movies

Manage your movie queue across multiple services with Watch It

It used to be easy to find a movie to watch. You would trek down to your local Blockbuster, peruse the aisles, return home with a VHS tape and perhaps a box of Junior Mints. Today, I am paralyzed by choice, and I haven't enjoyed a Junior Mint in more than a decade. I should also note that I have two young children, who have severely decreased my capability to carve out two hours to view and also stay awake for a feature-length film.

So, when the stars align and I have the time and energy to watch a … Read more

The old powerhouse continues on

RealPlayer SP for Mac is a free media player that comes close to mimicking the features and interface of its Windows cousin. While many users can get by with the bevy of other excellent free media players available for the Mac, RealPlayer SP does offer some nice extras in an integrated interface, such as the ability to download streaming video through a companion app (the RealPlayer Downloader) and modify it for specific outputs or devices with another companion app (the RealPlayer Converter). If you also install the RealPlayer Download Agent, the RealPlayer Downloader will automatically detect when you're streaming … Read more

Netflix topples Apple as king of U.S. online movie biz

Despite a rollercoaster year with a lot of missteps, Netflix still managed to become the largest U.S. online movie service based on revenue in 2011, according to market intelligence firm IHS iSuppli.

In fact, Netflix's rise in the domestic online movie market was quite meteoric. Netflix's market share grew to account for 44 percent in 2011, up from less than 1 percent in 2010.

But as Netflix saw its star power soar, previous leader Apple and its iTunes entertainment platform dropped to 32.3 percent of the market share in 2011, down from a 60.8 percent … Read more

Sorkin: Writing about Jobs is like writing about The Beatles

Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin says that writing the screenplay for the upcoming biopic of late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is a lot like trying to write about The Beatles.

Speaking at the D10 Conference today, the award-winning screenwriter and producer said he's currently at the "earliest possible stage" of putting together the screenplay for the feature film, and that it's not just as simple as sitting down with the source material.

"What I'll do is go through a long period that would not look to any casual observer like writing," Sorkin jokingly told interviewer … Read more

Apple gets Siri and John Malkovich to have a meeting of minds

John Malkovich is one of the world's more prominent Croats. Oh, alright, he was born in Illinois. But he performs regularly in Dubrovnik and his Croatian blood oozes through his personality like the finest Dalmatian wine oozes through my blood whenever I'm there.

So who better, in the midst of the deep sadness of Siri allegedly being banned by IBM, to defend her honor?

In two new Apple ads, Malkovich teaches Siri just what it is to be John Malkovich.

In the first, he jokes with Siri about Portuguese sausage. At least that's what I think he … Read more

'Men in Black 3' game: Let's hope the movie is this good

The summer movie season is officially under way, and that can only mean one thing: movie tie-in season is also under way.

Exhibit A (or should I say Exhibit K): "Men in Black 3," which opens in theaters Friday, just got the app treatment. Gameloft's Men in Black 3 is available now for Android and iOS smartphones and tablets.

Obviously any game based on the MIB franchise is going to involve a lot of running and gunning, right? Wrong. Men in Black 3 combines resource management with turn-based combat. And there's way more depth and replay … Read more

How Amazon is changing the rules for books and movies

If you want a glimpse into the way Amazon sees your digital future, look no further than Jeff Ragsdale's new book, "Jeff, One Lonely Guy."

Last October, after being dumped by a girlfriend and mired in depression, Ragsdale posted a flier around New York City on a whim that read, "If anyone wants to talk about anything, call me." It listed his mobile phone number. Calls streamed in, by the dozens, then the hundreds, and now well into the tens of thousands.

Some callers left messages. Others texted. And many spoke with Ragsdale, sharing their … Read more

Steve Jobs movie to film at the original Apple garage

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

Get a loaded Sony Blu-ray player for $64.99

DVDs or on-demand movies? Some pundits would have you believe it's one or the other, but you can walk the line and enjoy both. All you need is a Blu-ray player that has apps.

Like this one: While supplies last, Quick Ship Electronics has the refurbished Sony BDP-BX58 Blu-ray player for $64.99 shipped. It's without question the most loaded set-top box I've seen at this price.

How loaded? Well, it's a Blu-ray player for starters. It supports regular and 3D discs, the latter kind of fun if you know where to score 3D movies to watch at home.… Read more

The Woz hired as an adviser on Sony's Steve Jobs biopic

Steve Jobs couldn't start Apple without Steve Wozniak, and apparently Aaron Sorkin can't tell Jobs' story without the Woz.

The Oscar-winning screenwriter has hired the Apple co-founder as an adviser as he turns Walter Isaacson's best-selling biography "Steve Jobs" into a screenplay for a movie project that Sony Pictures announced on Tuesday. Sorkin is best known for his Academy Award-winning adaptation of "The Social Network," an account of how Mark Zuckerberg built the Facebook empire.

The Woz, who stepped away from the company in 1987 but remained close to Jobs, will serve as … Read more