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George Lucas' student film, 'THX 1138,' will stream soon
Gunpowder & Sky has announced that its Sci-Fi channel Dust will stream Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB, the short USC film that helped kickstart George Lucas' career. The film is about a man trying to escape an oppressive society constantly monitored by security cameras, and was later developed into a feature film by Warner Brothers and Francis Ford Coppola.
LA beats out SF to host George Lucas' art museum
Unbeknownst to some, Los Angeles and San Francisco had been clashing for months on yet another front: Which would win the right to build an elaborate, expansive museum housing film ephemera and personal art collected by George Lucas. As is only proper for the nexus of cinema, Hollywood won the fight. Yes, the upcoming museum will feature choice souvenirs from the Star Wars franchise, but it aims to be a serious institution with the money to back it up. Lucas will allegedly front $1 billion himself in construction costs and art as well as the creation of a $400 million endowment fund.
Razer's THX purchase means cinema-approved VR and laptops
Longtime cinephiles might be disappointed by the following news: THX will now operate as an "independent startup" under the Razer banner. Yep, the gaming PC and peripherals company. The cinema certification outfit founded by George Lucas will keep its management and employees (phew) and will continue to operate as it has for the past 33 years just under a new owner, according to a prepared statement. "With their focus on quality, design and innovation, Razer supports our vision to optimize and deliver the best audiovisual experiences to audiences worldwide," THX CEO Ty Ahmad-Taylor said in a canned press release quote.
The 'Star Wars' holographic chess game is nearly a reality
"Let's be real: Any article you read about Magic Leap or any AR platform, the first thing they talk about is Holochess." That's Mike Levine, the former senior effects specialist at LucasArts and the current CEO of mobile game developer Happy Giant. Levine is working on a new project with Corey Rosen, the former creature-effects supervisor at Industrial Light & Magic, and legendary monster designer Phil Tippett -- the man who created Holochess for the original Star Wars: A New Hope. Together these sci-fi comrades are building HoloGrid: Monster Battle, a tactical collectible card game that takes numerous cues from the classic Holochess scene. Forty years on, Star Wars still exerts a huge influence on Tippett's life. "It's really weird," Tippett says. "It's like being in some kind of time bubble or Groundhog's Day. It keeps coming back."
Watch the version of 'Star Wars' that George Lucas hates
If you want to watch the original, unaltered version of Star Wars from 1977 legally your options are essentially nonexistent. George Lucas has infamously disowned the original theatrical releases, standing by his CGI-filled Special Editions from the late '90s. If you're willing to bend the law a little bit, though, a fan-restored 35mm print of the original has been floating around the web and garnered a solid amount of interest recently. And until there's an official release of the unaltered trilogy on Blu-ray (keep the hope alive!), it's probably the best way to watch Han shoot first.
Recommended Reading: a brief history of female superheroes
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. Suffering Sappho! The Tortured History of Female Superheroes by Molly Lambert, Grantland With the truckload of recent comic book movie announcements, female superheroes are poised to make a big splash at the box office in the years to come -- including Gal Gadot (above) as Wonder Woman. However, previous female-led efforts in the genre haven't done well, and the biggest films continue to have dudes as the lead actors. Grantland takes a look at the troubled history of female superheroes as both Marvel and DC Comics prep to give the ladies another shot at Hollywood glory.
More on Angry Birds Star Wars, and location-based McD's promo in China
Rovio revealed a little while ago that a Star Wars-related Angry Birds release would be out for iOS on November 8, but since then the company has been posting various teaser videos combining the old Star Wars movies with the frustrated fowl. Leia is unimpressed with a Stormtrooper pig, the Death Star looks a little more branded and the Millenium Falcon is, well, just watch it and enjoy. I have to say I wasn't all that excited to see that Rovio was borrowing the Star Wars universe for its games. But considering all of the good will that George Lucas' setting has lost anyway, as long as the game is done with as much easygoing charm as these teasers, it might be alright. In other big Angry Birds tie-in news, Rovio has teamed up with McDonald's in China to provide some exclusive location-based content. A version of the game, only playable when near a participating restaurant in China, will feature the pigs protecting McDonald's food from the hungry birds, along with special powerups and levels. There is a TV ad floating around that combines the two brands. Rovio is obviously partnering up with some of the biggest brands in the world in an effort to push its already popular game even more towards the mainstream.
Star Wars Episode II and III 3D re-releases officially dated for theaters in September and October 2013
Before Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace came back to the theaters earlier this year converted for 3D, the plan was to bring the other five movies to theaters one at a time each year, but that has apparently changed. At the Star Wars Celebration VI event in Orlando (where we first found out about the Blu-ray release two years ago) Lucasfilm announced that Episodes II and III in 3D will be released in theaters back to back in fall of 2013, arriving September 20th and October 11th, respectively. Missing so far from the announcement? A reason for the back-to-back release or any word on Blu-ray 3D plans. In lieu of more details, although it means Attack of the Clones will come back later in the year than Phantom Menace did, with any luck this accelerated schedule is a good omen for the original trilogy's return. Of course, we'll have to wait and see what magic can be worked with those older film and special effects elements, however IGN apparently found an early preview of the Episode II 3D footage to be promising. [Thanks, Rachael]
Droid X360 goes for the KIRF prize, antagonizes Microsoft, Motorola and Sony at the same time (video)
Can we establish a KIRF award for Most Likely to Invite Multiple Lawsuits? If so, Long Xun Software would have to claim the statuette for its Droid X360, at least if it dared set foot in the US. This prime example of keepin' it real fake is even more of a PS Vita clone than the Yinlips YDPG18, but goes the extra mile with a name that's likely to irk Microsoft, Motorola, Verizon and George Lucas all at once. That's even discounting the preloaded emulators for just about every pre-1999 Nintendo, Sega and Sony console. Inside, you'll at least find a device that's reasonably up to snuff: the 5-inch handheld is running Android 4.0 on a 1.5GHz single-core Quanzhi A10 processor, 512MB of RAM, 8GB of built-in space, a 2-megapixel camera at the back and a VGA shooter at the front. If the almost gleeful amount of copyright and trademark violation isn't keeping you from wanting this award-winner, you'll have to ask Long Xun for pricing and availability.
Star Wars-themed GPS steers Japanese geeks away from the dark side
As if George Lucas wasn't already milking his money-printing franchise for all it's worth, comes this GPS gem out of Japan. To the (presumed) delight of fanboys everywhere, navigation maker Dinos has inked a licensing deal with Lucasfilm that conjures up an all-out, Star Wars-themed car nav system. From the orchestral theme music at startup to the voice guidance performed by the original Japanese VO actors (Darth Vader and C-3P0 only), the 5-inch LCD mount is pretty much the memorabilia stuff of a grown-up, scifi geek's wet dream. There's even a mode selection option to let users pledge their allegiance to either the "Empire" or the "Rebels," in addition to 20 different custom vehicle indicator icons. Sounds fluffy enough, but the unit also does double duty as a OneSeg TV tuner and can even be used as a standalone set. It's on sale now for 39,800Yen (US$507), but unless you're living in the Land of the Rising Sun, this import's just kitsch for kitsch's sake.
Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures Blu-ray set hits shelves September 18th
Fans of the Indiana Jones series already got the good news in March that the flicks are finally coming to Blu-ray this year, and now we know when. Paramount has set September 18th as the release date, and also finally revealed cover art for the set, seen above... yeah, that's really it. No matter how cartoony it is (or how mind-numbing Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was) we're sure some will still be lining up when it ships. For their trouble, they can expect a "meticulously restored" edition of Raiders of the Lost Ark, after a process supervised by director Steven Spielberg and sound designer Ben Burtt. This has included a 4K scan of the original negatives, as well as a revisiting to the original audio mix, with music tracks and sound effects that had previously only been used in mono upgraded to stereo surround for the 5.1 DTS-HD MA track. Check after the break for a press release with more details on the restoration and a trailer for the boxed set, or head to Amazon where the price is currently sitting at $90 to preorder.
THX manages AV settings for pros and consumers with Cinespace HD and Media Director
The Star Wars Blu-ray boxed set was the first movie to ship with THX's Media Director technology built-in, which works with compatible hardware to automatically configure AV settings for optimal quality on that title, so it's no surprise the Lucasfilm produced Red Tails is next up for the treatment. Of course, the key element there is compatible hardware, and unfortunately there's not much new to report there since it announced deals with HDI and a few others at CES, although we're assured the team is working on expanding support for its metadata from embedded chip manufacturers. On the content creation side THX also has something to offer with its cineCube HD, a slimmed down edition of its cineSpace offering designed to control color management at every step of the production process for the way it will eventually appear on Blu-ray. There's more details on exactly what it does and how in the press releases, although the real proof will likely be seen in the movies and TV shows it's used on.
The Complete Indiana Jones Blu-ray Collection finally brings the entire set home in HD this fall
It's taken forever to come about, but the first three Indiana Jones movies will be released on Blu-ray for the first time later this year. Paramount announced it will deliver The Complete Indiana Jones Blu-ray Collection this fall (no exact date yet), without explaining how it could possibly be complete if it lacked The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. This set does however include the three movies everyone wants to see (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) plus the other one (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) which was previously released on Blu-ray. Paramount and Lucasfilm are promising the "highest possible" picture and audio quality plus a collection of the usual behind the scenes featurettes and extras plus some surprises. Judging by the work Lucasfilm and Fox did on the Star Wars Blu-ray discs we should be in for a treat, and fans of other classic Spielberg flicks have a lot to look forward to from Universal's centennial celebration releases which will include Jaws and E.T. While we wait for more details, hardcore Indy fans can already get their preorder on at Amazon where the set is priced at $74.99, or check after the break for the press release and a few throwback trailers.
Industrial robots do Star Wars better than Lucas
At the International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Shanghai, industrial robot company Yasakawa equipped a couple of its manufacturing machines with lightsabers and choreographed a violent ballet for them to perform. The resulting battle is more exhilarating than the duel at the end of Phantom Menace and the performances are less lifeless than those in Attack of the Clones. Best of all -- Lucas can't add 30 minutes of new CGI scenes and re-release the video below in 3D.
Star Wars Blu-ray details to be revealed May 4th
After a CES reveal and finding out the release date of all the Star Wars films on Blu-ray (in The Complete Saga, Original Trilogy and Prequel only editions), what more could there be to find out? Apparently quite a bit, and LucasFilm has sent out an email informing those interested to keep an eye on maythe4th.starwars.com (great pun, George, did you come up with that one on your own?) where it is promised "all will be revealed" -- most likely details on the extensive special features and official box art -- at 9 AM EST. Clear your Wednesday calendar and keep refreshing that page, which currently features a conveniently ticking countdown to the main event.
Star Wars Blu-ray release date set for September 16, 2011
Now you can reserve that Storm Trooper uniform. While the Star Wars: The Complete Saga, Star Wars: Original Trilogy and Star Wars: Prequel Trilogy Blu-ray sets were originally announced with a release date of September and later popped up in retailer databases for September 27th, it has settled in for a September 16th arrival. Blu-ray.com points out that's a Friday which should open things up for plenty of retailer events around the launch and leave fans with the entire weekend to tear through the movies and all the extras coming along with them, no time off of work needed. Star Wars.com has also been updated with the new date so we're confident this one will stick, update your calendars and preorder plans accordingly.
Star Wars Blu-ray discs to arrive September 27th according to Amazon
Even a flashy CES announce event wasn't enough for Fox and George Lucas to reveal an exact release date for the arrival of Star Wars on Blu-ray, but now Amazon has updated its preorder ship dates to September 27th. We wouldn't schedule a day off of work to dive into the promised 30 hours of special features until there's some sort of official word, but since it is a Tuesday it seems a logical time to expect these discs (in full Complete Saga form or either trilogy set by itself, your choice) to touch down. Relive the somewhat underwhelming Darth Vader entrance and the much more inspiring Blu-ray boxed set trailer after the break.
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.
George Lucas officially announces Star Wars on Blu-ray in 2011
As rumored, all six Star Wars movies will be released together on Blu-ray in 2011 for the 35th anniversary of the release of A New Hope. George Lucas personally announced the set on stage at the Celebration V event, and showed off a deleted scene from Return of the Jedi that will be included (embedded after the break.) While the "highest picture and audio quality" and extensive special features are promised, what won't make it to Blu-ray are the original versions of the movies; Lucas told the New York Times that only the special editions will be included, since restoring the original versions in high enough quality would cost too much. No word on price, release date or any plans to release the films individually, but if you can stand living in a world where Greedo shot first then this will certainly be on next year's shopping list. [Thanks, @thunsaker]
Star Wars: The Clone Wars gets box art, November 11th release date
Let's face it -- whenever a new Star Wars flick comes out, it's a massive deal. Granted, The Clone Wars didn't make nearly as big of a splash as any of the other non-animated versions, but true fanatics will likely be grappling for this one, regardless. We've just learned that said title will be making its Blu-ray debut day-and-date with the DVD release, and as expected, it'll be presented in 1080p with a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack. Also of note, "The Hologram Memory Challenge" and a "creative conversation" with those instrumental in making the film will appear as BD exclusive bonus features, and a Digital Copy will be included for those who care. Look for this one to crowd shelves on November 11th for $34.99 (MSRP).
