Big Movie Zone Blog

WSJ: S&P Upgrades Imax Ratings On Debt Reduction, Longer Maturity

November 20, 2009 – 12:00 pm | Permalink

The Wall Street Journal reports:

Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services upgraded its junk ratings on Imax Corp. (IMAX, IMX.T), saying the Canada-based film-projection and sound-system maker is lowering its financial risk by reducing debt that matures next year.

You’ll need to be a WSJ subscriber to read the full article:

UPDATE: More positive news on IMAX stock from around the web:

StreetInsider.com: JANCO Partners Initiates Coverage on IMAX Corp (IMAX) with a Buy; Upside Margin Leverage, Studios/Exhibitors Win

The Oklahoman: IMAX brings cinema’s latest to Oklahoma City’s Quail Springs Mall

November 19, 2009 – 2:12 pm | Permalink

The AMC Quail Springs Mall 24 in Oklahoma City will soon be getting a new digital IMAX theater. The Oklahoman reports:

The eye-popping effects of Hollywood movies will begin appearing next month on a new IMAX screen set to open in the AMC theater inside Quail Springs Mall.

One of the theater’s 24 auditoriums was converted to an IMAX theater, complete with a larger, curved screen, and the latest sound system and digital projector.

“The idea is that you feel like you’re in the movie, not only with immersive images but with incredibly powerful and immersive sound,” said Jackson Myers, IMAX spokesman.

The auditorium will be operational and showing “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” starting Friday; the grand opening, set for Dec. 18, coincides with the opening of “Avatar.”

UPDATE 1: More on this from The Oklahoman:

“Disney’s A Christmas Carol” will be the first film shown, in 3-D, on the new IMAX screen today.

The official grand opening of the IMAX screen will be Dec. 18 with the release of writer-director James Cameron’s science-fiction thriller “Avatar,” also to be shown in 3-D.

Three free IMAX movie events have been set, featuring writer-director Howard Hall’s documentary “Under the Sea 3D.”

UPDATE 2: Other news sources cover the opening of OKC’s new digital IMAX theater:

KOCO Oklahoma City: OKC To Get IMAX Theater

Volcanoes of the Deep Sea opens Friday at Carnegie

November 19, 2009 – 12:55 pm | Permalink

2003’s Volcanoes of the Deep Sea opens tomorrow in Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Science Center’s Omnimax Theater. Directed by Stephen Low, the film follows a team of scientists as they dive to research mysterious hydrothermal vents on the mid-ocean ridge.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette offers this preview:

“Volcanoes of the Deep Sea” looks like an elaborate sci-fi adventure filled with bizarre alien life forms and mind-bending special effects. But it’s science fact, as well as a hypnotic visual foray into an unknown world.

In “Volcanoes,” the IMAX camera takes viewers to the sunless depths of the ocean. The large-format camera has a long history of going where few have gone before, but this is uncharted territory, for scientists and viewers.

. . .

The film explores underwater volcanic sites and hydrothermal vents in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. At more than 12,000 feet below the surface, it’s a world that even most deep-sea divers and submarine crews have never experienced.

Biologist Richard Lutz, the film’s science director, describes “Volcanoes” as “a Hubble telescope for inner space.” The parallel to space exploration is apt: This is a world as alien as any other in our solar system. The best segments fly through what look like landscapes from another planet — columns of hardened volcanic rock, swarms of bizarre creatures glowing in the reflected light.

French Avatar poster revealed

November 18, 2009 – 4:13 pm | Permalink

Fox France has revealed the French poster for Avatar. The film opens December 16 in France, two days earlier than its domestic release. Directed by James Cameron, the film is set to open in 3D and 2D in conventional and IMAX theaters.

BMZ Film Page >>

The Daily News: Moody Gardens president Riley dies

November 18, 2009 – 4:07 pm | Permalink

The Galveston County Daily News reports:

Mike Riley, Moody Gardens’ president known for his work ethic and good-natured disposition, died Sunday.

The cause was an apparent heart attack, friends said.

Bates, Cooper and Sloan Funeral Home in Mount Pleasant will host visitation from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday. Funeral services are set for 10 a.m. Saturday at Nevills Chapel in Mount Pleasant. Plans for a Galveston memorial will be announced soon.

Riley had captained Moody Gardens through Hurricane Ike in 2008, when emergency power was lost and staff brought in oxygen tanks and refrigerated trailers to sustain cold-water animals. His most recent projects included working with the team designing new innovations at the Rainforest Pyramid, and helping develop a new 302-room hotel convention center in Lubbock.

“When you put Mike in charge of something, it was accomplished in a first-class manner,” said Irwin M. “Buddy” Herz Jr., who worked with Riley on the Moody Gardens golf course and other projects. His friendship with Riley dated back more than 20 years, during the time Riley helped establish a national reputation for Moody Gardens attractions and convention center.

“I was impressed by his gentleness and his ability to work with anyone and everyone,” Herz added. “He truly was the epitome of a gentle man.”

Video: New Avatar clip released

November 18, 2009 – 3:15 pm | Permalink

A new clip from Avatar has been released online. The clip comes to the web via LG’s mobile device tie-in.

Directed by James Cameron, the film follows a reluctant hero who embarks on a journey of redemption, discovery and unexpected love, as he leads a heroic battle to save a civilization. Avatar comes to conventional and IMAX theaters in 3D and 2D December 18, 2009.

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Carson City considers getting IMAX theater

November 18, 2009 – 3:01 pm | Permalink

The San Jose Mercury News reports:

CARSON CITY, Nev.—Carson City supervisors have authorized a study of how much it will cost to turn eight acres of parking lots around the Carson Nugget casino into a downtown technology plaza.

Mayor Bob Crowell says the idea is to revitalize downtown with a knowledge center and discovery library, digital media lab and a business and technology incubator. There also would be an IMAX theater, retail and office space, public plaza and parking garage.

Crowell says the goal is to attract a highly-educated workforce. He says Carson City should be known as a place to locate business in a state capital with a good quality of life, or as he describes it, “a cross between the arts and culture of Los Angeles and the technology of Silicon Valley.”

Mantello Brothers talk OceanWorld 3D

November 18, 2009 – 2:53 pm | Permalink

MovieMaker Magazine interviews Giant Screen filmmakers, Francois and Jean-Jacques Mantello on their latest project the digital 3D film, OceanWorld 3D:

Kyle Rupprecht (MM): The ocean and its inhabitants seem to be a lifelong passion for the both of you. At what point did you decide to make it your career?

Francois Mantello (FM): Our first production was actually a four-minute CGI promo spot in 3-D for a Hewlett Packard, but our ultimate goal was always combine our passion for environmental awareness with our experience as filmmakers to educate the general public on the state of our oceans, which have suffered greatly from the world’s industrialization. One of the greatest challenges with marine issues is that, for the most part, we’re not conscious of the problems because the vast majority of them occur under the water’s surface, out of most people’s sight. Having been divers since our teenage years, we’d seen firsthand the degradation of the ecosystem and its effect on all marine species, and felt a certain urgency to share this with the greatest number of people possible.

Jean-Jacques Mantello (JM): In 2001 we developed a rather ambitious plan to produce a series of three 42-minute “edutainment” films in 3-D for IMAX theaters and a feature-length documentary, OceanWorld 3D, for traditional 35mm cinemas on the importance of ocean conservation. We were very fortunate to have a partner in London-based 3D Entertainment, which helped us secure the financing. With a budget of $14 million, we worked on the feature film throughout the seven years we spent filming our IMAX theatre projects Ocean Wonderland 3D (2003), Sharks 3D (2005) and Dolphins and Whales 3D (2008).

MM: Growing up, a big inspiration for you was Jacques-Yves Cousteau. What moviemaking lessons did you learn from watching Cousteau’s oceanic explorations?

FM: Like most of our generation, we grew up watching Jacques-Yves Cousteau’s adventures and were undeniably inspired by his dedication to exploring the underwater world. In terms of moviemaking lessons gained, I’d say his series taught us that people need to understand what’s happening to our water planet in order to feel compelled to do something to do something about what ails it.

JM: We actually had the great fortune of meeting Jean-Michel Cousteau, Jacques-Yves Cousteau’s son, through a common friend in 2004 while we were working on our second documentary film for IMAX theaters, Sharks 3D. A documentary filmmaker and ocean conservationist himself, Jean-Michel was greatly interested in our project and asked if he could see some of the footage we’d shot in 3-D. He joined us as a special adviser very shortly thereafter and subsequently became the ambassador for Sharks 3D and our two following underwater films, lending his extensive experience and knowledge to each of the projects.

Read the full interview by following the link below:

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New Alice in Wonderland promo images revealed

November 18, 2009 – 2:25 pm | Permalink

New promo images from Alice in Wonderland have been revealed via The Disloyal Subjects of the Mad Hatter facebook page.

Directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, the film follows a 19-year-old Alice who returns to the whimsical world she first encountered as a young girl. The film opens in 3D and 2D in conventional and IMAX theaters March 5, 2010.

Check out the new promo image and new poster:

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LA Times: Hoping ‘Avatar’ is the new face of filmmaking

November 18, 2009 – 1:26 pm | Permalink

The Los Angeles Times profiles James Cameron’s upcoming epic, Avatar, hoping it will be the game changer Hollywood needs:

Throughout his career, in films such as “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” and “The Abyss,” Cameron has used eye-popping digital effects to create worlds and characters. But he never has attempted anything as creatively and commercially ambitious as “Avatar,” a groundbreaking combination of 3-D filmmaking, photo-realistic computer animation and live-action drama that opens Dec. 18.

“Avatar,” a futuristic thriller, may be Hollywood’s most expensive movie ever, and many in the industry fervently hope it will transform 21st century moviemaking the way sound and color did decades ago.

The film business, struggling with flat theater attendance, collapsing DVD sales and the serial firing of top executives, certainly could use a game changer — an immersive moviegoing experience that delivers more than anyone can get from their HDTV or home computer screens. But though “Avatar” might be all that, it also defies conventional Hollywood wisdom that today’s blockbuster movies need to be “pre-sold” as bestsellers (”Harry Potter,” “The Lord of the Rings”), comic books (”Batman,” “X-Men”), toys (”Transformers,” the upcoming “Battleship”) or based on other movies (every sequel ever made).

Thus the novelty of “Avatar” could also be its biggest liability. And some wonder if the film’s plot — dense with action sequences and special effects, but also featuring a love story between two 10-foot-tall blue aliens — will resonate with a wide enough audience to steer the movie into profitability.

Read the full article by following the link below:

Atlantic Unveils Avatar: Music from the Motion Picture

November 18, 2009 – 1:14 pm | Permalink

Official companion album to James Cameron’s upcoming epic adventure features music composed & conducted by Oscar-winner James Horner, plus “I See You (Theme from Avatar),” performed by Leona Lewis: U.S. release set for December 15th; available internationally on December 14th

Atlantic Records has announced the upcoming release of “AVATAR: MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE,” the official score album companion to Oscar®-winning filmmaker James Cameron’s upcoming epic adventure. The album – which features music composed and conducted by Academy Award®-winner James Horner (Titanic) – will be released digitally and physically December 15th (internationally available December 14th) with pre-orders beginning at www.avatarscore.com on November 16th. Twentieth Century Fox releases AVATAR in theatres everywhere on December 18th.

“AVATAR: MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE” will be highlighted by the film’s end title song, “I See You (Theme From Avatar)” performed by multiple Grammy® Award-nominated singer Leona Lewis, and produced by James Horner and Simon Franglen, the team behind Titanic’s blockbuster theme song, “My Heart Will Go On.” A companion video – directed by Jake Nava (Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Shakira) – is currently in production.

From writer-director James Cameron (Titanic, Aliens, The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, True Lies, The Abyss), AVATAR takes us to a spectacular world beyond imagination, where a reluctant hero embarks on an epic adventure, ultimately fighting to save the alien world he has learned to call home. Cameron first conceived the film 15 years ago, when the means to realize his vision did not yet exist. Now, after four years of production, AVATAR, a live action film with a new generation of special effects, delivers a fully immersive cinematic experience of a new kind, where the revolutionary technology invented to make the film disappears into the emotion of the characters and the sweep of the story.

AVATAR stars Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation), Zoë Saldana (Star Trek), Michelle Rodriguez (Lost, Fast & Furious), and Sigourney Weaver (Aliens, Galaxy Quest). The film is produced by James Cameron and Jon Landau.

For more information, please visit www.avatarmovie.com and www.avatarscore.com.

Press Release >>

BFI London to host back-to-back Batman screenings

November 18, 2009 – 12:40 pm | Permalink

The UK’s BFI London IMAX is bringing back The Dark Knight to the IMAX screen. SciFiNow reports:

The BFI London IMAX will be hosting back-to-back screenings of four Batman films this Friday in the United Kingdom’s capital city, according to a press release from the BFI.

The event will start with Batman, followed by Batman Returns, and for fans of the updated Caped Crusader they will in turn be followed by screenings of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. The IMAX will also be hosting late-night screenings of The Dark Knight again over the next two weekends, on 21 November, 27 November and 28 November at 11:30 pm.

Batman and Batman Returns will be presented in 35mm while the other two will be in IMAX format. Tickets for the all-nighter cost £26 for adults, £16 for students and £18 for concessions, and are available through the BFI website at www.bfi.org.uk. The event kicks off at 11:30 pm.

Courthouse News Service: IMAX Says Cinemark Swiped Secrets

November 18, 2009 – 12:19 pm | Permalink

Courthouse News Service has more news on the lawsuits between IMAX Corporation and Cinemark Holdings Inc.:

IMAX claims its former partner Cinemark defrauded it and stole trade secrets by trying to “reproduce” IMAX’s “multiplex movie theaters across the Americas.” It claims Cinemark used the secrets to create “Extreme Digital” or XD theaters to provide a “bootleg version of the IMAX Experience.”

In its complaint in New York County Court, IMAX says it teamed up Cinemark in the 1990s after “two principals of Cinemark … professed an intent to become one of IMAX’s biggest customers.”

At the time, IMAX says, Cinemark multiplexes “housed standard, conventional-sized auditoriums,” while IMAX theaters were “wrap around.”

IMAX says it went for the deal because Cinemark promised “to install IMAX systems in … Cinemark’s domestic multiplexes … and to ultimately provide IMAX an expansion opportunity into Latin American markets, where Cinemark touted a strategic presence.”

IMAX says it disclosed to Cinemark “confidential and sensitive information regarding the IMAX immersion theatres … all the details that set IMAX apart from all other industry participants.”

But now, IMAX says, instead of promoting the IMAX brand, Cinemark is “blatantly” trying “to reproduce the entire, trademarked IMAX Experience in the form of a product that Cinemark unveiled earlier this year,” which Cinemark calls “‘Extreme Digital Cinema’ … or ‘XD.’”

MovieFilmReview.com finds Sea Monsters ‘remarkable’

November 18, 2009 – 12:12 pm | Permalink

MovieFilmReview.com gives their review of National Geographic’s 3D film, Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure:

Directed by Sean MacLeod Phillips, the 2007 film Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure takes the art of documentary making to another level. Narrated by Liev Schreiber, this film was also produced by National Geographic. The setting for this film occurs approximately 82 million years ago during the late Cretaceous Period.

This film is about a group of paleontologists who are trying to uncover the remains of some kind of prehistoric creature. It is also about the adventures of the sea as we follow along a Dolichorhynchops called ‘Dolly’. After losing her mother & her two brothers, poor Dolly is left to survive on her own. We follow her as she encounters numerous creatures along the Kansas Inland Sea such as: the long-necked plesiosaurs, giant turtles, enormous fish, ferocious flippered crocs, fierce sharks, & the mosasaurs. Eventually she becomes a mother & has three of her very own. Unfortunately, age catches up to Dolly & she eventually passes away as a result.

One aspect of the filmmaking which made this movie remarkable was the direction they chose to film it in. Instead of filming it normally, they decided to film it in 3D. As a result, it’s the stunning imagery & the amazing visual effects that make this movie truly extraordinary. For example, since the movie is in 3D, they let you use a pair of 3D glasses for the movie. Therefore, when you see the Tylosaurus or the Pteranodon, it feels like they are face-to-face with you. I liked the 3D here much more as the picture is way better than the old style mixing of red in one eye & blue in the other.

The other aspect of the filmmaking which I thought was amazing was the photography. I give credit to the photographers who have to go underwater to get the phenomenal shots they do because they are literally putting their lives at risk in order to get the shots they need. I have often wondered how they are able to pull off such shots & not get attacked by an underwater creature. Having said that, the shots they managed to get underwater with the light beaming from the top are simply astonishing.

Read the full review by following the link below:

Review >>