film

HOLLYWOOD, Calif.--Deep inside a series of very cold vaults, surrounded by thick concrete and protected from fire and water damage, more than 76,000 movies sit on shelves, preserved for future generations to enjoy.

Welcome to the Academy Film Archive, the storage arm of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. On your right is a stack of cans containing several reels of the 1962 classic "Lawrence of Arabia." On your left are several cans comprising a copy of "2001: A Space Odyssey."

Since opening its doors in 1927, the Academy -- the folks … Read more

Comedian Mark Malkoff must have buns of steel and eyes as tough as diamonds. He set himself to the challenge of watching 250 streaming Netflix movies in a single month, all to see how much value he could squeeze out of the $7.99 service.

In the first week of the challenge, Malkoff made it through 60 films with a total viewing time of 95.55 hours. Those cinematic masterpieces ranged from "Hoosiers" to "The Big Lebowski" to "The Dark Crystal."

To spice things up a bit, Malkoff recruited actor Jason London from "Dazed and Confused" to come to his house and provide live commentary while Malkoff watched that movie.… Read more

With the recent hike in the price of film, plus digital photography so easily accessible, film cameras just aren't very common these days. But if you can't shoot with film, why not create wearable art pieces dedicated to the film cameras we love?

Jeweler Luke Satou has done just that with new handmade jewelry that's made in the likeness of an Olympus Trip 35 film camera. What separates this from the conventional trinkets is that it has parts that actually work. You'll be able open its film back, advance the film winder, and turn the rewind knob, too. … Read more

For those wondering how authentic the upcoming movie about Steve Jobs played by Ashton Kutcher will be, maker Five Star Feature Films says it's going to actual locations, including Jobs' childhood home, where the first Apple computers were pieced together in the garage.

The film's production company today said it plans to begin shooting principal photography at the Los Altos, Calif., home next month, with a release of the picture to follow in late fall of this year.

The garage, which belonged to the Jobs family, was Apple's official headquarters before the company moved to a rented … Read more

In 2005 the MPAA estimated that roughly $3 billion a year is lost to Internet movie piracy. Since 2005, there have been five films that have broken a previous opening weekend box office record. Most recently, of course, is this past weekend's $200.3 million blockbuster, "The Avengers." Not only did the film shatter the previous weekend opening record, but it do so with a pirated copy of the film in circulation an entire week before it hit theaters. What's even more impressive? The new record is also the biggest jump in revenue, dethroning 2011's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" by more than $30 million.

All this has us wondering what exactly the MPAA is talking about when they say Internet piracy is destroying the film industry. It's tough to feel remorse with box office turnouts like this past weekend, and also when we read reports that claim there is no relationship between piracy and U.S. box office returns. So when the movie industry does complain about shoddy theater attendance perhaps they should be pointing the finger elsewhere.… Read more

Today is Earth Day, and to celebrate it filmmakers Kyle Ruddick and Brandon Litman have released "One Day on Earth," a remarkable snapshot of our planet that was shot in every country of the world on October 10, 2010.

More than 19,000 filmmakers, professional and novice, contributed more than 3,000 hours of footage to the project, which has the support of the United Nations and 60 nonprofit organizations. The archive is being hosted by Vimeo, with Ning hosting the related social network.

The project is said to have been the inspiration for Ridley Scott's "… Read more

Google is trying to make a video destination out of the revamped Android Market, now known as Google Play.

The company announced today that a pact with Metro Goldwyn Mayer will bring 600 of the famed studio's movies to Google Play, the software store that services Android mobile devices. The treasure trove of film includes such hits as "Rain Main," "Get Shorty" and "Thelma and Louise."

YouTube's premium rental service will also receive access to the same titles. Google typically charges between $1.99 and $3.99 for film rentals.

Google is … Read more

Wal-Mart Stores debuted a service today that executives say will encourage DVD ownership while also giving consumers ubiquitous access to their film libraries via the cloud.

The megaretailer announced that customers can bring their DVDs into their local Wal-Mart, and pay $2 to get access to each title via Walmart.com's cloud service, powered by the UltraViolet platform. The $2 only supplies a user with access to a copy in standard definition; a high-definition copy will cost $5.

Dan Rayburn, an analyst who has covered streaming media for more than a decade, broke the news about Wal-Mart's announcement … Read more

Google can't seem to get the hang of selling music and movies over the Internet--a goal that has similarly befuddled Microsoft, AOL, Yahoo, and others.

Google TV was dead on arrival. YouTube's video-rental service is at best an also-ran, and that service also faces a possible exodus of major record labels to rival Facebook sometime next year. Google Music no longer exists as a standalone service. Last week, the search company folded the three-month-old music store into the newly revamped Android Market.

Google's misfires illustrate just how hard it is to become a major media player. In … Read more