The Dark Knight Rises

Christopher Nolan never ceases to amaze me with his incredible visual talent to bring such an iconic comic book character into today’s world. If you haven’t had a chance to see The Dark Knight Rises, then I highly suggest you do so immediately.

The Problems on the Set of 'World War Z'

World War Z is a zombie drama that has been in production now for about four years, and has had problems from the get go. One of the biggest flaws in the production is the lack of an experienced director. Marc Forster was signed to direct after Brad Pitt’s production company, Plan B Entertainment, bought the film rights to move the film into development. Three weeks before shooting was to begin in June 2011, sources say Forster had not made critical decisions about what the zombies would look like and how they would move.

The Motion Picture Association of America

mpaa.org

         One of the most powerful organizations in the film industry is the Motion Picture Association of America. Formed in 1922, the MPAA was originally named The Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association of America and was created to resist government interference with films and create an organized system of industry-led censorship called the Hays Code or The Production Code.

Amazon Created a 'Never Before on DVD' Store

        Amazon is making a bold move in the right direction with their new ‘Never Before on DVD’ store by bringing back older film, which have never been released on DVD. The service literally makes DVDs and packaging after you have ordered them. Among its 2,000 titles initially offered are movies from the vaults of Disney, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. The service allows for content providers to offer movies on DVD that it might not be economically wise to mass-produce. Rather than eliminating these titles to digital on-demand services, Amazon's CreateSpace will produce the discs on an order-by-order basis, meaning there are no concerns about unsold stock. I personally am looking forward to this because hopefully studios will stop locking away movies from releasing. It was also mentioned that Nickelodeon will also take part in this new store. That is the main thing I’m looking forward to because soon I’ll be able to watch all those great shows from the 90’s. Amazon has also announced that it has struck a deal with Paramount Pictures to offer "hundreds" of its movies via the Prime Instant Video service, including titles like Mission Impossible 3, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and Top Gun to customers who have ponied up for the $79-a-year service. The agreement is good for the next three years, though the window for when new movies will become available on the service looks like it will be fairly long, if the titles Amazon has name checked are any indication. In my opinion this is a great step to bring back the old movies, we shouldn’t just lock them up in a ‘vault’. Also, I hope they create the option to put your own material on amazon and have them basically become your independent distributor. 

Results of the 84th Annual Academy Awards

Even though the Academy Awards was a few days ago, I feel that it’s still relevant enough to post the results for those who didn’t watch it or simply can’t remember who won what Oscar. Billy Crystal was our host for the night, making this his ninth time hosting the Academy Awards. I was pretty satisfied with the winners, although I did not see some of the films that won. Hugo, directed by Martin Scorsese, won five Oscars including best cinematography.

Blackout Day

Today, January 18, 2012, over 7,000 websites including Wikipedia and Google will have a “Blackout Day” to censor all content in protest of the upcoming vote of the Stop Online Piracy Act or SOPA.

Jaws No More

      One of Universal’s original and most memorable rides, Jaws, closed down on Monday, including the Amity-themed area, to make way for a new and exciting attraction to be added in 2012. The ride, if you don’t know, is based off the 1975 movie Jaws, directed by Steven Spielberg and is one of the most iconic movies of all time. Universal spokesmen Tom Schroder said, "Jaws has been an amazing attraction and an important part of our history. We know that Jaws holds a special place in the hearts of our guests," Schroder said. "But we always have to look to the future and dedicate ourselves to providing new, innovative entertainment experiences for our guests."