Amazon took its first stab at original programming last weekend with 14 new pilots. By the time those shows actually make it to series, customers may also have a new box to watch them on. According to a recent report, the e-tailer is working on a streaming device to compete with Apple TV, Roku, and Boxee, and the like, with plans to introduce it this fall.
Posted on Wednesday, April 24th, 2013 by Germain Lussier
Wal-Mart has it all: food, clothes, toys, sporting equipment, electronics… and soon they’ll add advance movie tickets. Warner Bros. is conducting a little experiment next month, as Wal-Mart will be the first place fans can buy advance tickets to see Zack Snyder‘s Superman film Man of Steel. On May 18, tickets will be available at select Wal-Mart stores for special advance screenings of the film taking place on June 13, a day before its scheduled June 14 opening. General advance ticket sales aren’t expected to start until May 21 or 22.
There will be a total of 6,372 advance screenings at 2,379 different theaters and each person will be able to buy four tickets for either a 2D or 3D screening. Each ticket will also include a special code to pre-order Man of Steel on Blu-ray or digital download as well an exclusive Man of Steel comic written by screenwriter David Goyer. Read More »
Posted on Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013 by Angie Han
As other streaming services scramble to catch up to Netflix, Netflix has long eyed HBO as its biggest rival. And if Netflix isn’t hasn’t pulled off a decisive win quite yet, it is at least closing in. The company reported that it had 29.17 million domestic subscribers in the first quarter of 2013, surpassing the 28.7 million reported by HBO at the end of 2012. Netflix’s numbers represent an increase of 2 million domestic and 1 million foreign subscribers since the end of 2012.
Those figures come with a couple of caveats, however. SNL Kagan, which compiled the data, has not yet offered information on Netflix’s first quarter of 2013, so it could turn out that Netflix has grown as well. Additionally, while the two companies are neck-in-neck for subscribers in the U.S., HBO is trouncing Netflix worldwide, with 114 million subscribers globally compared to Netflix’s 7.14 million. [Variety]
After the jump, Netflix reveals in a letter to investors that it’s not renewing its Viacom deal, but is adding a new plan for families.
With the openings of Oblivion and The Lords of Salem, the expansion of The Place Beyond the Pines, and the Netflix premiere of Hemlock Grove today — not to mention new episodes of Mad Men and Game of Thrones this Sunday — film and TV lovers are already spoiled for choice when it comes to stuff to watch this weekend. But if none of those suit your fancy, or if you still have some hours left to fill, Amazon also has fourteen comedy and children’s pilots ready for viewing right now on their site.
The highest-profile of the crop by far is Zombieland, but there are also new shows involving The Onion, Kristen Schaal, John Goodman, and many more. And if you like what you see, you can actively help your favorites live on. Amazon will decide which of the pilots get picked up to series based on their popularity with viewers.
Posted on Wednesday, April 17th, 2013 by Angie Han
After Zombieland hit in 2009, there was much talk of a sequel. Unfortunately, it didn’t move as fast as it could have. As the cast and crew moved on the project fizzled altogether. But then, like the horrifying monsters that give the movie its name, it came back from the dead in a slightly different form.
Writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick reworked the idea as a TV series, found a distributor in Amazon, and snatched up Tyler Ross, Kirk Ward, Maiara Walsh, and Izabela Vidovic to play the new Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock. Now the pilot is finished, and Amazon wants fans to check it out and help decide whether it gets greenlit to series. Get more details and watch a trailer after the jump.
Posted on Monday, April 15th, 2013 by Germain Lussier
Criteron fans who saw the artwork for this week’s release of Alex Cox‘s cult film Repo Man and thought, “That looks familiar” might have been 100% right. The work, commissioned by Criterion, was done by two of Mondo‘s familiar and talented artists: Jay Shaw and Tyler Stout. You can get the artwork on the Criterion release, out Tuesday, or as limited edition screenprints released by Mondo, also on Tuesday. Get the specifics below. Read More »
Posted on Wednesday, April 10th, 2013 by Angie Han
It seems like every major film or TV campaign now includes at least one set of character posters, but trust Arrested Development to have a little fun with theirs.
Nine new posters have dropped for the highly anticipated fourth season of the comedy, but they don’t show the Bluth clan’s handsome mugs. Instead, they showcase a series of objects that should look very familiar to anyone who’s followed the first three seasons of the show. Check ‘em out after the jump.
Posted on Tuesday, April 9th, 2013 by Angie Han
Under most circumstances, a Martin Scorsese / Ray Liotta reunion would be cause for celebration. In the case of Campus Life, however, their team-up is more puzzling than enticing.
Jesse McCartney leads the cast of the indie thriller, about a group of college kids trying to uncover a supernatural secret. But based on the trailer, the bigger question may be what Scorsese and Liotta are doing in this seemingly low-rent Chronicle imitation. Hit the jump to watch the trailer.
