film

CCPlayer from Rambeau Christophe is another addition to the growing number of free media players out there. As media players go, it is certainly not one of those flashy apps with all the lights and trimmings. The publishers opted to present a rather simple interface with just the basic controls: Play, Stop, Next, Back, Playlist. If you're looking for fancy skins, this is not the media player for you.

CCPlayer will play most types of media: MP3, DIVX, MPEG, WAV. The interface itself is simple, unassuming, and easy to understand. Right-clicking on it will present additional options such as … Read more

Casting for the upcoming Steve Jobs film starring Ashton Kutcher continues to fill out.

Per the Hollywood Reporter, the film has snagged actors J.K. Simmons and Kevin Dunn, the latter of whom recently played the father of Shia LaBeouf's character in Michael Bay's "Transformers" series. Simmons has been tapped for the role of venture capitalist Arthur Rock, with Dunn playing Gil Amelio, who was briefly Apple's CEO ahead of Jobs' return.

Other additions include actors Elden Henson, Giles Matthey, Lenny Jacobson and Victor Rasuk. Of that bunch, Henson will play early Mac team member … Read more

Sharp will pay a total of $198.5 million to Dell and two other companies a part of an out-of-court settlement reached over the Japanese tech company's thin-film-transistor, or TFT business.

It's not clear from initial reports which companies are invovled or even what the suit pertained to. AT&T and Nokia both sued Toshiba a few years back and are likely the two unnamed companies paid in the settlement.

However, the news likely relates to last week's news that Toshiba, Samsung, LG, and Sharp colluded to fix prices of LCD panels.

Sharp said after "… Read more

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- It's hard to believe that a bunch of corrugated steel could be so famous. But when that bunch is nine letters that are 45 feet tall, and that combine to stretch 400 feet across, you get what is likely the world's most recognizable sign.

This is, of course, the Hollywood sign, a universal image representing the entertainment industry, and a monument that literally towers over Tinseltown.

But with its 90th anniversary coming up next spring, it may surprise some to learn that the sign has had its global status for only a fraction of its … Read more

HOLLYWOOD, Calif.--Deep inside a series of very cold vaults, surrounded by thick concrete and protected from fire and water damage, more than 76,000 movies sit on shelves, preserved for future generations to enjoy.

Welcome to the Academy Film Archive, the storage arm of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. On your right is a stack of cans containing several reels of the 1962 classic "Lawrence of Arabia." On your left are several cans comprising a copy of "2001: A Space Odyssey."

Since opening its doors in 1927, the Academy -- the folks … Read more

Comedian Mark Malkoff must have buns of steel and eyes as tough as diamonds. He set himself to the challenge of watching 250 streaming Netflix movies in a single month, all to see how much value he could squeeze out of the $7.99 service.

In the first week of the challenge, Malkoff made it through 60 films with a total viewing time of 95.55 hours. Those cinematic masterpieces ranged from "Hoosiers" to "The Big Lebowski" to "The Dark Crystal."

To spice things up a bit, Malkoff recruited actor Jason London from "Dazed and Confused" to come to his house and provide live commentary while Malkoff watched that movie.… Read more

With the recent hike in the price of film, plus digital photography so easily accessible, film cameras just aren't very common these days. But if you can't shoot with film, why not create wearable art pieces dedicated to the film cameras we love?

Jeweler Luke Satou has done just that with new handmade jewelry that's made in the likeness of an Olympus Trip 35 film camera. What separates this from the conventional trinkets is that it has parts that actually work. You'll be able open its film back, advance the film winder, and turn the rewind knob, too. … Read more

For those wondering how authentic the upcoming movie about Steve Jobs played by Ashton Kutcher will be, maker Five Star Feature Films says it's going to actual locations, including Jobs' childhood home, where the first Apple computers were pieced together in the garage.

The film's production company today said it plans to begin shooting principal photography at the Los Altos, Calif., home next month, with a release of the picture to follow in late fall of this year.

The garage, which belonged to the Jobs family, was Apple's official headquarters before the company moved to a rented … Read more

In 2005 the MPAA estimated that roughly $3 billion a year is lost to Internet movie piracy. Since 2005, there have been five films that have broken a previous opening weekend box office record. Most recently, of course, is this past weekend's $200.3 million blockbuster, "The Avengers." Not only did the film shatter the previous weekend opening record, but it do so with a pirated copy of the film in circulation an entire week before it hit theaters. What's even more impressive? The new record is also the biggest jump in revenue, dethroning 2011's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" by more than $30 million.

All this has us wondering what exactly the MPAA is talking about when they say Internet piracy is destroying the film industry. It's tough to feel remorse with box office turnouts like this past weekend, and also when we read reports that claim there is no relationship between piracy and U.S. box office returns. So when the movie industry does complain about shoddy theater attendance perhaps they should be pointing the finger elsewhere.… Read more