The Sopranos - Season 6 Part 2 [Blu-ray] courtesy HBO Home Video
HBO has joined the parade to Blu-ray after Warner Bros, its distributor, announced on Friday that they were dropping HD-DVD in May 2008. The Warner Bros announcement could be the event that ends the war between high-definition formats. HD-DVD has the exclusive support of Universal and Paramount/DreamWorks, while Blu-ray has Fox/MGM, Warner Bros, Disney, Sony and Lionsgate. Warner Bros, which holds about 20 percent of the market, was a huge win for the Blu-ray group, and leaves Blu-ray with roughly 75 percent of the HD market. The Warner Bros decision has influenced New Line, along with HBO, to make the switch to Blu-ray, but BBC Home Video is bucking the trend and "will evaluate the marketplace before committing to one format" (according to the studio); the studio has four high-definition releases planned for 2008, available on both formats, and has sold more copies of Planet Earth on HD-DVD. Recent notable Blu-ray releases include The Simpsons (Fox), Pirates of the Caribbean: At Wo...
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Craig Ferguson by Monty Brinton/CBS
On Wednesday's The Late Late Show, Scotsman Craig Ferguson, fueled by his longing to become a U.S citizen, launched a campaign to become an honorary citizen of cities across America, starting with Ozark, Arkansas. Later today, info will be posted at CBS.com on how fans can support his campaign.... Norbit (somehow) topped the DVD sales and rental charts last week. The Messengers came in at No. 2.... Pirates of the Caribbean 3 has passed the $500 million mark globally, and in just 20 days.... Why is EJ8002438995@aol.com spamming my e-mailbox with "raves" about a certain new CBS drama series? Your thinly veiled PR campaign is making me hate the show out of principle.
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Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End courtesy Walt Disney Pictures
Questions about Pirates the He-Man movie and what became of that extended DVD of Kill BillSend your movie questions to FlickChickSee Maitland McDonagh and Ken Fox review this weeks new flicks in Movie TalkQuestion Is this the last Pirates of the Caribbean movie or are they going to make a fourth -- RussellFlickChick Id say the odds are good that there will be a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film but its not a sure thing Assuming that youve seen Pirates of the Caribbean At Worlds End and why would you be asking otherwise you know it sets up the possibility that Captain Jack Sparrow Johnny Depp and who knows who else will embark on a quest for the fountain of youth Involved parties have alluded vaguely to various possibilities in promotional interviews for Worlds EndProducer Jerry Bruckheimer told Australias Herald Sun that This is the end [of the current trilogy] but whether one of the characters or a couple of the characters continue on its
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Bill Nighy in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest courtesy Walt Disney Pictures
Questions about motion capture animation -- is it cheating -- John Wayne PJ Soles and more Send your movie questions to FlickChickSee Maitland McDonagh and Ken Fox review this weeks new flicks in Movie TalkQuestion Ive been reading a lot about the behind-the-scenes technology used to created the tentacle-faced Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Mans Chest and Pirates of the Caribbean At Worlds End and keep seeing the term motion capture But none of the articles have explained how its different from old-fashioned rotoscoping Can you enlighten me oh FlickChick -- BradFlickChick The difference is computers Rotoscoping is a process invented by animation pioneer Max Fleischer -- creator of Betty Boop -- in 1914 It allowed artists to hand-draw over motion picture footage of real subjects frame-by-frame so that the instantly recognizable weight and flow of real human motion was maintained while the specifics of the image could be changed to the animators
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In the time it took the rest of us to roast a wienie and crack open a brew, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End plundered $142.1 million at the box office, giving it the record of best Memorial Day weekend debut ever. Still, the popcorn flick fell short of matching the biggest four-day opening numbers in history. That record was set less than a month earlier by Spider-Man 3, which raked in $151.1 million. Furthermore, the $115.1 million Friday-Sunday tally for World's End is significantly less than the $135.6 mil haul that Dead Man's Chest took in last summer. Rounding out the top five were Shrek the Third, with an additional $69.1 million, Spider-Man 3, with $18 million, "Bug III"... er, no, just Bug, the Ashley Judd thriller, with $4.2 million, and Waitress, with $4 million.
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No, not the first-weekend box-office feat... the number of theaters it's debuting in. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End hits a record 4,362 screens on Friday, 110 more than carried Spider-Man 3 at that film's launch. Still, Pirates' 167-minute running time not only edges out the Idol finale, it threatens to anchor down the sequel's booty haul.
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Speaking to the press in Tokyo before the Wednesday world premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, franchise front man Johnny Depp left open the door for a future entry, saying, "one never knows" if No. 3 is in fact goodbye. Per the AP, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, however, qualified the prospect of a fourth voyage, saying, "This is the end for now. Everybody is exhausted and needs some time off. We're all going to take a little break" — kicking back on solid-gold chaise lounges while sipping from magnums of Kristal, I imagine.
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No sooner had Peter Parker become filmdom's $151 million man than Disney quietly inched up the premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End by a few hours, to Thursday, May 24, at 8 pm. The move is intended to capitalize on the holiday weekend and, really now, give the film an edge in besting Spider-Man 3's record opening.Also per Variety: Kevin Costner will star in Swing Vote, an indie comedy about a single father whose ballot will determine a presidential election.... Disturbia scribe Christopher B. Landon is set to pen The Flock, a thriller about teen girls practicing witchcraft.
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