Movie News Today

Christopher Nolan, Jon Favreau, and a host of other filmmakers have banded together to openly protest DirecTV's new premium on demand service that allows viewers to watch new movies in their own homes just two months after they open. The cost? $29.95 each. I get where these guys are coming from but honestly, I think it's somewhat of a waste of time. The number of people who will pay that much money to see a movie that they A.) could have seen in theaters for $10 and B.) will be able to get on Blu Ray in another month is pretty small from my perspective. If it was $30 a month for unlimited viewing or something similar, that would be a different story.

Thompson on Hollywood takes a brief look at Cameron Crowe's Pearl Jam documentary which I absolutely CANNOT wait to see.

Celluloid Zombie discusses his love for "Doctor Who" and gives a brief primer while he's at it. I believe I'm going to take a shot at one of this show's incarnations this summer and this post definitely has me excited.

PT Anderson ("There Will Be Blood") has added a few faces, including Amy Adams, to the cast of his Scientology-based project. Very interested in this.

And finally, because it's a slow day in the movie industry, a brief sports item. Shaquille O'neal, one of the greatest centers to ever play basketball and at one time the most dominant player in the league, retired today after 19 seasons in the NBA. His usefulness as a player probably expired a year or two ago but Shaq was always good for a laugh and a good time. His legacy will be one of the strangest of the generation. Despite his physical dominance over just about everyone in the league, he always struggled down the stretch of tight games because he famously couldn't make a danged free throw to save his life. It was also a constant question as to just how much work the Big Aristotle was actually willing to put in. He won four championships, three finals MVPs, and one regular season MVP, was named an All-Star 15 times, and led the league in shooting 10 times and scoring twice. Imagine what he could have done if he'd been as dedicated as some of his peers! Maybe more importantly to me, Shaq had an actual sense of humor, a quick wit, and a willingness to turn anything into a joke. He brought fun to a group of people (professional athletes in general and NBA players in particular) who are, on the whole, completely unwilling or unable to have a little well-thought fun. The time was more than right for the big fella to step away but he was a dynamic figure and he will be missed.