Hollywood, with its unending stream of brilliant, original ideas, has taken aim at the Bible and decided to tap into that literary reservoir of inspiration.

According to Cinematical, 20th Century Fox is currently producing a film version of the story of Moses to be made in the same vein as “300″ and “Sin City.”

Apparently, the tale’s being beefed up in order to warrant such an odd rendering and Midrashic (I had to Google it, too) sources providing additional elements not necessarily covered in the Bible will serve this purpose (reminds me of Kevin Smith’s idea for his version of “The Passion of the Christ”).

Either way, retelling things in this fashion kind of squelches any discussion about which actors will be used, seeing as characters in these circumstances seem to become set pieces to marginally justify the action and the visuals.

There are also plans for a “Moby Dick” adaptation along the same lines. Gerard Butler as Ahab? An underwater battle between the whale and a giant squid? One can only hope.

Tags: 300, bible, Coming, green, greenscreen, mocy dick, moses, screen

What is IMAX? The “fake IMAX” controversy and boycott. IMAX facts on retrofit for theaters. How big is the screen? The sound?

It’s a huge Twitter trend as I write this. Comedian Aziz Ansari (from NBC’s Parks and Recreation) published this tirade about paying an extra $5 to see and IMAX showing of “Star Trek” (which shattered box office IMAX records) that wasn’t much bigger than a normal screen. By the end of the day, he had caused such a stink that IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond responded on MainStreet.com:

“The overwhelming majority of comments on that guy’s blog this morning, more than 90% of them, are vehemently disagreeing with him. And consumers are confirming this with their continued purchases of tickets.”

Aziz says this is not true on a post later that day.

Why is this a big deal and what are the facts?

I guess I’m just used to seeing IMAX in local movie theaters on screens that are not as big as the ones I saw at the zoo when I was younger. And I also know that most Hollywood movies are upconverted, rather than filmed in the actual IMAX format or a hybrid of both (like “The Dark Knight” which had about 20 minutes actually filmed in IMAX during production*), so I’ve come to accept it and just enjoy that it’s a little bigger and a lot louder. Aziz feels gypped because this is the first time he’s gone to one and he didn’t appreciate the extra charge.

Gizmodo says: “IMAX used to build their own massive theaters in their own buildings. But now, in order to expand, the company has made a deals with major theater chains like AMC in which they’ll provide and install their proprietary mix of projectors, screens, speakers and hardware if the theater will foot the bill for the necessary structural renovations.”

Wikipedia says: “The resolution of the picture is much lower than normal IMAX. The screens used by digital IMAX installations are also much smaller (28×58 feet) than those found in traditional IMAX cinemas. Despite these facts, the digital installations are marketed simply as IMAX, drawing no distinction to the traditional 15/70 IMAX – much to the dismay of 15/70 IMAX cinema owners.”

A digital version of IMAX started rolling out in 2008. The new system is a projection standard only. About this new system, IMAX mentions no size standards or picture standards, just generalizations: “With crystal clear images, laser-aligned digital sound and maximized field of view, IMAX provides the world’s most immersive movie experience.”

What is the difference in this digital IMAX retrofit?

1. The screen is bigger (although sometimes as little as 10 ft.).

2. The seats are closer, making the screen more imposing.

3. Acoustic paneling to absorb sound and remove echo.

4. A specifically non-THX-certified sound system featuring uncompressed digital sound without distortion that removes the center-only “sweet spot” and improves the surround experience.

5. Two digital 2K Christie projectors that work together.

Here’s the bottom line: Theaters just don’t have the room or the money to build standalone houses just for IMAX purposes. If you sit 30 ft. closer and the screen is bigger and the sound is amazing, you’ll notice a difference. You may not feel that the picture is enveloping you like it does at the nature documentaries at theme parks, but you’ll notice a difference. (Besides, with all of the fast Hollywood editing most action pics have these days, true IMAX might create a pretty bad headache.)

If you see a movie filmed with IMAX cameras, you’ll really notice. Unfortunately, not that many movies are filmed that way (”Star Trek” and most everything else was upconverted). With the numbers it posted this weekend though, I’ll bet more will.

It would be nice, however, for theaters to designate an IMAX-D for the digital IMAX retrofits.

Figure it out for yourself: If your multiplex can’t house a 70+ ft. screen, it’s a digital IMAX retrofit.

* “The Dark Knight” used high-res IMAX cameras in the 15/70 film format. When the scenes shot on IMAX cameras were shown in IMAX theatres, the aspect ratio morphed to 1.43 to 1, expanding the image to fill the entire screen and magnifying the overall effect. Regular 35mm upconverts like “Star Trek” have the letterboxed look throughout the entire movie.

Tags: amc, Ansari, Aziz, boycott, controversy, facts, fake, IMAX, regal, retrofit, screen, size, sound, star, theaters, trek, What

The 2008 Screen Actor’s Guild Award nominations were announced this morning. There were some really nice surprises her for people who’s Oscar chances were waning. Melissa Leo (”Frozen River”) and Richard Jenkins (”The Visitor”) got nods for low-budget indie films that have scored pretty well in various critic’s polls (all aggregated here), but the biggest surprise on this list is the inclusion of Dev Patel from “Slumdog Millionaire.” Yes, the movie is a Best Picture nom cinch, but three actors play each of three main roles in the movie, so Patel’s performance (which has been all but ignored elsewhere) getting a nomination here is a big deal. Leo Dicaprio got shut out for “Revolutionary Road,” as did Clint Eastwood for “Gran Torino,” Sally Hawkins for “Happy-Go-Lucky,” Cate Blanchett for “Button,” and Marisa Tomei for “The Wrestler.” And five nominations for “Doubt”? That’s overdoing it, don’t you think?

BEST ENSEMBLE
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“Doubt”
“Frost/Nixon”
“Milk”
“Slumdog Millionaire”

BEST ACTOR
Richard Jenkins, “The Visitor”
Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”
Sean Penn, “Milk”
Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”

BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”
Angelina Jolie, “Changeling”
Melissa Leo, “Frozen River”
Meryl Streep, “Doubt”
Kate Winslet, “Revolutionary Road”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin, “Milk”
Robert Downey Jr., “Tropic Thunder”
Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Doubt”
Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”
Dev Patel, “Slumdog Millionaire”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, “Doubt”
Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Viola Davis, “Doubt”
Taraji P. Henson, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Kate Winslet, “The Reader”

Tags: 2008, actors, announced, Award, guild, nominations, SAG, screen

That’s right. My band is playing in front of the AMC Olathe Studio 30 (119th & Strang Line Rd.) for free on Saturday night at 6:30pm to celebrate the opening on their Fork & Screen wing of full-service theaters. I got an early peek at them on Tuesday, and this weekend is the first chance for the public to check ‘em out for themselves! 

Now this is a loose tie-in for sure, but I’ll attempt to figure out why The Dead Girls are playing for free in the veranda outside the theater: “RocknRolla,” despite being about dumb British gangsters and not about rock n’ roll, is opening today. AMC Olathe 30 is showing it. They also have food and alcohol. We like movies, food, and alcohol. Therefore, we must rock.

We’re on at 6:30 and Pompous Jack is opening. Bring the family! Did I mention it’s free?

Tags: &, 30, amc, dead, fork, free, girls, olathe, rock, screen, studio, the

Last night was the big press event for locally-based theater chain AMC to show off their newest theater experience, which they’ve titled Fork & Screen. It’s pretty self-explanatory, but there’s a lot more to getting it right than you might think. All I can say is that, considering the high price of concession stand food anyway, why would you not want to eat real food for basically the same price and never have to leave your seat?

The grand opening is this weekend and these first three photos are from the AMC site. Here is a link to all the events, including a free live rock show by The Dead Girls and Pompous Jack on Saturday night. And here is a videoblog from Spiral16’s Whitney Mathews featuring a guest appearance by me!

The Alamo Drafthouse is a great Texas theater chain that’s already doing this restaurant/movie concept (and a boatload of special events and cult movies), but AMC has tweaked it a little bit for the Kansas City market, and I like the changes. Maybe the programming will get more niche as the concept grows to include midnight movies, live send-ups, sing-alongs, etc. It would be cool for KC to support something like that, but you never know…

Here’s the deal: Fork & Screen is one whole wing of the AMC Olathe Studio 30. Eight screens are for Fork & Screen theaters, which offer seat-side service from a waiter/waitress, who delivers you a full dinner menu and beer or mixed drinks. You order before the movie, it arrives soon thereafter, you eat on a table in front of you, and get your bill before its over. The ticket price is exactly the same as a regular theater. You must be 18 or over, or accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Cinema Suites comprise the other three theaters, and they cost a little more. The screens are still huge, but the theater only seats 32, and you can reserve a specific seat (unlike Southwest Airlines) by paying beforehand. You get reclining chairs, a swivel table in your lap, and eight feet to stretch out in.

I saw “RocknRolla” in a Fork & Screen theater and all I can say is I wish the movie would have been as good as the experience. There is a bar inside the wing called MacGuffins (named after the infamous object that everyone desires in a movie, usually something that has no value other than what’s placed on it by all the film’s characters) that any ticketholder 18 and over (or accompanied by a parent or guardian) can visit before and after the movie. Besides having a full menu of food and drinks, the space itself is pretty swank. The prices aren’t really any pricier than any normal bar either. I particularly liked the displays of macguffins on the corrider in from famous movies like “Pulp Fiction” (the glowing briefcase) and “The Maltese Falcon.” Ironically, “RocknRolla” had a b-i-i-i-g macguffin: a painting that drives the entire plot (and we never get to see), and it still sucked.

The big tweak, the biggest difference in the service that I noticed from the Alamo Drafthouse to Fork & Screen was how quickly your food came out. Since each server has a digital touchscreen, the moment your order comes out of your mouth, the kitchen gets it and starts making it. My mushroom & swiss burger was out in 10 minutes; no kidding. Now if F&S could just start booking live event/movie combos and really thinking of creative ways to use the space, that’d be amazing. People should be able to rent an F&S theater out for a night (like we are tonight at the Screenland) to show whatever they want. That would be really cool.

If I’m paying 12 bucks for a combo popcorn meal anyway, I might as well have a real dinner, y’know? This is especially perfect for me because I often go to screenings straight from work and rarely have time for dinner. Popcorn does not a dinner make, unless you happen to like that sick feeling you get after devouring a medium corn all by yourself.

Kudos to AMC for trying something different and taking a big gamble on people like me who enjoy an entire night out at the movies. It was also really cool for them to have so many free screenings this week so all the locals could see what they are all so proud of. What did you all think? I know we gave away lots of passes for last night on the site …

photo by Ramsey Mohsen

Tags: &, 30, amc, and, cinema, fork, ks, macguffins, olathe, screen, studio, suites