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'Pixels' is somehow even worse than I thought it could be
When the first trailer for Pixels hit I was worried that the movie was going to be a "steaming pile of cinematic garbage." Now that I've actually seen the Adam Sandler and Kevin James vehicle, I can say that was still far too generous a prediction; it's actually much, much worse. Pixels' real villains aren't the admittedly gorgeous renderings of giant-sized Pac-Man and Donkey Kong hell-bent on destroying Earth -- they're the toxic tropes that Hollywood keeps perpetuating.
'Interstellar' makes the case for humanity's return to space
Interstellar achieves a rare feat for a blockbuster. Like the best science fiction, it manages to tell a distinctly human story while also holding up a mirror to our societal ills. But it's also a film that isn't afraid to explore real science -- the plot largely hinges on its space-time dynamic, and it does so while plumbing the depths of human sentiment. At its core, Interstellar drives home the idea that we humans are curious creatures, and inherently explorers.
Monster House 3D Blu-ray reviewed, hints Sony's skills are improving
If your 3DTV and eyes are moaning from endless replays of the Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 3D Blu-ray, High-Def Digest says Sony's second 3D Blu-ray release, Monster House, can provide some relief. Besides gushing over the "spectacular" 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfer, they note that Sony has fixed the issue of background smearing and image ghosting present in the few other 3D Blu-ray titles out there like Cloudy and Monsters vs Aliens. The "impressive" DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack was also deemed a great improvement over the original Blu-ray release's English PCM 5.1 version. Combined with the refreshing lack of pointy-objects-in-your-face 3D gimmick shots and accurate color reproduction, they gave the title 4.5 out of 5 stars for both HD video and audio quality -- which certainly isn't kids stuff. Good news aside, it probably won't make up for the scorn of Pansonic's Avatar exclusive for those using LG, Sony or Samsung gear, but then again, you can always just rent Dances With Wolves if you just need to belong. To read the full review, hit the source link below.
iTunes Store now shows Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer reviews for movies
Apple has quietly added Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer ratings and reviews for movies in the iTunes Store. Rotten Tomatoes is one of the most popular movie review sites on the web. It uses reviews from top critics and film societies to produce Tomatometer ratings -- a percentage-based rating of a movie derived from the averages of all the reviews of the film. iTunes' integrated Rotten Tomatoes ratings presents the movie's prospective buyers and renters with the Tomatometer chart featuring the total count of reviews along with a fresh/rotten breakdown and the average rating. Viewers are also shown four review snippets from Top Critic reviewers, followed by a link to the movies page on RottenTomatoes.com. Thanks to reader Eric Zigler who sent this in.
For all the movie buffs out there, here's TCM on your iPhone
The iPhone has been good for movie fans. There is the free IMBD, plus the Empire Magazine collection of reviews at $4.99, plus scads of apps that will find your nearest cinema and give you showtimes and trailers. Of course real film fanatics are probably fans of the Turner Classic Movies channel on cable and satellite. TCM runs a lot of the best movies ever made, with great introductions and extras. Now the info in the TCM library has come to the iPhone and iPod touch [iTunes link] with a US$2.99 app loaded with clips, blogs, trailers and information on the latest TCM fare. When you start the app up it tells you what's showing on TCM this minute, the production details of the film, clips from the film, and a detailed essay on the movie. You can do the same for any movie in the TCM schedule. I had a lot of fun going through the schedule and diving into all the information, trivia and clips. I did think there was one serious problem. You can't search the database, which would seem an obvious feature to have. If you can't find the film on the TCM schedule, you'll get no info at all. That seems a shame, and it is a contrast to the TCM web page (which is free). All in all, I'd rate the TCM app a good start, and it would go a long way toward perfection if it added search capabilities.
