Life of Brian

Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D Gives Good Monster

We saw a preview for this while we were in the US on our mini-tour and it just made me want to see it . . . Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D Gives Good Monster . . .

Journey sucks you deep into its zooming roller-coaster sequences (3D allows depth as well as making things stick out at you), throws glowing birds out into the theater to float around your head, and in one memorable moment snaps your face off with a toothy fish that jumps right off screen and into the audience. After about a minute of adjustment, it's easy to forget you've got those dorky-cool 3D glasses on your face (thankfully they fit easily over real glasses) and just get into the film

Now . . . I just HAVE to see it!

Well, I hope it actually comes to Taiwan in 3D . . . we have missed MOST of the new wave of 3D films.

More on Beowulf

As we gear up for the joy that will be Beowulf . . . in 3D, here's a nice piece on the motion capture system being used . . . makes you want to see the movie even more . . . and not just to see a near naked Angelia Jolie in IMAX 3D (although that's pretty convincing) but the photorealistic imagery and Grendel descriptions sound pretty damned interesting in and of themselves . . . see Quint's piece here.

Beowulf . . . in 3D

Koolness. Neil Gaiman's adaptation of Beowulf, set for a Nov. 16 release will be showcased in IMAX 3D. I love the original poem, love Gaman's writing, and love 3D . . . we've got a tripple play all the way to a home run. Really looking forward to this one!

The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D

Some comments that bode well for other upcoming 3D conversion films . . . The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D . . .

But now there's a greater sense of involvement thanks to the 3D element. It's not overused - aside from a demonstration jack-in-the-box moment at the start, this isn't a film of pointing fingers or assorted things being thrown into the auditorium for novelty value. This is just an already good film given a new lease of life by new technology. And it certainly bodes well for the rumoured Star Wars 3D release in 2007.

Huzzah. Of course, huzzah's may be premature as we STILL don't have decent any digital 3D theatres in Taipei (other than IMAX which is using a different system and therefore does not show all the films currently available in the new system). Grrrrrrrr.

Mysterious ways . . .. . . U2 in 3-D concert film

Here we go . . . Mysterious ways: U2 in 3-D concert film . . . set to be the first major concert feature film in 3D. Koolness.

Thank you sir, may I have another?. . . Beowulf Coming At You in 3D

Oooooh! This is really goooood news . . . Beowulf Coming At You in 3D . . . the Neil Gaimon scribed piece will hit the screens in 3D and 2D on the same day and it's going to be awesome and a half!

Robert Zemeckis’ CG adaptation of the epic Old English poem Beowulf is set to get a stereoscopic 3D release on Nov. 16, 2007, the same day it arrives in conventional theaters. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the feature film from Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures will be digitally enhanced for projection in Real D cinemas and other large-format 3D venues. Written by an unknown sixth-century Anglo-Saxon scribe, Beowulf casts its title character as the one man who can defeat Grendel, a monster terrorizing a Danish kingdom, and his scaly, cave-dwelling mother. The classic tale has been adapted for the screen by fantasy author Neil Gaiman (MirrorMask, Coraline) and Silent Hill scribe Roger Avary, and will feature the voices of Angelina Jolie, Ray Winstone, Robin Wright Penn, Brendan Gleeson, Crispin Glover and Anthony Hopkins. Beowulf is employing the patented Performance Capture technology Sony Pictures Imageworks created for Zemeckis’ The Polar Express. The movements and facial expressions of the actors will be captured in computers and applied to computer-generated characters in fully digital environments. Zemeckis’ third 3D endeavor, Beowulf is slated to bow in more than 1,000 Real D theaters and other locations equipped for 3D projection, making it the widest day-and-date large-format 3D release to date. IMAX, which has sold a lot of tickets to the 3D version of The Polar Express, is a likely partner, though no deal has been announced.

The IMAX part of this story is rumor and not consistent with the current trends. It could go either way. It is doubtful it will go both ways though as IMAX and the new Digital D systems are in direct competition and have not been cooperating thus far so we either have IMAX or the digital systems but so far nothing in both (unfortunately, since we don't have any of the newfangled digital systems here in Taiwan, that means we've been missing out on some really kick'n stereocinema).

Next Step in Cinematic Evolution: the New XpanD Theater in Murcia, Spain

The XpanD theatre is billing itself as the next step . . . Next Step in Cinematic Evolution: the New XpanD Theater in Murcia, Spain . . . and it seems not without good reason.

LG unveils specs of Flatron M4200D 2D/3D display

Engadget reports LG unveils specs of Flatron M4200D 2D/3D display . . . basically another switch set between standard and lenticular 3D views. It's not really new but it is news in that more of these puppies are finally hitting the market. To early to scream for mass market penetration, but if the innovations we've seen previously become standard they will become near obsolete quickly, albeit serve as a good stepping stone set.

Behind The Scenes Of 3D 'Nightmare'

Koolness, nice look Behind The Scenes Of 3D 'Nightmare'. So, The Nightmare Before Christmas has been converted to Disney Digital 3D. That's going to make the film so much more powerful on so many levels. Too bad we won't get to see it that way here. Come on, Taiwan, someone get a digital 3D screen up and running! Grrrr!

Xbox 360 Camera Innovation moving toward 3D Stereoscopic

Gamasutra talks to the XBOX Live 360 Camera folks . . . Q&A: GestureTek Talks Xbox 360 Camera Innovation . . . good news in that the camera has a stereoscopic ready chip, bad news is that it's not quite there yet . . . but it is in the works . . .

Your press release mentions a "proprietary stereoscopic vision chip" - what is this, and what will it offer to gamers? We have been working with various stereoscopic solutions for over 10 years. We feel that this is the next generation for evolving the interactive camera model. It is still 3 years away from any kind of market readiness, however the capability it brings is the true full 3 dimensional tracking of an individual for controlling an onscreen avatar. This is the technology that will literally let you make kung fu moves in your living room and have an onscreen avatar replicate them in a game environment. What peripherals do you see as the main competitors for the camera? I don’t think people will see other peripherals as competition for the camera. If a gamer loves driving games they will buy an excellent racing peripheral. The camera will be bought for a collection of uses. The hope is that it is viewed as indispensable. Finally, where will we see computer camera technology heading in the next five years? Higher resolutions, faster frame rates, and of course, realtime 3D capture.

I haven't seen the camera or games released yet in these parts although it is out stateside and in Europe.