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New Site Makes It Easy to Buy and Sell DVDs

Filed under: Tech Stuff, Home Entertainment

When it comes to my home entertainment collection, I have a problem saying no. If it's cheap enough and I can come up with a rationale for owning it, I'll shell out my hard earned dollars. Of course, this results in my shelves sagging under the weight of unloved and unwatched DVDs that seemed like a good idea at the time -- frankly, I couldn't tell you why I had to buy my very own copy of Step Up 2. But, selling those unwanted discs can be a bit of a hassle, and this is where Glyde comes in. This new service was created by the founder of eBay Motors and promises a new (and easier) way of buying and selling your used DVDs, video games, books, or CDs online.

So here's how it works: you simply sign up for an account, enter your credit card info, shipping address and you're ready to go. You can buy or sell with a single click, and best of all Glyde offers a no-hassle return policy -- which is sometimes a bit of a worry of mine when shopping online. If you're selling, Glyde sends you a Netflix-style prepaid envelope once the item has been sold and you pop it back into the mail within 24hrs. Glyde takes 10% of the sale price (and the price of the mailer) and the rest is deposited into your account, and you can withdraw your money at any time (via bank transfers or checks). Buying is even easier, and just takes one click to charge the item to your credit card. It all sounds pretty good on paper, and it is about time I started culling my own home entertainment collection -- I just hope I don't buy it all back again.

Watch a video intro to Glyde after the jump.

Peter Jackson Says Spielberg's 'Tintin' is Done Filming, but...

Filed under: Action, Animation, Paramount, Sony, Tech Stuff, Comic/Superhero/Geek

Today brings good news and bad news for fans eagerly awaiting The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, the first film in a proposed trilogy of new, motion-capture animated 3D films co-produced by Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson (among others) based on the comic book series created by Georges "Hergé" Remi. Spielberg took up directorial duties on the first in the series, which was supposed to begin filming in 2008 for a 2010 release, but Universal, burned by the under-performance of Beowulf and Monster House at the box office, decided to pull out in the pre-production process, halting progress until Paramount could partner with Sony in order to grease the gears financially.

Not much has popped up in the news department since then, however at the London premiere of Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones, the Lord of the Rings director told reporters that filming had finally been completed on Spielberg's Tintin entry. However, it's still no where close to release. Jackson went on to say that it is going to take another two years to actually animate the film, meaning fans are most likely looking at a late 2011 release date for The Secret of the Unicorn.

Netflix and IFC Team Up for Streaming Indies

Filed under: Deals, IFC, Tech Stuff, Distribution, Movie Marketing

NetflixNetflix knows where it's at when it comes to the rental biz; more and more, folks want to stay at home and watch movies instantly. We don't even want to wait for those happy little red envelopes any more. Nope, if it's not on our Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, or computer, we get all squirrelly. (Okay, maybe that last part is just me.) And IFC is also on the cutting edge of home entertainment in its steadily growing on-demand offerings, including their IFC Festival Direct program, where you can watch a selection of movies that have played during recent festivals, and the In Theaters + On Demand program, which offers at-home viewers the chance to see indie flicks the same day they premiere in what's usually limited release.

Now Netflix and IFC have sealed the deal for a partnership that gives Netflix access to 53 IFC releases to be streamed online to whichever platform you like, starting today.

I would guess that if this experiment takes off, we'll be seeing more IFC goodies on Netflix, but for now, you can see docs like The Thing Blue Line and Gates of Heaven; international films from Catherine Breillat, Christophe Honoré, and Alfonso Cuaron; and Joe Swanberg; and plenty of other flicks like The Brother from Another Planet, Nights and Weekends, and more. Check back later for the full list and more details on the launch of this new project.

Have you watched any of the IFC On Demand offerings, especially if they're for releases not otherwise available in your area? Do you think this is another death knell for the indie video store, or a really, really good idea to help spread the word about otherwise underseen independent films in a struggling market? Or both?

And Now... The 'Twilight' Video Game!

Filed under: Action, Drama, Tech Stuff, Games and Game Movies

Twilight video gameOnce upon a time, there was a Twilight massively multiplayer online role-playing game being developed called Twilight Online. Think World of Warcraft but for Twihards. They were shut down (one would imagine by Summit, who is making oodles of cash from tie-ins -- have you been to your local Blockbuster and picked up your very own couch pillow with Jacob's face on it?) and the developer is now working on something called "Nebulous Blood." (Read more about Twilight Online over at Geekologie since the details of the game are no longer on its official website.)

The first Twilight video game, one of many that's sure to come, is a trivia game that's part of the "Scene It?" game series. It is currently available as an iPhone app and a DVD game, and now even Wii and Nintendo DS players will be able to give their Twilight skillz a workout as well on November 24th. The console games are from Konami, a pretty damn solid game publisher that's behind great games like the Metal Gear Solid series, Silent Hill, Dance Dance Revolution, and even the recent Saw game.

Twilight game deets are hiding on the other side of the jump.

Blockbuster Really Wants Your Business

Filed under: Tech Stuff, Distribution, Home Entertainment

It's no secret that video retailer Blockbuster had a rough quarter. Their profits are dipping, stores are closing -- suffice to say things aren't looking good. But, the company is looking for new ways to compete with services like Netflix and Redbox and so they're getting into the digital content game. But, as some critics have pointed out, the results so far are lackluster to say the least. Blockbuster and NRC/MOD systems have announced the pilot of digital media kiosks where customers use an SD memory card to download movies and TV to take home to play on their TV with the aid of a proprietary device (provided to participants of the trial). But the kicker has to be that the content would be DRM protected and customers pay $1.99 for a movie that must be viewed within 30 days and is only viewable for 48 hours.

The digital download service is just the latest in Blockbuster's new strategy to hold on to customers by offering something other than the brick and mortar experience. Some of their other ideas have included DVD subscription services and DVD kiosks. Blockbuster is hoping these new services could reduce the effect that illegal downloading has cost their bottom line as well as open them up to new tech-savvy customers. I understand that Blockbuster needs to fight off the pirates like everybody else, but I doubt that products bogged down with DRM are going to persuade your average pirate to go legit. But on the upside, at least Blockbuster's latest scheme would mean that there's nothing to return, and you don't have to deal with receiving damaged or scratched discs -- but in the grand scheme of things, that ain't much.

If Blockbuster wants to live to fight another day, I think they are going to have to come up with something a lot better than this, don't you?

Dave Matthews, Gogol Bordello Are Larger Than Life in 3D HD

Filed under: Music & Musicals, Fandom, Tech Stuff, Distribution

Gogol BordelloAEG and Action 3D are betting on music lovers that will want to catch their favorite performers in a movie theater -- on the screen, that is. According to Variety, the two companies have already been getting footage from different festivals for their limited-run, 3D-only concert movies, which will be offered in a similar manner as U2 3D. The first series of movies will be footage of concerts from Dave Matthews (yay?), Relentless7, Ben Harper, and Gogol Bordello. The only group that sounds like it would wow music fans in 3D is Gogol Bordello, a gypsy punk band known for their outrageous live shows and songs like "Start Wearing Purple."

However, AEG is also behind the recent release of Michael Jackson's film This is It, along with Sony, which has made $186 million worldwide so far. While concert movies with built-in audiences like the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: The Best of Both Worlds have been similarly successful, I'm not convinced that semi-random concert series will really put bottoms in seats. And for all you Phishheads, AEG has apparently already "filmed several 3D live sets of Phish from Festival 8 in Indio, Calif., in late October. According to [John Rubey, president of Network Live, a division of AEG Live], the company plans to roll out 'best of' edition from Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits as followups to the Matthews feature in 2010." So get your Birks and tie-dye ready to jam out, man!

I think it's a cool idea to offer people the chance to see their favorite bands up close and personal if they can't see them live, but there isn't anything to rival the actual live experience. Granted, you're not usually that close to the stage and some jerk just spilled beer on your shoes and someone else is singing along to every song and/or shouting "WOO!" in your ear, but that's all part of the concert experience, right?

Fox to Bombard You with Random Facts During Movie

Filed under: New Releases, Tech Stuff, Home Entertainment

Fox is trying to sell more DVDs by adding Pop Up Video.

The Hollywood Reporter
posts that the company is hoping to boost sales by "putting a new spin on interactivity, including harnessing the power of social networking" with a little system called "FoxPop." Not so much a "new spin," FoxPop is a downloadable computer program (works with Mac, PC, and iPhone) that will recognize the sounds of a film, immediately sync up, and give movie viewers a "constant barrage of facts, photos, games, and trivia questions related to the movie they are watching." In other words -- Pop Up Video on a separate screen you're welcome to ignore.

Fox's example of how it will work: "when a T. rex appears on the screen, for example, the user's iPhone would vibrate and ask how many bones that particular dino has. It will also tell what percentage answered the query correctly" while completely distracting them from the fun of the dino hunt. Social networking comes into play with the ability to make comments on the film with Facebook and Twitter that your friends will be able to see when they want to watch a movie. I see the last bits of our attention spans flying away into the ether of history...

Check Out Jim Carrey's Bizarre New Website

Filed under: Tech Stuff

Someone spent a lot of time and energy building a Flash-heavy website for Jim Carrey that is overwhelming enough to confuse even the most web-savvy user. Besides the usual bio, filmography, TV appearances, and news items, there are tiny arrows to click on on that swoop you from one movie-inspired dimension to another. There's creepy music I couldn't turn off using Safari or Firefox until I randomly clicked on a little doodad on the homepage (note to developers: that's always a crowd-pleaser!). The problem is, the whole site is nearly impossible to navigate. Even the filmography page is practically useless for finding actual info on his past movies -- unless, of course, you would like to see the trailer for A Christmas Carol.

If you have split-second reflexes and click on the little dude who pops up and snaps a photo, you can see "informal" photos of Jim Carrey in real life -- covered in mud or snuggled up with his sweetie, Jenny McCarthy, or posing with a crab in his mouth. Click on the bird with a Jim Carrey head, and you're taken to his Twitter account. It's all very click-y, like a movie website. Which as we all know are, well, kind of annoying.

Because I am a nerd, I looked up the source code of the site, and the meta-description reads, "Explore the eccentric, psychedelic corners of Jim Carrey's mind on his official site. Discover archived appearances and movie trailers, behind the scenes clips, family photos and even notes from Jim himself!" Well, it is very psychedelic, I'll give it that.

If you're looking for a great, informative site for someone famous, I suggest you turn to the far simpler and yet more pleasing sites for Edgar Wright, which features funny photos, unseen video and on-set video diaries, and, smartest of all, links to buy his movies.

New Website Leverages Piracy Tool to Help Filmmakers

Filed under: Tech Stuff, Exhibition, DIY/Filmmaking, Movie Marketing

Since it's inception, bit-torrent has been the bane of filmmakers, film distributors, and studio shareholders alike. The popular file-sharing protocol has tons of legitimate uses, but there's no question that one of its largest uses is the mass dissemination of copyrighted material without permission of those who own said material; AKA movie piracy. However, a new service called VODO is planning on turning the worst aspect of peer-to-peer downloading into an advantageous new release platform for independent filmmakers.

The project, created by one of the gentlemen behind the movie piracy documentary Steal This Film, functions as an intermediary between downloaders and content creators and works a little something like this: A filmmaker interested in giving out his film for free submits their labor of love to VODO. A jury then approves the film for distribution, at which point it ends up on the VODO homepage as a bit-torrent download which can then be shared freely by users all over the world. Should a downloader enjoy a film and then want to support it, they can go back to the website which works as a portal directly to the filmmaker, be it to make a donation or ask for permission to show the film commercially.

The Internet Takes Control of Movie Marketing

Filed under: New Line, Fandom, Tech Stuff

A while back I wrote a little post about a movie that I would never see, and plenty of folks lined up to tell me that it was impossible to make a decision about a movie through word of mouth or what I had read on the Internet. Of course, I disagreed, because frankly how else can I make a decision about where to spend my hard earned time and money? But if I had to blame anyone for keeping me away from the movie theater that day, I'm going to have to blame the Internet. Yup, it was thanks to those sneak peeks and early screenings described in detail online that helped me make my decision before those battling robots ever took the stage. People are talking about movies more now than ever before thanks to social networking tools like Twitter and Facebook, and a new study from New Line's Web guru Gordon Paddison has proven that when it comes to movie marketing, all the action really is on the web.

What the report seems to be saying is that you need to know your audience if you want to sell your movie. Now, there are some daunting statistics that prove the power of the Internet when it comes to going to the movies, and if you aren't buying the effect the net can have on a film's success, keep in mind that 94% of all moviegoers are online, and 73% of moviegoers surveyed have profiles on a social networking site -- and if people are talking, you want to make sure it's positive because as the old commercial goes, they tell two friends, and they tell two friends, and before you know it, you have a flop on your hands.

After the jump: so what does this all mean for movie marketers?
 
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