Sony Corp has officially announced its entry in the 3D television game, launching its first
line of Bravia flatscreen TVs for sale in Japan beginning in June. Other announcements will follow as Sony joins electronics giants like Panasonic and Samsung in chasing a 3D marketplace that Sony expects will immediately become responsible for 10% of its sales in the next year.
The big question I have Is Sony indebted to James Cameron, beyond what his film Avatar has done to stoke 3D demand?
To hear Cameron tell it, Sony's TV plan is exactly the same one he pitched Sony chief, Sir Howard Stringer, as a business proposition. Though Cameron makes his films at 20th Century Fox, he had a strong association with Sony, the maker of 3D cameras that were used for Avatar.
Listen to Cameron's response to a recent Business Week cover story, when Charlie Rose mentioned Stringer 's plan to make 3D units the entire thrust of Sony's presentation at the Consumer Electronics Show that took place in early January.
Said Cameron: "There's an interesting history there because, about 6 or 7 months ago, I had a closed-door secret presentation to Howard Stringer of a new business venture, and I mapped out what I believed was going to be the future of 3D and how many television sets were going to be entering the home and how there would initially be a dearth of 3D content and blah, blah, blah. I basically mapped out an entire strategy that he promptly announced a week later at the Sony stockholders' meeting. His speech was pretty much culled verbatim from my presentation. So thank you, Howard."
When Rose suggested this was the "sincerest form of flattery," Cameron was having none of it.
Ahead of last weekend's Oscars where his W&G short "A Matter of Loaf and Death" is nominated, Nick Parks, creator of "Wallace and Gromit" said, "I'd like to see a 3D Plasticine animation - I think it would really suit it. In a way I've been a bit sceptical, but I have a feature idea up my sleeve which I'm thinking might be 3D."
Parks is a big fan of the current wave of 3D films, saying "When I first saw 3D coming in I had quite an appetite to do a 3D film."
"We were even planning to do an IMAX Wallace and Gromit at one point in 3D but for some reason financially that got shelved."
"Wallace and Gromit" would be an awesome 3D adventure and hopefully Parks will make his vision a reality.
Tim Burton's 3-D fantasy earns $116 million, his biggest debut yet and breaks March opening record.
The Box-Office Top Five
#1 "Alice in Wonderland" ($116.3 million)
#2 "Brooklyn's Finest ($13.5 million)
#3 "Shutter Island" ($13.3 million)
#4 "Cop Out" ($9.1 million)
#5 "Avatar" ($7.7 million)
Moviegoers were transported to the whacky world of Wonderland this weekend as director Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" debuted to a decisive first-place finish at the box office. Lovers of cinema both stateside and abroad put their stamps of approval all over the 3-D Disney film, which earned a domestic total of $116.3 million and a foreign gross of $94 million, for a worldwide tally of $210.3 million.
"Wonderland" established several new records during its opening weekend, including the greatest premiere for any film released in 2010 thus far, as well as the best ever March debut, outpacing the $70.8 million earned by Zack Snyder's "300" in 2007. "Wonderland" marks the most successful film launch of the Burton's distinguished career. Disney's latest also enjoyed best opening weekend ever for a non-sequel film, though the brand of "Wonderland" is clearly recognized across the globe. All of these records owe no small thanks to the increased ticket prices from 3-D and IMAX locations.
But even though the movie is currently enjoying phenomenal success at the box office, "Wonderland" is far from being a critical darling. According to Rotten Tomatoes, only 53 percent of critics have favorably embraced the movie.
Relativity Media's "The Wedding Doctor" lands Nicole Kidman in the starring role.
Kidman will play a realtionship analyst who advises couples on their interpersonal dynamics before marriage.
Things get complicated when Kidman's character decides she's the more suitable match for a client than his bride-to-be.
Relativity will finance and produce the film.
Brandon T. Jackson joins the cast of "Big Momma's House 3".
Jackson will play Trent, the nephew of FBI agent Malcolm Turner, who witnesses a murder and must help his uncle go undercover at an all-girls performing arts school.
Malcolm returns to his Big Momma disguise while Trent poses as Charmaine. The pair rush to find the murderer befoer he finds them.
Jackson appeared in the films "Percy Jackson" and "Tropic Thunder".
John Whitesell ("Big Momma's House 2") will direct. 20th Century Fox plans for an early 2011 release.
Shooting begins next month in Atlanta.
"Speedy Gonzales" finally zips his way onto the big screen.
Warner Bros. and New Line are planning a live-action/CG-animated feature film based on the animated Loony Tunes character.
Alec Sokolow and Joel Cohen, who adapted comic "Garfield" into a similar style live-action/CG hybrid family film, will pen the script. The story will tell of Speedy's intent to find himself/self discovery, leaving his family to go out in the world and figure out what he's good at.
George Lopez will voicee the character and produce.
Anne Lopez, Lynette Ramirez, Jerry Weintraub, Tracy Ryerson and Jill Arthur also produce.
New Regency plans Robert F. Kennedy biopic starring Matt Damon.
Based on Evan Thomas' 'His Life' biography, the story will follow how the younger brother of JFK went from being in the shadow of his sibling to rising up as a strong national leader in his own right before his assassination in 1968.
Steven Knight will pen the script and Gary Ross will direct.
Kennedy's involvement in the Cuban Missile Crisis as well as two presidential campaigns most likely will be included in the film.
Roman Polanski’s “The Ghost Writer” opens today in New York and Los Angeles, a little suddenly, it feels, after its debut at the Berlin Film Festival.
Like Martin Scorsese’s “Shutter Island,” which also opens today, Polanski’s film is very much in the style of Alfred Hitchcock. It’s a highly stylized thriller with some great performances and riveting business even when the plot feels a tad predictable.
What’s most interesting, though, is the main setup of “The Ghost Writer.” Polanski made it a year before his arrest and incarceration in Switzerland, followed by his house arrest. It’s worth pointing out, because for the first hour of “The Ghost Writer,” the characters are essentially trapped in a beautiful home on Martha’s Vineyard.
The main characters are a Tony Blair-like former British Prime Minister, played by Pierce Brosnan; his long suffering wife, played by Olivia Williams; and his staff, including Kim Cattrall as his devoted assistant and possible lover. Then there’s Ewan McGregor, who’s come to the island house — one of those ultra modern billionaire’s estates that looks more like an office or a bunker — to ghost write the PM’s memoirs.
Thanks to a fast-breaking scandal, no one can really leave the house. They are under a kind of house arrest. It’s almost as if Polanski anticipated his own situation. You might say the only difference is that Brosnan’s character gets to chopper out to Washington to meet and greet politicians. But it looks like Polanski did the same thing. Even though he was restricted to his countries of citizenship — France and Poland — he still managed to shoot a movie in Berlin.
Holy blockbuster, Batman! A buzzy article from the New York Times revealed that director Christopher Nolan is hard at work on another flick.
Of course, it's not like this is a huge surprise. There was no way Hollywood wasn't going to make a sequel to "The Dark Knight," the third-highest-grossing movie of all time. Still, Nolan's participation will likely cause a huge sigh of relief among moviegoers. Remember when, back in the '90s, director Joel Schumacher replaced Tim Burton and nearly killed the franchise?
The forthcoming blockbuster (not yet titled) also illustrates the escalating battle between Warner Bros. -- which produces many movies based on DC Comics, including "Batman" -- and Disney, which recently acquired DC's biggest rival, Marvel Comics.
Indeed, both studios have a slew of superhero flicks coming soon to theaters. In the New York Times article, it's revealed that "Wonder Woman" and "The Flash," both longtime favorites from DC, are "expected to (be) announced" in the coming months. Additionally, DC's "The Green Lantern," starring Ryan Reynolds as the hero and Blake Lively as his lovely love interest, is scheduled for a 2011 release. There's even a rumor that Mr. Nolan may supervise the development of a "Superman" reboot.
Clearly DC has a lot of irons in the fire. But Marvel isn't surrendering the cineplex anytime soon. Not only does Sony's forthcoming "Spider-Man" reboot have a hot director at the helm (Mark Webb of "500 Days of Summer"), it'll also come to theaters in 3D. Barring any delays, the flick, which will focus on Spider-Man's high school trials and tribulations, will spin its way onto the big screen in 2012.