Final Fantasy VII set for UMD

Square Enix has finally announced final release details of Final Fantasy VII on UMD. Turns out the UMD will be released on the same day as the DVD which is set for 9/14. For more details, head over here.

Pictures courtesy of IGN.

March of the Penguins

March of the Penguins is an interesting look at the life of penguins. It is a love story in that it follows the mating rituals of the emperoro penguin, one of the most resilient animals on the earth.
"With short steps, bent under the pitiless burden of a driving snowstorm, the emperor penguin labours through a vast labyrinth of ice. Around him, all is white, all is in violent flux. Yet the valiant bird never falters, undaunted by seemingly insurmountable obstacles. He keeps going. In this land where no other creature ventures, the emperor continues on to his romantic rendezvous. As it follows the winter migration of the emperor penguin, "March of the Penguins" tells a tale of legendary proportions, portraying the strange, spectacular destiny of powerful and emotionally-involving characters, rich in courage and humour, mystery and manifest drama."
Go check out this film at a theater near you. For more information head over to the March of the Penguins official website.

Hustle and Flow

In a theater near you on July 13. Check out the trailer here.

Films, films, and more films

The Los Angeles Film Festival, held annually for ten days in June, showcases the best of American and International independent cinema. With an attendance of over 60,000, the festival screens over 200 narrative features, documentaries, shorts, and music videos. Now in its eleventh year, the festival has grown into a world-class event, uniting new filmmakers with critics, scholars, film masters, and the movie-loving public.

This years film lineup sounds very promising. Broken Flowers(Jim Jarmusch) is playing alongside Wong Kar Wai's 2046. For you music and film connoisseurs, J. Rocc, will be scratching and spinning live to F.W. Murnau's German Expressionist classic, The Last Laugh. In another event, the Rza will also be laying down a live soundtrack to cartoons to demonstrate his skill at using music to complement the action on screen and evoke moods with a few notes.
For more info, head over to the LA Film Festival site. See you guys there...

Forget Plasma

Is that Apple 30" Cinema display not catching enough attention? How about trying the FogScreen?
"The FogScreen uses ceiling-mounted air jets to create a vertical, turbulence-free slice of air a few centimetres thick, into which a fine mist of water is pumped. An ordinary projector can be used to display images on the resulting wall of fog.
When the projector is hooked up to a normal computer, the FogScreen can function much like the large display from a desktop in a lecture theatre. But, with the help of a laser-scanning system, the FogScreen also allows users to click on the watery screen itself."
Read more here.

Downloadable games for Nintendo Revolution

About a week ago, I posted info on the Nintendo Revolution and it's possible ability to download old school Nintendo games. More info has surfaced and the latest issue of Famitsu Magazine in Japan reveals that all of Nintendo's first party-published NES, S-NES, and Nintendo 64 classics will be available for download.

To view the complete list, go here.

Palm Pictures present...

On September 13, 2005, the Director's Label series is going to release volumes 4-7. If you're not familiar with this series, they released volumes 1-3 featuring Chris Cunningham, Spike Jonze, and Michel Gondry. If you're a fan of music videos, these DVDs are worth viewing.
"The Directors label series highlights the work of the filmmakers who have helped to redefine music videos and filmmaking over the past decade. Each volume in the Directors Label compiles music videos, shorts, commercials, documentaries, as well as a variety of exclusive features, never before seen rare footage, and unreleased audio and video commentary."

For more info, visit the Directors Label website.

Indy 4 Approved

Turns out George Lucas has finally approved a script for Indiana Jones 4. Screenwriter Jeff Nathanson(Catch Me If You Can, Terminal)has written a draft that both Lucas and Spielberg approve of. The only thing hindering production at the moment is that Harrison Ford has not read the script yet.

Since we're sort of on the topic of Spielberg, War Of The Worlds is due out the 29th of this month. It'll be interesting to see his adaptation of the classic H.G. Wells novel.
To check out the War Of The Worlds trailer, go here.
To read more on Indiana Jones 4, go here.

10 minute Batman trailer

If you're a Batman fan, you might want to take a glimpse of this 10 minute trailer of the upcoming summer movie.

"Directed by Christopher Nolan, Batman Begins explores the origins of the Batman legend and the Dark Knight's emergence as a force for good in Gotham. In the wake of his parents' murder, disillusioned industrial heir Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) travels the world seeking the means to fight injustice and turn fear against those who prey on the fearful.He returns to Gotham and unveils his alter-ego: Batman, a masked crusader who uses his strength, intellect and an array of high tech deceptions to fight the sinister forces that threaten the city." Read more here

Watch the trailer.

Taiko Drum Master for the PSP?

Namco has announced that they will be releasing a handheld version of their Taiko Drum Master for the PSP. The game is set to be released in Japan in August. A US release has not been announced yet. For more info, head over here.

Picture courtesy of IGN