The episode where we try our best to sound energetic, but two years is finally catching up with us, Black Panther comes while a Batman goes, LA unveils an Alamo Drafthouse and a new Xbox, Bethesda and Apple fully embrace VR/AR, and SiriusXM teams up with Pandora. Plus, the continued boycott of Netflix in theaters, more Dark Universe monsters, Sony making family friendly streaming edits, selling a Plame d’Or to finance a movie, and Amazon/Oculus becoming available to all.
Tag: China
Debt to Cinema 089: In the Mood for Love
Anyone who has held a camera knows glass, heaven forbid mirrors, should be avoided at all costs, and yet this acclaimed piece of Hong Kong art cinema lives within the reflections and obscurities melted sand lends to our perception of the world. I go back and forth on the why’s, landing on the nostalgic framing structure Steve missed, for this painting come to life of an era and country that have since come to pass #IdBuyThatForADollar
Two Cents 096: Mamma Mia, Here We Go Again!
The episode in which I list the many things reporting the news prevents me from doing, Cannes continues its crybaby wanderings, Netflix and Donald Trump are the villains the media prays for, Wanda’s reformation of Legendary and enhanced exhibition business, and the rise of vertical video. In bigger news (56:00), Austin man sues his date for texting during a movie, Hollywood a major hacking target and their lack of action, Google I/O updates including standalone VR and Daydream upgrades, and Zenimax becoming the VR equivalent of a patent troll. Plus, Venom, Resident Evil, Supernatural meets Scooby Doo, social VR hubs becoming industry standard (1:58:00), Ridley Scott’s TNT block, and Mamma Mia 2!
Two Cents 095: Welcome to the Amazon
The episode in which we get off to a slow start, Google acquires VR gurus Owlchemy Labs, Amazon introduces the Echo Show and Prime Live Events, Wanda’s Legendary loses another figurehead, and Amazon Prime Video has landed 40 SXSW selections. In bigger news, Cannes changes their criteria for festival selections after streaming titles have joined the Palme d’Or race and Microsoft unveils their “mixed reality” controllers. Plus, the need for VR standards, vertical cinema, contemporary films’ monochromatic agenda, Tupac movies, Donald Glover’s animated FXX Deadpool show, classical film theory, and Judge Dredd.
Two Cents 080: Black Mirror
The delayed episode in which I ended up finishing things alone, where Trump is in the White House, Sundance is covered in snow, streamers make moves, Hellboy 3 might be coming, AMC Theaters continues its global dominance, Superbowl LI is streaming for free, and I review The London Heist, Black Mirror’s Playtest episode, my VR playtesting gig, and Damien Chazelle’s TCM block. Meanwhile, Steve talks Samurai Cop 2, Hell or High Water, The Magnificent 7 (2016), and Sony’s Passengers. Plus, The Terminator is returning to James Cameron, Legendary lost its CEO, Paramount gets into bed with China, things don’t look good for Sony (across TV, Film, and PSVR), Netflix seduced Jerry Seinfeld, and some VR things to close out the show.
Two Cents 077: Run The Jewels
The week in which we welcome the show into the year 2017, mourn the deaths of Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, talk Everything is Terrible’s Jerry Maguire pop up rental shop, lament the latest IMAX delay, praise NBC making a puppet contestant show, and the chronicle the continued rise of Snapchat. Steve shares his impressions of Batman: Arkham VR, The Jungle Book, and Mad Max: Fury Road’s Black & Chrome edition while I talk Rogue One, Sausage Party, and Run The Jewels 3. Plus, Damien Chazelle is reteaming with Ryan Gosling on a Neil Armstrong biopic, China (via Alibaba) continues to attempt to take over the entertainment world, and Amazon moves closer to VR as the tech world promises early adopters won’t get left behind.
Two Cents 075: Everybody Wants To Rule the World
The episode in which Universal decides the F8 of a franchise, China might change the way videogame loot boxes work, retail is trying to keep Pokemon Go a thing, Will Ferrell is tackling eSports next, the next Cloverfield movie, Dunkirk’s 70mm teaser, Kodak’s reelfilm website, and the Transformers IMAX VR experience. Steve shares thoughts on Nocturnal Animals, The Fourth Man, and the Willard remake, while I talk Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the Star Wars Battlefront X-Wing VR experience, and Final Fantasy XV in its multimedia entirety. In bigger news, Al Gore is hoping to return to the Oscars and Jimmy Kimmel is joining him, the Global Virtual Reality Association, the lessened worries of the impending merger between AT&T and Time Warner given the larger threat on hand, especially against Amazon’s attempt to kill retail as we know it.
Two Cents 074: Long Distance Call
The episode in which Skype really tried to fuck our groove up, Kanye is out the hospital/Fidel is still dead, I tell you about my time at Playstation Experience 2016, Netflix finally allows users to download content, an update on Nintendo at Universal Studios, I share reviews on A Case of You, Save the Last Dance, and Sky High while Steve talks The Running Man, Too Late, and finally James Bond which spirals into a saga about 007. Plus, DirecTV Now and Amazon Prime Channels amplifying cord cutting, what zero rated data aka free streaming means for the internet, the importance of Wikipedia, the future of the home video experience revisited, Wanda building itself bigger in Hollywood as tinseltown looks to grow elsewhere, and what conglomeration means to us.
Two Cents 072: The Beginning of the End is the Beginning
The week in which I hopefully share details about my doomed romance for the last time, Tinder goes trans friendly, Domino’s does drone delivery in New Zealand, and Steve caught Terrence Malick’s A Voyage of Time and Brainscan, while I finally checked out Westworld’s pilot and Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival. Also, Google and Facebook crack down on fake news ads, the possible end of the Electoral College, China continues its foothold in the movie industry, Marvel moves Inhumans to the small screen, the curious case of Watch Dogs 2, and a fun closing conversation about the future of VR, gaming, and 8K.
Two Cents 070: Heartbreak Hotel
The week in which nothing much has transpired besides heartbreak, Dave Chappelle is going to host next week’s Saturday Night Live, Fox has renewed The Simpsons up to season 30, another Verhoeven classic is being remade sadly, Wanda continues its media purchases with Dick Clark Productions, Disney bests its box office records, and we come up with the Madea/SAW crossover for Lionsgate. Plus, AT&T is getting sued for collusion, The Flash continues its director woes, we question if Johnny Depp is in lazy mode, Sony is adapting Sonic for the big screen next, and I tiredly try to recite Best Picture winners.
Dollar Reviews 