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Aaron's Final Sundance 2012 Journal: Day 8[teaser]Today's journal is the last one of the festival. Day 8 turned out to be my last full day of movie watching. It's been a fun and exhausting ride.[/teaser] I plan on spending Saturday with my wife. We're going to take in a screening of 'Celeste and Jesse Forever.' The morning didn't start off great. Turns out I busted my camera at the hitRECord.org presentation. I don't have good luck with cameras at Sundance. The first year I went to Sundance we left our camera on the bus. At least that's what we think happened, because we never saw it again. This year I had my camera too close to my leg when I tried to turn it on and the extending lens hit my leg for a split second and now it won't open properly. Another camera taken by Sundance. Hence the reason why this post is without accompanying pictures. When I got on the bus this morning it was packed. The bus into town usually isn't as packed as it was, but I thought I was lucky enough to find a seat. Turns out it wasn't lucky finding a seat because the seat was wet. It wasn't like sitting in a puddle, no this is the worse kind of wet. The kind that slowly seeps through so you kind of feel like you're getting soaked, but you're not sure until it's too late. When I stood up I was sure the back of my pants looked like I just wasn't able to hold it in. I don't know what they looked like, I never checked it out. I simply waited for them to dry, which isn't easy when you're walking around in freezing temperatures. I only had two movies planned today. First was the expose documentary about the Dole corporation and the great lengths they went to in order to try and get a documentary about them and their nefarious employee practices hushed up. The doc tells a story of filmmaker Fredrik Gertten and the bitter legal battle he found himself in when he tried to screen his movie 'Bananas!' at the Los Angeles Film Festival a few years ago. We all know the kinds of lengths big corporations will go to in order to keep their brand unsullied, but this is truly a David versus Goliath story. While we've seen the big bad corporation stepping on the little people before, it's refreshing to see how the little people were able to change what the corporation was doing. From there I went to the Eccles Theater to take in my last new movie of the festival. I ended my festival experience with 'Smashed' starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Aaron Paul. Winstead plays Kate, a struggling alcoholic who has finally decided to sober up after far too many instances of waking up in alleys unable to remember what happened the night before. The story of the alcoholic has been done, but this movie focuses less on the actual struggle and detox and more on what getting sober really does. It doesn't automatically make everything better. Most of the time the people getting sober are finally just now facing the long term consequences for their actions. That's the position Kate finds herself in. It's a great acting performance from Winstead in a role we're not used to seeing her in. And that was it. Short and sweet. Nothing big today other than sitting on a wet seat and seeing two decent movies to finish off my Sundance 2012 experience. At final count I saw 25 films and one performance presentation in eight days. Not the 30-plus I was planning, but things rarely work according to plan anyway. I had a blast up here at my fourth annual Sundance trip and I really hope you had a fun time following along. There should be Sundance reviews popping up over the next week or so on The Bonus View so bee sure to continuously check that out as the week goes on. With that I'll say farewell to Park City and the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. Hopefully, many great movies will soon be coming to theaters near you because of what was shown here.Posted Mon Jan 30, 2012 at 12:00 PM PST by: -
Analyst Attacks Paramount for High Prices for UltraViolet Movies[teaser]When the studio launched UltraViolet, there seemed to be a bit of potential in the idea. Based on pricing though, it seems like Paramount doesn’t actually want to sell anything. Frost & Sullivan analyst Dan Rayburn says that Paramount’s way of doing things is completely wrong.[/teaser] “What studio executive thinks consumers are going to pay $22.99 to stream a movie when we can buy the DVD for $7 or rent it for less than $2?” he writes. “The economics don't make sense.” A fine example is the 2010 movie ‘The Fighter,’ which sells for $22.99 for an HD version and $16.99 for standard definition. For just a dollar more than the SD UltraViolet version costs, you can order the Blu-ray and enjoy special features and a better picture. For $7.99 you can watch ‘The Fighter’ on Netflix in HD and have an entire month worth of other movies. “At some point, the studios are going to get burned just like the music industry did,” says Rayburn. “They need to wake up and realize that consumers are demanding digital content for a fair price.” Source: Home Media MagazinePosted Mon Jan 30, 2012 at 11:00 AM PST by: -
Disc Replicators Survive by Adapting to the Digital Market[teaser]Companies that once provided services for disc based media have made the transition to the digital age. [/teaser] Replicators – the folks that turn data into a fully pressed Blu-ray disc – aren’t getting the business they once used to. While some are feeling the pinch, others are finding a great deal of success by adapting to the new environment and embracing digital needs. Sony DADC was one of the early adapters. They formed a New Media Solutions group which works to create content, automate digital distribution and more. Cinram has similarly adapted and now creates bonus features and works in the gaming, mobile, digital and 3D fields. Technicolor hasn’t been left in the dust – they’ve expanded to solutions that ensure that all your devices play nice when used together. They’ve been working on applications for laptops, tablets and even a 3D certification program. Read more about the path that replicators have taken in the new landscape at ‘Home Media Magazine.Posted Mon Jan 30, 2012 at 09:00 AM PST by: -
Save $5 on 'Treasure Buddies' on Blu-ray[teaser]Save $5 on Disney's puppy-RUFFic sequel available on Blu-ray this week! [/teaser] Disney has released another coupon offer, this time to save $5 on 'Treasure Buddies' Blu-ray available on January 31. The Buddies are off on an all new adventure, and this time their journey takes them all the way to the ruins of ancient Egypt where, with the help of some new friends, including Digger the Archeologist dog, Cammy, a baby camel, and a mischievous monkey named Babi, they'll explore mysterious tombs, dodge treacherous booby traps, and race against a devious cat in search of the greatest treasure known to animalkind, the lost collar of Cleocatra.. Simply visit this page to print out your coupon from the Disney Movie Rewards website. Plus get 50 Disney Movie Rewards bonus points when you also enter the code for 'Snow Buddies' available on the same date! This coupon is valid in the United States and Canada only and the offer expires February 5.Posted Mon Jan 30, 2012 at 08:00 AM PST by: -
Samsung Pulls in $4.7 Billion Profit in 2011[teaser]That’s $1.8 billion more than 2010. [/teaser] It’s no secret that Samsung’s been doing well, but as it turns out, the company is on a steep incline. They pulled in $42 billion in sales, $4.7 of which was pure profit. That’s a huge step over last year when they brought in $2.9 billion in profit. Leading the charge was the cell phone division. Over 300 million phones were sold for a whopping $2.3 billion profit. The semiconductor business was no slouch either, bringing in $2 billion in profit. That’s $4.3 between the two, leaving TVs to make up much of the remainder. Samsung’s LED sets boosted the company’s sales considerably and helped the division to increase numbers by 20 percent. They boasted $7.6 million in sales in 2011. Source: EngadgetPosted Mon Jan 30, 2012 at 07:00 AM PST by: -
'Mandrill' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]The action romance starring Chilean legend Marko Zaror explodes on Blu-ray in February. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Magnolia is working on 'Mandrill' for a Blu-ray release on February 28. From writer/director Ernesto Diaz Espinoza ('Mirageman,' 'Kiltro'), 'Mandrill' stars worldwide action icon Marko Zaror ('Mirageman,' 'Undisputed III: Redemption'), “one of the best martial arts actors working today” (Twitch). Hailed as “an amazingly cool film” (Film School Rejects), the thriller won top honors at its international premiere at Austin’s 2009 Fantastic Film Fest, winning Best Fantastic Feature and Zaror winning Best Fantastic Actor. Mixing breathtaking action sequences with sultry romance, 'Mandrill' centers on Antonio (Zaror), who is on a quest to avenge the murder of his parents. Working as a ruthless bounty hunter with the code name "Mandrill,” Antonio’s only weakness is women. Therefore, he enlists his uncle – an expert in the art of seduction – to give him the necessary skills to bewitch every female he meets. After Mandrill is enlisted to entrap a powerful casino owner, he discovers that this man is also the one responsible for his parents’ brutal deaths. Yet upon meeting the casino owner’s beautiful daughter Dominique, everything begins to unravel for Mandrill whose life-long search for vengeance may soon fall apart. Specs have yet to be revealed, but the Blu-ray will include a behind the scenes featurette and international trailer. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $29.98. You can find the latest specs for 'Mandrill' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under February 28.Posted Mon Jan 30, 2012 at 06:00 AM PST by: -
HDD Deal of the Week: Save Up to 65 Percent on Oscar Nominees at Amazon![teaser]The Gold Box deal this week features five acclaimed films on Blu-ray for 60-65% off! [/teaser] Starring Natalie Portman in her Academy Award® winning role, 'Black Swan' is a seductive yet haunting film that will leave you breathless. Directed by innovator Darren Aronofsky ('The Wrestler'), this Best Picture nominated film boasts a wealth of talent including Portman ('Closer'), in the performance of her career, as well as Mila Kunis ('Date Night'), Winona Ryder ('Girl, Interrupted') and Vincent Cassel ('Ocean’s Twelve'). In the film that Daily Variety hailed as "...wicked, sexy and ultimately devastating... fascinating," Natalie Portman’s mesmerizing transformation into the Black Swan leaves you breathless – and wanting to see it again. '127 Hours' is the triumphant true story about a mountain climber trapped on a boulder was nominated for six Oscars including Best Screenplay, Best Actor (James Franco), and Best Picture. The biopic 'Raging Bull: 30th Anniversary Edition' was nominated for eight Oscars (including Best Picture and Best Director) and won two -- including Best Actor for De Niro. 'The Hannibal Lecter Collection' includes three films: 'Manhunter,' 'The Silence of the Lambs,' and 'Hannibal.' 'Dances with Wolves: 20th Anniversary Edition' - Kevin Costner stars in and directs this triumphant masterpiece written by Michael Blake, based on his novel. On Blu-ray for the very first time, this breathtaking 20th Anniversary Edition includes an extended cut of the film and all-new exclusive extras. Winner of seven Academy Awards®, including Best Directing and Best Picture, this modern classic tells the story of Lt. Dunbar (Costner), a Civil War hero who befriends a tribe of Sioux Indians while stationed at a desolate outpost on the American frontier. What follows is a series of unforgettable moments – from Dunbar’s tender scenes with Stands With A Fist (Mary McDonnell), to the thrilling, action-packed buffalo hunt. Experience the excitement, emotion and sweeping beauty of this cinematic treasure as never before on Blu-ray! 'The Hannibal Lecter Collection' is $24.49, '127 Hours' and 'Black Swan' are $13.99 each, and 'Dances with Wolves' and 'Raging Bull' are $9.99 each. Click here to check out the offer available now through February 5.Posted Sun Jan 29, 2012 at 08:30 AM PST by: -
Aaron's Sundance 2012 Journal: Day 7[teaser]We're getting down to the end. Today was Day 7. It's hard to believe it's almost over already.[/teaser] This morning I had to perform some ticket requesting magic. My wife is coming up on Saturday to visit me, and I'd like to take her to a movie. The catch is that we as press can only request two public screening tickets a day and they can't both be for the same movie. So, I texted my buddy and asked him if he was using his requests for Saturday. He said no, and wondered if I was using mine for Sunday. I said no, so we simply traded some requests, which works out nicely. Now my wife and I can go to 'Celeste and Jesse Forever' on Saturday night without having to try the waitlist for tickets. After requesting tickets it was back to the press tent to take in a screening of 'Shadow Dancer.' Directed by James Marsh and starring Clive Owen and Gillian Anderson, 'Shadow Dancer' tells the story of a young mother caught in the IRA conflict. Played by Andrea Riseborough the mother fights to keep her son safe as her brothers are deep within the IRA. They even recruit her for missions, but it's all getting tobe too much. It's a lot like 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' where there's suspense, but not a whole lot of action. This is more silent tension, and it works quite well. I really enjoyed the movie. Once the film was over I hopped on a bus back to headquarters to pick up the ticket my friend had requested for me. I decided I'd write for a while, so I went into the lounge area there. Sitting a table over from me was Brie Larson from 'United States of Tara' and 'Scott Pilgrim.' She was leaning over her coffee talking to someone I didn't recognize. She was talking about a "good script" and starting another project. What it was, I have no idea. I simply overheard a few words here and there, but it's just fun to watch Hollywood business get done across a creaky old table. There's nothing special about it. Then it was back over to the theater to take in a recently announced screening of 'Beasts of the Southern Wild.' This is like the 'Winter's Bone' of 2012. Everyone is buzzing about how good it is and no one can get into any of the screenings because it's so popular. They set up a press screening, so I really wanted to see it. Just to see what the entire buzz was about. While I was walking through the hotel to the press tent I was stopped by a lady who asked if I had a marker or pen that she could use. I pulled the pen out of my pocket and handed it to her. She said, "Thanks. He's going to sign an autograph for us." She was holding a DVD copy of 'Rubber.' That's when I noticed the man she was having sign her DVD case was 'Rubber' director Quentin Dupieux. I won't bore you with my stories about waiting in lines for just as many hours as I've spent watching movies. I will, however, cut directly to the chase and tell you that 'Beasts of the Southern Wild' is really friggin' good. It's a story about a group of people who live in the Bathtub. It's an island community off the coast of Louisiana. More specifically, the movie is about Hushpuppy, an eight-year-old girl trying to deal with the death of her mother, the danger of an impending hurricane, and her seemingly crazy father. Wow. This movie floored me. It's beautiful, evocative and has one of the best Sundance acting performances I've ever seen. Quvenzhané Wallis, who plays Hushpuppy is absolutely astounding. It's giving me chills just thinking about her performance. Fox Searchlight bought the movie, so expect to see it in limited release and then on Blu-ray soon. Then it was time for the nightcap. I really shouldn't be staying up so late, but who cares. The festival is almost over anyway. Tonight they had a hitRECord.org presentation with Joseph Gordon-Levitt talking and demonstrating his new website which invites artistic collaborators from all over the world to make movies together. Some people will score the film, some will write, some will animate. Everyone gets in on the process to create art together. It's an interesting concept, and the night was full of Gordon-Levitt showing us short films created by his collective of artists. Some were funny others a little boring, but all in all it was an interesting night. I sat dead center in the front row so I was able to snap quite a few really good pictures. I didn't get home until well after midnight. I'm writing this journal the next morning and I'm really feeling myself dragging. Friday is an easy enough day though. Only two movies to go to. I'm going to see the documentary 'Big Boys Gone Bananas' and then it's off to see 'Smashed' at 3:00pm to see if I agree with Luke. He says that's been his favorite film so far, so we'll see if it lives up to the hype.Posted Sat Jan 28, 2012 at 09:00 AM PST by: -
Aaron's Sundance 2012 Journal: Day 6Remember in my last journal when I commented about seeing an early movie the morning after staying out for a late movie? Well, that's what happened to me today. I stayed out last night for a screening of 'John Dies at the End.' I didn't get home until well after midnight. I had to wake up only a few hours later to meet Luke at the Park and Ride so we could get back into the city to catch the early morning screening of 'Goats.' [teaser]Have you ever been able to feel your pulse in your eyeballs? I swear I can right now. I'm that tired.[/teaser] We got to the 9:00am screening of 'Goats' in plenty of time. We found our favorite seats in the Eccles Theater, which are located in the front row. I love the front row in the Eccles because the screen is pushed far enough back to allow for great viewing and you're right there for the Q&A after the movie. 'Goats' starred David Duchovny, Vera Farmiga, and Ty Burrell. It was about a young boy who has to deal with the moronic adults in his life. I thought it was alright, but nothing special. I liked Duchovny as Goat Man (really, that's his name in the movie), but everything else felt a little phony. It all felt like it simply meandered around for 90 minutes. Or maybe it's just that every year at Sundance the festival is full of coming-of-age tales and it's very easy to become jaded against them. Maybe that's what happened here. With that said, 'Goats' is a very generic coming-of-age tale so it didn't even have much originality going for it either. We stayed for the Q&A where Vera Farmiga talked quite a lot about inspiration for her hippie, new age mother she plays in the movie. Duchovny only gave simple one word answers to the questions he was acted. Most of the time he made wise-ass remarks and then smirked that Hank Moody smirk. There was nothing special about the Q&A, but it was fun for me because I got to see Duchovny again. Honestly, he's the only actor that I've seen up here that I've been starstruck around. Luke and I decided to hit up the Sundance Channel Headquarters on Main Street. The rumor is that the place not only has free coffee and hot chocolate but also free gourmet sandwiches. I didn't really believe Luke, because the last time we tried to go there all the food was gone. This time, however, the legend proved true. There were mountains of free sandwiches available to anyone who liked Chase Bank on Facebook. That's all they had to do, and they got a free lunch. Luke and I simply got the lunch pass because we're with the press. At least that's what I assume. It was a good time. I never usually make it down to Main Street. I don't really enjoy the atmosphere down there. It's too crowded and there are too many gawkers walking around hoping to catch a glimpse of a celeb. But that didn't matter, getting free food was worth it. My original plan was to go to the early morning screening then head over to headquarters and write until my 6:30pm screening. Then I found out Luke was going to a 1:00pm showing of 'The Words' starring Bradley Cooper, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde, and Jeremy Irons. I wasn't planning on seeing it until Saturday, but I decided to join him anyway, and boy was I glad I did. 'The Words' is a thoughtful, emotional journey told 'Inception'-style. A story, within a story, within a story. Quaid is an author who's written a story about a man who plagiarizes a novel from a discarded manuscript he finds and then it becomes a best-seller. It was bought within the first day of the festival so it'll for sure be in a theater near you soon. I've got to say, I'm sick of seeing movies with Industry people. The screenings we go to as press are also reserved for people in the industry. I'm convinced that most of these people – whether they be buyers, distributors, or cinema owners – don't really care all that much about movies. They simply want to know what is going to be marketable and because of this they are, for lack of a better term, asses in the screenings. The industry people constantly have their cell phones out emailing people. They walk out of screenings ten minutes into the movie just because. Most of them behave fine, but some of the worst offenders are ridiculous. I had a lady sitting next to me in 'The Words' who simply fell asleep and started snoring loudly. She was one of these old ladies that piles everything on her lap – huge down coat, purse, and water bottle – and then has some of it spill on over onto my lap. I'm not sure what it is, but most of these older industry people have no concept of personal space. They're oblivious and it drives me bonkers. We're nearing the end of the festival and people are starting to get a bit snippy with each other. The buses, once places of wide-eyed optimism for future movies, have now turned into dour log jams of body parts as people yell at other people to "scoot in" or "move out of the way!" It's always around this time where people start to lose it. They've been in Park City a week. They haven't slept much. They've probably eaten mostly from fast food joints. Simply put, everyone's patience is wearing thin and you can tell. As I was writing a few reviews in the Festival Headquarters a pair of industry folks walked into the lobby I was in and started yelling at each other. I think they may have been married, but I'm not sure. She was yelling at him for not "protecting" them, and he was yelling at her for I'm not sure what. All these people walking back and forth and they're yelling at each other. If I had to be stuck solely around industry people for that long, I'd probably be yelling at them too. Tonight I had a screening of 'Price Check' starring Parker Posey at 6:30pm. I was planning on being home around 9:00pm. A very early day for me. In the line for 'Price Check' I met some wonderful people from Utah who wanted to know all the movies I'd seen over my time here and what my favorites were. It was fun talking to them, and just reaffirmed how I feel about the spirit of this film festival. Nowhere else are you going to run into complete strangers and simply start talking about all the movies you've seen in the past couple days and what you thought about them. 'Price Check' was marginally funny and never really turned out to be anything more than a phony workplace comedy. I felt cheated when, at the moment of the movie where all the tension and mistrust is coming to a head it decides to fade to black. When we come back everything is perfect. Nothing horribly bad has happened and we get a warm, sappy ending. It was a major letdown. I didn't stay for much of the Q&A because I found the movie to be generic and uninteresting. I did however stay long enough to snap a couple pictures of Posey. Tomorrow I'm planning on seeing the movie 'Shadow Dancer' at noon which stars Clive Owen and Gillian Anderson. After that I'm headed to 'Wrong' which I've heard good things about. Finally, for the nightcap I'm going to check out Joseph Gordon-Levitt's HitRECord.org special and see what it's like. Oh, and I may fit in a free lunch in there somewhere. Everyone loves free sandwiches.Posted Fri Jan 27, 2012 at 11:30 AM PST by: -
The Logitech Revue is Sold Out – New Remotes are on the Way[teaser]Logitech is getting back to doing what it does best. [/teaser] The Revue, while an interesting idea and a risk that could have paid off big, wasn’t a winner for Logitech. The company had to drop the price shortly after release and has only just now sold out of Revue units. They’ve already announced that they’re getting out of the Google TV game and getting back to the usual Logitech business – remotes. The company has revealed that several of its remotes will be getting a refresh in 2012. Among the new remotes will be a follow-up designed to replace the Harmony One. Logitech admits that they’re a little late getting around to making new remotes, so they’re hoping the launch will spur on sales. It’s unlikely that we’ll see Logitech take such a large risk again in the near future since this one damaged them significantly. Source: EngadgetPosted Fri Jan 27, 2012 at 11:00 AM PST by:
