MUST WATCH: Official Trailer for Marvel's INFINITY WAR

Wow. So the big question is who dies in this thing. There are a few hints dropped in this trailer but actually I'm not convinced that anyone dies in the first of these two Infinity Wars movies. I think that will certainly happen in the second though. We'll see.

Loving the interaction between the Guardians and Tony Stark! That's perfect Peter Quill if you ask me. With all these characters butting heads in this thing, who are you most looking forward to seeing interacting?

So check out this trailer! After all these years it all comes down to this. Seriously, Marvel already has an amazing stable of outstanding movies - well written and played out. They have had all this time to nail down exactly what needs to happen and to add the meat to the bones - this is all the marbles. These movies are going to blow us away I'm sure!

Marvel's AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR opens on April 27.

Cool New Trailer And Posters For SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY

Hey guys, here's some cool new marketing material for SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY - first up, some colorful posters to whet your appetite! I think Chewie is frozen in time :-) And nice that Emilia Clarke got to keep her accent - good call.

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Here's the movie's storyline:
Board the Millennium Falcon and journey to a galaxy far, far away in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY, an all-new adventure with the most beloved scoundrel in the galaxy. Through a series of daring escapades deep within a dark and dangerous criminal underworld, Han Solo befriends his mighty future copilot Chewbacca and meets the notorious gambler Lando Calrissian, in a journey that will set the course of one of the Star Wars saga’s most unlikely heroes.

SOLO stars: Alden Ehrenreich, Donald Glover, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, Thandie Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Paul Bettany. Directed by Ron Howard.

SOLO is slated for release on May 25. Cannot wait!

MUST WATCH: First Trailer For James Cameron's ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL

While it's true James Cameron is sadly not directing ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL due to the AVATAR sequel commitments, he DID write the screenplay along with Laeta Kalogridis and Robert Rodriguez, the latter of which is also directing. Of course the whole thing is based on the graphic novel manga series GUNNM by Yukito Kishiro.

And this project has been percolating in Cameron's head for some time now as he did intend to direct this at one point. Only good things come from that. Hopefully, much of what he had dreamed up for the movie has been adopted by Rodriguez.

They have got an interesting take in the trailer, because you want to create lifelike beings, but at the same time reflect their artificial nature. I think they've succeeded. So far. Got. To. See. More.

The cast includes: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Jackie Earle Haley and Keean Johnson. I think Salazar looks great in this - so far so good with casting, though it's a very small sample size.

If you're interesting in staying on top of movie developments as we wait for release, here are their coordinates:
Official Site: http://AlitaBattleAngel.com
FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/AlitaMovie
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/AlitaMovie
INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/AlitaMovie

ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL opens on July 20.

Enjoy the first trailer!

THOR: RAGNAROK Is Hilariously Well Done... Except For The 3D

Well as they say, I have good news and bad news. The good news is THOR: RAGNAROK is absolutely hilarious and I love what they've done to bring in those laughs. No spoilers in this review by the way. 

There were some very imaginative jokes and gags in the movie - and I simply loved Jeff Goldblum in this!! Perfectly cast if you ask me.

HOWEVER (and it's in all caps) the bad news is the 3D conversion is quite poor at times, frankly. Mind you, the digital visual effects are all superb in 3D as they are rendered natively in 3D - but of course they don't rely upon post-conversion. But the converted optics? *Sigh* Put it to you this way, in the scene with Odin on the cliff fields, the grass is so lazily or cheaply converted that there are clumps of flat grass mixed in with the usual dimensional depth of the location. It was HORRIBLE. It was so bad that it took me out of the movie. These are errors that anybody can see and complain about, not more mundane aspects that I can pick out, or an stereographer.

Marvel, Disney and Stereo D / Legend 3D know better (they both contributed to post conversion). I don't know which conversion company looked after that one particular scene, but something is amiss here. Usually Stereo D / Legend 3D do an outstanding job with post conversion, but something happened - whether they ran out of time or budget. The grass issue was glaring, but there were other issues too, like miniaturization (Hulk in the arena from bird's eye view looked... puny). Ugh.

So, I find it hard to believe Marvel would skimp on budget for a movie they know will rack in the cash. I also find it hard to believe that Stereo D or Legend 3D would sacrifice quality either. So the only real thing left is that everyone just ran out of time. I can't explain it any other way. There mustn't have been enough time to complete all the conversion shots, and some things had to be compromised to hit the release.

If someone knows anything more on what happened, please let me know. This sort of thing doesn't belong in modern 3D movie making. Poor conversions belong with CLASH OF THE TITANS and certainly not with a new Marvel or Disney production. Clean this up.

Final verdict? GO SEE IT!! The movie itself was brilliantly done and one of the funniest Marvel movies ever made. If you can stand the glaring 3D errors (nothing headache inducing mind you!), then I still recommend a 3D screening because of the outstanding VFX shots.
 

Lauren Selig, Peter Martin and Roy Taylor Speaking At ON THE LOT AR/VR Conference October 13-14

Very cool upcoming conference for virtual and augmented reality in Los Angeles this month! I highly recommend attending based on the content and experts present here. Great job organizing this Jim Chabin and all involved!

Oscar Nominated Producers, Lauren Selig and Peter Martin To Give Creative Keynote At This Years “On The Lot” AR/VR Conference And AMD’s Roy Taylor To Present Opening Keynote Address

Additional Speakers Set For This Years Conference Include Aaron Luber (Google), Rick Champagne (NVIDIA), Ravi Velhal (Intel), Marcie Jastrow (Technicolor),
Wim Buyens (Barco), Bruce Vaughn (Dreamscape), Ted Schilowitz (Paramount Pictures), John Canning (PGA/NBC) and Mia Tramz (LIFE VR)

HOLLYWOOD, CA – Oscar nominated producers, Lauren Selig (American Made, Hacksaw Ridge), one of Hollywood’s most prolific creators along with producing partner Peter Martin (Waste Land) both early adopters of AR/VR media will give this years Creative Keynote: “Seeing Your Creative Become Reality” at “On The Lot.” Additionally, Selig and Martin’s joint venture V.A.L.I.S. Studios is a leader in creating immersive, experiential and holographic content. It was recently announced that Selig will be the new head of the VR Fund for IMAX. John Moon (Honda) to open “On The Lot’s” AR seminar with “Driving AR Forward.” The conference is set for Friday and Saturday, October 13-14 at The Lot studios in Hollywood.

Roy Taylor (AMD Studios) who serves as the VR Society’s Committee Chairman will present the opening keynote for the conference. Taylor is an industry-leading proponent for VR and manages VR partnerships with film, broadcast, gaming, academia, industry as well with Oculus, HTC/Vive and others. Taylor has had a multi-faceted career as a technology evangelist, content strategist and entrepreneur in both start-ups and established companies.

“Los Angeles has emerged as the worldwide home of Virtual and Augmented Reality. Hollywood has led the way in developing location-based experiences which have wowed audiences around the world,” said Roy Taylor, Corporate Vice President, Worldwide Head of Media and Entertainment, AMD Studios “So AMD Studios is delighted to once again act as a title sponsor of ‘On The Lot,’ VR’s most prestigious and important event.”

Aaron Luber (Google), Rick Champagne (NVIDIA), Ravi Velhal (Intel), Marcie Jastrow (Technicolor), Wim Buyens (Barco), Bruce Vaughn (Dreamscape), Tech Shilowitz (Paramount Pictures), John Canning (PGA/NBC) and Mia Tramz (LIFE VR) join the prestigious list of previously announced speakers Robert Stromberg (Maleficent), Jerry Zucker (Airplane!, Ghost), Tony Parisi (Unity), and Gary Radburn (Dell).

In addition to the aforementioned speakers, VR panels for this years “On The Lot” include “Creating Original Content in VR,” “VR Franchises,” “Discovering the Key to Monetization in VR, AR and Beyond,” “VR Education: Chapman University and University of Southern California,” and “Consumer Research with Magid Research.” Key panels for the AR track include “AR: Mixing Media with Reality,” “AR’s Growth Roadmap: Solving Real World Problems for Industry,” “The Studio View – Paramount Pictures Studios,” “Investing in AR: How to Power Your Growth,” “Making AR: Production, Process and Costs,” and “Monetization Models for AR.”

As part of the AR track, “On The Lot” has created “Meet The Investors,” a block of time on Saturday afternoon for guests with companies in their first year of business to prearrange one-on-one meetings with Venture Capitalists and top-level executives. This is a chance to pitch your business and get invaluable guidance.

“Our goal is to accelerate the business of AR and VR content in these incredibly exciting days,” said Advanced Imaging and AR/VR Society president Jim Chabin. “We know that financing will be as critical to success as great content, so this meeting brings both the investment and creative communities together to help activate new business relationships.”

For tickets and additional information about VR On The Lot please go to VROnTheLot.com. Discount tickets available for Oculus Connect attendees, all entertainment guild members (PGA, DGA, WGA, etc.), students (with student ID) and seniors (62+).
• Premier Pass - Professional Conference & Exhibitions: $569.
• Daily Pass $315.
• Saturday AR Program Track: $259.

About AMD
For more than 45 years AMD has driven innovation in high-performance computing, graphics, and visualization technologies ― the building blocks for entertainment, immersive platforms, and the datacenter. Hundreds of millions of consumers, leading Fortune 500 businesses, and cutting-edge scientific research facilities around the world rely on AMD technology daily to improve how they live, work, and play. AMD employees around the world are focused on building great products that push the boundaries of what is possible. For more information about how AMD is enabling today and inspiring tomorrow, visit the AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) website, blog, Facebook and Twitter pages.

About The Advanced Imaging Society and The VR Society
The Advanced Imaging Society and The VR Society were founded as a non-profit organization by major Hollywood studios and top technology companies to advance the arts and technologies of 3D, HDR, VR, AR and 360-degree content for professionals active in entertainment, media and marketing. Members include 20th Century Fox, AMD Studios, Barco, Cause Play/360 Ad Spots, Create VR, Dell, Dolby Laboratories, DreamWorks Animation, Factory 42, Fathom Events, Fraunhofer, Global 3D Media Holding, HP, Intel, Koncept VR, Legend, LIFE VR, LOOT Interactive, Lucid Dreams Productions, Lytro, MGM, Marvel Studios, Nokia Technologies, Oculus, Pixar Animation Studios, Royole Corp., Sony Entertainment, Sony Music, Stereo D, StoryTech, StreamTV Networks, Technicolor, Unity Technologies, Universal Studios, V-Nova, Virtual Reality Company, Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., and Xperi.

In addition, The Advanced Imaging Society and The VR Society have international chapters in the U.K., Belgium, China (Beijing and Hong Kong), Japan, New Zealand, and Canada.

# # #
VROnTheLot
TheVRSociety.com
Facebook: VR Society
Twitter: @TheVRSociety -- #VR
OnTheLot, #VRSociety, #VR, #AR

TERMINATOR's Sarah Connor Returns!

This production looks like it's firing on all cylinders! Not only is James Cameron directly involved (T2 was his last), but now Linda Hamilton (Sarah Connor) and Arnold Schwarzenegger (Terminator) are joining along with some new cast.

Says Cameron: "As meaningful as (Sarah Connor) was to gender and action stars everywhere back then, it’s going to make a huge statement to have that seasoned warrior that she’s become return. There are 50-year-old, 60-year-old guys out there killing bad guys but there isn’t an example of that for women.

We’re starting a search for an 18-something woman to be the new centerpiece of the new story. We still fold time. We will have characters from the future and the present. There will be mostly new characters, but we'll have Arnold and Linda’s characters to anchor it."

Tim Miller (DEADPOOL) is directing. Cameron is writing (along with a writing room that included David Goyer (BATMAN BEGINS, THE DARK KNIGHT) and Justin Rhodes, Charles Eglee (DARK ANGEL) and also producing.

With this latest news, I think the pedigree being presented for this production is perfect. It'll be interesting to see if Cameron and Miller shoot this in native 3D. I'll wager they will. Can't wait for this! I wonder if Michael Biehn is in line to join... :-)

Source: THR

Award Winning Weta Digital Ramps Up For AVATAR Sequels

6 Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects. 10 Academy Science and Technology Awards. 6 BAFTA Awards for Best Special Visual Effects. 6 VES Awards for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature.

Yep. Weta Digital knows what they are doing. Peter Jackson's sandbox builds amazing things and now they are ramping up for James Cameron's AVATAR sequels. With over ~$1 billion in production budget for AVATAR and the immense success that Cameron's films enjoy, obviously, his 4 sequels will command the best in the world at what they do. Enter Weta Digital.

Says Cameron: "What Joe Letteri and Weta Digital bring to these stories is impossible to quantify. Since we made Avatar, Weta continued to prove themselves as doing the best CG animation, the most human, the most alive, the most photo-realistic effects in the world. And of course, that now means I can push them to take it even further."

Can you imagine what surprises Cameron and Weta Digital have in store for us in these movies? A lot of time has passed. A LOT. Technology has improved by leaps and bounds. I can't wait to see what these guys have built and are building.

Source: Deadline