Archive for June, 2011

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Nintendo Announces Successor To Wii Gaming Console

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

New Wii U To Debut Next Year

Console To Feature HD Graphics, Unique Tablet Controller

Nintendo has announced the successor to its wildly popular Wii console. The new console is dubbed the Wii U, and is slated for release some time in 2012. Much like the original Wii, which revolutionized interactive gaming with its motion-based Wii remote controllers, the new device will attempt to add new dimension to home gaming with a radical new controller design. The new controller features a 6.2-inch touch screen, and looks more like a portable gaming system or tablet computer than a console controller. The multifunctional controller is expected to be at the core of the Wii U experience, offering a combination of motion controlling and augmented reality functions. The console itself will support HD gaming, finally putting Nintendo back into competition with Sony and Microsoft for the best-looking games. Despite offering less powerful hardware than the current Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Nintendo’s first generation Wii has maintained the highest share of the home gaming market, largely because of its intuitive motion-based controls.

The glossy white tablet controller for the Wii U also contains an accelerometer and gyroscope, so motion gaming will still be part of the Nintendo experience. But the touch screen adds a whole new element to the Wii experience, including expanded views and unprecedented interaction. Also, the high-res display on the controller can be used in lieu of a television, so you can play all your games even if someone else is hogging the TV. With a push of a button, the digital video transfers from the TV to the controller and back again. The controller includes dual analog pads, a crosspad, buttons, trigger buttons on the back, a microphone, and both  front- and rear-facing cameras that can be used for video chatting in addition to possible gaming uses.

The first game demonstrations for the Wii U suggest that the new tablet controller really might reinvent the wheel for videogame interaction, perhaps just as much as the original Wii remote did. When Nintendo first revealed the design for the Wii and its unique controller, many gamers scoffed at the idea of a motion-based control, and competitors Sony and Microsoft stuck with traditional designs. But after losing more and more sales ground to the Wii, both the PlayStation 3 and the X-Box 360 received new control interfaces focused on motion. This time around, it seems that the gaming world is ready for Nintendo’s continuing innovation, and the Wii U promises to be a smashing success when it debuts next year. Importantly, Sony and Microsoft do not have plans to introduce new consoles until 2014, so it will be interesting to see how they fare against Nintendo’s new offering, which looks to combine the high-powered, high-res graphics capabilities that the PlayStation and X-Box currently offer with the Wii’s uniquely accessible style of game-play. Check out the digital video transfer below to get an idea of what the new Wii U and its tablet controller can really do.

Watch trailer here:  Youtube.com.

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Warren Beatty Announces Possible Dick Tracy Sequel

Monday, June 27th, 2011

New Dick Tracy Sequel May Hit Screens Over Twenty Years After Original

Beatty’s Announcement Sparks Hope At Hero Complex Film Festival

This photo, taken in 1990 and later scanned to digital by the Los Angeles Times, shows actor/director Warren Beatty with American comic-strip letterer Shel Dorf, who was hired as a consultant for Beatty’s 1990 film adaptation of the long-running comic strip “Dick Tracy.” Now, over two decades later, Beatty has announced that he is considering making a Dick Tracy sequel. The announcement was made last week at the Hero Complex Film Festival, where Beatty addressed a packed auditorium at the Chinese Six in Hollywood after the festival’s opening screening of “Dick Tracy.”

Beatty, who both directed and starred in the 1990 film, said he has been working on ideas for another movie based on the classic comic strip, and that he is taking his time because he wants to “get it right.” For those unfamiliar with Dick Tracy, he is an intelligent, hard-hitting police detective whose noir-inspired adventures were written and drawn by their creator Chester Gould from 1931 until 1977. Because Gould was the creative force behind the Dick Tracy comics for such a long time, the character maintained a constancy of style that was unique in the ever-changing world of comics. This classic cover of an old Dick Tracy comic book, which has been scanned to digital for preservation, is indicative of Gould’s aesthetic; Beatty tried to capture this style in his 1990 movie, which was regarded highly by fans. Although 1990 was a year crowded with huge family films like “Home Alone,” Beatty’s “Dick Tracy” earned over $160 million.

At the festival, Beatty mentioned that a re-mastered Blu-ray of the film is currently being made, but wouldn’t divulge detailed information on the subject of the possible sequel. “I think it’s dumb to talk about movies before you make them,” he said. “I just don’t do it. It gives you a reason to avoid making them.” But he spoke at length about the first film – for almost two hours in fact – discussing everything from his love for the characters to his admiration for the talented cast of actors who portrayed them. One highlight of the film that doesn’t get much attention is Danny Elfman’s outstanding score, though Beatty did mention how much he loves the award-winning songs that Stephen Sondheim wrote for the film. If you’re a fan of campy detective stories or movies based on comic books, check out the original 1990 film and hope with us that the sequel comes to fruition.

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National Geographic Publishes Area 51 Photos

Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011

Never-Before-Seen Area 51 Photos Show Evidence Of Military Aircraft Crash

Photos Were Recently Declassified By CIA

The photo to the left, which was scanned to digital by National Geographic, depicts a titanium A-12 spy-plane prototype being prepared for radar testing at Nevada’s infamous (and officially still non-existent) Area 51 base, sometime in the late 1950s. The aircraft is being suspended upside down. This photo is one of several recently published by National Geographic after a rash of declassifications shed light on several secret government projects, including the crash (and cover-up) of an A-12 aircraft near Area 51. These never-before-released images may not show aliens or flying saucers, but they’re still pretty cool.

The photos provide a very rare glimpse inside the Area 51 base, which is located about 100 miles from Las Vegas, deep within the Nevada dessert. Even with the declassification of these photos, the government does not acknowledge the existence of the Area 51 military outpost (but everyone knows it’s there). According to National Geographic, a secret military aircraft (presumably the A-12 pictured above) crashed in 1963, and the government hastily covered up the crash and removed all evidence from the site.

The Area 51 base was created so that military scientists could work on cutting-edge aeronautical projects in a remote and secure environment. During the 1950s and 1960s, the Cold War promoted more and more advanced projects, and the A-12 was developed by Area 51’s top-secret OXCART program as the successor to the U-2 spy plane. Made in conjunction with the Lockheed Corp., the A-12 could reach an altitude of 90,000 feet, and could fly at speeds in excess of 2,200 mph. Even at 90,000 feet, the plane’s cameras could capture objects on the ground as little as one foot in length. Thanks to the CIA’s recent declassification of these images, we now know that an A-12 based out of Area 51 did indeed crash in 1963, and that the government moved quickly to erase all public traces of the event.

To see more of these recently declassified photos that have been scanned to digital, visit National Geographic.

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Tim Burton Takes Over LACMA

Monday, June 20th, 2011

Tim Burton LACMA Exhibition Includes A Film Retrospective

LACMA Shows 15 Burton Films, Plus Art, Props, Costumes, And More

If you’re a Tim Burton fan in Southern California, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art just got a lot more interesting. An exhibition of the kooky director’s artistic creations (including drawings, photos, props, and costumes) is being held at LACMA’s Resnick Pavilion from now until Halloween 2011. In conjunction with this exhibition, the museum is presenting a retrospective of Some of Burton’s films between now and the 28th of June. The film retrospective, aptly entitled “The Fantastical Worlds of Tim Burton,” includes 15 movies – some actual film prints and others digital film transfers.

On May 27th, the classic dramedy “Edward Scissorhands” was presented on glorious 70-mm film. On May 28th, Burton himself was there to participate in the festivities at the museum’s Pavilion for Japanese Art, where he held a book signing, and at the Bing Theatre, where the museum presented the second film of the series – the 1994 biopic “Ed Wood” starring Johnny Depp, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Martin Landau (whose performance earned him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Golden Globe). Not one of Burton’s better-known movies, “Ed Wood” tells the uniquely captivating story of B-movie director Ed Wood Jr., who helmed such infamous flops as the 1959 sci-fi flick “Plan 9 From Outer Space.” It was presented as a high-res digital film transfer.

On June 3rd, Actress Catherine O’Hara presented the zany comedy “Beetlejuice” (see the recent blog post about Michael Keaton for more details). “The Corpse Bride” and “Mars Attacks” joined Burton’s first feature film, “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” over the weekend, but as of press time there are still many screenings to look forward to in the coming weeks. On June 9th, one of Burton’s most beloved creations, “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” will be presented at the museum at 7:30pm. A matinee screening of “Big Fish” will take place at 1pm on June 14th, and Johnny Depp will steal the show on June 17th with presentations of “Sweeny Todd” and “Sleep Hollow.” Burton’s two “Batman” movies will be shown on the 18th, followed by “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” on June 21st, and “Alice in Wonderland” on June 28th.

Visit LACMA for more information.

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New Windows Tablet From Asus

Wednesday, June 15th, 2011

The Asus Eee Slate EP121 – PC Of The Future?

New Asus Tablet Runs Windows, Performs Like A Champ

Another tablet? Sort of. There are several key features that make the new Asus Eee Slate EP121 different from the rest of the tablets you’ve probably seen out there, including the Apple iPad, the Motorola Xoom, the Samsung Galaxy Tabs, and the BlackBerry PlayBook. First, there’s the operating system. All of those other tablets use some kind of mobile OS designed mainly for smartphones. Of course the iPad uses Apple’s iOS, which was first developed for the iPhone. The Motorola and Samsung tablets run Google’s Android operating system, and the PlayBook uses RIM’s proprietary BlackBerry OS. The Asus Eee Slate EP121, on the other hand, runs Windows 7. And while all of those tablets sport screens in the 7 to 10-inch range, the Asus has a notably larger 12.1-inch screen.

The next big thing that sets the Eee Slate EP121 apart from the competition is power. Like the iPhone and the PlayBook, Android-based tablets use the same tiny processors that are used to power smartphones. And while those processors have improved significantly over the last year, they are still no match for the Intel Core series processors that are used in most popular laptops. The Asus Eee Slate EP121 uses a a low-voltage Core i5 processor. It’s not the latest i5, nor is it the fastest. But it absolutely smokes most smartphone processors, as well as the Intel Atom processors used in most Netbooks (and the few other Windows tablets out there). This faster processor means better multitasking and better graphics performance for playing games and streaming digital video transfers. The top model includes an impressive 4GB of RAM (8 times as much as an iPad 2), and 64GB of solid state storage. But it also comes with an impressive price tag – $1,099.

Unlike most other tablets, which expect users to use on-screen interfaces even for typing (despite the obvious benefits physical keyboards) the Asus Eee Slate EP121 comes bundled with a wireless Bluetooth keyboard, which will undoubtedly be the preferred input method for users who have the luxury of sitting at a desk. Of course, users on the go can use the onscreen keyboard provided by Windows 7, though it’s worth pointing out that this on-screen keyboard is not as user-friendly as what you’d find on an iPad or Android tablet. In fact, Windows 7 is both a boon to and a problem for the Asus. Running windows allows this tablet to be considered as a laptop replacement; it can do just about anything that an ultra-portable laptop can do. And yet, Windows 7 is simply not suited to the touch-screen interface. It is obvious when using an iPad that the device and its operating system were designed with touch in mind. It is just as obvious that touch interfacing was an afterthought for Windows 7. If you plan on using a tablet mostly for email, web-browsing, and watching digital video transfers, stick with an iPad. But if you want to get some real work done and you’re interested in a Windows-based tablet, right now the Asus is the one to beat.

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