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Tag: Film

  • Film Editing Oscar Goes To The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Twitter Reacts

    The Oscar for film editing went to the team behind The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. It’s the same team that won last year for The Social Network. Both films, of course, were directed by David Fincher.

    The nominees were:

    The Artist
    Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius

    The Descendants
    Kevin Tent

    The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
    Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall

    Hugo
    Thelma Schoonmaker

    Moneyball
    Christopher Tellefsen

    Congratulations to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for Film Editing! I absolutely love that movie! #oscars 37 seconds ago via txt ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Better at Film editing than speech giving #oscars 1 minute ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for film editing? The Swedish version was basically a rough draft that didn’t need any editing! #Oscars 1 minute ago via Twitter for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    The Girl with the Dragon tattoo for film editing. #Oscars. I’m not liking Rooney Mara’s outfit tonight. 1 minute ago via UberSocial for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Film editing…
    I proffered Hugo from the Dragon Tatoo
    #hugo #thegirlwiththedragontatoo #oscars 2 minutes ago via Twitter for iPad ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Hugo did go on to win Sound Editing and Sound Mixing.

  • Oscars For Cinematography, Art Direction Go To Hugo, Twitter Reacts

    The first two Oscars of the night both went to the film Hugo. Those would be the awards for Cinematography and Art Direction.

    Here’s the trailer:

    The nominees for Cinematography were:

    The Artist
    Guillaume Schiffman

    The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
    Jeff Cronenweth

    Hugo
    Robert Richardson

    The Tree of Life
    Emmanuel Lubezki

    War Horse
    Janusz Kaminski

    The nominees for Art Direction were:

    The Artist
    Laurence Bennett (Production Design); Robert Gould (Set Decoration)

    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
    Stuart Craig (Production Design); Stephenie McMillan (Set Decoration)

    Hugo
    Dante Ferretti (Production Design); Francesca Lo Schiavo (Set Decoration)

    Midnight in Paris
    Anne Seibel (Production Design); Hélène Dubreuil (Set Decoration)

    War Horse
    Rick Carter (Production Design); Lee Sandales (Set Decoration

    Here is some commentary from the Twitterverse about the wins:

    Best Cinematography Hugo! #Hugo #Oscars great film. My favorite. 33 seconds ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Congratulations, Gandalf, on your Oscar for cinematography on Hugo. You’re a wizard behind the camera lens! #Oscars 49 seconds ago via Twitter for iPad ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Okay, to be honest..I didn’t see the Tree of Life yet so maybe I have underestimated the upset for cinematography. #Oscars 1 minute ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Woohoo!! #Hugo for production design and cinematography at #Oscars Well deserved. 1 minute ago via TweetCaster for Android ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Cinematography and Art Direction go to Hugo because it probably won’t win any other awards. #spoilers #Oscars 1 minute ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    I really didn’t expect Hugo to win though Tree Of Life had AMAZING cinematography #Oscars 2 minutes ago via Echofon ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    The more I think about Tree of Life not winning Best Cinematography the angrier I get. I could Hulk-out. #oscars 2 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Tree of Life was ROBBED in cinematography! #Oscars 3 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • Cycle Man: The Film

    Cycle Man: The Film

    What would it be like to live on your bike? One man is attempting to find out. Guillaume Blanchet spent 382 days around the Montreal area documenting exactly what it would be like. He cites his father, a cyclist as the inspiration for the project.

    Here’s what he came up with:

    THE MAN WHO LIVED ON HIS BIKE from Guillaume Blanchet on Vimeo.

    Lets see what people think of this guy:

    Second best three minutes of my day. TOTALLY WORTH clicking the link! Man lives on bike in Montreal http://t.co/HoM2FNfx 5 hours ago via Tweet Button ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    “The Man Who Lives on His Bike” makes me happy: http://t.co/r4XVE9gL #GuillaumeBlanchet #smile 5 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Very impressive!!!! Man ‘lives on a bike’ for 382 days http://t.co/NhvjOGon via @HuffPostCanada 2 hours ago via The Huffington Post ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    I don’t know what to think about this. I like it, but I don’t know if I could dedicate a year of my life to it. Seems more like a weekend project.

  • Exclusive: SOPA, From a Filmmaker’s Perspective

    Exclusive: SOPA, From a Filmmaker’s Perspective

    Jeff Day makes independent films. The budget for his 2010 production, “Unrequited” was just under $2 Million. Sure, those aren’t “Titanic” numbers. But, the producers got some star power bang for their buck. The movie featured Michael Welch from the Twilight series; Clare Carey from TV series Chuck; and David Keith from U-571, Major League II, many others (incl. my fave, Heartbreak Hotel as Elvis Presley).

    “Unrequited” is being distributed by Lions Gate Films with a release due this summer.

    Day is a member of Screen Actors’ Guild and the Writers’ Guild of America. His production house, Lucky Day Studios, has three projects listed as “in-production“. Looks like things are on the rise.

    But, Day has been pretty miffed lately. It seems that his film “Unrequited” has been downloaded illegally many times. In fact, on one torrent site I checked, it appears that there were 17,752 downloads. Again, not “Titanic” numbers. But, when you work with fewer zeroes behind the number, the times you get cheated sting just a bit more.

    “It’s the independent filmmakers who feel this piracy issue the most,” says Day, whose “day job” is Director of Theatre & Cinema Performance at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, near Lexington.

    Day has been watching the debate over the Stop Online Piracy Act for the past few weeks. He thinks it’s a good idea, from his perspective.

    “Independent filmmakers know that their projects are going to be pirated and that there is nothing you as a filmmaker can do… Google says they are spending $60M a year to fight piracy. I believe they are looking the other way and these bills would make them accountable.”

    Day suspects that much of his piracy issues begin overseas.

    “It’s very easy for someone to pick up a DVD of a film not yet distributed by attending any of the major film markets, who aggressively hand out DVD’s of their films to get the buyers to purchase them. “Unrequited” has been released in Russia, Italy, Eastern Europe, Greece and Latin America. Any of those territories could be the ultimate source.”

    But, that problem has come very close to home for him. Day says that several of his students have downloaded “Unrequited”.

    What about objections to SOPA that he hears?

    “The largest argument I hear is that if anyone were to say a site has pirated their material, all they need do is fill out an affidavit and present it. Then the site must come down. They also say it will cause web search engines to censor sites. Well… they should censor a site that is pirating copyrighted material. Thats a ridiculous comment. As for the affidavit issue, that is simply not true. Evidence has to be presented that the material is indeed pirated.”

    While his issues with piracy are real and understandable, Day may find himself in the minority soon, in terms of SOPA/PIPA support. After Wednesdays blackout protests, legislators are abandoning it like an Italian cruise liner. Many SOPA opponents say that they want anti-piracy legislation, but not the kind being offered by SOPA and PIPA.

    PIPA is due to for a Senate vote on January 24, 2012. SOPA has stalled in the House of Representatives. House Majority Leader, Eric Cantor, has said that the bill will not come up for a vote until a consensus is reached.

  • Facebook Offers Film Same Day As DVD

    Facebook Offers Film Same Day As DVD

    Facebook just scored a major win in the Internet’s relationship with Hollywood.

    The Financial Times is reporting that Abduction, the newest film from Lionsgate, will be available day-and-date on Facebook with the DVD release today. This is the first time that a film has been on the social networking site the same day as the DVD release.

    The film will be available for $3.99 for a 48-hour Facebook rental. Lionsgate will also offer an exclusive interview with the film’s star.

    A cool feature that comes along with this news is the ability to write notes about the film while watching it. You can them post them on the social network for your friend’s to see while they are watching the film. Of course, this could be exploited to reveal major spoilers before they happen to ruin the film for your friends.

    The film studio decided to go with Facebook because they have confidence the social networking giant can help them generate online video rentals in the crucial early weeks of a home video release. It will also help them gather personal information on film aficionados that can be used for further marketing vehicles.

    Anne Parducci, Executive VP of Marketing at Lionsgate, told the Financial Times that this will give them a direct contact to their fans that their Facebook page didn’t provide.

    About 14 studios have previously offered released movies for rental on Facebook since Warner Bros. offered The Dark Knight on the service, according to the Financial Times.

  • The Pirate Bay Gets Into Promoting

    The Pirate Bay is looking to promote your band or film for free if you’re willing to let other people get at it for free.

    The Pirate Bay today announced The Promo Bay, a new promotional tool that allows the creative types out there to have their content displayed as the lead image on The Pirate Bay Web site’s homepage.

    The Promo Bay is described by them as such:

    Do you have a band? Are you an aspiring movie producer? A comedian? A cartoon artist?

    As you might have seen we sometimes replace our front page logo with others. Sometimes we link to important political issues like Internet censorship and sometimes it’s to some cool indie musicians we like.
    We would now like to improve this feature. We want you to send us an email and tell us what you have and where you would like it to be shown.

    They have a few rules in place for those interested:

    They want three countries maximum for the group’s image to be seen. They point out that choosing smaller countries might improver your odds of being selected, but they might make your group the worldwide image if you’re that good.

    They won’t accept anything hateful as they want the site to be about discovering culture from around the world.

    They want a link to your work so that they can redirect traffic to your Web site. They also require that the link takes people to a place where they can get at the content for free. They don’t mind selling merchandise, but they don’t want this to be about money.

    For those interested, you can fill out the form at the Web site for The Promo Bay.

  • Amazon Signs Multi-Year Agreement With Sony To Expand LoveFilm Catalog

    Earlier this year, Amazon acquired LoveFilm, a European Netflix-like company, which beat Netflix to this type of offering in Europe.

    Today, Amazon announced a new deal with Sony Pictures Television to expand the content for LoveFilm.

    “Our latest major content agreement means we’ll be able to exclusively offer our members world-class content from Sony Pictures,” said LoveFilm CEO Simon Calver. “The number of recent high-profile deals we have secured means we are able to keep expanding the service, offering our members high-quality films and TV and the ability to watch as much as they want for one low monthly price.”

    Other recent LoveFilm deals include those with Warner Bros., Entertainment One, StudioCanal, Disney, Momentum and Lionsgate.

    The Sony deal is a multi-year agreement that will give members exclusive streaming access to new and forthcoming Sony Pictures titles during the second subscription pay TV window, as well as catalog titles and TV series, from next June.

    LoveFilm members will get access to titles like The Social Network, Salt, Transformers, The Karate Kid, Wallace & Gromit, and more.

    Forthcoming Sony Pictures releases, catalog titles and TV series will be added to the LoveFilm instant service which is accessible via PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, ipad, and various Internet-connected TVs and Blu-ray players. DVDs are still being offered as well.

  • The Criterion Collection Comes To iTunes

    The Criterion Collection Comes To iTunes

    Among cinephiles, The Criterion Collection is pretty much a holy organization. Established in 1984, the folks at Criterion’s goal has been to gather the world’s best and most important films from all over the world and distribute them in the highest possible quality. Criterion is oftentimes able to bring to life forgotten classics and films that have fallen off even the most ardent film-lover’s radar.

    And now, as Very Aware has noticed, the Criterion Collection has made a very quiet debut on iTunes. Very quiet in that there’s been no big announcement and their Twitter and Facebook pages are bereft of even the smallest promotion.

    The Criterion selection now available on iTunes is nowhere near the full collection, in fact there are barely over forty individual films available. But they have included some absolute must-sees like Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless, John Ford’s Stagecoach, Kurosawa’s Yojimbo and Marcel Camus’ Black Orpheus.

    The Criterion Collection is known to be a bit pricey – as the DVD’s and Blu-Rays can run anywhere from $25 to $40 – even more in rare circumstances. But here, the prices are quite reasonable, especially in comparison to other movies on iTunes. Most of the Criterion films are $2.99 to rent and $14.99 to buy. By comparison, it’s $14.99 to buy the new release Crazy, Stupid Love (starring Steve Carrell) and $3.99 to rent it.

    That price point on purchases is especially tempting, considering that the same films on physical DVD would be much more expensive. You could build a nice little collection of classic Criterion films on your iPad for (relatively) cheap.

    Of course, the iTunes selection is nowhere near the selection offered on Hulu. There, hundreds of Criterion films are available for a $7.99 a month subscription.

    The lack of fanfare regarding this move is a bit surprising, but maybe it’s because of the fairly soft opening of 46 films. I’m sure that Criterion will add plenty more of its collection to the Apple marketplace. Another disappointing thing about the iTunes launch is the lack of special features – something that makes Criterion films special. As Very Aware points out, Criterion could utilize the iTunes extra feature in the future to bring some of that extra content to its films.

    In other Criterion Collection news, they have been vocal about the fact that it’s Criterion days at Barnes & Noble. Every year, you can snatch up their films for 50% off both online and in-stores for a limited time.

    The more and more I look at this, the more and more I’m tempted to snatch up Hoop Dreams for my iPad for permanent in-flight entertainment.

  • Act of Valor, A New Film Starring Real-Life Navy SEALs, Gets A BlogWorld Preview

    At the 2011 BlogWorld Expo, attendees are being treated to a first look at the upcoming 2012 action thriller Act of Valor.

    The film, set to release in 2012, stars real-life active-duty Navy SEALs. Here’s what they have to say about it on the film’s site:

    An unprecedented blend of real-life heroism and original filmmaking, Act of Valor stars a group of active-duty Navy SEALs in a powerful story of contemporary global anti-terrorism. Inspired by true events, the film combines stunning combat sequences, up-to-the-minute battlefield technology and heart-pumping emotion for the ultimate action adventure.

    The folks at BlogWorld are seeing a sneak preview, but you guys can check out the trailer below:

    The Twitter reaction from BlogWorld seems pretty positive:

    Mos def. Saw a longer preview of it, and it is a MUST. SEE. RT @mikedmerrill: Act of Valor looks like a #legit movie 28 minutes ago via HootSuite · powered by @socialditto

    Cool preview shown of “Act of Valor” Navy SEALS movie at #bwela http://t.co/DlBD7vek Looks great 29 minutes ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    Showing a clip of “Act of Valor” a #BWELA seems awesome. The directors are here. 30 minutes ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    Previewing “Act of Valor” – authentic action film (new genre) at #BWELA. Coming in Feb. Looks AMAZING. Based on Navy Seal missions. 31 minutes ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

    Act of Valor movie clip, WOW, @blogworld didn’t tell me I would need tissues for the keynote. 32 minutes ago via HootSuite · powered by @socialditto

    Here are some pics of the film’s directors at BlogWorld:

    For 5 years, WebProNews has partnered with BlogWorld and New Media Expo, the world’s first and largest new media conference, in an effort to broadcast how new media can grow your business, brand, and audience. Stay tuned to WebProNews for much more exclusive coverage.

  • Watch: Life in a Day (The YouTube Movie)

    Watch: Life in a Day (The YouTube Movie)

    Remember “Life in a Day,” the YouTube movie project from director Kevin MacDonald and produced by Ridley Scott, that got people all over the world to take video of themselves doing stuff on one particular day to create a documentary about a single day on earth?

    Well, that movie is here, and it’s now available to watch for free on YouTube (or right here if you wish):

    The film was gleaned from 4,500 hours of footage recorded and uploaded to YouTube, and turned into a 90 minute film.

    It was actually released in select theaters and at various film festivals, but now it’s on YouTube for all to see. It’s available with subtitles in 25 languages.

    Here are a couple of videos from Macdonald and Scott talking about the project:

    YouTube said last year that it had received 80,000 video submissions from 192 countries for the film.

  • The Steve Jobs Movie Could Be An Aaron Sorkin Project

    On Monday, the much-anticipated Steve Jobs biography, the simply titled Steve Jobs, hit the bookshelves. As was expected, it’s been a hit so far and has rocketed up to the top spot on Amazon’s bestseller list. The interview with author Walter Isaacson that aired on 60 Minutes Sunday night grabbed impressive ratings, and the video of that interview was one of the most sought-after items on the web yesterday.

    The point of all that is to say that people are incredibly interested in an in-depth, candid look at a man that led a life of relative privacy. And if you go by the early reviews (most of which are quite good), it looks like Isaacson delivers on that promise.

    The fascination that people have with Steve Jobs since his death has not been lost on Sony Pictures, who have made a play for the rights to the book.

    And according to the LA Times, Sony really wants Aaron Sorkin to pen the screenplay.

    They say Sorkin is being courted by Sony to throw his pen behind the upcoming biopic, a move that is exciting if not completely unsurprising. Sorkin is one of Hollywood’s best writers, as is evidenced by his work on The West Wing, Sports Night, The American President and the recent Moneyball. And of course, he has a history writing movies about the tech world.

    His Oscar-winning script for 2010’s The Social Network tackled Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, another highly complex giant of the industry.

    But he did know Steve Jobs, which always complicates matters. And it’s entirely possible that he won’t want to dive into another Silicon Valley project. But considering the success of The Social Network, one can’t help wondering what Sorkin could do with the Steve Jobs character.

    For a look at some of his best work, here’s a well-written scene from the all around well-written The Social Network:

    What do you think? Would Sorkin be a good fit for the Steve Jobs biopic? Let us know in the comments.

  • The Perfect House Gives Facebook an Exclusive Movie Rental Launch

    There have been a handful of announcements about movies being available for rent on Facebook this year, and now, Facebook is even getting an exclusive movie launch today. Milyoni announced that the new horror flick The Perfect House is being exclusively launched via its Social Cinema technology on Facebook.

    “The Perfect House is a brand new chilling saga about the history of a couple’s supposed dream house that, well, isn’t too perfect after all,” a Milyoni representative tells WebProNews. “Share, comment and experience the spook with your close and not-so-close friends on Facebook.”

    The Perfect House
     
    “Milyoni has also rounded up some of the scariest flicks available to make sure everyone gets in the spirit of Halloween by renting, streaming and sharing horror classics, including Saw, Blair Witch Project, Orphan Killer, among many others,” she tells us.

    Perhaps the real news here is that you can now watch the amazing Jennifer Aniston film Leprechaun on Facebook as part of this as well.

    “Milyoni offers an unmatched social experience for movie lovers on Facebook,” said Kris Hulbert, executive producer of The Perfect House. “Thanks to Social Cinema, terrified fans don’t need to brave the movie alone. They can spread their fear and excitement by sharing clips, quotes, and comments all while watching the movie from the convenience of their own home or mobile device.”

    Each title is available to rent for 30-40- Facebook credits.

  • Steve Jobs Movie In The Works?

    Steve Jobs Movie In The Works?

    When you look at the huge success of the last major motion picture that focused on a tech personalty (the Oscar-nominated The Social Network) and couple that with the massive popularity of Apple’s Steve Jobs and his recent death (I’m sure you’ve heard the word “visionary” a couple of times in the last week) – this news makes perfect sense.

    Deadline reports that Sony Pictures is making a “hefty deal” to grab the rights to the upcoming book Steve Jobs, the official biography of the late Apple CEO written by Walter Isaacson.

    The deal is rumored to be $1 million against $3 million, and producer Mark Gordon is attached to the project.

    The upcoming book upon which the Jobs film will be based, Steve Jobs, is based on dozens of interviews conducted by author Walter Isaacson over the course of two years. Isaacson also interviewed “hundreds of family members, friends, adversaries, competitors and colleagues.”

    In August, we learned that Steve Jobs’ resignation as CEO of Apple would play prominently in the biography. Back then, publisher Simon & Schuster said that Isaacon was still in contact with Jobs regularly and was still working on the last chapter of the book.

    I’m sure that the recent death of Jobs will be a last minute addition to the story.

    The bio was originally slated for release on November 21st of this year, but after Jobs’ death the release was moved up to October 24th. The finished product is reported to be 656 pages. Here’s the “trailer” for the book –

    Driven by demons, Jobs could drive those around him to fury and despair. But his personality and products were interrelated, just as Apple’s hardware and software tended to be, as if part of an integrated system. His tale is instructive and cautionary, filled with lessons about innovation, character, leadership, and values.

    Are you interested in the upcoming Steve Jobs bio? If it is made into a movie, do you think it will make for compelling cinema? Let us know what you think.

  • Dead Island Movie, Based on Awesome Trailer, Gets the Green Light

    Dead Island Movie, Based on Awesome Trailer, Gets the Green Light

    Remember that breathtaking reverse-action trailer for the zombie survival game Dead Island? It looks like it’s going to be the basis for an upcoming film from Lionsgate studios.

    The films was discussed back in February when the now-famous trailer was revealed, but it lost traction. Today’s official announcement comes directly from Lionsgate.

    Like the trailer that will serve as its primary creative inspiration, the film DEAD ISLAND will be an innovation of the zombie genre because of its focus on human emotion, family ties and non-linear storytelling.

    I guess it’s refreshing to see a studio come out and just say that a trailer will serve as the primary inspiration for the film. It might be the first time a film was developed based on a three minute trailer, though.

    The game itself was released back on September 6th to pretty universal acclaim. It’s a first person “shooter” with RPG elements like an experience system and weapons upgrading. The game relies heavily on melee weapons as opposed to guns and is fairly open-world in its progression.

    The film wants to tell a “human” zombie story in a non-linear fashion, just like the trailer. Half of the official release today is spent praising the 3 minute reveal trailer –

    Told in a stark, non-linear fashion, the wrenching trailer captured worldwide fan attention and unanimous critical praise upon its debut, receiving over one million hits in its first 24 hours online, and nearly 10 million views by two days after its debut. Wired Magazine, College Humor and G4TV all called it the best video game trailer of all time, with G4TV adding “The Dead Island trailer is the best trailer I have ever seen in my life. The best video game trailer. The best movie trailer. The best anything trailer.” The trailer went on to win the Golden Lion in Cannes at the International Festival of Creativity, the advertising industry’s highest honor, and it was featured by Adweek on their annual list of the World’s Best Commercials.

    But it will still be a zombie film, even with the focus on “human emotions.” If the game itself is any indication, we will see our fair share of decapitations and spilling of entrails.

    To be fair, that trailer is an amazing piece of art. And trust me, studios have relied on far thinner sources of inspiration for feature films.

    The producer attached to the project, Sean Daniel, produced films like Tombstone and Dazed and Confused.

    Alas, I get to embed the trailer in question –

    What do you think? Could Dead Island be the next great zombie flick? The Memento of the zombie genre? Let us know in the comments.

  • IMDB Trivia App Tests Your Movie Knowledge

    Everyone’s go-to site when it comes to stuff about film and TV has just launched their own trivia app, IMDB Trivia.

    IMDB Trivia is a free-to-play app, meaning that it’s a free download and the game itself is free – but you can purchase additional question packages if you run out of the free stuff. Upon opening the app, you’ll be prompted to select your game pack. Only one will be available at first, but other game packs can be unlocked by completing challenges in the game like answering a certain number of questions or scoring a particular amount of points. You can, of course, buy more question packs in-app as well.

    Each time you answer a question, you’ll get a little fun-fact about either the film, character, actors, or some other aspect of the question content. Some of the types of trivia exercises are reminiscent of games like Scene-It – name that quote, match that movie poster, and decipher the blurred celeb photo. Here’s a list of many of the game modes –

    • Five levels of increasing difficulty and many different ways to win
    • Catch a Star: Tap five correct answers before your time runs out
    • Movie Order: Arrange movies in order of release
    • Quotables: Match the quote to a movie, TV show, character or celebrity
    • Celebrity Photo Match: Match each of five celebrities with their movie, TV show, or character
    • Movie Poster Match: Match each of five posters with a movie or a TV show
    • Mystery celebrity: Guess the celebrity in a blurred photo

    The app is integrated with Apple Game Center, so you can compete with friends. You can also pause and resume your trivia games anytime.

    You can play without 3G or wi-fi access, but the question sets will be smaller. The two current trivia packs available to be purchased are “TV Favorites” and “Blockbuster Films.” They are both $0.99.

    Currently, it’s only available for iOS.

    Upon early testing, the app seems fun as hell. I don’t know about you, but I can see my phone battery dying at we speak.

  • The Muppets Trailer Channels The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Trailer

    If you’ve been to a movie in the theaters recently, then you’ve probably seen the new trailer for the upcoming American version of the Swedish crime thriller The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. It’s been the talk of the internet, as many are saying it’s one of the best trailers they’ve seen in a quite some time. I’ll admit, it’s pretty good.

    The American version is set to release this December and is directed by Fight Club and Social Network‘s David Fincher. The American version is based on the Swedish film that is based on the incredibly popular novels of the same name…you get the picture.

    But now we can add one more layer of “based on” to the mix, as the new teaser trailer for the new Muppets film The Muppets has just hit the interwebs. “The Pig With The Froggy Tattoo,” as you might guess, parodies the TGWTDT trailer. It might be the first time that a film’s trailer parodies another film’s trailer, both of which are set to premiere around the same time.

    And it’s funny – a really good viral ad. It’s already been mentioned on the YouTube trends blog as one of the viral hits of the day.

    Check it out below. (Tip: If you haven’t seen the trailer that The Muppets trailer parodies, you might want to skip a little further down and watch it first.

    The Muppets is coming out November 23rd and sports an all-star cast including Jason Segel, Chris Cooper, MIla Kunis, Amy Adams, Zach Galifianakis and Ricky Gervais.

  • Twin Towers Before 9/11: A Film Montage

    Twin Towers Before 9/11: A Film Montage

    America has a love affair with New York City, and that love carries over to our cinema. No city has played a more iconic role in more films that the Big Apple. In the films of directors like Woody Allen, Spike Lee and Scorsese, the city becomes a character itself. And for many years, the Twin Towers were an integral part of that character.

    In the months following September 11th, the world of film struggled with how to approach the tragic event. For example, the Schwarzenegger movie “Collateral Damage” was famously postponed due to its “terrorist blows up a building” plotline. It wasn’t until years later that many filmmakers felt comfortable bringing up the attacks.

    The Twin Towers, in particular, were a point of contention in films directly following the tragedy. They were edited out of films like Zoolander, Serendipity, and the Al Pacino vehicle People I Know.

    Was it the right thing to do? Did it save moviegoers additional trauma? Or was it wrong to feel like we had to edit art in order to tiptoe around reality? Whatever your opinion was back then, 10 years later, this little video should do nothing but make you smile.

    It’s a montage of dozens of films that show the NYC skyline as it used to be, with the Twin Towers intact. Made by New York cartoonist Dan Meth, the video has everything from King Kong to Stayin AliveBright Lights Big City to Working Girl.

    Check it out below –

    Twin Tower Cameos from Dan Meth on Vimeo.

  • Contagion Gets Awesomely Gross Advertising Campaign

    The new disaster flick Contagion sports an all-star cast including Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gweneth Paltrow and Kate Winslet. It sports an Academy Award-winning director in Steven Soderbergh.

    It also sports this truly spectacular viral ad campaign (I’m so sorry for that, everybody).

    In the weeks before the worldwide premiere, Warner Bros. Canada Google+Feedfetcher”>hired the ad company Lowe Roche to make two unique billboards to promote the film.

    The two billboards that were created actually served as giant petri dishes. They were laced with different bacteria and fungi and hung in a storefront window in Toronto.

    As you can probably guess, as the bacteria and fungi grew, they spelled out “Contagion” on the billboards.

    I must say, this is one of the coolest marketing campaigns I’ve ever seen. Check out the video for some awesomely disgusting fun –

    The first 50 people to view the bacteria-board received free passes o the film, which opens today. Right now, it’s 81% certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, so it look like this might be a pretty big end-of-summer blockbuster for Warner Bros.

  • Google Analyzes Movie Searches

    Google has analyzed movie searches for three years and shared some data about their findings. These findings are available in a whitepaper here.

    “The study shows that consumers are searching for movies and considering what they want to watch much earlier than they used to,” says Selina Rennie on Google’s Agency Team. “In 2010, we saw that searches for film titles began to ramp up five weeks prior to the opening weekend, whereas in 2008, they would pick up much closer to the time.”

    “Not only are movie-goers searching earlier, they are searching more,” says Rennie. “Movie-goers searched 1.75 times more per film in 2010 than in 2008. Additionally, searches for film trailers were up by more than 50% in 2010 versus the previous year.”

    Here is a snapshot of some of the trends discussed in the whitepaper:

    Movie Search Trends

  • Netflix Price Increase – Today is the Day

    Netflix Price Increase – Today is the Day

    On July 12, Netflix dropped the bombshell that it would be raising prices for those with the DVD+streaming plans by 60%. That would go right into effect for new customers, but for existing customers it would go into effect on September 1.

    Well, today is September 1.

    Initially, there was a great amount of outrage being expressed among members, voiced all over the web, but the heat seems to have died down substantially. Here are the pricing plans now as originally announced by Netflix:

    Plan 1: Unlimited Streaming (no DVDs) for $7.99 a month
    Plan 2: Unlimited DVDs, 1 out at-a-time (no streaming), for $7.99 a month.

    The price for getting both of these plans will be $15.98 a month ($7.99 + $7.99). For new members, these changes are effective immediately; for existing members, the new pricing will start for charges on or after September 1, 2011.

    So, are you keeping your Netflix subscription? Which plan are you going with?

  • Netflix Just Hitting A Million Members in Canada After Nearly a Year

    Netflix Just Hitting A Million Members in Canada After Nearly a Year

    After launching in Canada in September, Netflix has now announced that it has hit the million member mark in that country. Well, they’re just now announcing it anyway. It actually occurred in July, but still, that’s ten months.

    Netflix says this exceeded its own expectations for growth, but it seems a little low to me. Of course, they haven’t offered the DVD-by-mail option in that country – the backbone of what the was founded upon to begin with – the thing that attracted so many people to the service in the first place, here in the U.S. The thing that is available as a separate plan (from streaming) now. It also launched in Canada with an even smaller catalog of streaming titles.

    It also launched with a pair of PR blunders. First some of the extras the company had hired for a video gave interviews to the press, who thought they were actual customers. Netflix apologized for this. Steve Swasey, VP of corporate communications wrote: 

    I want to address an event held by Netflix in downtown Toronto yesterday as part of our launch of Netflix in Canada. The launch included the shooting of a corporate video with some hired extras, who, it turns out, were given improper direction to talk with the news media about their enthusiasm for the Netflix service. This was a mistake and was not intended to be part of our launch plan. Simply put: we blew it. We didn’t intend to mislead the media or the public, and we can understand why some have raised questions. We’re sorry that our misfire has given Canadians any reasons to doubt our authenticity or our sincerity.

    Then, CEO Reed Hastings made some comments that didn’t sit too well with some people. He later apologized:

    My Big American Foot is in my mouth. Yesterday, I made an awkward joke with a reporter in Toronto about Americans (like me) being self-absorbed relative to Netflix pricing in Canada. I was wrong to have made the joke, and I do not believe that one of the most philanthropically-minded nations in the world (America) is self-absorbed or full of self-absorbed people.

    “We’re thrilled that Canadians have embraced Netflix so rapidly, and we’re equally proud to have welcomed one million members in such a short period,” said Hastings now says. “Our focus remains on building up the breadth and range of movies and TV shows to watch instantly, as well as constantly improving the experience, and we look forward to welcoming many more new members.”

    Congrats to Amanda Bell James of Flin Flon, Manitoba, for being our one-millionth Netflix member in Canada! Thank you to all our fans! 18 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    “I’m excited to be the millionth Canadian member,” said Amanda Bell James. “Netflix is something I enjoy with my family and I look forward to continue watching our favorite movies and TV shows via Netflix in the future.”

    Netflix has 25 million members in the US and Canada combined. The company hit its first million in the U.S. in 2003.

    A month ago, Netflix announced that later this year it will be launching in 43 countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.