01.12.06
DVD/Multi-Plex Mania
I really need to thank ‘Mandy’ for this entry idea in her last comment. Entertainment news has really been dwelling on the idea of films being released in theaters and on DVD at the same time. I would like to post Mandy’s comment for those that have not read it:
There was an article in USA Today today that made me think of you guys. The headline is “Movies as you like them, and on the same day!” and discusses Bubble by “Oscar-winning” director Steven Soderbergh. He believes that the current industry cascading model of releasing films, theater–>hotels/airplanes–>home video–>pay cable–>broadcast TV, is outdated. Instead, Soderbergh plans to release his latest movie on DVD (and TV on-demand services) within days of its release in theaters.
Tom Wagner, co-owner of the company financing and releasing Bubble, says, “…consumers…are ready to hear somebody say, ‘The way it is now doesn’t make sense anymore’…The (old) model…certainly doesn’t align with the way peopole want to consume entertainment today.”
How do you feel about “day and date” releases? Will multi-medium releases be maximizing viewers (who, as the media has been reporting lately, are becoming increasingly disenchanted with the movie theatre experience), or do various formats steal from the same audience? Would it kill theatres? Does the current model for releasing need to change?
I could go on for days about this topic, but I won’t. Here is a fraction of what I have to say:
Wow, the simultaneous movie release idea really has me torn. You are right about the demand for entertainment these days. With the Internet, people are becoming more and more accustomed to getting what they want at the snap of a finger. That is partly why pirating is so popular. Convenient services like NetFlix have really made home entertainment a big thing too.
I think if movies are released in theaters and DVD at the same time, it will yield different results. Lately, it seems almost every movie I see in the theater is butchered because people in the theaters really don’t give a rat’s ass about everyone around them. People are going to the movies for the same reason they go to coffee shops: they want to leave the house and do something social. Unfortunately they are oblivious to the whole courtesy thing. People like this will always go to the theater despite availability on home video. They just want a change of setting. As much as I hate to say it, it will be the cinephiles like you and me that will stay home. It would kill me to miss the dark theater experience, but lately I’ve been asking myself what sacrifices I would be willing to make just to hear dialogue and get into the characters.
The upcoming venture should be interesting. I don’t thing Soderbergh’s Bubble will break new grounds. It is anti-mainstream, and the critics seem to hate it. They tried a similar experiment last year with a bad Christmas movie called Noel that was released in theaters and on cable at the same time. I think it will take a big budget monster to truly test the waters on this idea.
01.04.06
Bring’n It Like Dunst
Spending time reading over the latest rumors from around the web has got me thinking about the upcoming year. All in all, I found 2005 to be a relatively disappointing year for flicks and I’m about ready to get on with the new shite.
So, what is on everyone’s must-see list for this year? I’ve gotta say Malick’s New World has me almost completely uninterested, something about a legion of foreign actors leading an American folklore flick that doesn’t have me on the edge of my seat. If the buzz is any indication, though, I’m the only person in the country that feels that way.
Once upon a time I had high hopes for All the King’s Men. With the talent of Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, James Gandolfini, and Mark Ruffalo, I couldn’t imagine how it could go wrong. Apparently something did though as it failed to make the expected end of 2005 deadline. Hopefully, the delays are well-deserved and we’re all served a healthy cinematic platter whenever it gets released.
On the comedy front, I think I’m alone again here but For Your Consideration, the next Eugene Levy/Christopher Guest mockumentary, seems quite promising. I know, I know, we’ve seen it before and we saw it before that too but the addition of The Office (the better one…you know, where they had accents) frontman, Ricky Gervais, is enough to get my ass in the seat.
If there was only one movie I could see this year it would have to be Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain. It’s been six years since Requiem for a Dream convinced filmgoers around the world never to use heroine and I couldn’t be more excited for a follow up. Following Rachel Weisz’s performance in The Constant Gardener and Hugh Jackman’s role in…well. Whatever, Weisz is turning into a phenomenal talent and I hear Jackman can sing pretty well. But did I mention Aronofsky is directing it?!?
Another return this year that excites me in more ways than I can explain is the Wachowskis V for Vendetta. It’s time for the Wachowskis to get back to Bound and their initial Matrix zone and harness the talent and beauty that is Natalie Portman.
So, what’s on your agenda this year? Can’t wait for The Da Vinci Code? Southland Tales? Scary Movie 4? Let us know what we need to see.
