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The Format Wars Begin
Okay, okay – maybe I spoke too soon. Microsoft has thrown its weight behind HD-DVD. Toshiba announced it is releasing the first players to the American market in March. Many companies are saying they will support both formats. Finally, according to this article, five studios have pledged they will release more than 200 movies in HD-DVD format, and these studios represent more than half the movies ever made. Check out the size of this player:
You have to admit, it’s a beast. But then again, for $800, you’d want something that looks substantial, I suppose. The HD-A1 model will be $500. Of course, as always, those prices are expected to come down once production and demand increase. And, I’d wager, once they start butting heads with Blu-ray players.
Who am I rooting for? Still to early to tell. The nice thing about HD-DVD is that it is truly backwards compatible with DVD drives. But I’d rather back the one that’s cheaper, more reliable and has the least invasive DRM. What I’ve been hearing about Blu-ray’s DRM scares me to death — that it will require an internet connection, you must dial in every time you play a movie to match the disc to your hardware, and if you play a disc that’s not matched to your hardware, it gets disabled. Thanks, Sony. I don’t even have an internet connection at home.
Todd Kuhns
Todd Kuhns, 27, graduated from Truman State University with a degree in journalism. As a news reporter, Todd has worked for three commercial radio stations. He has also worked for the Walt Disney Company, the governor of Missouri, and taught English in Japan for three years.
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King Kong
My wife and I saw King Kong this week, and wow — what to say, what to say. Of course, I was blown away by the special effects. In the age of computer graphics, nothing seems to be a big deal anymore, but this movie did raise the bar a couple notches. And I thought the lion’s hair in Narnia was realistic. I think WETA Workshop is on to something by getting a live actor to play creatures – in this case, Andy Serkis, who also played Gollum. Kong’s face displayed incredible emotion, and not a soul in the audience wasn’t touched by the growing attachment between Kong and his girl.
Folks were speculating that this "film event" (don’t you hate that phrase?) would top Titanic, but it’s off to a slow start. Speculation abounds — some people think the movie is too long, others think the action-oriented trailers turned off women. I personally think time will tell. My wife thought it was too long, but I thought it was just right. We both agreed that the time flew by, and there was never a dull moment. Perhaps some of the action sequences were a bit long, but one of the advantages of the remake was the ability to really explore Skull Island.
Jackson, who gets $20 million and 20% of the take, is sitting pretty regardless. He made the movie he’s always wanted to make, so now what?
Speaking of Narnia: another excellent interpretation of a classic. I’m sure we’ll see more from the series on the horizon. It’s been a while since I read the book, but I can’t think of anything that they left out. And it’s not just a bunch of flashy effects, either — much like Kong, the characterizations are terrific. It’s fortunate that today’s audience is able to tolerate longer running times. In my opinion, these films deserved it.