NBC providing free, downloadable TV shows
Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on September 20th, 2007
As with many big media announcements, the superficial awesomeness of NBC’s move – offering downloadable versions of popular TV shows (Heroes, The Office, Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, etc. [see Last100]) – is dimmed by the conditions that come with them.
- The service will be called “NBC Direct” [from AP]
- It will launch on a test basis in October, expanding outward from there. [from BloggingStocks]
- Plus: Yes, NBC will be offering downloadable tv shows. [originally found on Ars]
- Plus: Yes, they will be free. [from The Marketing Shift]
- Minus: They will be ad-supported, with embedded, unskippable ads interupting playback, presumably like commercials [from: theStreet].
- Minus: Its US only. I won’t be able to use this.
- Minus: For Windows only. Sorry Apple and Linux types. [from Paid Content]
- Minus: It (may) require a propiertary player that needs to be downloaded and installed [from TG Daily]
- Minus: Downloads will only play for SEVEN DAYS from the episode air date. [from Jeff McManus]
So – on the upside, previously you had to pay $2 to download these shows from Apple’s iTunes – now they are free. On the downside – they come with ads and a bunch of limitations and restrictions.
As others have noted, NBC’s offering is more comparable to the “catch up” services offered overseas that let people catch missed shows. At a high level, this service is more competitive with DVR’s than it is with iTunes or piracy.
NBC has noted plans to offer “download to own,” subscription, and rental services over time. I’m looking forward to seeing what ludicrous prices and conditions are attached to those.
Home Theaters of the Rich and Famous: Gerry Spence
Posted in Blog Posts, Random Fun by Archive Authors on September 20th, 2007
Today’s Installment: A famous lawyer (Gerry Spence), and his cottage in Wyoming’s Teton’s (that’s a mountain range). Features a home theater that looks like an enormous cave, with tiered, pillowed seating (in an unfortunate 80’s navajo theme). This theater and another 10,000 sq/ft of cottage-y living space can be yours for an estimated $35 million!
Found via Digg, here’s the Man Cave page (rwurl.com/gspencecave), and the real estate listing (rwurl.com/gspencelisting).
The Streets of San Francisco – Season 1, Vol. 2
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 19th, 2007
Detective “Iron” Mike Stone (Karl Malden) is a seasoned veteran of the San Francisco Police Department. He’s an old fashioned no nonsense detective whose life has taken some bitter turns of late. Much to his aggravation he gets partnered with Keller (Michael Douglas), a green detective who hasn’t lost his belief that he can make a difference. Together they just might be able to teach each other something. Before long the two develop a teacher/mentor relationship that works well enough to solve the cases and get the bad guys.
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The Untouchables – Season 1, Vol. 2
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 19th, 2007
My mother was a big fan of The Untouchables. I think she really just had a crush on Robert Stack. Years later when Stack was hosting Unsolved Mysteries, I could swear that I heard her murmur a few
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The Guns of Navarone (Collector’s Edition)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 19th, 2007
Based on a popular 1957 novel by Alistair MacLean, The Guns of Navarone was a smash hit in 1961, and the highest grossing film of that year. It’s a World War II movie, and for its time was considered to be packed with excitement. While it definitely has some great action sequences, for modern standards the film has nowhere near the fast pace or high action-to-dialogue ratio we’ve come to expect from the genre.
So many years later, can a slow, talky action movie still excite audiences? And is The Guns of Navarone – 2-disc Collector’s Edition a worthy upgrade over the 2000 special edition release? Read on to find out.
Rio Bravo (Ultimate Collector’s Edition)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 19th, 2007
When I picked up Rio Bravo – Ultimate Collector’s Edition to review, I realized I had never seen a John Wayne movie. “The Duke” starred in well over 100 films, so I was more than a little surprised at this gaping hole in my viewing repertoire. Then I looked up director Howard Hawks (The Big Sleep) and discovered another long list of films I’ve overlooked. Defensively, I asked myself whether I was really missing out. Could their old movies be worth my time so many years later?
If Rio Bravo is any indication, their films are absolutely worth watching, though they’re perhaps not as masterful as they’re reputed to be. No matter your opinion, this Ultimate Collector’s Edition is one fine DVD set.
Dare to Play the Game
Posted in Dare to Play the Game, News and Opinions by Michael Durr on September 19th, 2007
Turbo Cd’s on the Wii, Gamestop Manager on Suspension and a Washer on the way to my house – Welcome to the column that is always on even if the writer is somewhere between a wounded animal & rigor mortis known as Dare to Play the Game.
Welcome to another edition of Dare to Play the Game. I finally started playing my Xbox 360 again. Played a smattering of Dig Dug (good stuff) and Gauntlet (I forgot how frustrating this game is) and I also started playing WWE Smackdown vs Raw 07. Getting used to the new grapple system is interesting but I’m already having fun with it. Unlocking some of this stuff will take some major time but outside of the crazy achievement where you have to beat everybody on legendary or the online ones where you have to win 20 in a row (unless somebody is willing to boost for me); I think I’ll be playing this for a while.
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Ghost Whisperer – The Second Season
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 18th, 2007
Ghost Whisperer changed a lot in its second season. Frankly, the level of changes took me by surprise, considering that the show was pretty successful as it was. These are the kind of wholesale changes you see when a borderline series is retooled for a second, and usually final, chance to connect with enough viewers. It was risky, and while I’m not too happy about a couple of these changes, I was for the most part impressed with the final result.
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College Essentials: History 101 (Platoon, Windtalkers, Dances With Wolves)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 18th, 2007
As any respectable history professor will tell you, if you want to learn about our past you should watch Hollywood historical fiction. That explains why MGM’s College Essentials: History 101 features Platoon – Special Edition, Windtalkers and Dances With Wolves. All three are clearly excellent examples of thoroughly accurate representations of historical conflicts, right?
Alright, so maybe educational impact isn’t the intention here. This is just MGM’s way of unloading some sub-par discs on unsuspecting buyers. What’s wrong with getting three movies for the price of one, you ask? Nothing. Unless one disc is out-dated and the other two should be incinerated by a giant laser.
College Essentials: Romance 101 (Heartbreakers/Legally Blonde/The Cutting Edge)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 18th, 2007
Looking for romance? This three-movie collection from MGM likes long walks on the beach, candle-light dinners and formulaic plots. The films have been around a while, but a fresh new look makes this set an attractive option.
As is usually the case for common-theme boxed sets, Romance 101 includes one stinker, one hit and one older gem you probably forgot about years ago. The movies aren’t the greatest examples of the genre, but the studio sweetens the deal, offering you three films for the price of one new-release DVD. Hit the jump for a rundown of these three discs.
Notting Hill
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 18th, 2007
Notting Hill is a bit of a spin on a Cinderella type story, only Cinderella is William Thacker (Hugh Grant, About A Boy) the owner of a break even book store. Nothing seems to be going his way until fate would have it that Anna Scott (Julia Roberts, Oceans Eleven) the worlds most respected and loved actress enters his store. William having a hard time coping with his recent divorce can’t believe the glimmer of hope placed before him.
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Young Indiana Jones
Posted in Blog Posts, News and Opinions by Archive Authors on September 17th, 2007
We’re about to be hit with 12 discs of Young Indy goodness. Paramount has released new details about the forthcoming The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones – Volume One, which streets October 23, 2007. Volume one alone will be 12 discs, with seven feature-length episodes, and a boat-load of companion documentaries. Once the other two volumes are released — volume 2 on December 18 and volume 3 in spring of ’08 — the set will include all 22 episodes and a staggering 94 documentaries.
With excitement beginning to build for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I’m sure these releases will do very well. All I can say is it’s about time The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles saw the light of day. If you didn’t catch this show when it aired in the early 90s, here’s your chance to enjoy a groundbreaking TV series.
We’ll do our best to get our hands on these sets, so check back with Upcomingdiscs.com for reviews as they’re released. For further details on volume one, visit our friends at Film School Rejects.
Everybody Loves Raymond – The Complete Ninth Season
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 17th, 2007
Like it or not, Everybody Loves Raymond has earned its spot alongside TV’s most successful sitcoms, including The Cosby Show, Roseanne and Seinfeld. These shows not only ran a long time, but they also shared a common origin — all were based on the persona of the popular stand-up comics who starred in the series. This method may have produced hits in these cases, but it’s no guarantee. To really beat the odds, there has to be something more.
In the case of Everybody Loves Raymond, the largely American audience saw themselves in the on-screen families. Fans have been sitting down each week, for more than 200 episodes, to a funnier, wackier version of their own families. As this ninth and final season hits DVD, it’s time to ask, did the show end too soon, too late or right on time?
Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 16th, 2007
Every time I long for the free and easy days of my youth, something like Disney Princess Enchanted Tales comes along to remind me why it’s good to be done with childhood. If I was a kid, I’d be entertained by this stuff. Since I can no longer appreciate kid-friendly, sitcom-like productions, I will imagine I’m a seven-year-old girl for the remainder of this review. In order to keep things nice and coherent, though, I’ll write like I’m not.
All you need to know about this original release from Disney is that it’s Disney-lite, with lower production values and more heavy-handed stories. However, I’m sure it will please children, especially those who love all things princess.
Brothers & Sisters The Complete First Season
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 15th, 2007
There have certainly been more interesting family business shows on television over the years, so the premise for Brothers & Sisters is anything but original. Both
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MGM Releases “Most Definitive Bond Collection Yet”
Posted in The Reel World by Archive Authors on September 15th, 2007
Urggh. 42 disc (dvd) set, includes all 20 original films, plus Casino Royale. In their own words:
“Presented on two-disc special edition DVDs spanning 42 discs, each mission grants all-access to the chronicles of the agent’s storied career from the Bond archives, including deleted scenes, rare interviews, documentaries, featurettes, interactive film guides, music videos, audio commentaries and more.”
Each film has been…
“…recently restored and re-mastered for optimal sound and picture quality.”
The complete set retails for $270 CDN, pre-orderable October 10.
Or, you could get the Ultimate Edition box set for $180 at Amazon now, and grab a previously viewed copy of Casino Royale (2006) from BlockBuster for $8. Your call.
Disclaimer: I have no idea if these discs are any different from the UE’s – though both this new release and the UE’s are 2-disc sets – and I find it hard to imagine that MGM’s dredged up another set of extras for each film; I’ve emailed MGM and will post a response.
David Arquette – The Tripper
Posted in News and Opinions, The Reel World by Archive Authors on September 15th, 2007
(click the cover to expand, btw) I know nothing about this movie other than that the concept sounds intriguing, and that it hits DVD October 23rd. Directed/produced/co-written by Arquette, Fox describes the film as an homage to slasher flicks by Wes Craven & Tobe Hooper. The plot is right from the slasher playbook: group of teens stalked and killed. But the “Arquette Homage” element is intriguing. Calling David Annandale: do you anything about this?
Screencaps follow after the jump!
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Babel (2-disc Collector’s Edition)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 14th, 2007
One of the handful of films deemed extra special in 2006, Babel had lofty intentions, a lot of hype and plenty of Oscar nominations. And yet, while the film was well directed and very well acted, it falls well short of its reputation. In fact, Babel fails to create a real impact, unless you count the utter depression one experiences while watching it.
Still, the film has lots of fans willing to call it one of the best of 2006. Those folks will be happy to add Babel: 2-disc Collector’s Edition to their own collections. That is, unless they already picked up the single-disc version released back in February. Is this double-dip good enough to say, “out with the old, in with the new?” Read on to find out.
Brain Blasters — Sometimes, the Final Cut Really Should Be Final
Posted in Brain Blasters by David Annandale on September 14th, 2007
The current issue of Rue Morgue has a retrospective look at Dan O’Bannon’s Return of the Living Dead, just ahead of yet another DVD release (September 11). Over the course of the interview with O’Bannon, interviewer Dave Alexander asks the director how much he had to do with the new release. This is his response:
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Fargo: The “Yeah” Cut
Posted in Random Fun by Archive Authors on September 14th, 2007
Here’s an edit of the movie Fargo (read the review here!), cut to include only dialog with the word “yeah.” A funny take on a fantastic film, found via digg.
Y Tu Mamá También – R Rated Edition
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 13th, 2007
The film that arguably more than any other put director Alfonso Cuarón and actor Gael García Bernal on the map, Y Tu Mamá También is a smart, funny, extremely erotic tale of two young friends travelling across Mexico in the company of an older, sexually experienced woman. It’s a great film. But this isn’t the DVD you should watch to appreciate it. In this day and age of a veritable deluge of discs boasting unrated versions of their theatrical release, what, pray tell, is the point of an R rated DVD butchering of a unrated theatrical release? Fully six minutes are missing. The 100 that remain are, of course, excellent, but what is here is not the director’s vision. There is terrible irony in box boasting a blurb that exults in how “unafraid of sexuality” the movie is, when the DVD is clearly terrified.
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Commando (Director’s Cut)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 13th, 2007
“Remember when I promised I’d kill you last? I lied.”
Time to relieve the glory days. Arguably the finest of Schwarzenegger’s over-the-top, muscle-bound 80s action flicks, Commando is finally getting the respect it deserves. This is the perfect example of a movie so bad it’s good. Really bad, and really good. Commando has it all: copious one-liners, a ridiculously huge Ah-nold physique, and a body count so high you’ll run out of fingers and toes in no time flat.
Yes, Commando is the quintessential 80s action extravaganza, and proof positive that the governator used to be a one-man Ah-my.
How much did you like Judge Dredd? NOT AS MUCH AS THIS GUY
Posted in Blog Posts, Random Fun by Archive Authors on September 13th, 2007
The picture tells the story. Read more here, more pics too. Actually, the builder tells his own story in “How-to: Build a Judge Dredd costume (Stallone Version).”
Kevin Goldsmith – the builder, pictured above also knows *a lot* about Judge Dredd, including the original desire to cast Clint Eastwood in the roll later filled by Stallone:
“Judge Dredd was created by 2000 AD Editor Pat Mills and John Wagner – the latter partly basing the concept on a futuristic. Dirty Harry ‘type’ character, portrayed in the 70′ s films by Clint Eastwood. A few years later, with Dredd’s continuing popularity, and with Superman holding his ground well against the groundbreaking technical achievements of Star Wars, proving that superhero films were still profitable, and with the possibility of either a Judge Dredd film or T.V. show being talked about, an opinion poll was conducted ~ 2000 AD to find the most popular actor that the readership felt should fill the role – Clint Eastwood came out as the most popular choice. No doubt this was mainly due to his previous experience of playing characters who mainly worked alone and who, whilst not over stepping the mark-well not too much anyway, handed out their own form of justice, and were also, in the main, incorruptible and unbribable.” [from 2000AD]
That reminds me of another picture I have kicking around… Eastwood got:
Ironman: New trailer!
Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on September 13th, 2007
Courtesy of the Wong Blogger. I don’t know anything about the Ironman, but Robert Downey Jr., a contemporary plot line, and some killer action are making this look sweet.
Hot Fuzz
Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on September 12th, 2007
Writer note: Apologies to Brendan who did the fine HD-DVD review for this flic. Some hack had to pick up the slack for the regular DVD and present a slightly alternate view. (and a different interpretation of english grammar)
Ever see Shaun of the Dead? No? Don’t worry, not too many people did either. This fine film directed by Edgar Wright was a parody and homeage to the George Romero Dead films. Full of comedy and nods to the genre, it was a very good but mostly forgotten flic. Fast forward to 2007 and Edgar Wright along with Simon Pegg (who would also play the character of Nicholas Angel) decide to write the homeage to action movies: Hot Fuzz.
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