The Watchmen BD comes out July 21, then Zack Snyder will host a community screening (allowing viewers to watch the movie along with his live commentary on their Blu-ray players) during Comic-Con on July 25. Is the experience worth the price of the disc alone? Definitely not. But if you're a big Watchmen fan, the screening is certainly a nice bonus if you're already purchasing the Blu-ray on day of release. I just wonder if Snyder's bladder is heartier than Nolan's. Place your bets on pee breaks now. And remember, Watchmen is a long movie, too. [Video Business via engadgetHD]

Would he dig through morgues to find the proper arms, legs and noses he needed to create his infamous monster? Or would he give up on biological life and simply build a robot?
The T-600 is the closest thing modern fiction has to Frankenstein's famous beast. He stands 7 feet tall and shares the monster's trademark stiff, slow movements. If pushed to the ground, he might not be able to get up, trapped like an overweight baby on his back. But then again, it would take a lot to knock him down. A truck, at least. Plus, you'd need to get past the minigun that's permanently welded to his arm first.

And then there's his skin. Like Frankenstein, the T-600 is in a constant state of rot. Sent out to patrol without maintenance, the T-600 is Skynet's more sinister rendition of the taxicab, a tool driven day and night until its rubber skin melts to slime and crackles away in patches to dry, desert heat.

In Terminator Salvation, SkyNet has not created the cold, technologically precise world of The Matrix. It's simply not that smart yet. And the thing about machines is that they're not usually as self-conscious about their looks as Hollywood designers would argue.

During my visit to the movie's set during filming last summer, I got a firsthand look at all of this techno-ugly, the world in which, if the machines do take over, we'd see in our lifetime.

Everything in the future is pieced together from scraps and bits. I realize that as my bus pulls up to the nondescript studio in the middle of the New Mexico desert. I glance over at a cacophony of metal in the sand and wonder, is it a junkyard or a battlefield that I'm looking at?

Buses and cars are piled not with armor plating but a few extra layers of rust and grime. Most look like they couldn't run. Some look like they may have never run.

I walk up to a helicopter that's in relatively good condition, yet my untrained eyes can tell it's not one chopper but two or three stitched together with a welding torch and a lot of swearing. It barely looks like it can fly (and ironically, I find out later that it can't—it's suspended from a wire during shooting).

Everything is perforated with bullet holes.

Then I see the source of the carnage, shining with enough sheen to justify that whole overused diamond in the rough metaphor.

With two sets of mini-tank treads, a vague hint of a torso and head and twin miniguns, it looks sort of like Johnny 5...if Johnny 5 ripped out his eyes and flooded his chassis with robotic performance enhancers until his metal skin buckled under the pressure.

Those guns are more than a prop, I hear. And during filming, they've decided to fire live ammunition in lieu of CGI. Each shell costs $3 and the guns fire somewhere around 100 rounds per second. Sure, the effect would be cheaper to create on computers, but there's no way it would be so much fun.

I've pretty much just walked up to the T4 set—one of many, in fact—and I realize that the amount of real, massively-scaled props I've seen is astounding. A week earlier when I booked the ticket to New Mexico to visit the set, I wondered just how much stuff I'd actually see versus how much of the set tour would consist of dry wall and green paint.

There's really not much green paint going on at all.

As I work my way inside and weave through a small army of builders constructing plywood masterpieces that rise stories into the air, I smell wood, not paint. I'm told that green screen is saved for the edges or corners of a set—things like the blown-out roof of a real 3-story air intake silo.
Meanwhile, as we wet our shoes in a darkened sewer complex (filled with about an inch of real water and mud), I'm amazed at how the plywood walls have been transformed from generic yellow wood into metal and rust and brick—set decorators have airbrushed almost every square inch to create the illusion of infinite tetanus.

And the tech. Oh man.

Lining the walls of this resistance bunker, the stomping grounds of John Connor, there must have been at least 50 PCs in various states of disrepair. They were stacked like concrete blocks, a rummage sale obsession gone way, way wrong. And there was other stuff, too. Super geeky stuff. Spectrum analyzers, CB radios and coils of aging solder.
As the bunker continues, the floor dries out as it leads to a small operating room. Here, you could see all types of medical equipment easily dating back to the 60s. Combine every season of MASH with every season of ER, cover it in dirt and add a solitary intimidation light hanging from the ceiling. That's what it looked like.

The Resistance was fighting Frankenstein with Frankenstein—piecing together every type of tech possible to battle SkyNet's evolving monster.

I knew the sets were fake, but when you're surrounded by so much existing technology, so much detail, being pieced together as part of a dark thesis, it unsettles your stomach to say the least.

Hopping back on the bus, I sat for about an hour riding deeper into the desert as the air conditioning submitted to New Mexico's summer heat.

I pass by a gas station. Is this just a gas station in the middle of nowhere? Nope, it's a movie set - the famous Sara Connor station she visits at the end of T1. (It wasn't exploding at the time.)

I pass by a pile of old corroding cars. Is this another futuristic battlefield? Nope, it's just a junk car lot.

The bus jostles me through a seemingly endless, operational train yard before reaching its abandoned station that must be a century old, an eerie conglomeration of beauty and horror. The sun diffuses through skylights in the expansive space and time seems to slow as dandelion pollen floats through the air. Yet, when shot at night, the cattle cars around back—retrofitted by "machines"—had brought people here to be skinned for hair and epidermis (to develop the Arnold Schwarzenegger terminators, the "skin jobs").
Standing inside one of these steaming cars, sharp edges exposed at every corner, I couldn't imagine what the extras had gone through during shooting…let alone those persecuted in the real world events that this scene was meant to so closely (maybe even heavy-handedly) parallel.

And in this sense, the movie was reaching another level of Frankensteinian philosophy—patching the most horrifying moments of our past with the potentially hopeless bleakness of the future. Who knew, if the actors, director, cinematographer, special effects coordinator and editor could pull it off, maybe the movie—a sequel of a sequel of a sequel—might actually be good…poignant, even.

As the sun finally set and I arrived at my final destination, a night shoot right outside of SkyNet itself (depicted as an aging factory expelling absurd but periodic balls of flame) my skepticism had been laid to rest.

Terminator 4 might or might not be a good movie, but I'd gotten the vibe from McG, the director, and a number of the actors that, yes, they knew, Terminator 3 was horrible. And previewing about 6 minutes of footage of the film in McG's trailer depicted the Mad Max world in a cohesive, and new voice.

(Since then, the trailers have painted the picture of a bigger action movie with more CGI and more polish. It'll be interesting to see how the stylistic themes collide in the final product.)

Everyone was clearly working hard to make this movie not suck. A month earlier, one member of the construction crew had been stung by a scorpion. This tale of a real life emergency made McG's informal poll amongst journalists as to whether or not a James Cameron cameo would be too cheesy for the content seem a little less impressive, but earnest all the same.

That night, as I watched the first and last actual filming of my visit, the crew of 150 or so people had one goal—put a giant bulldozer through a wall. The scene could only be done once (lest they rebuild the brick wall) so it was rehearsed endlessly. A jib arm would track an actor's movements as he infiltrated SkyNet, then, BOOM. Wall comes down.
Well, that's not including the military-grade explosions from SkyNet's rhythmic death flames (that ushered a periodic deathly wall of heat onto onlookers), but you get the point.

And after several hours of rehearsal and constant mini meetings between directing, cinematography and visual effects departments (tediously boring in spite of the endless pyrotechnics), I can spoil that the brick wall does come down and our protagonist lives to tell the tale.

But whether or not the Frankensteinian T-600 lurking in the background noticed, I do not know.

Machines Behaving Deadly: A week exploring the sometimes difficult relationship between man and technology.

In the interest of making Community Screenings a bit more practical (that BD Live function allowing users to watch a film in sync with friends over the network), Warner has teamed with Facebook in a cash-less deal to allow Community Screenings to sync with your Facebook friend lists.

It's actually a great idea that's far more progressive than using Warner's current solution, a proprietary account system. Read more about the DVD and Blu-ray at these links: [Hollywood Reporter and Rope of Silicon via BluRayFreak]

An additional note to Watchmen fans: The Director's Cut detailed here does not look to include interspersed moments from The Tales of the Black Freighter.

The Red2Blu trade-in program is designed to get people burned by HD-DVD into the Blu-ray fold. Simply mail in your HD-DVD cover art (you get to keep the discs!), pay $4.95 per movie and $6.95 for shipping and get brand new copies of the same movies on Blu-ray in about a month.

Of course, it only works for Warner Bros. HD-DVDs/Blu-rays, but if you've got a few kicking around this ain't a bad deal. [Red2Blu via Engadget]

It looked more like a dead cat I once found, the fat, glistening grubs writhing blindly, squirming over each other, frantically tunneling away from the light. But even that is avoiding the real horror. The horror is this: In the end, it is simply a picture of empty meaningless blackness. We are alone. There is nothing else. [Fresno Beehive via Kotaku]

The Fresno Beehive is giving away this geek-gorgeous Xbox to anyone (actually, just one person) who can write a 50-word review of the movie. (Sadly, that means our review is ineligible.)

Is John Connor relaxing inside his stylish aviator jacket/nuclear submarine only to be jumped by a T600 lurking behind one of his CRT monitors? Or did some camera guy just leave the red recording light on again?

I'm not sure the photo is conclusive either way, but the suspense is killing me. Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures, check out another exclusive shot over at io9

From a recent interview with the director McG:

I wanted to shoot the film with this dead stock [old film that has been distressed to give the movie a desaturated look]. Therefore it wasn't conducive to shooting it in IMAX format. But we're going to bump it up to IMAX. We are going to bump it up, and it holds up very nicely, and it looks and sounds that much more impactful. But one price we had to pay for making those choices was that we didn't shoot in IMAX.

That's an interesting point about the film stock being a limitation. As I understood it, Terminator Salvation was shot on normal color film stock that used triple the silver in processing to create a different look—but McG is saying that the source stock was distressed to begin with.

I'm not sure that we can use every development technique for IMAX film as we can 35mm, but even if it's possible, my guess is that price and convenience came into play when sourcing the movie on 35mm, too. [Sci Fi Wire]

To refresh, BD-Live is the Blu-ray technology that allows for more interactive special features on your disc, like being able to arrange "screenings" with your friends or record commentary tracks yourself.

It all comes down to the technology. Instead of having director Chris Nolan talk into a mic and answer questions as they were asked via the website, Nolan had to do all his own typing. Or, we assume it was Nolan and not some designated typist, since the answers were slow going and contained a bunch of typos. The largest problem was that the text, displayed IRC-style with a white overlay behind it, was too small (on my PS3, at least), forcing me to sit closer than I normally would.

Smaller issues included Chris Nolan connecting and disconnecting every two minutes for the first 1/3 of the movie, which lead to the unfulfilling situation where questions were displayed but his answers were dropped. He also intentionally stayed silent or deftly evaded when certain questions on sensitive topics chosen by the moderator, such as piracy, making a third movie and any talk of money.

There were some enjoyable moments, such as when he took not one, but two pee breaks, explaining that he needed to make a shorter film next time. Fortunately, the BD-Live format let him pause everyone's movie simultaneously. He also reused the same joke three times in different formats, thanking an actor or a contributor by name when someone asked how awesome it was working with said person.

Here's how to fix the experience. Give Chris Nolan a microphone. Make whatever adjustments you have to make to the BD-Live technology to allow a low-bandwidth audio stream to reach however many players were signed on last night. Then, record the "podcast", and let people who were still at work (it was on at 6PM PST) watch it after the fact whenever they like. I stare at chatrooms all day at work, don't make me stare at another one when I'm watching Batman tearing around Gotham City.

Pending you've registered,

1. Pop your The Dark Knight Blu-ray Disc into your Internet-connected Blu-ray Player at least 15 minutes before the event and log into BD-Live from the main menu.
2. Fire up your Internet-connected computer and go to wblive.warnerbros.com, sign in, and click on the Post Question button in the event to ask a question.

We have word out to Warner Bros as to exactly how we can expect to receive Nolan's end of the discussion (audio track or text chat?), and we'll be sure to update this post if we hear anything more.

Until that day does or does not come, here's a very brief Terminator Salvation motion poster teaser. It has no real content, but it's just eerie enough to snap you out of that turkey coma:

Warner Bros. Licenses Content for Distribution on DivX Certified(R) Consumer Electronics Devices

Agreement Enables Retailers to Offer Premium Content in DivX(R) Format for Playback on Variety of Devices

SAN DIEGO & LOS ANGELES —(Business Wire)— Oct 14, 2008 DivX, Inc. (NASDAQ:DIVX) and Warner Bros. Entertainment today announced an agreement that will enable online retailers to offer Warner Bros. titles in the high-quality DivX® standard definition format in October 2008 and high definition format in September 2009 for playback on DivX Certified® consumer electronics devices.

The wide-ranging agreement covers all titles available for digital distribution in the Warner Bros. catalogue including current and back-catalogue major motion pictures and television programs. All titles offered in the DivX format are compatible with a variety of DivX Certified devices from major consumer electronics brands, including DVD players, Blu-ray devices, gaming consoles and more. The agreement allows retailers who sign additional agreements with DivX and Warner Bros. to offer Warner titles in the DivX digital media format.

“Using the DivX secure format is in keeping with our overall digital distribution strategy,” said Jim Wuthrich, Senior Vice President, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution. “The visual quality, security and widespread interoperability of the DivX format offers an excellent means for consumers to enjoy Warner Bros.’ content whenever and wherever they desire.”

“Warner Bros. offers an extremely compelling catalogue of premium, high-quality content enjoyed by consumers all over the world,” said Kevin Hell, CEO of DivX, Inc. “We’re very excited to work together to offer consumers premium content on any DivX device, from the PC to the living room and on the go.”

For more information about DivX, visit www.divx.com. To learn more about Warner Bros. Entertainment visit www.warnerbros.com.

Jason Chen: I'm Batman!
Mark Wilson: I'm Batman!
Jesus Diaz: I'm Batman!
Matt Buchanan: I'm Batman!
John Mahoney: I'm not that guy from Frasier! [DVDTown Thanks Eric!]

One of the reasons why it's so important to try to protect the first weekend is that it prevents the pirate supply chain from starting. A day or two becomes really, really significant. You've delayed disc manufacturing that then delays distribution, which then delays those discs from ending up on street corners for sale.

But while Warner Bros. is high fiving that they defeated the internet, maybe the executives should learn a different lesson about creating $158.4 million weekend openings—namely by making good movies and tailoring them for the big screen experience. [LATimes]

No word on the complete list (it is lengthy though) or exact date, but some of the many flicks getting the cheapness are: The Shining, The Aviator, 300, and I Am Legend. Hopefully this'll push some of the other studios to lower prices as well, so Blu-ray flicks are more in line with DVD cost-wise. If there's one kind of war we love, it's a price war. [High Def Digest via Crunch]

Purchase New Movies on iTunes Same Day as DVD Release CUPERTINO, Calif., May 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple(R) today announced that new movie releases from major film studios and premier independent studios are available for purchase on the iTunes(R) Store ( http://www.itunes.com ) on the same day as their DVD release. New releases and catalog titles will be available from 20th Century Fox, The Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Lionsgate, Image Entertainment and First Look Studios. Movies purchased from iTunes can be viewed on an iPod(R) with video, iPhone(TM), Mac(R) or PC or on a widescreen TV with Apple TV(R), with new releases priced at $14.99 and most catalog titles at $9.99. "We're thrilled to bring iTunes Store customers new films for purchase day-and-date with the DVD release," said Eddy Cue, Apple's vice president of iTunes. "We think movie fans will love being able to buy their favorites from major and independent studios." New releases available for purchase on the iTunes Store this week, concurrent with their DVD release, include "American Gangster" and "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly." Other popular titles now available for purchase include "Juno," "Cloverfield," "I Am Legend," "There Will Be Blood," "Alvin and the Chipmunks" and "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story." The iTunes Store is the world's most popular online music, TV and movie store with a catalog of over six million songs, 600 TV shows and over 1,500 films including 200 in stunning high definition video. With Apple's legendary ease of use, pioneering features such as new iTunes Movie Rentals, integrated podcasting support, iMix playlist sharing, the ability to turn previously purchased tracks into complete albums at a reduced price, and seamless integration with iPod and iPhone, the iTunes Store is the best way for Mac and PC users to legally discover, purchase and download music and video online. Pricing & Availability Movie purchases and rentals from the iTunes Store for Mac or Windows require iTunes 7.6.2, available as a free download immediately from http://www.itunes.com. iTunes movie purchases and rentals require a valid credit card with a billing address in the country of purchase. iTunes Movies are available in the US only and are $9.99 (US) for library title purchases and $14.99 (US) for new release purchases and $2.99 (US) for library title rentals and $3.99 (US) for new release rentals, and high definition rental versions are priced just one dollar more with library title rentals at $3.99 (US) and new release rentals at $4.99 (US). Short films are available to rent for 99 cents (US). Movies can be previewed, purchased and watched on iPod classic, iPod nano with video, iPod touch, iPhone and on a widescreen TV with Apple TV.

Warner's been toying around with it for a little while and been increasingly open to internet distribution, so it doesn't come as a major surprise. Interestingly, according to their numbers, offering same-day releases on the internet only eats into DVD rentals by 3-5 percent, and actually increases sales. Plus, online rentals/sales double bring them more than double the profit margin of physical discs, so everybody wins, except for Blockbuster. (So Hollywood really does have nothing to fear from online distribution.)

The best news though? Head of Warner's home video said that they're trying to make online rentals "at least as lenient" as grabbing a DVD from Blockbuster, breaking open that 24-hour window. Now that would be a deathblow for Blockbuster. [Bits]