movie

Facebook app turns movie clips into messages

Paramount Pictures and application developer FanRocket announced a service for Facebook users that will allow them to send movie clips to each other. The clips, which are sent as messages and last from a few seconds to several minutes, are intended to help recipients "relive the moment" in a familiar film, a studio executive told the Associated Press.

The service, called VooZoo, certainly takes message ornamentation a step or two beyond the emoticon, letting the "stars do the talking," as the FanRocket site says. I'm not sure, though, that some Facebook users will be familiar … Read more

DS Lite gets own movie service in Japan

Though I don't commute, and thus don't see the need for toting a portable console along to entertain myself on the journey, I must confess that it's tempting to own one, given the endlessly fascinating accessories the Japanese are coughing up for the DS Lite. Since March 6, the handheld has been getting its own official movie download service called DSvision.

A collaboration of Nintendo, print firm DNP, and digital media distributor am3 (the makers of GBA Movie Player), the service requires a kit that costs 3,890 yen (about $37) to kickstart the downloading experience, which … Read more

Where just like the Bush administration, you won't believe the crap coming from our mouths

EPISODE 51

Bennett Nasty, Bakalicious, and WillyT talk to Ari Rabban from Phone.com about his company. Also in the mix, they hit up the iPhone SDK, Randall's wife's grandma's issues with MySpace and friendship, plus we think 10,000 B.C. is going to be a pile of prehistoric dung and eight movie adaptations that shouldn't be made. Finally, firefighters make cars fly! I canbelievable!

Don't forget! Super Smash Brothers Brawl Give Away!

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Where you'll want to chase today's show with a dose of penicillin

EPISODE 50

We're giving away a copy of Super Smash Brothers Brawl, one of the most hotly anticipated titles for the Wii. Listen up so you can win! Click here for more pictures and instructions and how you can win an autographed copy of Super Smash Brothers Brawl!

In the meanwhile, the hosts of the 404 talk about: Tina Fey being cute, but not so funny; Sarah Silverman and Amy Winehouse looking exactly alike; Ben Stiller's new movie featuring Robert Downey Jr. in blackface (?Qu??); terrible airplane movies; and the return of 30 Rock with Will Arnett and … Read more

Apple falls short of 1,000 movie rentals

Apple fell far short of its goal of rolling out 1,000 movies for rent through the iTunes Store by the end of February.

Macworld's Christopher Breen checked in Friday on Apple's promise, and found that just 351 titles are available to rent through the latest version of Apple TV. If you check the iTunes Store from a Mac or PC, there are 399 movies available to rent. Breen notes that even if you include all the movies available through the iTunes Store, for both purchase and rentals, there are only 770 available.

At Macworld, when Apple CEO … Read more

Add a Blu-ray drive to your PC for $129.99

Regular Cheapskate readers know that I'm a big fan of media-center PCs, which is why I frequently spotlight TV tuners. Now let's round out the movie side of the equation: Newegg has the Lite-On DH-401S-11 internal Blu-ray drive for $129.99--way, way less than the price of a standalone Blu-ray player.

This is a serial drive, meaning you'll need a system with a SATA interface. You'll also need a video card that supports HDCP, otherwise Blu-ray's copy protection will prevent movies from playing. Finally, Blu-ray requires a fair amount of horsepower; if you're … Read more

Favreau: Technology has transformed indie film landscape

If you ever feel your comments in online forums are nothing but a droplet in the vast Sea of the Web, take heart. They may change the course of the next Hollywood blockbuster.

Actor, writer, and director Jon Favreau gave a shout-out to our friend the Internet Saturday, saying fans had a direct impact on his upcoming movie with their posts online. Favreau held a panel discussion to support Iron Man, a live-action movie based on the Marvel superhero, at the WonderCon comic book convention held in San Francisco over the weekend. When he wanted to cast Robert Downey Jr. … Read more

Get an Xbox 360 HD DVD player for $49.99

I suppose this was inevitable: Best Buy has the Xbox 360 HD DVD drive $49.99, down from $129.99 (the price still listed on Microsoft's site). You get one free movie in the box (King Kong--blech) and five by mail.

I've got one of these babies, and it's pretty good. It serves up 1080p and provides a pair of USB ports. However, it employs component video outputs, not HDMI, so it can't upconvert standard-def DVDs (unless you have an Xbox 360 Elite, which does, of course, offer HDMI connectivity). That's a pretty big downside, … Read more

Digital downloads will be Blu-ray's downfall

With the fall of HD DVD, Blu-ray has assumed the throne as the next format of choice, but its reign will be short-lived.

Blu-ray won't enjoy the same decade-long dominance DVD did after it succeeded VHS. But that's not because there will be other challenger physical disc formats. Rather, instead of buying discs from Amazon, Best Buy or Wal-Mart, people will begin getting their entertainment in the form of digital downloads in larger volumes.

The studios backing Blu-ray already know this. At an HDTV confab last fall, Warner Bros.' vice president of high-definition media development likened HD packaged … Read more