Cinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.comCinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.com/media/feedlogo.gifCinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.comen-usCopyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Check Out Concept Art From Marvel's Futuristic Theme Parkhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/12/01/marvels-theme-park-concept-art/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/12/01/marvels-theme-park-concept-art/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/12/01/marvels-theme-park-concept-art/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Two years ago the Al Ahli Group announced a partnership with Marvel Entertainment that would see to fruition a massive, cutting-edge amusement park to be built in Dubai and feature rides and exhibits tailor themed to the likes of Spider-Man, Iron Man, The Hulk, The X-Men, and all the rest of Marvel's impressive stable of superheroes (and villains). Obviously a lot has changed since then. First, Disney purchased Marvel outright, and though there was plenty examination of what that meant for future Marvel film franchises and existing properties, I don't recall any talk of this new theme park being bandied about. Second, and more recently, the financial crisis world wide has taken a particularly heavy toll on the rather lofty model Dubai had based its construction-heavy economy on, halting many planned projects.

Considering those two bits of news, chances aren't looking too good that the Marvel park will ever be a reality, but that doesn't mean we can't run down what could have been. The Disney and More blog has posted a fascinating smattering of concept art developed by the Chimera Design Company, showcasing a number of different attractions planned for Marvel Dubailand. Obviously rollercoasters are a mainstay of any theme park, but this hypothetical wonderland looked to have been hiding a few tricks up its sleeve. Though the designs lack full explanation, some of them are too intriguing to be immune from speculation. Take the concept art above, for example, which features Spider-Man fighting off the Green Goblin and Dr. Octopus while a group of people are in free fall from a skyscraper.

Gallery: Marvel's Dubai Theme Park Concept Art

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]]>featuredMarvelMarvel DubailandMarvel Theme ParkMarvelDubailandMarvelThemeParksuperheroesTheme ParksThemeParksPeter HallTue, 01 Dec 2009 17:32:00 ESTUPDATE: Girl Was Not Bitten by Pervert at 'New Moon' Screeninghttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/25/update-girl-was-not-bitten-by-pervert-at-new-moon-screening/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/25/update-girl-was-not-bitten-by-pervert-at-new-moon-screening/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/25/update-girl-was-not-bitten-by-pervert-at-new-moon-screening/#commentsFiled under: , ,

This is a tale of the girl who cried wolf vampire...

TMZ is reporting that the 17-year-old girl who claimed that a fellow moviegoer bit her neck while exiting a screening of New Moon was, as they put it, "lying through her teeth." Erin Westrate gave police her story of the so-called bite, but a witness came forward to say that they saw her leave the theater and saw no biting. After grilling the teen, she confessed: "the alleged culprit was simply kissing her on the neck at the time and she was a 'willing participant.'" What possessed her to make up this extravagant lie is beyond me. Is she an English literature fiend who wanted to play on the never-cry-wolf idea after a movie with wolves and vamps?

Detective Lieutenant Timothy LaVigne says that the teen could now face criminal charges, and if this is all true and she did lie -- I say bring her down. Women have a tough enough time as it is when they are assaulted, crying wolf doesn't help matters.

From the original post:

We keep hearing about the annoying Twilight Saga fans and their ever-loyal fandom, but there are other crazies coming out of the woodwork. An ABC affiliate in Michigan reports that while watching New Moon at the Norton Shores theater, a teen girl was harassed and bitten by an old perv while watching the vampire/werewolf blockbuster.

It seems that in the midst of a screen full of vamps and wolves, an old, short, white dude believed to be about 45 years old starting throwing "sexual comments" at a 17-year-old girl sitting in front of him. But he didn't just assault her with words. When the movie was over, he decided to give her a taste of the "real deal" and allegedly bit the girl on the neck (lucky for her, he didn't break the skin). Right now, the perv is at large, and the police are asking anyone with any information to contact the Norton Shores Police Department.

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]]>CinematicalNew MoonNewMoonpervy moviegoersPervyMoviegoersMonika BartyzelWed, 25 Nov 2009 15:45:00 ESTMovie Popcorn is Bad for You? Who Knew?http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/22/movie-popcorn-is-bad-for-you-who-knew/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/22/movie-popcorn-is-bad-for-you-who-knew/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/22/movie-popcorn-is-bad-for-you-who-knew/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Popcorn and sodaIn a report that will shock anyone that doesn't go to the movies, an advocacy group claims that movie theater popcorn is not a very good nutritional snack. In a press release, the Center for Science in the Public Interest says they commissioned laboratory analyses indicating a medium-size popcorn and medium-size soda purchased at a Regal theater, the country's largest movie theater chain, contains the nutritional equivalent of three McDonald's Quarter Pounders with 12 pats of butter. "Sitting through a two-hour movie isn't exactly like climbing Mt. Everest," a senior nutritionist for the Center said. "Why do theaters think they need to feed us like it is?"

Ah, but that comment betrays an ignorance of the current cinema. When I caught 2012 on opening day, for example, I watched it with a tub of popcorn by my side, as our reviewer Peter Hall suggested ($7.50 for a large popcorn at AMC). It gave me something to do during the non-disaster scenes. On a more serious note, the Center points out the high amount of saturated fat results from movie theater chains Regal and AMC using coconut oil to pop their popcorn. The Cinemark chain uses canola oil, which results in much less "artery-clogging" saturated fat.

For their part, the chains aren't talking, reports The Los Angeles Times, though Regal falls back on the MPAA's statistic that says the average American only attends six movies a year and thus: "Theater popcorn and movie snacks are viewed as a treat and not intended to be part of a regular diet." I know our readers watch up to six movies in a single weekend, so I ask you: Do you skip popcorn entirely? Do you buy anything from movie concession stands? If theaters offered healthier fare, would you buy it?

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]]>amccinemarkfeaturedmovie theater concessionsmovie theater popcornmovie theatersMovieTheaterConcessionsMovieTheaterPopcornMovieTheaterspopcornregalPeter MartinSun, 22 Nov 2009 10:02:00 ESTSex and Nudity Don't Draw You to the Movies?http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/20/sex-and-nudity-dont-draw-you-to-the-movies/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/20/sex-and-nudity-dont-draw-you-to-the-movies/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/20/sex-and-nudity-dont-draw-you-to-the-movies/#commentsFiled under:

Would you have liked Terminator Salvation more if Moon Bloodgood's topless bit hadn't been cut out? Would you have been more likely to see the movie in theaters if you knew there was a flash of boob? Probably not, according to a recent psychological study, which looked at 914 movies released between 2001 and 2005 to determine if sex indeed sells at the cinema.

The results of the study say no: "sex and nudity do not, on the average, boost box office performance, earn critical acclaim or win major awards." Well, the research did show that the Golden Globes are more favorable to movies with sex scenes than the Oscars, which might make sense given that many foreign moviegoers (particularly those in Europe) are more accepting of nudity than American viewers, though it's unlikely the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is thinking about sex while determining its nominees.

In contrast, the study actually showed that sex sells even less outside the U.S., which may be because a number of international markets, such as those in Asia and the Middle East, are more censoring of such content.

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]]>featurednuditypowder bluePowderBluepsychological studiesPsychologicalStudiessexsex scenesSexScenesterminator salvationTerminatorSalvationChristopher CampbellFri, 20 Nov 2009 12:45:00 ESTInterview: Tim Burton at the MoMAhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/17/tim-burton-interview-moma/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/17/tim-burton-interview-moma/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/17/tim-burton-interview-moma/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



New York's Museum of Modern Art is hosting a retrospective for Tim Burton that spans the artist's career so far, from doodles on paper, Polaroids, sketches, full-blown paintings, sculptures, and, of course, movies. The MoMA will be showing 14 of his films, and Burton himself curated a collection of films that inspired him, aptly titled "The Lurid Beauty of Monsters." Burton was on hand to talk to the press, comparing his joy at the show to "an out-of-body experience." He said, "In my life, I've had many surreal, great things happen -- meeting my idol, Vincent Price; being able to make movies; and this one, I think, tops it in the sense that it's the most amazing and surreal, and that's what you look for in life, is these great and incredible [experiences]."

The MoMA's Ron Magliozzi, Assistant Curator, and Jenny He, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Film, worked feverishly to uncover work from the artist's 27-year career, even touring his house to find art for the show. Burton also created seven new statues for the exhibit.

The show opens November 22nd and ends April 26th, 2010. You can see a selection of the art on display in the gallery below.

Cinematical: What's the most personal piece in the collection for you?

Tim Burton: Well, it could be any of a number because I noticed the ones that freaked me out so much that I can't look at, which is a lot of it, I think it's a lot of that early stuff. Stuff that I didn't even know I had. I don't even know where they found some of that really early stuff. 'Cause it's, as they [Ron Magliozzi and Jenny He] pointed out, it was all just kind of personal and private, so there's a lot of that in there. Mainly, the early stuff, I'd say. Stuff that - I don't know where you actually found stuff that I actually got decent grades on! Because I don't remember that at all! [Laughs]

Gallery: Tim Burton's MoMA Exhibition

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]]>3DAlice in WonderlandAliceInWonderlandinterviewMoMAtim burtonTimBurtonJenni MillerTue, 17 Nov 2009 21:32:00 ESTSummit Allowing Real-Life Forks to Cash In on 'Twilight' Crazehttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/16/summit-forks-twilight-craze/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/16/summit-forks-twilight-craze/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/16/summit-forks-twilight-craze/#commentsFiled under: ,



You think you're sick of seeing Twilight-centric posts on blogs? Imagine living in Forks, the poor Washington town hugging Olympic National Park which is the setting for the Twilight books and films (though much of it is filmed in Vancouver). As popularity in the series increases, fans flock to the small town to get a peek at the real thing, which means sparkly vamps all the time, everywhere. One day, you're enjoying your forest-thick hometown, and the next you're the focus of fangirl fervor -- your poor Chamber of Commerce having to field questions about safe, vampire-free camping spots.

The Wrap has published a post looking into how the town is dealing with its newfound fame -- we're talking an increase from 8,000 yearly tourists to 67,000 -- and, subsequently, the copyright issues. We all know how far some studios can take copyright protection -- from bearing down on those who make any amount of money on a franchise's fame to fans who just like to make videos and computer wallpaper -- so of course, the big C would become an issue when a town cashes in on their new fame.

But so far? The studio ain't biting! Of course, this is a special case -- you can't exactly expect a town not to cash in or appease the masses descending on the area all of a sudden (not to mention the town has been hit real hard by the recession). If they have to deal with the fans, they should get something out of it, right? Empty storefronts have been replaced with Twilight-themed fare, and as we recently learned, a Volterra-themed restaurant is in the works.

One could hope this would change some of the other studios' iron-hand attitude towards copyright, but I doubt it. What do you think? How far should Forks be able to cash in on the situation before they've taken it too far?

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]]>CinematicalForksForks WashingtonForksWashingtonTwilightTwilight SagaTwilightSagaMonika BartyzelMon, 16 Nov 2009 15:02:00 EST'Mr. Fox' Deserves a Fantastic Feasthttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/13/mr-fox-needs-a-fantastic-accompanying-feast/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/13/mr-fox-needs-a-fantastic-accompanying-feast/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/13/mr-fox-needs-a-fantastic-accompanying-feast/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Dear Alamo Drafthouse or any other movie theater that serves food with movies,

I just saw Fantastic Mr. Fox and afterwards I realized something that no one seems to have mentioned so far: This is totally a foodie movie. It's not foodie like Julie & Julia, where the characters are baking desserts and decapitating ducks and invoking the spirit of Julia Child ... but food is a central part of the story . The three main bad guys each are rumored to only consume a single type of food or drink, and Mr. Fox is obsessed with getting his paws on some of these delicacies. There are feasts, there are large plates of French toast and desserts, there is a significant cider incident -- in short, this movie is awash in food and drink.

Therefore, I strongly suggest that you offer a feast to accompany some screenings of Fantastic Mr. Fox. It took me days to recuperate from Alamo's feast for The Simpsons Movie, but boy was it worthwhile. Alamo does feasts for all kinds of fancy foodie movies, and any other movie it likes ... this is one I hope is not forgotten, even though it is opening in Austin around Thanksgiving, when people have turkey feasts on the brain.

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]]>Alamo DrafthouseAlamoDrafthousefantastic mr. foxFantasticMr.FoxfeastfoodiesmenuJette KernionFri, 13 Nov 2009 15:48:00 ESTDiscuss: When Movie Marketing Crosses the Linehttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/13/discuss-when-movie-marketing-crosses-the-line/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/13/discuss-when-movie-marketing-crosses-the-line/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/13/discuss-when-movie-marketing-crosses-the-line/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

A quiet storm has been brewing on the Internet over the ethics of spoilers, all in response to The Fourth Kind. It started when Cole Abaius at Film School Rejects took arms against the myriad of bloggers, critics, and tweeters who had been relishing in discussing the veracity of Universal's new alien abduction movie. His post was in part a reaction to a new column started at SciFi Squad that addresses the actual science behind science fiction, which is a perfect podium for an article titled What's The Real Truth Behind The Fourth Kind?

Long story short, Cole feels that to address the claims of the movie (whether or not it is indeed "based on real events") is to spoil the director's vision of how the movie should be seen, and even though you're not spoiling anything that happens during the film's run time, you're ruining the experience. Obviously I disagree. I think there are people who actively want to know whether or not its documentary footage is actual footage or the flights of fancy of screenwriters and producers. It's a fine line to walk, that's for sure, but ultimately the question is whether or not such discussion undermines the suspension of disbelief the director clearly intended to be there. It's an issue Cole and I have been going back on forth on for a few days, but now there's a twist involved, proving even further that the situation surrounding The Fourth Kind is quite unique.

Universal just settled a lawsuit filed against the studio by the Alaska Press Club for the news stories The Fourth Kind PR department manufactured under the guise of being legitimate news articles from the Alaskan Press. So the question I present to you is, are fake news stories crossing the line?

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]]>EthicsCommitteefact vs fictionFactVsFictionfeaturedspoiler ethicsSpoilerEthicsThe Fourth KindTheFourthKindPeter HallFri, 13 Nov 2009 12:02:00 EST'Make-Out with Violence' For Free in L.A.!http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/12/make-out-with-violence-for-free-in-l-a/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/12/make-out-with-violence-for-free-in-l-a/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/12/make-out-with-violence-for-free-in-l-a/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,


Indie movie lovers of the greater Los Angeles area, take note of a wonderful gem from this year's SXSW festival that's coming your way. Make-Out with Violence is an angsty teenage zombie horror comedy that I caught last year at the Oxford Film Festival, and tonight - November 12 - it screens in Los Angeles. For free!

Ok, technically it's screening in Alhambra. But this one-night only engagement will likely be your only chance to see the underappreciated indie film that our own Scott Weinberg called "pretty damn good" - and if I may add my own endorsement, Make-Out with Violence is original and gorgeously shot, a great alternative to mainstream (i.e. made with way more money) films about either teenage life or zombies. The best part? Make-Out with Violence is about both of those things. (It's also got the most attractive zombie hottie of the year, with apologies to Zombieland's Amber Heard.)

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]]>Deagol BrothersDeagolBrothersMake-Out with ViolenceMake-outWithViolenceJen YamatoThu, 12 Nov 2009 09:48:00 EST'Meatballs' on TV: Only $25!http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/10/meatballs-on-tv-only-25/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/10/meatballs-on-tv-only-25/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/10/meatballs-on-tv-only-25/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

'Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs' (Sony)The war for your wallet may be shifting from DVD stores to your living room. Just yesterday, our own Jessica Barnes described the price war between Walmart, Target and Amazon as the three retailers have temporarily slashed their profits and passed the savings on to you. Now comes word that Sony will pre-empt retailers by making their animated hit Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs available exclusively to owners of selected Sony television sets and networked Blu-ray players more than a month before it's released on DVD. Sony, however, expects you to slash your savings and pass the profits on to them, charging $24.95 for a rental.

That's a big chunk of change for a pay-per-view movie, dramatically higher than cable and satellite systems charge for pay-per-view flicks in their window of availability before DVD and Blu-ray release. Details from a business standpoint are provided in The New York Times -- the higher price is meant to avoid angering Walmart, the largest and thus most powerful DVD retailer in the country, and the move is part of Sony's strategy to leverage its ownership of both hardware (TVs, Blu-ray players) and software (movies, television) production. I'm sure Sony shareholders will be pleased.

What about the consumer? In his Home Theater blog for ZDNET, Sean Portnoy wonders: "In this economy, is being able to rent this successful movie a few weeks ahead of the masses really worth an extra $20? In fact, if you're using Netflix or renting at $1 per night through Redbox, the pricing difference is even starker." Sony tried this last year with Will Smith and Hancock, but economic times are even more difficult now. Will you pay $25 for Meatballs?

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]]>cloudy with a chance of meatballsCloudyWithAChanceOfMeatballsfeaturepay per viewpay per view moviesPayPerViewPayPerViewMoviessony braviaSonyBraviavideo on demandVideoOnDemandPeter MartinTue, 10 Nov 2009 12:45:00 ESTFun with Math: The Huge Box Office Numbers for 'Precious'http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/10/fun-with-math-the-huge-box-office-numbers-for-precious/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/10/fun-with-math-the-huge-box-office-numbers-for-precious/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/10/fun-with-math-the-huge-box-office-numbers-for-precious/#commentsFiled under: ,

The final numbers are in, and the estimated $1.8 million earned by Precious in its limited-release opening weekend wasn't an exaggeration. In fact, it was a little short: The Sundance-prize-winning, Oprah-endorsed indie drama actually made $1,872,458 between Friday and Sunday. (Numbers courtesy of Box Office Mojo.) The reason that's so impressive is that it was only playing in 18 theaters, for an average of $104,025 per theater. For comparison's sake, A Christmas Carol made $8,159 per theater.

So let's put on our nerd hats and break down those Precious numbers. While it's only in 18 theaters, it played on 35 screens, because most cineplexes, anticipating the demand, booked two prints. (The per-screen average, therefore, was $53,499.) I looked at each theater's listings and added up how many showings the movie had over the weekend. That number was 507.

Then the math: It made $1,872,458 in 507 showings, for an average of $3,693 per showing. The average ticket price at the theaters in question is $11 (disregarding things like senior discounts and slightly cheaper prices for Friday matinees). That means each screening sold an average of about 335 tickets, which is surely the capacity for a lot of those theaters. That means a sell-out crowd for almost every screening. I guess I could have found out how many people each theater seats and determined exactly how many sell-outs there were, but that would be silly.

Box Office Mojo says the $104,025 per-theater average is the 12th highest ever -- but the 11 films ahead of it were all playing in no more than six locations. Precious played in 18 and still had a huge per-theater average. Any way you slice it, the delightful feel-good romp of the year opened with a splash.

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]]>featurednerderynumber-crunchingpreciousthings Oprah likesThingsOprahLikesEric D. SniderTue, 10 Nov 2009 09:02:00 ESTIs the 'Avatar' Budget Approaching $500 Million?http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/09/is-the-avatar-budget-approaching-500-million/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/09/is-the-avatar-budget-approaching-500-million/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/09/is-the-avatar-budget-approaching-500-million/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


Talking about film budgets is a tricky thing. Talking about the budget for Avatar is an even trickier thing. I recently mused about how Fox's huge gamble had caused four highly-anticipated films in China to flee from its shadow, poising the film on the precipice of a perfect storm of box office success in China that no previous film had been privy to. In doing so I invoked the ire of a good number of commenters, all of whom felt my budget-returning extrapolation from the news that Avatar is set to dominate in 80% of China's screens during its biggest blockbuster season wasn't just a wrong hypothetical, but downright ignorant.

While I still stand by the point of that post - that the hitherto unseen convergence of all the elements behind Avatar's release is going to see unprecedented box office in China - I'll concede that there is no chance that the film makes its budget back from China alone; not with the New York Times now claiming that the film's price tag is breaching the half-billion mark. As with all things budget, however, this number isn't as simple as it looks.

The $500 million is NYT's combination of the estimated $300 million it cost to actually produce the film, the approximately $150 million Fox plans to spend on global marketing alone, with the remaining $50 million being a cushion for the cumulative costs some of the film's partners have already ponied up (such as Avatar Day, whose bill was footed mostly by IMAX). However, even if their newly estimated number is accurate, that doesn't mean that Fox is on the line for the full half-billion.

Continue reading Is the 'Avatar' Budget Approaching $500 Million?

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]]>Avatarbox officeBoxOfficebudgetsDune EntertainmentDuneEntertainmentfeaturedFoxIngenious MediaIngeniousMediaJames CameronJamesCameronPeter HallMon, 09 Nov 2009 14:15:00 ESTIs Pakistan's Film Industry Dying?http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/08/is-pakistans-film-industry-dying/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/08/is-pakistans-film-industry-dying/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/08/is-pakistans-film-industry-dying/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



Left to right: Hand painted movie poster, Peshawar, Pakistan, 2006 (photo by Jim Henry); The Odeon Cinema, Lahore, Pakistan, 2009 (photo by Rahat Ali Dar for Los Angeles Times).

You've heard of Bollywood, Nollywood, and even Dollywood, but what about Lollywood? Based in Lahore, the second-largest city in Pakistan (and home to the U.S. Consulate), Lollywood produced more than 100 movies annually back in the 70s and 80s. Today, however, "Pakistani cinema has all but vanished," writes Alex Rodriguez in Los Angeles Times. Reportedly, the number of movie theaters in the country has declined from 1,100 in 1985 to just 120 today, and local film production has shrunk to fewer than a dozen movies each year. It's gotten so bad, the theater pictured above has been playing the same movie for three years. The same movie, and evidently not by popular demand!

Most of the usual suspects are blamed, with one that is unique to the country: "VCR, cable television, President Muhammad Zia ul-Haq's Islamization of Pakistani society, and finally DVD piracy." (Emphasis added.) While film industries have weathered changes in viewing habits, it appears that government edicts played a big role in the collapse of the industry: "Many cinemas were shut down, the rest were heavily taxed. New laws that required producers to have college degrees thinned the ranks of movie makers. The message Zia ul-Haq's government was sending to society was clear, [theater owner Jahanzaib] Baig says: 'We were being told that filmmaking was a vulgar and bad business to be in.'"

Continue reading Is Pakistan's Film Industry Dying?

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]]>lahorelollywoodpakistan film industryPakistanFilmIndustrypakistani independent filmsPakistaniIndependentFilmsPeter MartinSun, 08 Nov 2009 09:02:00 ESTVisionary Chinese Man Combines Movies, Bathinghttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/05/visionary-chinese-man-combines-movies-bathing/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/05/visionary-chinese-man-combines-movies-bathing/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/05/visionary-chinese-man-combines-movies-bathing/#commentsFiled under: , ,



You know how you love movies so much that you watch them every minute of the day, but sometimes you have to pull yourself away from the DVD player in order to take a shower? Don't you wish there were a way you could clean your body AND watch movies, without the danger of putting a TV next to the shower, or the humiliation of bathing in a washtub that you dragged with you to a movie theater and filled with hot water from the restroom?

Now there is! Industrial designer Wu Chenghou has created the Waterdrop Shower Room, a fully functional shower/tub combination enclosed by a wraparound wall that doubles as a movie screen. It's shaped like a giant drop of water. Once you're inside, you fill the tub or turn on the shower, and whatever you've selected plays on the movie screen that now surrounds you. It's not "3-D," exactly -- well, unless it's a 3-D movie and you're wearing the glasses -- but it will certainly make you feel like you're part of the action! Especially if it's a movie with a lot of wet, soapy people!

Here's the blurb on the product from the Yanko Design blog: "The Waterdrop Shower Room brings to life the childhood fantasies of role-playing while taking a bath. Sometimes you're a beastly pirate and sometimes a brave hero rescuing your ducks. This exciting enclosure comes with a tactile touchscreen that almost envelopes you. Its giant screen happily plays for you [I'm glad the screen is happy in its work] soothing melodies of the Chinese Opera to Nemo (although I reckon the big guys will opt for something more seductive!) and transports you to fantasy land!" [Note: "the big guys will opt for something more seductive" means "adult men will probably watch pornography."]

Gallery: Waterdrop Shower


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]]>extravagant wastes of moneyExtravagantWastesOfMoneyshoweringEric D. SniderThu, 05 Nov 2009 18:45:00 ESTFan Made: The Ultimate Batman-Related Man Cavehttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/05/fan-made-the-ultimate-batman-related-man-cave/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/05/fan-made-the-ultimate-batman-related-man-cave/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/05/fan-made-the-ultimate-batman-related-man-cave/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



While tooling around online I came across a post over at Brobible on the 15 Best Man Caves on the Internet. A Man Cave, for those who do not know, is usually an area somewhere in the house (normally the garage or a spare room) designated for the guys to hang out in and do "guy things" like watch tons of sports or, in the case of one Australian homeowner, tons of The Dark Knight. I'm not exactly sure how much this cost, though Gizmag tells us the screening room won the highly commended prize in the 'above $100,000' category at CEDIA Asia Pacific annual awards, so more than likely this sucker cost a pretty penny to produce.

The room took about 20 days to piece together, while the installation of equipment and acoustic took another 8 days. Apart from very cool-looking and comfortable seats, as well as a big screen, the room also features a full wet bar and a bathroom that can be accessed via a remote-controlled sliding door.

From Gizmag: "Entry to the 'secret location' is via a remote-controlled pneumatic sliding door (unfortunately, not bat poles). A touch of the panel outside and the door opens, the lights turn on to a predetermined level, the projector and scaler come to life, and the processor goes into action. So, by the time you've chosen your movie and had your first mouthful of popcorn, everything is humming along, just like a well-oiled Batmobile."

Check out some images below and more stats on the equipment over at Gizmag. If you had the dough, would you put something like this in your home?

Gallery: The Ultimate Batman-Related Man Cave

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]]>batmanbatman man caveBatmanManCavefeaturedthe dark knightTheDarkKnightErik DavisThu, 05 Nov 2009 11:15:00 ESTSundance U.S.A.: The Festival Comes to Youhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/04/sundance-u-s-a-the-festival-comes-to-you/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/04/sundance-u-s-a-the-festival-comes-to-you/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/04/sundance-u-s-a-the-festival-comes-to-you/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

If you can't make it to Park City, Utah, in January for the Sundance Film Festival, don't worry -- Sundance will come to you! Sort of! If you live in one of eight specific cities! Still, it's a good start, and a pretty nifty idea.

They're calling it Sundance Film Festival U.S.A., and it will work like this. On Jan. 28, while the festival is taking place in Utah, eight filmmakers from the fest will travel to theaters around the country to show their movies to local audiences, followed by the customary Q&A. For the local audiences, it will be a decent approximation of what a real Sundance screening is like, minus the insane crowds and absence of parking. Several of the chosen cities are even in snowy climes, so you won't have to miss out on that aspect of Sundance attendance. If you're lucky, for the full effect, maybe you'll even run into a journalist complaining about the weather.

The selected theaters are: Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor, Mich.; Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline, Mass.; BAM, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Music Box Theatre, Chicago; Downtown Independent, Los Angeles; Sundance Cinemas, Madison, Wisc.; Belcourt Theatre, Nashville; and Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, San Francisco. Tickets will be sold through the individual theaters. Each location will get a different film, and we won't know what those films are until after the festival announces its programming in December.

Dispatching filmmakers to appear with their movies live and in person is a cool innovation, and a good way to spread the Sundance vibe beyond the confines of Park City. But it makes me wonder if the next logical step is to simply beam the films via satellite to theaters around the country, the way they do with concerts and special events. As big as Sundance is getting, and as small as Park City is staying, I'm glad to see the festival expanding its reach any way it can.

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]]>featuredsundancesundance film festival usaSundanceFilmFestivalUsaEric D. SniderWed, 04 Nov 2009 14:27:00 ESTThe Big Apple Film Festival Begins Tonight!http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/03/the-big-apple-film-festival-begins-tonight/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/03/the-big-apple-film-festival-begins-tonight/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/03/the-big-apple-film-festival-begins-tonight/#commentsFiled under: ,

Attention New Yorkers (or people who live somewhere near New York and from time to time travel to the city for a taste of some quality entertainment): The Sixth Annual Big Apple Film Festival begins tonight over at Tribeca Cinemas and runs through Saturday, November 7th. Named one of the "25 Coolest Film Festivals" by Moviemaker Magazine (partly because yours truly is heavily involved with all aspects of the festival, natch), this year's slate of over 100 different films looks to be their best yet.

Now this isn't some giant big city festival by any means; it's more of a small, intimate slice-of-NY-life sorta festival that supports and promotes homegrown talent. Tonight they're opening the festival with Against the Current, starring Joseph Fiennes, Elizabeth Reaser, Justin Kirk and Mary Tyler Moore -- and if you're one of the lucky ones in attendance, you'll spot a hottie Cinematical stud named Erik Davis hosting the post-screening Q&A. I'll also be on hand to host the Q&A for the closing night film, Breaking Upwards, and to watch that film's star, Zoe Lister-Jones (a pretty awesome actress who you need to put on your Watch List, like, yesterday) receive this year's Emerging Talent Award alongside Aaron Stanford, who's screening his new film How I Got Lost on closing night as well.

If you're a fan of indie film and fun, intimate film festivals, there's no reason why you shouldn't pop in and check out a film or several during the week. And if you happen to run into me during one of the screenings, do say hello.

For more info on the Big Apple Film Festival (including where to buy tickets), check out the fest's official website.

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]]>aaron stanfordAaronStanfordagainst the currentAgainstTheCurrentbig apple film festivalBigAppleFilmFestivalbreaking upwardsBreakingUpwardsthe big apple film festivalTheBigAppleFilmFestivalzoe lister-jonesZoeLister-jonesErik DavisTue, 03 Nov 2009 16:15:00 ESTIf Ben Stiller & Downey Jr. Aren't Hosting the Oscars...http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/03/if-ben-stiller-and-downey-jr-arent-hosting-the-oscars/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/03/if-ben-stiller-and-downey-jr-arent-hosting-the-oscars/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/03/if-ben-stiller-and-downey-jr-arent-hosting-the-oscars/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Back in October, Adam Shankman was determined to make the Oscars fun, itching to "kick up the funny a little bit" and celebrate entertainment. But there wasn't a whole new revamp in mind -- he still wanted to continue with the path laid out last year and have Hugh Jackman host ... but the actor refused. Rumors immediately started bubbling that Neil Patrick Harris was circling, but there were other funny men in his sights. Deadline Hollywood reports that Shankman and Bill Mechanic went to Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr. to host as a duo.

But they said no.

Talk about a bummer. It's quite easy to imagine the red carpet coverage wind down, and Stiller and Downey Jr. dancing or strolling to center stage. They could easy bring a healthy dose of classic funny, yet still embody the new spin focused solely on entertainment and mirth. Hell, I would easily take Robert on his own. Can you imagine a series of blips where he acts out scenes from the top contenders or top grossing films? He could fall in love and be a lonely old man with a balloon house, travel into space, throw out classic Tarantino dialogue, channel Julia Child, suffer through a painful locker, feel the pressure of A Single Man...

But that dream is done. Is there any duo who could bring the same excellence? It would never happen, but if Ben and Robert are a no-go, I want insanity with a slice of brilliance by joining Christopher Walken and Jane Lynch. How about you? What other Oscar hosting duos would you suggest?

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]]>Ben StillerBenStillerCinematicalOscars 2010Oscars2010Robert Downey Jr.RobertDowneyJr.Monika BartyzelTue, 03 Nov 2009 15:45:00 ESTSavannah Film Fest: Where Indie Meets Oscarhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/31/savannah-film-fest-where-indie-meets-oscar/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/31/savannah-film-fest-where-indie-meets-oscar/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/31/savannah-film-fest-where-indie-meets-oscar/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,


I'm in Savannah, Georgia to spend a week as a guest blogger for the Savannah Film Festival, an eight-day fest hosted in the historic Southern town by the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). [Read my entries in the "Voices from the Fest" section on the festival website.] As the town prepares to kick off the 12th annual festivities with the Iraq film, or rather post-Iraq film, The Messenger, I'm wondering how SFF's growing success might reflect or even influence the rise of film festivals that similarly fall somewhere in between the biggies (Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, Venice) and the little guys.

For starters, a brief look at SFF's line-up and star-studded guest list. The festival begins today, October 31, with The Messenger, a Sundance entry that has Oscar possibilities but more likely will make a run at the Indie Spirit Awards. Stars Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster will be in attendance. (I will be attempting to run into them at the local Starbucks or wherever it is that Hollywood actors hang out when they visit other cities.) Another Oscar hopeful, the Emily Blunt-starring period biopic The Young Victoria, is screening the following day.

And then there are the almost certain Oscar pictures: George Clooney in The Men Who Stare At Goats; Lone Scherfig's An Education; Michael Haneke's Cannes winner The White Ribbon; Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker, with star Jeremy Renner in attendance; and Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, which will bring both director Lee Daniels and his star Gabourey Sidibe to town.

Read on for more about this year's Savannah Film Festival.

Continue reading Savannah Film Fest: Where Indie Meets Oscar

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]]>AdamAn EducationAnEducationDear Lemon LimaDearLemonLimaMercyPrecious:BasedOnTheNovelPushBySapphiresavannah college of art and designSavannah Film FestivalSavannahCollegeOfArtAndDesignSavannahFilmFestivalSCADthe city of your final destinationThe Hurt LockerThe Loss of a Teardrop DiamondThe men who stare at goatsThe Messengerthe white ribbonTheCityOfYourFinalDestinationTheHurtLockerTheLossOfATeardropDiamondTheMenWhoStareAtGoatsTheMessengerTheWhiteRibbonWhatever WorksWhateverWorksJen YamatoSat, 31 Oct 2009 19:02:00 ESTMultiplex Surprise: 'Good Hair'http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/31/multiplex-surprise-good-hair/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/31/multiplex-surprise-good-hair/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/31/multiplex-surprise-good-hair/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

'Good Hair' (Roadside Attractions)When was the last time you were genuinely surprised at your local multiplex? Maybe it was the unexpected qualities of a movie that you'd formed preconceptions about -- which were then pleasantly upended. Or perhaps it was the simple fact that a little-heralded independent picture was actually playing at your local bijou, the one with 18 screens, of which 14 always seem to be filled with predictable Hollywood product.

From Scott Weinberg's Sundance review, I knew that Good Hair, directed by Jeff Stilson, would be educational. From Eugene Novikov's box office report, I knew that it opened at 176 theaters three weeks ago. (It expanded two weeks ago and again on Friday.) But I was still quite surprised that it was playing at my local 18-screen bijou, which had somehow escaped my notice until I was recently binging on a (progressively disappointing) horror triple-feature. With horror DVDs stacked up at home waiting to be watched over the weekend, I decided that a well-regarded documentary might be just the thing to cleanse my palette. So I was in just the right mood to kick back and be surprised.

As expected, co-producer and co-scripter Chris Rock is a wry narrator and on-camera guide. What caught me off guard was how funny the interview subjects are! When I first read Scott's review months ago, I latched on to his opening line: "I now know more about black womens' hair than any middle-class Jewish guy ever has" and unfairly categorized it mentally as 'good for you, not necessary to see in a theater.' While I wish that the theater had been packed, I laughed out loud frequently nonetheless.

Continue reading Multiplex Surprise: 'Good Hair'

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]]>african american women hairAfricanAmericanWomenHairchris rockChrisRockfunny documentariesFunnyDocumentariesgood hairGoodHairjeff stilsonJeffStilsonPeter MartinSat, 31 Oct 2009 15:02:00 EST