting in a person which can be easily manipulated into pretty much any shape necessary. This malleable form can then be mapped to the actual person on screen, and manipulated for the desired effect in one single frame, and that is then applied to the rest of the film. Video is below.
Sony Qriocity on-demand movie service extends into Europe, 'Music Unlimited' coming by year's end
Sony has just informed Euroland that its Qriocity on-demand ecosystem will be showing up in the continent's wealthier regions this fall. France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK will get a chance to savor the Video On Demand option, which will form the vanguard of a wideranging content streaming service, available on Sony networked devices -- yes, that includes the do-it-all PlayStation 3. The heavyweight movie studios behind the venture include 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate, MGM, NBC Universal, Paramount and, of course, Sony's moviemaking arm. But you already knew that, given that the whole enchilada's been available to American gringos since April. All Qriocity participants will get to use a new Music Unlimited service, which is launching by the end of the year with as yet undetermined pricing. Plans are also afoot to offer Qriocity on third party devices, but until then you'll wanna make sure to have one of them newfangled web-connected Bravia TVs or any of the litany of Blu-ray players and home theater setups Sony is busy promoting right this minute.
Mark Cuban foretells Netflix demise, sees a future filled with on-demand video
To call Mark Cuban eccentric would be akin to describing the ocean as wet, but what's not so often acknowledged about the Dallas Mavericks owner is the sharp mind and commercial nous that have gotten him to the position of hiring and firing millionaire ball players. One of Mark's recent blog posts, entitled "The future of TV ... is TV," got the attention of NewTeeVee, who sought to debunk his contention that VOD (video on demand) services from cable operators would become the primary means by which we consume digital media in the future. They cite the growing success story of Netflix's digital distribution model, as well as the 12 million hours of March Madness video consumed via CBS' web portal, in arguing that web streaming is indeed the great new hotness. Mark's response tackles Netflix head on, and points out that the company's rapid growth is about to start working against it, with movie studios and other content providers likely to jack up prices and demand further concessions from the streaming service as it turns into a real competitor to cable companies. According to him, Netflix is presently getting its content at prices that are unsustainable, and his prognostication is that content owners seeking bigger levies -- together with the expansion of VOD choice, which he sees as foolproof compared to the overwhelming complexity that web streaming entails -- will lead to Netflix passing costs on to the consumers and losing out to cable operators. Irrespective of whether you agree with him, the whole exchange is well worth a read. Use the links below to get filled in.
YouTube rental selection expanded; sadly, most films still lack explosions
Are you looking for yet another way to stream Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired? Netflix and iTunes not doing it for you? Apparently YouTube's first, tentative step into on-demand rentals (some sort of Sundance Film Festival cross-promotion early this year) went well enough, and the company's started offering an extended range of movie and TV episodes for your viewing pleasure. Depending on the flick, anywhere between $.99 and $3.99 will get you 48 hours access, paid through Google Check-Out. Not too many Hollywood blockbusters are on tap, but if you're in the mood for a documentary, indie, or foreign film, hit up the source link to see for yourself. Personally, we're holding out until Die Hard With A Vengeance becomes available.
Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ HD media player gains Netflix streaming
Seagate's FreeAgent Theater+ HD media player has quite a few competitors surrounding it, and for the most part, it didn't really offer a huge competitive advantage when we peeked it back in September. 'Course, that's before support for Netflix's Watch Instantly came along, and today, the tables seem to have turned. The aforesaid storage outfit has announced that a gratis firmware update will enable this here player to stream Netflix as well as content from YouTube, vTuner and Mediafly. For those just now willing to give this unit a second look, it also doubles as a UPnP / DLNA streamer to play content stored on networked PCs and drives, and it can procured for right around $100 sans a FreeAgent HDD. So, Roku -- you just going to sit there and take this, or what? %Gallery-91131%
JBO: Joystiq Box Office, April 5 - April 9
We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week. Recommendation of the Week: The Killer (Blu-ray: $29.99 MSRP, much lower at most retailers) This week's recommendation is a bit tongue in cheek, mostly because the video quality isn't the sharpest in the world. Granted, the source material is 21 years old, but I've seen what they can do with movies like The African Queen and The Wizard of Oz on Blu-ray, so why not one of director John Woo's and actor Chow Yun Fat's best films, The Killer? Still, all of that complaining aside, the film does look better than I've ever seen it look on home video format, and it runs circles around the murky theatrical print I saw back when I was in college. While probably not a disc you'll slap in to show off how much Blu-ray rocks, it still looks fantastic, and it's got a completely new interview on the disc with Woo (where's Yun-Fat, though?) that is well worth it. There's also a Q&A session where he talks about The Killer and Hard Boiled. This is being produced by Dragon Dynasty, a joint company venture from the Weinstein brothers and Genius Products, and I'm hoping things improve a bit in the transfer department. Let's get Chow Yun-Fat's God of Gamblers, A Better Tomorrow trilogy, City on Fire, and Treasure Hunt on Blu-ray, stat. Read on after the break for the rest of our recommendations, then chime in below!
JBO: Joystiq Box Office, March 29 - April 2
We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week. Recommendation of the Week: The African Queen (Blu-ray: $39.99 MSRP, much lower at most retailers) Can you believe Humphrey Bogart only won one Oscar in his lifetime? It was for this movie. Personally, I think he was robbed from winning it for Casablanca, but The African Queen is a worthy win as well. He really delivers a powerful performance as Charlie Allnut, the rough and tumble boat captain working his boat, the African Queen. But it's Katherine Hepburn who really turns in a tour de force performance as Rose Sayer, a tough as nails missionary in East Africa. Paramount recently completed a massive 4k restoration on this title, and it looks simply amazing on Blu-ray. The standard Blu-ray set gets you the movie, while the slightly more expensive box set comes with a CD of the original radio production of The African Queen (with Bogart) and Hepburn's book The Making of The African Queen or How I Went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind. Seriously good filmmaking and performances against a wonderful story based on C.S. Forester's novel of the same name. Highly recommended. Now someone just put Bogey's The Caine Mutiny on Blu-ray and I'll be happy. Read on after the break for the rest of our recommendations, then chime in below!
JBO: Joystiq Box Office, March 22 - March 26
We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week. We're back! The Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco and South by Southwest in Austin combined to double-whammy JBO out of existence, but it's back with a vengeance this week, even during the midst of PAX East. So read the gaming news, cue up a movie, and let us know what you're watching. Recommendation of the Week: Breaking Bad (Blu-ray, Season 1 -- $49.95 and Season 2 -- $39.95, lower at retailers) Why are you reading this? You should be watching Breaking Bad. Seriously, I can wait until you're back to carry on. The internets will still be here. Back? See what we're talking about? Bryan Cranston is pure genius in this as a man at the end of his rope. He's a low-paid high school science teacher with a disabled son and a pregnant wife. He's working a demeaning second job at a car wash just to make ends meet, and, on top of that, he finds out he has inoperable lung cancer. So what does he do? He decides to start cooking crystal meth so he can leave his family a small fortune. The opening scene of episode one is worth the cost of both sets alone. This is genius basic cable programming from AMC that just started its third season this past week, so catch up on the first two seasons with these Blu-rays that look ultra-sharp with tons of extras. Read on after the break for the rest of our recommendations, then chime in below!
JBO: Joystiq Box Office, March 1 - March 5
We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week. Recommendation of the Week: Ponyo (Blu-ray, $39.99 MSRP, much lower at most retailers) If you don't know who Hayao Miyazaki is yet, then you need a crash course in gorgeous Japanese animated films with amazing storytelling. He's like the Japanese Walt Disney, and Ponyo is his latest film. It's a wonderful fantasy that was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid and he's put his own particular spin on it. A young boy named Sosuke rescues a female goldfish, Ponyo, and they set off on an adventure together. The Blu-ray disc includes an ultra-crisp transfer of the film, which features hand-drawn animation, and a look inside Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli. We're offering up five sets of Miyazaki films with this Joystiq Box Office, so read the rules at the bottom of the post to enter. Five winners will receive Ponyo on Blu-ray, and standard DVDs of My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service and Castle in the Sky. Truly magical filmmaking. Read on after the break for the rest of our recommendations, and let us know what you're watching!
JBO: Joystiq Box Office, February 15 - February 19, plus Joyswag!
We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week. Recommendation of the Week: Stingray Sam ($12 HD digital download, $18 DVD, $49 deluxe) Cory McAbee is one cool character. He's produced art, music, short films and feature films, and he's at his best when he's combining art and movie together. Last year at Sundance, he premiered his newest feature film, Stingray Sam. Set in the future, two interstellar cowboys who just happen to be convicts are given a shot at freedom, if they complete one mission. Along the way they encounter a lot of wacky stuff, and sing some bizarre songs. Songs that will stay with you long after you've seen the movie, like the Lullaby Song. It combines science fiction, music, Westerns and pure wacky in a package of pure delight. We have three copies of the Stingray Sam DVD and soundtrack to give away this week, so just read the rules and comment below, letting us know what your name would be if you were an outer space cowboy. Read on after the break for the rest of our recommendations, and let us know what you're watching!
YouTube introduces movie rentals, only independent titles for now
In an atypically low key beginning, YouTube is starting to roll out a new movie rental service. Currently stocked with only five titles from independent film producers, it won't be posing any threats to the Netflix empire any time soon, but plans are naturally afoot to expand what's on offer. Available between this Friday and the end of this year's Sundance Film Festival, the movies can be rented for $3.99 a piece through the Google Checkout payment system. Prepare your muscles to do some cringing though, as YouTube is said to be working on adding health, fitness and educational videos as well. Still, the focus seems to be on getting indie filmmakers more exposure -- and cash, "the majority" of rental revenue will go to the film producers -- and we can't really argue with that.
Sony Qriocity on-demand movie service coming February 2010
Say hello to Qriocity, Sony's first step toward building an Online Service to rival iTunes, Netflix and anything else that makes money by selling you downloadable content. Headed to your nearest XMB in February and getting a dedicated remote control button on Sony's future TV sets, this service will allow you to stream movies in SD or HD, and Sony Insider reports that with a strong web connection you'll be able to get a solid 720p output. A large roster of film publishers have been recruited, while Sony promises "hundreds" of films will be available at Qriocity's launch. Come past the break to scope out the UI.
Funai, Panasonic, Sanyo, Sharp and Toshiba to launch Netflix-enabled HDTVs or Blu-ray decks
Having Netflix access on your home entertainment device was a luxury in 2009 -- in 2010, it'll be commonplace. We already heard yesterday that Sharp was fixing to integrate the service into its NetCast library, and today the prolific movie rental service has announced that Funai (which distributes Philips, Magnavox, Sylvania and Emerson brands), Panasonic, Sanyo, Sharp and Toshiba will all be introducing Netflix-ready devices this year. That means that each of those outfits will be pushing out Netflix-enabled HDTVs of Blu-ray Disc players in the year 2010, so you can plan on being in quite the pickle here soon if intentionally shopping for one of those two that doesn't have access to your Watch Instantly queue. In fact, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has been quoted as saying that he expects "instant streaming of movies from Netflix to be available on more than one hundred different partner products in 2010," so we're pretty confident that Coby and Hannspree will be joining the fray in short order.
