Christopher Nolan on the set of “Oppenheimer” Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures
“IMAX film brings images to life. From resolution and color to sharpness and overall quality, there is nothing compared to using IMAX film cameras. The IMAX film format is the Gold Standard of motion picture photography. – Christopher Nolan
If you just saw “Oppenheimer” during it’s opening weekend, but haven’t seen “Oppenheimer” in one of the thirty theaters in the world equipped to play IMAX 70mm, then you haven’t seen “Oppenheimer” the way it was meant to be seen.
Director, Christopher Nolan, first started utilizing IMAX 70mm film cameras with his 2008 blockbuster film, “Batman – The Dark Knight”. It was the first major motion picture to utilize this technology. There was an additional 28 minutes of IMAX footage beginning with the intense opening bank robbery scene that wowed movie audiences. The movie went on to break box-office records, including sold out IMAX screenings many weeks in advance.
Since then, he has continued to favor IMAX cameras and went on to shoot “Batman – The Dark Night Rises”, “Interstellar”, “Dunkirk”, “Tenet”, and his latest, “Oppenheimer”, which also led to the development of the first ever black and white IMAX film stock, which Kodak made and Fotokem developed.
Nolan has become IMAX’s auteur director and ambassador for the technology, pushing boundaries of movie going experiences to brand new levels. He has redefined the word, “immersion” for moviegoers everywhere.
Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures
WHAT IS IMAX 70mm?
IMAX 70mm is basically a large format film used in 65mm film cameras, with its extra 5mm allocated to the soundtrack. 70mm film was popular back in the day with epic movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey and Lawrence of Arabia. The only difference is that the celluloid has been turned sideways. While typical 70mm motion picture film runs vertically and takes up 5 perforations on the film strip, IMAX runs horizontally and takes up 15 perforations. Which means IMAX 70mm standard is three times bigger than normal 70mm and nine times bigger than 35mm film.
The film reel for the three hour “Oppenheimer”, film is massive. It is over 11 miles long and weighs 600 pounds, which is near the maximum capacity an IMAX 70mm projector could possibly hold. These projectors have what’s referred to as a platter, which is the mechanism used in projectors to hold and feed the large-format film reels during projection. It consists of a circular plate that holds the film reel securely and rotates it as the film is projected onto the screen.
“It’s the highest-quality of imaging format ever devised. It gives you an incredible sense of immersion in the image. The clarity, the crispness…it is the gold standard”, Nolan continued, “It’s the closest reproduction of the world the way that your eye sees it”.
Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures
In IMAX theaters, for example, you will probably notice at any time there are no black bars at the top and bottom of the screen. More than likely, that will be an IMAX scene that was shot with an IMAX film camera which will expand vertically filling the screen with more information on a massive square screen with the screen disappearing right in front of you. The ratio changes to 1.43:1, which is just a little wider than an old fashioned TV set before widescreen TV’s were around.
Nowadays, when we visit the multiplex, we have the option of seeing the latest blockbuster film in an IMAX auditorium. As for the movie going public, many don’t really know what IMAX is, but they assume that by paying for very expensive premium ticket prices and the larger theater auditoriums, they figure they are getting the best possible presentation possible. However, many of the Hollywood movies that play in IMAX venues doesn’t even come close to what the IMAX experience should be about, since no IMAX cameras or film stock was even used.
Even Tom Cruise’s latest “Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part One“, that played nine days on IMAX screens prior to the “Oppenheimer” opening, used no IMAX film or cameras at all during the production, just a Sony certified IMAX camera for some of the action sequences. In addition, the entire film is framed in a 2:39:1 ratio, which means the IMAX screen never is fully utilized.
It’s arguable that some the studio films that play in IMAX theaters shouldn’t even play there, even if they transferred the film onto an IMAX format. It’s even arguable that some of the reformatted IMAX theaters should even exist.
However, with the release of any Christopher Nolan movie, it is pretty much guaranteed that they will get the best possible presentation that you can possibly offer.
“Oppenheimer” playing on IMAX 70mm, will be da bomb.
Below is a listing of all the U.S. theatres with the IMAX 70mm format. If you have one in your state, consider yourself very lucky, but good luck getting a good seat, as most of these screenings are just about sold out.
US theatres:
Harkins Arizona Mills 25 & IMAX – Tempe, AZ
AMC Metreon 16 & IMAX – San Francisco, CA
Universal Cinema AMC at CityWalk Hollywood & IMAX – Universal City, CA
TCL Chinese Theater IMAX – Hollywood CA
Regal Edwards Ontario Palace & IMAX – Ontario, CA
Regal Irvine Spectrum 21 + IMAX – Irvine CA
Esquire IMAX – Sacramento, CA
Regal Hacienda Crossings & IMAX – Dublin, CA
AutoNation IMAX, Museum of Discovery & Science – Fort Lauderdale, FL
Regal Mall of Georgia & IMAX – Buford, GA
IMAX Theatre at Indiana State Museum – Indianapolis, IN
Chrysler IMAX Dome Theatre, Michigan Science Center – Detroit, MI
Celebration! Cinema Grand Rapids North & IMAX – Grand Rapids, MI
AMC Lincoln Square 13 & IMAX – New York, NY
Regal UA King of Prussia & IMAX – King of Prussia, PA
Providence Place Cinemas 16 and IMAX – Providence, RI
Now that Netflix officially announced they are retiring their iconic DVD red envelope mailing service this September after twenty five years, cementing “streaming” as the number one choice from their 250 million subscriber base from around the world, it seems they are striving other ways to “stretch the envelope” and continue to venture into a new directions.
Most of us think of Netflix as just a company that streams movies, but they are a lot more than that. They have been developing their own programming globally and are the envy of all traditional movie and TV studios since they produce their own content, as well as distribute them, as well.
In 2021, Netflix had an astounding 36 Academy Award nominations and won seven of them, which was most than any other movie studio. Netflix also won more Emmys than any other network or studio with 44 in 2021, tying CBS back in 1974. They have totally changed the way we watch TV and movies everywhere.
With all this success, most people didn’t even know that they had launched Netflix Games back in November 2021. There was not much of a marketing campaign or any fanfare to alert the public.
At this year’s Games Developer’s Conference (GDC 2023), Netflix announced that they had more games in their pipeline. They were planning to release even more games to their subscribers, though the content would still continue to only be played on mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets. They have followed the likes of Google Play Pass and Apple Arcade.
As of late June, Netflix had released 60 games, with about 30 more slated for later this year and many more in development with their partners, as well as games currently being developed by their in-house game studios.
Netflix’s goal is to develop a broad portfolio of games for everyone’s tastes in different genres and formats. Their motto is they believe that “everyone can find joy in games if they discover the one (or many!) that is right for them.”
Subscribers will discover indie darlings, award-winning hits, RPGs, narrative adventures, puzzle games, chess wizzes to LEGO aficionados and everything in between, and Netflix continue to work with the world’s leading studios.
One of their most-played games to date is from, Too Hot to Handle: Love is a Game, which is based on their popular unscripted dating show, Too Hot to Handle. It was a popular game when it was released alongside Season 4 of the series and stay engaged through the weekly drops of in-game episodes. A follow-up Too Hot to Handle game is expected to be released later this year.
FromNight School, a Netflix Game Studio, OXENFREE II: Lost Signals is the mind-bending follow-up to the critically-acclaimed supernatural thriller OXENFREE. Set five years after the events of the first game, the game will take players on a gripping narrative-driven adventure featuring an all-new cast of characters and original story. OXENFREE II: Lost Signals is set to launch on July 12 on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 & 4, PC and Mac via STEAM, and exclusively for Netflix members on mobile.
Welcome to Beth Harmon’s world. Take lessons, play puzzles and matches or compete against friends in this stunning love letter to the award-winning drama. Beyond the chess board, players can meet familiar faces like Mr. Shaibel and Borgov, visit iconic locations including Beth’s house, the Methuen orphanage, the Las Vegas tournament, and more. From new beginners to chess masters, this immersive experience appeals to every type of fan. Available exclusively for Netflix members.
Cut the Rope Daily (August 1):
The legendary Om Nom is back — and craving candy! In this new twist on the classic Cut the Rope game that has been downloaded more than 1.6 billion times, players will cut rope, collect stars and pop balloons to feed the beloved green monster with a sweet tooth in this puzzle game featuring physics-based gameplay. For the first time ever, Cut the Rope Daily offers a new puzzle to solve every day. Available exclusively for Netflix members.
LEGO® Legacy: Heroes Unboxed (Coming Soon):
LEGO Legacy: Heroes Unboxed lets players collect and playfully battle with more than 50 characters from over 40 years of LEGO minifigure history. Bringing together characters old and new, this game gives LEGO fans a new way to play with the characters that they know and love. Build imaginative sets and assemble a team of familiar faces — from Hot Dog Man to Princess Argenta and more — to immerse yourself in a world full of action in this strategic battle RPG. Available exclusively for Netflix members.
Paper Trail is a top-down puzzle adventure about leaving home, set in a paper world. Players must fold their way through a diverse, populated paper universe. As players progress, new gameplay opportunities emerge, enhanced by the folding mechanics. Featuring fun and engaging characters and beautiful worlds to explore, this indie gem has already won more than 10 awards. Available exclusively on mobile for Netflix members. Also coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 & 4, PC, and Xbox Series X|S.
Maybe one day, we will be able to see their games along with their TV shows and movies on their streaming platform. However, it might take awhile for that to happen.
RSA 2023 Conference attendees walking to and from the shadows and light at Moscone North and South. Photo by Marcus Siu.
Article by Marcus Siu
One doesn’t need to look far at all to see how A.I. has grown, especially generative A.I. Just within five days of its November 2022 launch, one million users downloaded ChatGPT, a natural language processing tool driven by A.I. technology that allows one to chat or interact and have human-like conversations with their computer devices and smartphones. In addition, it is able to design, produce new content and even create synthetic data, or deepfakes through machine learning. There are now an estimated 100 million active users using ChatGPT, making it the fastest growing app ever and making. A.I. accessible to the masses and will certainly change the world as we know it.
It was also the recurring principal theme at the RSA Conference last month. At this stage, A.I. is just “the beginning of the beginning of the beginning” as many of the RSA panelists describe it. It will not only play an integral principal role in world of cybersecurity, but all facets of science and technology in our environment. Though, A.I. has been around for awhile, this year looks like when it will suddenly emerge as the most disruptive technology creating an A.I. revolution.
RSA Program Committee Chair and RSA Opening Keynote speaker, Hugh Thompson addressing the crowd at the RSA Conference 2023. Photo courtesy of RSA Conference.
What were the most disruptive dual use advancements in science or technology in the last fifty years?
That was the supreme question that Hugh Thompson, the RSA Program Committee Chair and RSA Opening Keynote speaker, presented not only to his live audience, but also to a small survey of various scientists, technologists, and cybersecurity experts whom he deeply respected who are experts in their field prior to his keynote.
Since he had such a small sample size and wanted to get absolute certainty for his answer, he decided to ask ChatCGP-4, which is a premium version of ChatGPT.
“And what it said was number one on the list was the introduction of the Internet…I think maybe we would agree with that…dual use technology… and very helpful…we used all the time…but also has a set of shadows of it that that we deal with every day”, Thompson continued. “Number two ironically, especially coming from ChatCGP-4…was the proliferation of A.I.”.
Thompson couldn’t have said it much better with such clarity. With A.I. being such an integral tool for security professionals, it will also be one for its adversaries; the cybercriminals.
“I would argue in history where science and technology is advancing very, very quickly. Whenever that happens you get the light of the advancement, meaning all of the good that can come from it, but unfortunately, whenever you have a bright light it casts a very deep shadow”, Thompson warned.
“We are the shadow experts. We study the shadow. We understand the shadow. We try and mitigate the shadow. We try and put other lights in the shadow to get rid of the shadow. There is never been a more important time for that.”.
Preparing for the conference, Thompson and the RSAC Vice President, Content & Curation, Britta Glade, worked early on in the process on which content would be used for the conference. With well over 2400 submissions in a very competitive year, it was very difficult to filter down, not just in terms of quantity, but in quality. Unsurprisingly, most of the sessions revolved around A.I.
“Topics like this AI availability, Generative AI availability, Quantum Computing Advancements…What does it do? How can we prepare? “We’ve got what I would argue is the best program we’ve ever had at RSA conference.”, Thompson exclaims.
Grammy Award-winning artist Chris Stapleton onstage as a panelist on a session that explores cybersecurity and the music industry. Courtesy of RSA Conference.
There was even a session called “Face the Music: Cybersecurity and the Music Industry” where leaders from the music industry, law enforcement, and academia all collaborated and discussed A.I. intelligence and cyber-enabled threats to the music industry. Keynote panelist and Grammy-winning country music star Chris Stapleton also weighed in on the topic of generative AI in music, discussing how bad actors now have the capability to easily steal artist IP and what both legislators and the security industry can do to help.
Even the movie industry has to deal with it, as well. It is pretty evident that even actor Christopher Lloyd, who played eccentric inventor Emmett ‘Doc’ Brown in the Back to The Future trilogy, would know. He was on also on stage to discuss his Hollywood blockbuster experience along with real quantum computing and cryptography experts.
With the onset of A.I., the challenges of how to leverage and harness the power of this technology along with the accessibility of generative large language model technologies, such as ChatGPT, it looks like we are indeed in a brand new world in cybersecurity, for better or worse.
Eric Idle reminds us that A.I. may even replace Monty Python. However, you should always look at the bright side of life. Photo by Marcus Siu
Overall, this year’s successful RSA Conference attracted well over 40,000 attendees, including 650+ speakers, 500+ exhibitors and 500+ members of the media. Throughout the week, attendees networked on the expo floor and participated in keynote presentations, track sessions, tutorials, seminars and special networking events.
Attendees gathering at the annual GDC at Moscone Center in San Francisco. Photo by Marcus Siu.
Article and photos by Marcus Siu
You could feel the sheer excitement in the air surrounding San Francisco’s Moscone Center where exhibitor’s and attendees convened at the 2023 Game Developer’s Conference. It recently happened a few weeks ago from March 20th thru the 24th when the Games Developer’s Conference tied its pre-pandemic record of 28,000 attendees in San Francisco that was set in 2019, more than doubling the number of in-person attendees from last year at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center.
It was all about the return of the “in-person” experience, having the strong desire and necessity of connecting with one another. Whether it was at one of the many numerous and inspiring sessions that was going on all week, or in one of the populated halls on the expo floor with some of the biggest names in the gaming world, or at a social mixer networking party with peers and leaders in the games industry; everyone seemed eager to seek and discover connections and to gain insight within their craft.
It seemed as though the conference hadn’t missed a beat since the pandemic.
Sony PlayStation VR2 brought in some new demos at GDC2023. Photo by Marcus Siu.
For those who are unfamiliar with GDC, The Game Developers Conference® (GDC) is the world’s largest professional game industry event with market-defining content for programmers, artists, producers, game designers, audio professionals, business decision-makers, and others involved in the development of interactive games and immersive experiences. It also is the world’s largest and longest-running event serving professionals dedicated to the art and science of making games
All in all, GDC 2023 featured more than 1,000 speakers and 700+ sessions, workshops, roundtable discussions and networking opportunities. 330+ exhibitors were present to display their newest technologies, programs and services on the GDC Expo Floor, including industry leaders like Amazon Web Services, Adobe, Discord, Google, NEXON and more.
It was also a space for attendees to play and connect with the developers behind new and exciting independent games, including the finalists from the Independent Games Festival (IGF) and the alt.ctrl.GDC exhibit that is home to games that use alternative controllers like toaster ovens, giant oversized hats and others.
Attendees trying on the Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro VR sets. Photo by Marcus Siu.
When you walk in the entrance on the South Side, some of the biggest name in gaming with attendees waiting in line for a demo as soon as they entered the hall, including Meta and Sony. Unity and Unreal were to the left of them and had even bigger booths with lots of play space. In fact, many of the companies were not signing anyone up for demos because they filled up within the first hour after the expo opened. Sign ups were available the next morning, as soon as they opened at 10 am, but filled up quickly. What I noticed this year compared to previous years is that there are more companies are using VR/AR/MR/XR and smart glasses for immersive gaming.
WELCOME TO THE METAWORLD
At the Meta booth, they had four demos, including Demeo, Ironman, Among Us, and a Mixed Reality Fencing Prototype which is the one I participated in. I requested the demo that would make use of the Meta Quest Pro, their flagship VR goggles. Unfortunately, Meta was having some wi-fi or battery issues and it took awhile to fix, but when it worked, I had a blast in my ten minute slot sword fighting against my opponent on the other side of the wall.
My opponent quickly got up to ten points, and just when I thought it was over, I was quick to go for another ten rounds. I was able to come out victorious. Ironically, after meeting my opponent, I found out he used to fence in Finland. Not sure if I should try the real thing next time I’m in Europe.
A swordfight at the Meta booth. The player on the left actually won, even thought the player on the right was an experience fencer.
A Meta rep also was roaming around the booth and touting their new Meta-Ray Ban glasses. She had me put them on and told me that they can capture what you are seeing in real time. Meta’s first generation of smart glasses have built-in cameras, open-ear audio, and seamless social sharing. Sort of a POV for the user that is sharable to others.
I can imagine that people may not have rush out and shoot with their smartphones any longer, if they wanted to capture something spontaneously by the touch of their finger. I immediately thought that this would be a great way to monitor the world around us and share our experiences together, as it doesn’t necessarily need to be for game sharing purposes. Perhaps, it could cut down on crime, since we might all be wearing these on a daily basis?
Meta-Ray Ban glasses captures everything you see with a touch of a button at GDC2023. Photo by Marcus Siu
AUGMENTED REALITYISJUST NREAL
Another company that I was happy to see having a nice booth at the Expo Hall was Nreal. I was first introduced to them at the Augmented World Expo in Santa Clara in 2019 and wrote about them with their impressive augmented reality technology. This time, they were demonstrated their latest “Air” AR Glasses on laptops and smartphones, which reminds me of Google Glass, but has much better promise.
My first impression with these ultra-lightweight Nreal Air glasses, which could easily be confused as regular fashion sunglasses, is an amazing 201″ spatial display that gets casted from your device, whether it’s streaming from a game on the cloud, a compatible smartphone, or a iMac.
It has Micro-OLED panels and it is just has an amazing immersive display. As I put them on, I was looking at floating apps and browsers that I could select with my mouse, and be transported watching videos. Imagine watching Netflix or having a big screen for cloud gaming on the big screen anywhere you go.
NReal booth demos the Air Glasses at GDC2023. Photo by Marcus Siu
META’S MAIN COMPETITOR?
If there is a Meta competitor on the Expo floor, it would probably be Pico from China who made their debut at GDC. They had a nice booth showing the evolution of their hardware products over they years, much displayed like it would be at a VR museum, if there was one.
The release of their Pico 4 was getting some buzz on the floor, but didn’t get any official announcement when it would actually be released. This is probably due to the fact that their parent company, Bytedance, also owns TikTok, is still trying to settle with the Senate hearings.
What a great time to be a game developer! Here are a slideshow of a few scenes from the Expo floor.
It’s been nearly a year since Will Smith infamously slapped Oscar host Chris Rock live onstage at last year’s Academy Awards telecast after cracking a “G.I. Jane” joke aimed at Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. It was indeed a surreal moment as the audience watched Smith laugh initially then turn to his wife who was fuming from the inside, got up from his chair to approach the stage and strike Rock.
Most of the audience thought that it was just “part of the act”, but when Smith returned to his seat and shouted expletives at Rock, they realized it was not.
Though the “teary eyed” and emotional Smith was allowed to return onstage to accept his Best Actor Oscar for “King Richard” after the incident, the Academy of Motion Pictures Sciences (AMPAS) decided a few weeks later that Smith would be barred from attending any Oscar ceremonies for the next ten years.
Months later, Apple TV announced a new movie called “Emancipation” to be released in late Fall starring Will Smith. At first, I thought it was about his documentary regarding his “freedom” from the Academy not having to attend the Oscars for the next ten years. Last weekend, Chris Rock premiered his Netflix special called “Selective Outrage”. “I rooted for Will Smith my whole life,” he said. “The other day, I watched “Emancipation” just so I could watch him getting whipped.”
All kidding aside, it’s a shame that had happened. It was one step forward for diversity, but two steps back. Or is it?
Sure, you can make a case there should have been at least more than two African-American nominees list this year for the acting categories. Viola Davis in “The Woman King” and Danielle Deadwyler in “Till” come to mind. You can also make a case that their directors from those films, Gina Prince Bythewood or even Chinonye Chukwu should have made the list in their category, even in a very competitive field.
Regardless of these omissions, the Academy is seems to be doing a formidable job of accomplishing its goals of diversifying the Academy since the #OscarsSoWhite movement eight years ago. They are clearly doing its best to continue its efforts in representing all groups, not just African-American filmmakers. If you look at this years nominations, it’s clearly diverse.
With four nominations, more Asian performers were recognized by the Academy in 2023 than in any single year in its history. In addition, Malaysian “Everything Everywhere All At Once” star Michelle Yeoh is only the second Asian best actress nominee in 95 years of Oscars history, with a strong chance of becoming the first winner.
After the embarrassing “Slap Heard Around The World” Oscars telecast like last year, we need a bit of comic relief. You can certainly bet our host for this year’s Oscars, Tonight Show’s own Jimmy Kimmel will prepare a lot of material that should keep us comfortably and uncomfortably laughing during the telecast. I can’t imagine a better host to open up the show and look forward to his monologue.
OSCAR PREDICTIONS
This may be the most difficult year in predicting the Oscars ever, but here are my predictions for the 95th Annual Academy Awards.
BEST PICTURE:
It’s been exactly one year ago, when this “mind bending” independent film “Everything Everywhere All at Once” had it’s World Premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival on March 11th, 2022. Since that time, the film went on to become A24’s highest grossing film ever. It was re-released three times due to it’s popularity, including a one-night only at IMAX, and its re-release on January 27th thanks to a resurgence of interest for its leading eleven Academy Award nominations. It has won the top prizes from the Director’s Guild, Producer’s Guild, the Writer’s Guild, and won a record-breaking four awards at the Screen Actor’s Guild Awards. Though it lost at the BAFTA’s to “All Quiet on the Western Front”, the British Academy Awards, there is too much momentum for this film to lose at this year’s Oscars.
Everything Everywhere All at Once with Oscar nominees, Stephanie Hsu, Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan. Photo Credit: Courtesy of A24.
BEST ACTOR:
After watching Brendan Fraser in his heart-wrenching performance in “The Whale” as a 600 pound recluse, I was certain that was getting the Oscar. Fraser just recently won at the SAG awards, so we know at least a majority of actors loved his performance. However, the Academy didn’t embrace “The Whale” as much as they did “Elvis” with its eight nominations. “The Whale” was nominated for three awards, but wasn’t nominated as Best Picture or even screenplay.
I still keep changing my tune on my prediction for Best Actor even as I write, as picking Elvis starts to make more sense. The Academy loves bio-pics, and it’s rare to have an actor be able to portray someone as iconic as Elvis. Jamie Foxx played Ray Charles, Rami Malek played Freddie Mercury, and Renée Zellweger played Judy Garland and they all won the Oscar.
The extreme dedication of Butler for three years of his life is exemplary. As a method actor, he not only acted as Elvis, but embodied himself in his role as “The King”. He looked, sang and danced like him by watching tapes and films of him when production was down during COVID. He needed to be able to discern how Elvis talked and walked during certain periods of his career since they needed to shoot scenes out of sequence. He put posters and photos all over his wall during the shutdown when his co-star Tom Hanks, who played the Colonel caught COVID-19.
Even after the movie was done, he could not let go of Elvis, even as he went about promoting his film. He was Elvis 24/7 and still could not leave the King. He didn’t even see his family for three years because he was so focused on his role. What a hound dog!
This will be a tight race, but I think the “King” will live on.
AUSTIN BUTLER as Elvis in Warner Bros. Pictures’ drama “ELVIS,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
BEST ACTRESS:
Another difficult category to predict is Best Actress, which is really a race between the two-time Oscar winner, Cate Blanchett and Michelle Yeoh. Even on a fair playing field, I probably would have leaned for Cate Blanchett for her performance as Lydia Tár, one of the most extraordinary performances that she has ever done, if not the best.
She has proven she can play just about anything, including Spazzatura, the monkey in “Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio”. If there is a sequel to “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, the Daniels may want her to play a googly eyed rock, and she may get another nomination.
However, Michelle Yeoh, who gets her second Oscar nomination for “Everything Everywhere All at Once” since “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, even with her hot dog fingers, can still just beat anyone up against her…and not just the music exit prompters at the Golden Globes. She is well loved not just in Hollywood, but globally, and the Academy would probably want to honor her the award, rather than give Blanchett a third.
She would also be a fitting tribute to honor the first Asian Best Actress Oscar winner as she has made a tremendous contribution to World Cinema during her lifetime. It would be fitting and iconic.
Maybe the U.S. mint she will issue her own coin one day.
Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) is an average Chinese mother who reluctantly becomes a superhero, jumping alternate worlds and absorbing powers to fight an evil villain. A24
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
When Ke Huy Quan stopped getting roles after being a formidable child star working in movies such as Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom alongside with Harrison Ford with Steven Spielberg directing, and a cult timeless movie classic called “The Goonies”, Quan believed the best was over. He stopped getting roles and decided to stop acting and work behind the scenes, notably with Wong Kar Wai as an assistant director. Nearly broke, he told his agent that he needed to work and found a role that he really wanted. The real life story of Quan is inspirational to any actor who was once in the spotlight and wants to return to it.
If there is any category that is the “sure thing”, this is it. He has won nearly every “Best Supporting Actor” award, with the exception of the BAFTA, in which Barry Keoghan won for his role in “The Banshees of the Inisherin”. I highly doubt Keoghan will repeat on American turf.
Hollywood loves a comeback story. Ke Huy Quan is the real deal.
Ke Huy Quan in EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE. ALLYSON RIGGS / A24 / COURTESY EVERETT COLLECTION
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
This could be the category that will be most difficult to predict. Early in the Awards season, Angela Bassett was the frontrunner for “Black Panther – Wakanda Forever”. She won the Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award. However, the momentum shifted. Just recently, Jamie Lee Curtis won the SAG award and Kerry Condon won the BAFTA. I have a feeling that the Academy will split votes between Curtis and Bassett more in recognition for their life work as veteran actors and the Academy would still like to honor “The Banshees of the Inisherin” as an Oscar winner. This is the only possible category that it could potentially win. Condon most likely will take the award, and deservedly so.
One real mystery remains, however. Now that Will Smith is barred from the Oscars, who will present the Best Actress award to this years recipient?
MLS Entertainment’s Oscar Predictions:
Best Picture: “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Best Actor: Austin Butler, “Elvis” Best Actress: Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Best Supporting Actor: Ke Huy Quan “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Best Supporting Actress: Kerry Condon “The Banshees of Inisherin” Best Director: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Best Adapted Screenplay: Sarah Polley “Women Talking ” Best Original Screenplay: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Best Cinematography: “All Quiet on the Western Front” Best Costume Design: “Elvis” Best Film Editing: “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Best Makeup and Hairstyling: “The Whale” Best Music (Original Score): “All Quiet on the Western Front” Best Music (Original Song): “Naatu Naatu” Best Production Design: “All Quiet on the Western Front” Best Sound: “Top Gun Maverick” Best Visual Effects: “Avatar: The Way of Water” Best Animated Feature Film: “Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio” Best Foreign Language Film: “All Quiet on the Western Front” Best Documentary (Feature): “Navalny” Best Documentary (Short Subject): “Elephant Whisperers” Best Short Film (Animated): “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” Best Short Film (Live Action): “An Irish Goodbye”
Continuing in March, you will be able to see the 2023 Oscar Nominated Short Films in theaters all around the country. The number of theaters have increased from previous years, so it no longer is necessary to drive fifty miles to the nearest theater like in the past.
Historically, the Live Action shorts and Animation shorts have always been much more popular than the documentary shorts, so before you know it, the short docs could disappear in a blink of an eye.
With the Netflix age, it’s interesting that many of these films are available for streaming. For example, if you have Netflix, you will be able to stream two of the Short docs now and stream the other two New Yorker doc shorts on YouTube and Vimeo. So, in theory, you can watch four out of the five short documentaries at home. This might have sounded implausible ten years ago before streaming became mainstream.
Just type in your location and find a theater playing the shorts near you.
Below are the five nominated documentary short films: three trailers and two shorts in its entirety.
‘Haulout’
UK/25 MINS/2022
Director
Evgenia Arbugaeva, Maxim Arbugaev
Synopsis
On a remote coast of the Siberian Arctic in a wind-battered hut, a lonely man waits to witness an ancient gathering. But warming seas and rising temperatures bring an unexpected change, and he soon finds himself overwhelmed.
STREAM ON THE LINK BELOW
‘The Martha Mitchell Effect’
USA/39 MINS/2022
Director
Anne Alvergue, Debra McClutchy
Synopsis
She was once as famous as Jackie O. And then she tried to take down a President. The Martha Mitchell Effect is an archival documentary portrait of the unlikeliest of whistleblowers: Martha Mitchell, a Republican cabinet wife who was gaslighted by the Nixon Administration to keep her quiet. It offers a female gaze on Watergate through the voice of the woman herself.
NOW STREAMING ON NETFLIX
‘The Elephant Whisperers’
INDIA/39 MINS/2022
Director
Kartiki Gonsalves
Synopsis
The Elephant Whisperers follows an indigenous couple as they fall in love with Raghu, an orphaned elephant given into their care, and tirelessly work to ensure his recovery and survival.
NOW STREAMING ON NETFLIX
‘How Do You Measure a Year?’
USA/29 MINS/2022
Director
Jay Rosenblatt
Synopsis
For 17 years, filmmaker Jay Rosenblatt filmed his daughter Ella on her birthday in the same spot, asking the same questions. What results is a unique chance to watch time, to see a young woman come into focus physically, mentally and emotionally.
Not yet available to stream.
‘Stranger at the Gate’
USA/30 MINS/2022
Director
Joshua Seftel
Synopsis
From Executive Producer Malala Yousafzai. After 25 years of service, a US Marine filled with hatred for Muslims plots to bomb an Indiana mosque. When he comes face to face with the immigrants he seeks to kill, the story takes a shocking twist toward compassion, grace, and forgiveness.
The director Ondi Timoner with her father, Eli Timoner, in “Last Flight Home.” Photo: MTV Documentary Films
Last Flight Home, a documentary movie is available to stream now. Watch it on The Roku Channel, Paramount Plus, Vudu, Prime Video or Apple TV on your Roku device.
Article by Marcus Siu
Ondi Timoner’s” latest documentary, “Last Flight Home”, about her terminally ill 92-year old father, Eli Timoner, who wishes to end his life is one of those rare documentaries that will stay with you for a very long time. Though the subject matter may be a bit overwhelming for audiences to confront, it’s a compelling documentary that shouldn’t be missed.
Rewind back to the 1970’s when Eli was an entrepreneur, venture capitalist and business executive most notable for creating Air Florida. Unfortunately, he suffered a stroke at age 53 that left him unable to walk without the use of a cane. He was later forced to retire as there were no protection laws against disabled people back then. At the time, he was a loving father of three, and happily married to his devoted wife, Lisa, who took care of him for the last forty years until he was unable to standup on his own.
Eventually, Eli developed Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and became completely immobilized, helpless and confined to the bed. He pleaded for “death with dignity” which his family fully supported.
Luckily, a recently passed California End of Life Option Act gives mentally and physically capable terminally ill individuals the right to end their lives with medical aid assistance after a 15-day waiting period. The law that “allows a terminally-ill adult… to request a drug from his or her physician that will end his or her life,” as the UCLA Health website describes it. “People who choose to end their lives this way, and who carefully follow the steps in the law, will not be considered to have committed suicide.”
Eli Timoner, Elissa Timoner, Rachel Timoner, Ondi Timoner and David Timoner appear in LAST FLIGHT HOME by Ondi Timoner Photo: MTV Documentary Films
Ondi Timoner, a veteran documentary filmmaker of thirty years and two-time recipient of the Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize (DIG!, WE LIVE IN PUBLIC) initially wanted to make a documentary based on her father’s life before he developed COPD. She was originally going to document the timeline from his days with the airline to when he got the stroke and how it affected the family. It was going to be fully scripted with Eli’s assistance and called “A Script of Genius”.
After Eli decided he wanted to end his life, the situation of Ondi’s project had dramatically changed course from being a scripted to a vérité style documentary, so the audience could feel the same emotions as the people on screen feel. The brutally truthful and profound film takes us on an emotional journey of ups and downs on so many levels, like a rollercoaster, that few other filmmakers have gone before.
“I didn’t intend to make this film”, Ondi acknowledged at a recent screening in San Francisco. “I was just really terrified at the prospect of losing my father. I couldn’t remember him from before when he had the stroke when I was 9 1/2 and couldn’t actually remember him able bodied before that…so when he said he needed to die…of course we we’re gonna support him”.
It was mandatory that Ondi document his final last days until his death. She wanted to capture his voice and personality so that she and her family could have that forever. Even with her family being accustomed to her filming them throughout the years, she still questioned herself as to why she was doing this and even questioned herself.
“I thought something might be wrong with me for this and also I thought maybe I was gonna be hurting my family by reading the experience.”, Ondi remarked. “I thought maybe I was trying to protect myself by putting a lens between myself and everything that was happening.” Her therapist who told her it was a terrible idea, but told her, “If you think you should film then you should film.”
After getting the green light from Eli, she strategically put multiple cameras just about everywhere around the house without being obtrusive so that everyone felt natural and not self conscious during the filming process. Obviously, it worked as we hear Eli telling penis jokes and talking freely about what he would personally do to ex-President Donald Trump if given the chance.
Even with Eli’s body weakening as the 15-day waiting period approached, he was still very lucid and intact even until the very end. Regardless of his handicap, he was someone you wanted to hang around with. It was easy to fall in love with this his sharp wit and good natured humor.
“You get to experience his choice from a very unique perspective”, Ondi remarked. “I think is a very important basic human right that we should have which is the right to die”…like abortion also…It’s a basic human right and we need to reclaim our right over birth and death in our country.”
Once you start watching the film, you’ll be hooked. Rather just being a fly on the wall, you will be invited into Eli’s loving family as one of them. You begin to realize it’s a love story revolving the power of human connection between a father and his close knit family with each family member having a slightly different way of coping with Eli’s death.
Rachel, the older daughter, who also happens to be a rabbi, split responsibilities in her dual roles. There are some very powerful moments with Eli who opened up and confessed his personal hidden guilts that he had kept secret over the years. It was perhaps the most concealing scene in the movie, as we find out what kind of genuine person Eli really is.
“Respect those you don’t know and love the ones you do.”
These simple but profound words did not come from a wise elderly Greek philosopher, but from Eli as he was giving life advice to his grandson surrounded by family members, with everyone knowing that he has only a few days left to live. It’s an especially poignant and touching scene, because those will be the last words of wisdom his grandson will remember him by.
As the 15th day approaches, he is ready to take the two-part oral medication that will end his life along with the plastic cups and straws that he held and practiced with that made it easier for him to take. Since there are strict laws that prohibit assistance from anyone other than Eli, we cringe and wonder if he will be able to succeed in taking the life-ending drugs. Everyone around him is rooting him on, almost like at a fraternity where social pressure urges you to down your alcohol.
To want to watch a movie about someone’s death might sound a little morbid to some, but when you meet everyone in his family, you realize it’s actually enlightening and life affirming. It’s also a rare permanent portrait of someone who will always be loved by his entire family and friends forever. The memories will never go away.
Lisa, his wife for 55 years has seen the film well over 600 times over the last two years and feels as though her husband is with her each evening as she watches it.
After screenings, many people have reached out and shared their similar experiences with Ondi confirming their loved ones that chose to die with dignity all had an “incredibly holistic peaceful experience.”
Death is very much a taboo subject, especially in the United States. No one really wants to talk about it until they are forced to. There are only ten states that allow the right to die, but Ondi believes this film can be used as a launching point to revisit these laws for the other forty states.
“As the days unfolded, I realized how essential it is that the right to die be understood as a basic human right. Our democracy was founded to protect our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and that must include autonomy and authority of our own bodies.”
It can be a blessing when you know how much time you have left. You can schedule loved ones to say goodbye and you can unload any burdens of guilt you may carry to leave the world more peacefully, regardless if you have a rabbi or priest in your family. You have more time to plan your bucket list.
Eli’s death by dignity was life affirming, if that makes sense. It was what he wanted and through the support and love of his immediate family, made it happen. Amazingly, I didn’t need a box of Kleenex, since I felt closure and feel that a renewed Eli is looking over his family from the friendly skies above, like he promised.
Just ask the peacock in the front yard of their house.
Rabbi Rachel Timoner with her father, Eli Timoner, in “Last Flight Home” Photo: MTV Documentary Films
Fire of Love – One of 15 deserving films to make the Oscar shortlist for Documentary Feature. Photo courtesy of National Geographic.
Article by Marcus Siu
At a time when Hollywood feature films continue to struggle at the box office, partly due to audiences staying away from the fear of catching COVID, but primarily due to mediocre product, with many of the studios releases going directly to streaming.
In contrast, feature length documentaries have held a fairly consistent degree of excellence throughout the pandemic, as most filmmakers are working indoors with a minimal crew. 2022 was certainly no exception.
Just last week, the Academy of Motion Picture Sciences (AMPAS) announced the shortlists in ten different categories, including Documentary Feature Film and Documentary Short Film for the 95th Academy Awards.
There were 144 films that were eligible in the Documentary Feature Film category and only fifteen could advance to make the shortlist. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
As expected, the winner of the Golden Lion for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival, “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed”, a portrait of artist-activist Nan Goldin, was nominated. The film is currently still playing in theaters.
The volcano crowd favorite, “Fire of Love”, which erupted on the film festival scene, and even getting a nationwide release with the summer blockbusters in multiplexes around the country also made the cut.
As usual, popular musical documentaries such as “Moonage Daydream”, a cinematic odyssey exploring David Bowie’s creative and musical journey, which also has the distinction of having the biggest grossing box office of all the docs, and “Hallelujah; Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song” also made the shortlist.
Many of the other films are still playing in theaters and have been collecting multiple awards at film festivals throughout much of the year. Some of them will be streaming very soon if not already, such as HBO’s “All That Breathes”, about two brothers who run a bird hospital in New Delhi, one of my personal favorites.
Another that should get attention, albeit, difficult to watch due to it’s subject matter, is “Last Flight Home”, which is about a bedridden father who wants to end his life with the full support from his loving and devoted family. It’s a deeply moving and poignant documentary about love, life, and the right to die.
The nominations for the 95th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, while the Oscars ceremony will be held on Sunday, March 12, 2023, at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.
Documentary Feature Film
The films, listed in alphabetical order by title and official trailer, are:
All That Breathes (HBO Documentary Films / Sideshow)
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (Neon)
Bad Axe (IFC Films)
Children of the Mist (Film Movement)
Descendant (Netflix)
Fire of Love (National Geographic Documentary Films/Neon)
Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song (Sony Pictures Classics)
Hidden Letters (Cargo Film & Releasing)
A House Made of Splinters (Madman Entertainment)
The Janes (HBO Documentary Films)
Moonage Daydream (Neon)
Navalny (CNN/Warner Bros.)
Retrograde (National Geographic Films)
The Territory(National Geographic)
Documentary Short Film
15 films will advance in the Documentary Short Film category for the 95th Academy Awards. 98 films qualified in the category. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
American Justice on Trial: People v. Newton Anastasia Angola Do You Hear Us? Voices from a Plantation Prison As Far as They Can Run The Elephant Whisperers The Flagmakers Happiness Is £4 Million Haulout Holding Moses How Do You Measure a Year? The Martha Mitchell Effect Nuisance Bear Shut Up and Paint Stranger at the Gate 38 at the Garden
I vividly remember the first time becoming totally immersed with an “Arthouse film” It was in 1992, in a little dinky hole-in-the-wall cinema in San Francisco. I sat there completely mesmerized watching, and as far as I can tell, a “near-perfect” movie, as every component of it’s filmmaking was simply superior in every aspect. The movie was “Howards End”.
The tiny theater consisted of less than fifty uncomfortable seats, but that didn’t matter much, as I was glued to how the the story moved along with Emma Thompson’s nuanced performance as Margaret Schlegel, a character I would never forget, along with the masterly Sir Anthony Hopkins.
The adapted screenplay written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala of Merchant/Ivory fame resonated with me, that I inspired to seek out the original writings by the author himself, E.M. Forster. When everyone else was collecting Batman memorabilia, I was collecting anything “Howard’s End”.
The film went on the following year to win three Academy Awards, including Best Actress for Thompson. It also happened to be the very first Sony Pictures Classics movie ever released.
Thank you Sony Pictures Classics for not only for introducing me to “Howard’s End”, which was absolutely my “Best Picture” favorite from that year, but also to the countless movies that were released in the last three decades.
Over the years of festival going, I would flip through the programs as an active movie festival goer, always looking for thought provoking films, both domestic and international. If I see the name “Sony Pictures Classics” as the distributor, then I knew right off that it was going to be a high quality film.
I still can’t believe it’s been thirty years.
To commemorate, Sony Pictures Classics just released since their 30th Anniversary 4K UHD set and it’s a beautiful package. It is the perfect gift for that someone who not only collects 4K UHD movies, but who appreciates finely designed packaging.
One of my gripes of buying physical media is that more than 90% of the time, you just get an amaray case along with the paper insert and Blu-ray. I used to love collecting Digi books Blu-Rays in my collection. Here, you have a 24-page booklet, featuring an all-new essay from renowned film critic David Thomson about the history of Sony Pictures Classics, along with information about each of the included films and an introduction from SPC co-presidents Tom Bernard and Michael Barker.
This 11 movie box set includes iconic award-winning masterpieces from world-renowned filmmakers, unforgettable performances from global luminaries, and fan-favorite stories that have resonated across the years: ORLANDO, THE CELLULOID CLOSET, THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN, RUN LOLA RUN, SLC PUNK, CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE, VOLVER, SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK, STILL ALICE and CALL ME BY YOUR NAME. Each film is presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision High Dynamic Range.
Notably, ten out of the eleven titles have never been released on 4K. (Only Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was released in 4K) Also, the set includes hours of archival special features across the eleven films, plus a few newly added materials, rounding out this set.
It would be a wonderful present for the holidays, even if it’s just for yourself.
ORLANDO
Synopsis: Tilda Swinton and Billy Zane star in this hip, sexy and wickedly funny look at an English nobleman who defies the laws of nature and comes back to life as an English noblewoman.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
English 2-Channel Surround DTS-HD Master Audio
Audio Commentary with Director Sally Potter and Actress Tilda Swinton
Select Scenes Commentary
Orlando Goes to Russia
Orlando in Uzbekistan
Jimmy Was an Angel
Venice Film Festival Press Conference
An Interview with Sally Potter
Theatrical Trailer
Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature
THE CELLULOID CLOSET
Synopsis: Narrated by Lily Tomlin, this exuberant, eye-opening movie serves up a dazzling hundred-year history of gay men and women on the silver screen.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
English 2-Channel Surround DTS-HD Master Audio
Audio Commentary with Filmmakers Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman, Lily Tomlin, producer Howard Rosenman, and editor Arnold Glassman
Additional Commentary with Author Vito Russo
Collection of Outtakes
Interview with Vito Russo
Theatrical Trailer
Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature
THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN
Synopsis: From Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the director of AMELIE and DELICATESSEN, comes a fantastically twisted fairy tale chock-full of curious characters, spectacular stunts and unforgettable visuals.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
French 2-Channel Surround DTS-HD Master Audio
NEW Audio Commentary with Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Audio Commentary with Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Actor Ron Perlman
Making-Of Featurette
“Les Archives de Jean-Pierre Jeunet”
Interview With Costume Designer Jean-Paul Gaultier
Theatrical Teasers & Trailer
Optional English subtitles for the main feature
RUN LOLA RUN
Synopsis: A thrilling post-MTV, roller-coaster ride! Time is running out for Lola (Franka Potente). She’s just received a frantic phone call from her boyfriend, Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu), who’s lost a small fortune belonging to his mobster boss. If Lola doesn’t replace the money in twenty minutes, Manni will surely suffer severe consequences.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
NEW Audio Commentary with Director Tom Tykwer and Editor Mathilde Bonnefoy
NEW, Making-Of Featurette
Audio Commentary with Director Tom Tykwer and Actor Franka Potente
Still Running Featurette
Believe” Music Video
Theatrical Trailer
Optional English subtitles for the main feature
SLC PUNK
Synopsis: It’s 1985 and Stevo is that rare animal: a punk rocker in the Mormon stronghold of Salt Lake City, Utah. He just graduated from college with honors and now his life is a nutty roller coaster ride of rock shows, stealing cars, beating up rednecks and non-stop partying with his buddy, Heroin Bob, and his girlfriend. But with the scene getting lame and Stevo going nowhere fast, he has to put his punk ideals to the test.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
NEW Revisiting SLC PUNK – a new interview with Director James Merendino
Audio Commentary with Director James Merendino and Actors Matthew Lillard & Michael Goorjian
Comic Book Gallery
Theatrical Trailer
Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
Synopsis: An epic set against the breathtaking landscapes of ancient China, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon combines the exhilarating martial arts choreography by Yuen Wo-Ping (The Matrix) with the sensitivity and classical storytelling of an Ang Lee film. The result is something truly unexpected: romantic, emotionally powerful entertainment.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
Mandarin Dolbv Atmos and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Audio Commentary with Director Ang Lee and Writer / Producer James Schamus
Audio Commentary with Cinematographer Peter Pau
Introduction by Director Ang Lee
7 Deleted Scenes (in 4K HDR)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – A Retrospective
The Making of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
English “A Love Before Time” Music Video
Mandarin “A Love Before Time” Music Video
A Conversation with Michelle Yeoh
Photo Gallery
Theatrical Trailer
Optional English subtitles for the main feature
THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE
Synopsis: His father killed in the brutal fighting of the Spanish Civil War, ten-year-old Carlos is sent to live at the desolate Santa Lucia School, now a makeshift shelter for war orphans. Soon after his arrival, Carlos has a series of seemingly supernatural encounters: strange shadows, voices and, most frightening of all, the apparition of a brutalized young boy. Turns out that Carlos is not alone in seeing these strange phenomena, many other children have experienced the “One Who Sighs,” as the entity has come to be called.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Audio Commentary with Director Guillermo del Toro
Audio Commentary with Director Guillermo del Toro and Cinematographer Guillermo Navarro
Guillermo del Toro Introduction
Director’s Thumbnails Track
Director’s Notebook
Que es un fantasma? Featurette
4 Deleted Scenes with Director Commentary
Sketch, Storyboard, Screen – 6 Scenes
Making-Of Featurette
Summoning Spirits Featurette
Theatrical Trailer
Optional English subtitles for the main feature
VOLVER
Academy Award-winner Pedro Almodóvar (2003, Best Original Screenplay, Talk to Her) comes VOLVER, a comedic and compassionate tribute to women and their resilience in the face of life’s most outrageous tribulations. A luminous Penélope Cruz leads an ensemble of gifted actresses, including Carmen Maura (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown). Raimunda (Cruz) and her sister Sole lost their parents in a tragic fire years ago…or did they? Superstitious villagers claim that the girls’ departed mother, Irene (Maura), has been seen wandering around their Aunt Paula’s home. When Irene appears to Sole, she explains that she has returned to set right her daughters’ troubled lives and reveal shocking secrets that will impact everyone!
Special Features and Technical Specs:
4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Audio Commentary: Director Pedro Almodóvar and Actor Penélope Cruz
Making of Volver Featurette
Interview With Pedro Almodóvar
Interview with Penélope Cruz
Interview With Carmen Maura
Tribute to Penélope Cruz
Theatrical Trailer
Optional English subtitles for the main feature
SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK
Synopsis: From Charlie Kaufman comes a visual and philosophic adventure. Theater director Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is mounting a new play. His life catering to suburban blue-hairs at the local regional theater in Schenectady, New York is looking bleak. His wife Adele (Catherine Keener) has left him to pursue her painting in Berlin, taking their young daughter Olive with her. His therapist, Madeleine Gravis (Hope Davis), is better at plugging her best-seller than she is at counseling him. A new relationship with the alluringly candid Hazel (Samantha Morton) has prematurely run aground. And a mysterious condition is systematically shutting down each of his autonomic functions, one by one. Worried about the transience of his life, he leaves his home behind. He gathers an ensemble cast into a warehouse in New York City, hoping to create a work of brutal honesty. He directs them in a celebration of the mundane, instructing each to live out their constructed lives in a growing mockup of the city outside.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
The Story of Caden Cotard Featurette
NFTS/Script Factory Masterclass
Infectious Diseases in Cattle Roundtable
In and Around Synecdoche, New York Featurette
Theatrical Trailer
Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature
STILL ALICE
Synopsis: Alice Howland (Julianne Moore), happily married with three grown children, is a renowned linguistics professor who starts to forget words. When she receives a diagnosis of Early-Onset Alzheimer’s disease, Alice and her family find their bonds thoroughly tested. Her struggle stay connected to who she once was is frightening, heartbreaking, and inspiring. Also starring Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart, Kate Bosworth and Hunter Parrish.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
3 Deleted Scenes
Directing Alice Featurette
Finding Alice Featurette
Interview with Composer Ilan Eshkeri
Theatrical Trailer
Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature
CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
Synopsis: Amid the summer splendor of 1980’s Italy, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire that will alter their lives forever.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Audio Commentary with Actors Timothée Chalamet and Michael Stuhlbarg
Snapshots of Italy: The Making of Call Me by Your Name Featurette
In Conversation with Armie Hammer, Timothée Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Luca Guadagnino Featurette
“Mystery of Love” Music Video by Sufjan Stevens
Theatrical Trailer
Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature
Last month, I wrote about Kanopy, theaward-winning video streaming service provided to library patrons, who are able to stream for free just by having a library card that offers Kanopy as part of their services.
This month, its all about the “hoopla”.
Launched in 2010, hoopla is the digital service of Midwest Tape, a leading provider of entertainment media products and services: DVDs, CDs, audiobooks and shelf-ready solutions, to public libraries across North America for over a quarter of a century. Their purpose has always been to partner with libraries in delivering content to patrons in the most streamlined manner possible. Through the years, they’ve cultivated a growing passion for the evolving public library.
Hoopla, just like Kanopy, is a web and mobile (Android/iOS) library media streaming platform and library funded service, completely free to their patrons. Patrons of a hoopla sponsored library have access to its collection of digital media.
What distinguishes hoopla compared to Kanopy is that it lets you have access to not just movies and TV, but also for audio books, comics, e-books, and music. Considering how much audio books costs these days, it’s a great alternative than having to spend a lot of money and then leaving it on the shelf to possibly never listen to it again.
Hoopla pioneered a unique model that allows patrons to borrow content immediately, removing artificial availability constraints and maximizing the power of digital content and Internet distribution. Technologically, Hoopla focuses on the latest browser, phone, tablet, and TV products to deliver the best possible experience to the user, the public library patron.
For example, there is no waiting period for having to check out material. When you are at a public library looking for physical media, it may already be checked out already and you would have to put a reserve on it and wait several days or weeks for it. With Hoopla, since it’s digital media, you can check it out immediately with a click on your device.
Hoopla claims to have over 500,000 content titles across six formats. As of November 2016, Hoopla’s content comprised 35% audiobooks (for which Hoopla has contracts with publishers such as Blackstone Audio, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster Audio, Tantor Audio, and others), followed by 22% movies (for which Hoopla has motion picture contracts with publishers such as Disney, Lionsgate, Starz, Warner Bros., and others), 19% music, 12% ebooks, 6% comics, and 6% television.
You can borrow and enjoy audiobooks, eBooks, comics, movies, TV, magazines, or music everywhere you have a screen-your computer, your phone, your car, even your TV. All you need is a library card. hoopla syncs across all your devices, so you can stream titles immediately or whenever you’re in the mood. Most titles can also be downloaded to your phone or tablet. hoopla offers more content, in more places, than any other digital library platform and it’s all FREE thanks to your public library! Titles may vary based on library catalog.
This is all you need:
Tablet, smartphone, computer, or TV with streaming capabilities
Email address and password
Library card number (only needed one time in the registration process)
Hoopla Digital app or updated browser software (e.g. Chrome, Firefox, IE, Safari, etc.)
Step 1: Register for a free Hoopla Digital account.
Go to hoopladigital.com and click on the blue Get Started button. (You may also use the free Hoopla Digital app to register. The registration process is similar.)
Step 2: Enter your information.
Enter your email address and create a new password. Review Hoopla Digital’s terms and conditions and click on the Agree button. Once your account is verified, you will need this email address and password to sign into Hoopla Digital.
Step 3: Choose your associated library.
Your associated Library may appear in the list of nearby libraries. If your public Library doesn’t appear in the list, type it in the search box.
Click on the Next button to continue registering.
Step 4: Enter your library card number.
Type your library card number – without spaces – in the box. Click on the Sign Me Up button.
NOTE: If your library card number ever changes, you will need to update your Hoopla Digital account at Settings > Library > Library Card Number.
Step 5: Start using Hoopla Digital.
You’re done! You will now be automatically signed into Hoopla Digital. If you need to sign into Hoopla Digital in the future, use the email address and password that you registered in Step 2.
Using Hoopla Digital
If you are a first time user, download the free Hoopla Digital app from your device’s app store. The most commonly devices are listed below. If you are using your laptop or desktop computer, all you need is a current web browser and the Widevine plug-in (see What is Widevine?).
Borrowing Titles
How does it work?
Library cardholders are allowed to check out 30 electronic items (e.g., eAudiobooks, eBooks, eMusic, eVideos) per month. There are no late fees. Once your item has expired, it will no longer play on your device. Check out periods are as follows:
eAudiobooks – 21 days
eBooks – 21 days
eMusic Titles – 7 days
eVideos (Movies and TV Shows) – 72 hours
How do I borrow a title?
Click on a title you like and then click the blue “Borrow” button.
Can I place a hold on items?
There is no need for holds with Hoopla Digital. Every title in its collection is available for check out 24/7. This means that if 200 library users want to check out a particular title, all 200 users can check it out without waiting.
Are titles downloaded onto my device or computer?
Titles can only be downloaded to mobile devices via the Hoopla Digital app. Downloading to desktop computers and laptops is not permitted, due to studio or publisher restrictions.
Can I renew a title?
Yes. The option to renew appears two days before the end of the borrowing period (21 days for eBooks, audiobooks, and comics, 72 hours for movies and television, and 7 days for music). A button will appear on the title screen with the option to renew the title. At this time, you can only use the renewal feature at hoopladigital.com. Please note that a renewal is the same as a new borrow, so a renewed title will count against your monthly limit (30 per month).
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