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July 01, 2008

Back To Life... Back To Unreality

Back to the grind... just in time for a vacation week.

Thanks to all for their kind notes and words.

I missed the Hellboy Dos party at LAFF, so we're going to see the film tonght and in anticipation, watched Hellboy on Sony Blu-ray last night.

Wow.

The thing that really hit home was how much more ambitious Del Toro is with his comic book movie than either of this summer's comic book movies have been... more along the lines of what everyone expects from Christopher Nolan and The Dark Knight than the by-the-book Marvel movies. Like Hancock, it is imperfect, but the depth of emotion reached for... the effort to do more than effects and COOOOOL is profoundly different.

Speaking of Blu-ray, I attended an event for Disney's fall release of its first classic fairy tale in Blu-ray, Sleeping Beauty, which included a BD-Live feature... as, to my surprise, did Sony's Blu-ray of Men In Black. It turns out that BD-Live is part of the Blu-ray product and is, apparently, owned by Sony... or not… I really can’t tell and so far, no one has been able to answer the question.

One of the big features in the Sleeping Beauty demo, for instance, is the ability to attach video to the disc, by way of BD-Live… but where is the video being hosted and who is paying for it? I mean, I think that when I chat on AIM, I am using an AOL owned computer to “host” the conversation. They make money on that by using the AIM platform to sell ads, etc.

So, I guess the technology is Sony’s, but the community host – offering not only video, but instant messaging, interactive games, and other perks – in the case of the Disney titles is Disney… right?

Sony has put out a few discs with the technology already, but the limited market for Blu-ray means that most of the user-to-user interactivity is a non-starter. It seems that Disney could create a breakthrough for Blu-ray with their product going to the format and expanding the community of people actually participating… for instance, with the DVD syncing up between multiple players in multiple homes or cities so kids can interact as they watch “together.” IM during a movie is a horror… unless you are watching for the 20th time, as so many kids do these days.

But the bigger picture speaks to my theories about the industry as a whole, as each studio will – I think – use the foundation of all the delivery systems to build out their own individual bases of delivery. So if you are on The Disney Network, it will mean you pay, say $40 a month for ABC without commercials, a couple Disney cable/satellite networks, maybe some ESPN pay-per-views, Disney BD-Live community including a language-monitored instant messaging system, and Disney Premiere network on satellite or cable or over the web offering a few premium early-access films and/or TV shows from the company. This might compete with Paramount Network, which offers up all the Nick channels and the other cable nets, CBS special access, previews, a specialized instant messaging channel, etc. And Sony… and whoever owns MGM… and Fox… and Warners…

Anyway… time to work on a Hancock review. Up, up, and away.

Posted by dpoland at July 1, 2008 01:35 PM

Comments

I'm sorry, I'm confused: what is "BD-Live"? Bonus video featurettes not on the discs but that stream off the internet? So the disc is a password or something?

Posted by: jeffmcm at July 1, 2008 02:27 PM

Sleeping Beauty got kissed and woke up, it's "we're" from now on, we're just going to have to get used to that.

Posted by: T. Holly at July 1, 2008 04:36 PM

Heat: you do know that you are the only one who feels the Marvel movies are "by the book"? If not, well, you need to know you are on the outside looking in. Hancock is an apparent large piece of shit that you love. Be prepared for the knives to be coming your way, sir.

Posted by: IOIOIOI at July 1, 2008 06:15 PM

IO - Anyone who doesn't understand that the Marvel movies are by the book is off their nut.

That doesn't mean you can't like them a whole lot more than me, but they are about as breakthrough as Ross and Rachel getting together.

Posted by: David Poland at July 1, 2008 06:31 PM

Heat, sir: you do know that many people feel you are off your nut for loving a film referred to by more than one person as... THE LAST ACTION HERO FOR THE 21st CENTURY!

Again, dude, it's not like I am not in your camp. I am going to see Hancock tonight, and most likely will get what those other folks do not get. It works that way.

This does not change the fact that you are crusading against Marvel, in the name of Hancock, and that's a bit silly. Stop the crusades. Love what you love. Fuck them if they are too fucking whacky to get it.

Posted by: IOIOIOI at July 1, 2008 06:35 PM

I'm talking as a fan of Blu-Ray, but it should be noted, that HD-DVD had all the features BD-Live purports to be right out of the box and offered even more features than Blu-Ray live.

Blu-Ray will get there. But they douched the beginning due to differing firmware updates.

My problem with Blu-Ray is after scouring through just about every title coming up in release, I only want a handful.

The best thing coming is the Godfather trilogy.

Scouring the Amazon catalogue of over 1300 released just reiterated how much crap the "system" has put out.

It really is dire.

Well, at least I use my PS3 as a game machine first and a Blu-Ray player second, unlike most others who have it the opposite.

That being said, how about that Hellboy transfer DP? So far that is the new Home Theatre demo piece in my collection.

Blu-Ray I'm most eagerly anticipating?

"Batman - Gotham Knights" A cool anime style Batman animated film featuring most of the voice cast of the emmy winning Batman The Animated Series, including Kevin Conroy, the best sounding Batman ever...

Batman Begins also comes out that day, but I have it on HD-DVD, though I'll probably double dip on that one to see if they made the transfer any better in the 18 months since the HD-DVD release...

Posted by: THX5334 at July 1, 2008 07:21 PM

thx, i'm sure many will disagree, but i still think 'batman: the animated series' is the best non-comic book incarnation of the batman world, including all the film attempts to date. conroy is indeed the quintesential batman voice, hamill is the perfect joker, the entire series is a gem for a long-time lover of the bat. no-one has properly captured the essence of batman in live action for me yet; i like burton's firt two takes but they are distincly 'burton's bat', as is 'nolan's bat'.

Posted by: leahnz at July 1, 2008 08:45 PM

wow i didn't mean to post that yet, my kitten ran across the keyboard! bad spelling

Posted by: leahnz at July 1, 2008 08:52 PM

Well, I definitely agree with you on that Leah...

I'm hoping the writing and story of this new one holds up. They got Bruce Timm making sure they don't F it up, so we'll see...

Posted by: THX5334 at July 1, 2008 09:21 PM

Let me try again: can someone please explain to me what 'BD-Live' is?

Posted by: jeffmcm at July 1, 2008 11:59 PM

I would imagine that it's a playback feature found on Disney and Sony Blu-Ray disc, Jeffery.

Posted by: IOIOIOI at July 2, 2008 06:47 AM

Thanks, I have to say you're spelling my name wrong.

Posted by: jeffmcm at July 2, 2008 12:13 PM

IO, I don't think anybody's going around saying The Incredible Hulk is anything other than servicable, right?

Posted by: KamikazeCamelV2.0 at July 3, 2008 05:24 AM

Leah, spelling is sure a weird name for a cat.

Posted by: hcat at July 3, 2008 09:38 AM

lol, hcat! nicely done

after i posted that about my kitty, i thought it sounded like the old 'the dog ate my homework' excuse: 'but the kitten posted my comment before i could fix my typos!' (she really did, tho; exactly how i'm not sure, but it was amusing)

Posted by: leahnz at July 3, 2008 03:16 PM

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July 01, 2008

Back To Life... Back To Unreality

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