The time has come to dust off my DVD rack and start fresh.
It appears that Sony has won the high-definition war. Toshiba has dropped their format out of the running and it looks like Blu-ray will take over as the accepted step up from DVD. While Blu-ray discs aren't yet flying off the shelves at the same rate as DVDs they are no doubtably picking up steam. Consumers can now buy Blu-ray with confidence now that Sony controls the entire market. I too have jumped on the Blu-ray bandwagon and have decided that it's time to clean house and embrace the new format.
I've been an avid DVD collector for roughly eight or nine years. I make it a habit to pick up the DVDs of films I enjoyed in theatres and would rather buy a movie than rent one. My collection is a humble one peaking around 150 flicks but I'm proud of the titles I've accumulated over the years. However, I feel it's time to let the majority of my collection go in an attempt to kick start my library of Blu-ray discs.
As of now roughly half of my DVD collection has been listed on eBay. I'm mostly selling the titles that can be replaced on Blu-ray or one's that I'm not very inclined to keep. I'm holding on to all my box-sets and my favourite films but I'll probably end up selling those as soon as I pick them up in high-def. I understand these eBay auctions won't make me anywhere close to the amount of money I spent on these DVDs over the years but that's just the way things work. I figure I'll make more selling them now than I would if I waited; the sooner the better. Selling my collection looks like a good idea right now but could easily backfire.
For starters, who says Blu-ray is going to be the format of the future? Sure, Sony has beaten HD DVD but who's to say another format, say digital downloads, won't come in and steal the spoils? I would hate to sell all my DVDs and end up with a sizable collection of discs from a a format no longer supported. While I'm confident that Blu-ray can stick around for the long haul I still have my doubts.
Has anyone else sold off their entire DVD collection yet and embraced Blu-ray disc? Where did you sell them? How many titles did you sell? Am I making a poor decision by selling my DVD collection? Post a comment and let me know.
Frank Miller's controversial comic series continues to tell an unconventional Batman tale.
So often Batman is cast in a dark shadow of gloom and depression. He's always brooding and carries the guilt of his parents death as a burden. The character doesn't have a lighter side, at least not in modern comic history, and that's what makes him so iconic. The ninth issue of All Star Batman and Robin brings the character out of the dark. The comic series features a quick witted Batman that's ruthless yet darkly cartoonish. It's a different take on the Dark Knight and feels like something I've never read before.
The ninth issue with Batman and Robin talking with Hal Jordan in a safehouse in Crime Alley. Sounds normal? It's not. Batman, Robin, the room, and all of its contents are painted yellow. To top it all off Batman is serving lemonade. The Green Lantern is obviously not amused by this stunt and shit goes down.
The comic is hilarious and a total riot. I haven't had so much fun reading a Batman book since DC's The Spirit crossover last year. It's obvious that this comic series is not to be taken seriously and that Miller is merely having some fun with his characters.
What I love about Miller's most recent Batman run is how he paints the character as such an unlikable guy. Batman is usually quite the anti-hero, don't get me wrong, but in the All Star universe he's a total dick. Batman isn't the only one to appear different within the pages of All Star B&R, Miller has shaken the foundations of every character in this series.
All Star Batman and Robin is a must-read series. Not for the convoluted story that doesn't seem to be going anywhere but for Frank Miller's crazy antics. Once you accept this book as a character experiment you'll enjoy it much more. Batman is drinking lemonade for Christ's sake, let loose and have a laugh.
One Sentence Review: A riot of an issue featuring a fun and entertaining Batman. | 8.2/10
The tenth issue of All Star Batman and Robin, The Boy Wonder hits shelves on April 9th.
The Batman veteran will once again lend his voice to the Dark Knight.
MediaZEALOT ran an article a week ago about the confirmation Christian Bale may not voice The Bat in the upcoming Batman: Gotham Knight. Well, today DC and Warner Home Entertainment have revealed Kevin Conroy will once again be the man behind the voice of Batman.
As much as I love Kevin Conroy's Batman I am disappointed by this announcement. Bale should be the one doing this project. Gotham Knight is about Batman in Christopher Nolan's universe, not the one found in Batman: The Animated Series. Bringing Conroy into the mix just blurs the line between what has come before and what is now.
I'm still enthusiastic about Batman: Gotham Knight. However, quite a bit of my excitement has been lost due to Bale not taking part.
Batman: Gotham Knight hits DVD and Blu-ray disc on July 8th.
A new trailer for LEGO Batman: The Video Game has hit the web.
If you haven't yet played any of the LEGO Star Wars games make it a priority to go out and pick one up. The series may look like it's aimed at children but it's surprisingly fun and addicting. I always have a good time playing LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Trilogy and it's arguably one of the best Star Wars games ever made.
It's because of my love for LEGO Star Wars that I was so excited when Warner Bros Interactive and game developer Traveller's Tales announced LEGO Batman last year. The game has a ton of potential and if it can provide a similar experience to that of LEGO Star Wars gamers will be in for a treat. Warner Interactive has released a new trailer for the game, check it out below:
LEGO Batman: The Video Game will feature 18 levels and 36 different characters, how many of which are playable is still unknown. Apparently the game will focus on the Batman seen in the comics and animated series rather than following storylines found in Batman Begins or The Dark Knight.
Traveller's Tales has also been hard at work on another LEGO video game. LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures will allow gamers to play out moments from the first three Indiana Jones films. It will be released on June 8th, two and a half weeks after the release of Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
LEGO Batman: The Video Game will be released in September 2008 for the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PC, PS2, PSP, and DS. MediaZEALOT will continue to keep you posted on the game leading up to it's launch.
The British star is displeased in his lack of involvement in the American remake of Spaced.
I love Spaced. It's one of my TV favourites and was the start of my appreciation for Simon Pegg and director Edgar Wright. Warner Bros must feel the same was as they have been planning a US version of the show for the past few months. The catch is both Wright and Pegg have not been asked to get involved in the American remake of the series. This annoys me greatly and has obviously gotten under the skin of Simon Pegg as well. The actor has released an official statement about the show, read it below.
SIMON PEGG'S OFFICIAL STATEMENT REGARDING THE US SPACED
Now that the pilot has been officially announced, I thought it might be a good idea to clarify my position on the subject. The whole affair seems to have inspired some spirited debate and some heartening displays of loyalty and love. All this for a show which is almost 10 years old, is all rather wonderful and a vindication of all the blood, sweat and tears (both of joy and pain) we shed in the show’s creation. It was always our aim to create a comedy which spoke to its audience on such a personal level, it almost felt one on one. It would seem the fan reaction to the news that Fox has appropriated the format, confirms at least, that we succeeded.
As far as remaking TV shows for different territories is concerned, I don’t have a problem. The Office remake being a perfect example. Yes, the original British version is a wonderful and compact piece of comedy writing and performance, but I think it’s bit much to expect a large scale American television audience to fully relate to the minutiae of day-to-day business life in an obscure British suburb. I’m sure if you’re reading this, you are the type of person who takes pleasure in the variety of entertainment you enjoy, relishing the differences between our various cultural touchstones but there is a massive audience out there, which perhaps isn’t as culturally savvy (euphemistic phrase for ‘geeky’) as we are and need their signifiers to be a little more familiar. So, Slough is replaced by Scranton, and the office archetypes become a little more archetypal to an American audience. The spirit of the show remains intact. The performances are uniformly great and the show scores big ratings and wins EMMYs, whether we as comedy purists prefer the original or not. The success of the remake is born out by it’s undoubted success and appeal.
My main problem with the notion of a Spaced remake is the sheer lack of respect that Granada/ Wonderland/Warner Bros have displayed in respectively selling out and appropriating our ideas without even letting us know. A decision I can only presume was made as a way of avoiding having to give us any money, whilst at the same time using mine and Edgar’s name in their press release, in order to trade on the success of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, even professing, as Peter Johnson did, to being a big fan of the show and it’s creators. A device made all the more heinous by the fact that the press release neglected to mention the show’s co-creator and female voice, Jessica Hynes (nee Stevenson). The fact is, when we signed our contracts ten years ago, we had neither the experience or the kudos to demand any clauses securing any control over future reversioning. We signed away our rights to any input in the show’s international future, because we just wanted to get the show made and these dark days of legal piracy seemed a far away concern. As a result, we have no rights. The show does not belong to us and, those that do own it have no obligation to include us in any future plans. You would perhaps hope though, out of basic professional respect and courtesy, we might have been consulted. It is this flagrant snub and effective vote of no confidence in the very people that created the show, that has caused such affront at our end. If they don’t care about the integrity of the original, why call it Spaced? Why attempt to find some validation by including mine and Edgar’s names in the press release as if we were involved? Why not just lift the premise? Two strangers, pretend to be a couple in order to secure residence of a flat/apartment. It’s hardly Ibsen. Jess and I specifically jumped off from a very mainstream sitcom premise in order to unravel it so completely. Take it, have it, call it Perfect Strangers and hope Balkie doesn’t sue. Just don’t call it Spaced.
It’s a shame, since the pilot is now a certainty, whether we like it or not, a simple phone call and a few reassurances might have helped to at least curtail the tide of indignation from fans and creators alike. I have, as of yet, heard nothing.
Simon Pegg
This is disappointing. The least Warner Bros could do was bring Pegg and Wright on board as consultants for the show. After all, the original Spaced was entirely their vision. Remaking it without them isn't a smart idea.
The McG produced Spaced will hit TVs later this year. If you haven't seen the original Spaced give that a watch before you check out the American remake.
Is Paramount overlooking the extras as it rushes to pump out a Cloverfield Blu-ray disc?
Paramount was well into the HD DVD development of their 2008 blockbuster hit Cloverfield and the studio was aiming for an April shelf-date. Over a month's work was put into HD special features including new story content and viral campaign back story. It now appears that these features may never see the light of day.
Due to the death of Toshiba's HD DVD format, and the end of their exclusivity agreement with Paramount, the movie studio is now scrambling to release Cloverfield on Blu-ray disc. However, Paramount plans to keep their original release date of April this year. Many are speculating that, due to time constraints, the disc will be a bare-bones affair with no special features to be found. Paramount is putting all of their resources towards bringing the film to Blu-ray and rumour has it they don't have the time to port over any additional content.
If this rumour is true it is a very disappointing one. I loved Cloverfield when I saw it in theatres but would probably refrain from buying a disc without any extras. I'll wait for the double-dip with all the special features if there is one.
Paramount may be trying to cash in on a double-dip with a special edition Blu-ray release somewhere down the line. Maybe the studio is simply waiting for Blu-ray 2.0 so that they can get the most out of their film. Whatever the case a bare-bones Cloverfield Blu-ray disc won't be a good thing. The movie is priority, don't get me wrong, but additional content can make or break a great DVD release.
Paramount plans to release Cloverfield on Blu-ray in April. Stay tuned to MediaZEALOT as we'll keep you posted on whether or not this rumour is fact or fiction.
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