Two weeks before his death, Michael Jackson wrapped shooting on a 3D movie known as "the Dome Project" that was created to accompany his European This is It Tour.

Footage was shot using 3D cameras developed by stereoscopic extraordinaire James Cameron. I'm guessing that concert goers would have been given 3D glasses to experience the effects:wonder if they would have looked like MJ's signature aviator shades?

Of course of the big question is when and how will we be able to see this last documented footage of Jackson getting his sing and dance on. The running time of "the Dome Project" is unknown, so we cant say yet if it would merit a full theatrical 3D release.

Surely all unreleased projects including this 3D film and the 100+ new songs that Jackson recorded before his passing will eventually see the light of day. How soon will the powers-that-be decide to cash in?

Here is a unreleased song that MJ recorded with Akon from 2008 called "Hold my Hand".
Michael's first line in the track is now a heartbreaking connotation...

This life don't last forever... So tell me what we're waiting for...

While most people were working hard, or hardly working in some cases, I was, of course, making it a top priority of mine to man up and enjoy the summer, which means staying indoors and enjoying some sort of entertainment.


First up:
I watched Waltz with Bashir.

This was an animated documentary of sorts. It's weird to talk about this movie as if it were a documentary, because it has a tendency to be fantastic at times while being realistic most of time. The graphic (a term that gets thrown around too often) quality of the film is what makes Bashir work. It's the recollection of reality that is often times the most jarring or fantastic. It's in our vivid minds that dreams and reality mingle, fantasy and fiction coalesce. Though in this case, one might not be discernible from the other. I enjoyed this film and although the low key dream like animation lulled me to sleep in some parts, it certainly jarred me a wake in others. If you have the chance, see it.

Next: (these aren't really chronological) I beat Resident Evil 5.
In previous podcasts I was particularly harsh when it came to this game. So what compelled me to finish it? I really just wanted to get over stubbornness. I was frustrated at the beginning and actually quit playing for a whole month. But I stuck with it and in the conquered my RE5 controller phobia. I still don't understand why you can't reload while moving. Perhaps Capcom angled for a new genre. Survival Frustration, or Control Horror? Joking aside the last level looked amazing as well as most of the game. Though there were a lot of buggy A.I. issues. And some design choices didn't exactly float my boat, albeit, inevitably this is really a moot point.



Lastly:
I ended up playing some good old fashion Coin-Op at my local arcade. I played a bit of Sega Rally 3. So, even if I wasn't enjoying the blue skies outside, I at least got to see them inside. I lost every match and over-compensated my steering. But toward the end I got the hang of it. Still Andy creamed me. And by the way, this game on these monitors looks amazing.

I also got the chance to beat Rambo co-op with Andy. The shooting felt really accurate and the Rage audio was priceless. It was a quick pleasant experience, except for the boulders. The quick targeting was a snap, and I actually Got a good commendation in the end! I've got what it takes. By the way, Adam wrote a review of this at Blast Heroes.



Oh yeah and I played about 50 rounds of Street Fighter 4 with Andy last night. We have an ongoing debate about whether or not one of the kids in the background is sporting a cap turned backwards on his head or if his head is shaved with a tuft of hair up front.

Click image to see larger.
We're still waiting for conformation from Capcom.

RIP MJ

Oscar decides to allow 10 of his friends to come to the party next time. This was the announcement made earlier this week in what appears to be an attempt to give UP a chance to win best picture. But then who'll win best animated feature? This is a double edged sword because, on the one hand, although great animated features may finally get recognized in the Best Picture category they'll most likely still have an extremely uphill battle trying to win. Does this mean that they won't be recognized in their own category? For instance, if UP gets a BP nod, will it also be included in animation? There are so many questions still swirling around the Academy's announcment.

Move over space marines and street brawlers. Time to make room for satanic eroticism and moonwalking.

File one as rumor and the other as, "may actually be made and released in France".

Follow this e-rabbit to find out about Lars non Trier's Eden, a video game that is set to pick up after of the events the Danish film makers latest WTF-Fest, Anti-Christ.

As if that news wasn't enough out of left field, how about this. Rumor is that the King of Pop is making a new game. Take into account that Michael is also supposed to put out a new album too, one that has reached Chinese Democracy status of being unfashionably M.I.A.

This reminds me of the early 90's when everyone from Prince to Stephen Spielberg wanted in on video games, err...sorry. Interactive entertainment.

Just a few thoughts:
I believe that this has been a somewhat lackluster summer movie season. I've already seen the films I was really looking forward to: UP and Star Trek. I personally have nothing to live for, in regards to movies, until the Fall.
Now although Up and Star Trek have already taken over 200 million dollars domestically at the box office, I believe the trophy for highest grossing film, domestically, of 2009 will probably go to this weeks new release, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The first one was a huge success so it's assumed the sequel will be as well. That's how that works, right?
The new Harry Potter looks to be its only real competition, however, the previous installment in the Harry Potter series, in 2007, failed to top the first Transformers movie at the box office here in the states. Will it be the same outcome this year? Will the financially abject come out in droves and pay the obscene price of admission again for robots over wizards? Lets not forget how much more it would cost to see the IMAX versions. We'll just have to wait and see.
Hopefully, I'll be able to gloat later about how America preferred robot cars over British teenage wizards and witches.

We here at A2M, are all anxiously awaiting the Tim Burton version of Alice in Wonderland. This week a whole slew of images from the teaser were released and published on sites across the web. They originated from a first look article on USA Today which is actually interactive. But, before we see more screenshots, spoilers, etc. I have to ask, do we really want to? Undoubtedly, for some of us the answer is yes. We just can't wait, and we have to know every possible little detail concerning the movie as to leave no surprise. No doubt, releasing press photos like the ones released on USA today, drive up anticipation for the film and activate fan interest. But, do they actually kill the movie going experience? Dave Chen brought a good example up on the Filmcast about this. During the ad campaign for Phantom Menace a major spoiler for the movie was showcased in the main trailer, the famous Double light saber. I implore you, as Dave Chen did before me, to imagine watching that movie, getting to that battle and feeling your jaw hit the floor and your eyes open up like saucers when Darth Maul whips out his double ended light sword. So how much do I want to see of Alice in Wonderland before it comes out? I don't know. The curiosity in me kills, but I know the reward for naivety will be great.

It's a slow news day, and it's been hard not to make a list post like everyone else or latch on to every little tidbit no matter how insignificant. But there is one bit that I would like to comment on. I'm sure many of you have seen the digital copies packed in with some DVDs and BRDs, and wondered if anyone one actually uses the feature. I've never known anyone personally to use it, but it's a nice feature none the less. Coming in 2010 Sony will take it one step further and make it mandatory for all Blu-ray players to be able to record one "full resolution" feature. Here's the interesting part quoted directly from Home Toys:

Managed copies can be made to recordable Blu-ray or DVD discs, as a download to a Windows Media DRM-compatible portable player or hard drive.

Here it is finally, the Cold Souls trailer. It's reminds me a lot of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It has a limited US release date of August 7th. Probably not close to here.

I've just heard about this particular film very recently, and it seems very interesting. Very interesting indeed. What I gather from the trailer is that the movie takes a look into how cinema can, and does, have a very profound effect on our lives. Perhaps unknown effects? I don't know. I'll have to watch and see, I guess. The film has a website where you can buy the dvd. Enjoy!

A pretty funny trailer was shown in New York earlier this month for Michael Moore's new untitled film. It's brief and doesn't give any insight into the film other than the fact that it's about the economic crisis in some way.

You may be familiar with augmented reality. It's the technology used to digitally paint those yellow first down markers on the field during a NFL telecast. It's a pretty interesting technology. The fact that you can digitally superimpose anything into a real world setting immediately makes me think of all the videogame application possibilities. Imagine using physical objects to change the trajectory of your Lemmings, throwing balls at a ghost, or walking through a creepy dungeon. Or, my favorite, what if you could put goggles on that would make you feel as if you were in a haunted house? It would project ghost and monsters, kind of like that shark in Back to the Future II only with goggles and better graphics.
Right now developers are designing for cell phones, which is particularly exciting to me because the possible integration of GPS technology. Imagine going to a specific place and holding your camera phone up and seeing something amazing, like a ghost or a UFO. This is all probably really hard to understand from my descriptions, and probably far down the pipeline, but it still beats the pants off of Natal, check out this cool NVIDIA tegra developer demo and the Roku's Reward demo afterward.


The future is going to be awesome.

Paul Giamatti's new psychological comedy Cold Souls has a new poster. Directed by Sophie Barthes, the movie is said to be the exploration of a man in search of his soul. The official synopsis from sundance is as follows:

In response to shiny, bigger, better American consumerism comes Cold Souls, a metaphysical tragicomedy in which souls can be extracted and traded as commodities. Balancing on a tightrope between deadpan humor and pathos, and between reality and fantasy, the film presents Paul Giamatti as himself, agonizing over his interpretation of Uncle Vanya. Paralyzed with anxiety, he stumbles upon a solution via a New Yorker article about a high-tech company promising to alleviate suffering by deep-freezing souls. Giamatti enlists their services, intending to reinstate his soul once he survives the performance. But complications ensue when a mysterious, soul-trafficking “mule,” transporting product to and from Russia, “borrows” Giamatti's stored soul for an ambitious, but unfortunately talentless, soap-opera actress. Rendered soulless, he is left with no choice but to follow the trail back to bleak St. Petersburg. He comes to value that happiness isn’t merely the absence of pain, but the integration of the full range of emotion into life.Sophie Barthes’s debut feature is strikingly original, not only for its haunting concept but for its poetic execution. Inspired production design and lyrical cinematography create a melancholic, heightened world. Perfectly cast, Giamatti and a gifted ensemble maneuver seamlessly through shifting ontological landscapes without ever betraying the surrealism. With this dazzling accomplishment, Barthes establishes herself as an auteur to reckon with.

You'll never going to believe it, but apparently the latest cinematic offering from Stephen Sommers (Van Helsing) isn't a good movie.

It's been reported that G.I. Joe has scored lower with test audiences than any other film in Paramount decade-spanning history.

nymag.com has the scoop...

Something tells me that G.I. Joe is a shoe in for a Golden Raspberry Award.

Disney's new movie the Princess and the Frog features the first African American princess in three quarters of a century. In her article about the controversy surrounding the new, yet traditionally animated, feature, Michelle Miller points out that we've already had a Native American Pocahontas, an Arab Jasmine and a Chinese Mulan. The controversy surrounds the lack of an African American male lead and some of the back story of the main character, as well as her name itself, Tiana. The film, originally titled The Frog princess, has been under deep scrutiny for a while now. Things like the original title or the Tiana's original name, Maddy, which has a tendency to sound a bit too much like mammy, have spurred controversy and debate on forums net-wide. Some people maintain that others are just overreacting, but I think that the current outcry, if we can call it that, about this movie is less about being pc than a symbol of people hoping for the best for this Disney first. I think people really just want to see Disney succeed on this one. More to come, I'm sure.



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Are you tired of tan too much and as a result looking like crispy bacon? Try Will Ferrell's new sunscreen! Or, I should say funscreen. Nope this is not a joke this is 100% real. Apparently it's for a charity called cancer for college. These 6oz. bottles will cost you 12 bucks a pop, but remember it's for a good cause. I can only hope for celebrity themed products like a Conan Obrien strength hair gel or a Clint Eastwood walker.