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Movie guide: Capsule listing of current releases

Ratings by the Motion Picture Association of America are: (G) for general audiences; (PG) parental guidance urged because of material possibly unsuitable for children; (PG-13) parents are strongly cautioned to give guidance for attendance of children younger than 13; (R) restricted, younger than 17 admitted only with parent or adult guardian; (NC-17) no one younger than 17 admitted.</p><p> OPENING IN HOLLYWOOD THIS WEEK</p><p> "Bad Teacher" - A foul-mouthed teacher ill-suited to her job begins plotting to secure her meal ticket. With Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Lucy Punch and Jason Segel. Written by Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg. Directed by Jake Kasdan. (1:29) R.</p><p> "Beginning of the Great Revival" - A historical epic about 1917 to 1921 in China, from the October Revolution to the founding of the Communist Party. With Andy Lau, Daniel Wu and John Woo. Written by Dong Zhe and Guo Junli. Directed by Huang Jianxin and Han Sanping. In Mandarin with English subtitles. (2:10) NR.</p><p> "The Best and the Brightest" - A fresh-faced young couple go to great lengths to get their daughter enrolled in an exclusive kindergarten. With Neil Patrick Harris, Bonnie Somerville, Amy Sedaris and Jenna Stern. Written by Josh Shelov and Michael Jaeger. Directed by Shelov. (1:33) NR.</p><p> "A Better Life" - An illegal-immigrant gardener in Los Angeles works hard to provide a better life for his son. With Demian Bichir, Jose Julian and Dolores Heredia. Written by Eric Eason. Directed by Chris Weitz. (1:38) PG-13.</p><p> "Cars 2" - Anthropomorphic automobiles head overseas to compete in the World Grand Prix in this sequel to the 2006 animated film "Cars." With the voices of Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine and Emily Mortimer. Written by Ben Queen. Directed by John Lasseter. In Imax 3-D. (1:46) G.</p><p> "Conan O'Brien Can't Stop" - This documentary follows comedian and talk-show host Conan O'Brien as he hits the road after being ousted from NBC's "The Tonight Show." Directed by Rodman Flender. (1:28) R.</p><p> "Farmageddon" - A documentary exploring the friction among small farms, agribusiness, policymakers and law enforcement. Directed by Kristin Canty. (1:30) NR.</p><p> "A Love Affair of Sorts" - Two lonely strangers - a painter and a nanny - meet in Los Angeles and capture their burgeoning relationship on video. With David Guy Levy, Lili Bordan and Ivan Kamaras. Written by Levy and Bordan. Directed by Levy. (1:31) NR.</p><p> "The Names of Love" - A free-spirited young woman uses her sex appeal to convert right-wing men to her progressive beliefs, but she encounters a challenge in the form of an uptight scientist. With Jacques Gamblin and Sara Forestier. Written by Michel Leclerc and Baya Kasmi. Directed by Leclerc. In French with English subtitles. (1:42) NR.</p><p> "One Lucky Elephant" - This documentary tells the story of a circus producer trying to find a good home for Flora, a retiring circus elephant. With David Balding. Written by Lisa Leeman and Cristina Colissimo. Directed by Leeman. (1:24) NR.</p><p> "Page One: Inside the New York Times" - This documentary goes behind the scenes in the newsroom of The New York Times at a time when the newspaper industry is radically changing. With Brian Stelter, Tim Arango and David Carr. Directed by Andrew Rossi. (1:28) R.</p><p> "Rejoice and Shout" - A documentary tracing the evolution of gospel music from its roots to the present day. With Smokey Robinson, Andrae Crouch and Mavis Staples. Directed by Don McGlynn. (1:55) PG.</p><p> "Strangers Online" - The host of an erotic Internet radio program becomes the object of obsession of an intern at the station, with dangerous consequences. With Noel Palomaria, Tara Killian and Eva Frajko. Written by Dan Acre, John Huckert and John Matkowsky. Directed by Huckert. (1:46) NR.</p><p> "Trollhunter" - A group of curious Norwegian film students trails a mysterious hunter and his quarry. With Otto Jespersen, Hans Morten Hansen and Tomas Alf Larsen. Written and directed by Andre Ovredal. In Norwegian with English subtitles. (1:43) NR.</p><p> "Turtle: The Incredible Journey" - In this nature documentary, a loggerhead turtle born in Florida makes an epic migration around the North Atlantic to Africa and back home. Directed by Nick Stringer. In 3-D. (1:20) PG.</p><p> ALSO IN THEATERS</p><p> "The Art of Getting By" - A blase senior slacking his way through high school befriends his crush and starts getting his act together. With Freddie Highmore, Emma Roberts, Michael Angarano and Elizabeth Reaser. Written and directed by Gavin Wiesen. (1:24) PG-13.</p><p> "Bridesmaids" - As maid of honor, a single woman leads her best friend and a colorful group of bridesmaids on a wild ride. With Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne and Wendi McLendon-Covey. Written by Wiig and Annie Mumolo. Directed by Paul Feig. (2:05) R.</p><p> "Fast Five" - A motley crew of car racers try to pull off a daring last job and gain their freedom while evading a hard-nosed federal agent in this installment of "The Fast and the Furious" franchise. With Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges and Tyrese Gibson. Written by Chris Morgan. Directed by Justin Lin. In Imax. (2:08) PG-13.</p><p> "Green Lantern" - A cocky test pilot imbued with super powers by a magical ring battles an intergalactic enemy. With Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong and Angela Bassett. Written by Greg Berlanti, Michael Green, Marc Guggenheim and Michael Goldenberg. Directed by Martin Campbell. In 3-D. (1:54) PG-13.</p><p> "The Hangover Part 2" - On the heels of their wild Las Vegas bachelor party, four pals get into more trouble en route to a pre-wedding brunch in Thailand. With Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifanakis and Ed Helms. Written by Scot Armstrong, Craig Mazin and Todd Phillips. Directed by Phillips. (1:41) R.</p><p> "Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer" - When her carefully laid summer plans go awry, an imaginative young girl gets creative about her vacation adventures. With Jordana Beatty, Heather Graham and Parris Mosteller. Written by Kathy Waugh and Megan McDonald. Directed by John Schultz. (1:31) PG.</p><p> "Kung Fu Panda 2" - The martial artist panda Po and his friends must once again protect the Valley of Peace from a formidable villain. With the voices of Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman and Jackie Chan. Written by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger. Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson. In 3-D. (1:31) PG.</p><p> "Midnight in Paris" - A family travels to Paris on business; among them are an engaged couple who have life-changing experiences. With Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Kathy Bates and Michael Sheen. Written and directed by Woody Allen. (1:34) PG-13.</p><p> "Mr. Popper's Penguins" - After receiving a mysterious crate from Antarctica, a New York real-estate mogul has his comfortable life thrown into chaos. With Jim Carrey, Carla Gugino and Angela Lansbury. Written by Sean Anders, John Morris and Jared Stern. Directed by Mark Waters. (1:34) PG.</p><p> "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" - Captain Jack Sparrow returns for another swashbuckling adventure, this time searching for the Fountain of Youth and tangling with the pirate Blackbeard. With Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane and Kevin R. McNally. Written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio. Directed by Rob Marshall. In Imax 3-D. (2:17) PG-13.</p><p> "Rio" - In this animated film, a rare macaw living comfortably as a pet in Minnesota travels with his owner to meet his female counterpart in Rio de Janeiro, where the two birds tangle with animal smugglers. With the voices of Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway and George Lopez. Written by Don Rhymer. Directed by Carlos Saldanha. In 3-D. (1:36) G.</p><p> "Soul Surfer" - This biopic tells the story of the teenage surfer Bethany Hamilton, who persevered despite losing an arm in a shark attack. With AnnaSophia Robb, Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt and Carrie Underwood. Written by Sean McNamara, Deborah Schwartz, Douglas Schwartz and Michael Berk. Directed by McNamara. (1:46) PG.</p><p> "Super 8" - A group of kids making a movie in a small Ohio town in 1979 witness a disastrous train derailment and begin to notice unusual disappearances and inexplicable events. With Gabriel Basso, Kyle Chandler, Joel Courtney and Ron Eldard. Written and directed by J.J. Abrams. In Imax. (1:52) PG-13.</p><p> "Thor" - The warrior-god Thor is cast out of his magical homeland and sent to live among humans on Earth, where he becomes a hero. With Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston and Stellan Skarsgard. Written by Ashley Edward Miller, Zack Stentz and Don Payne. Directed by Kenneth Branagh. In Imax 3-D. (1:55) PG-13.</p><p> "Water for Elephants" - A veterinary student falls for a star circus performer, and the two bond over their compassion for a special animal. With Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson and Christoph Waltz. Written by Richard LaGravenese. Directed by Francis Lawrence. (2:02) PG-13.</p><p> "X-Men: First Class" - This prequel chronicles the early days of the "X-Men" saga, as superhuman mutants such as the psychic Charles Xavier and the magnetic Erik Lensherr discover their powers and face the future. With James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Rose Byrne and January Jones. Written by Jane Goldman, Ashley Miller, Jamie Moss and Zack Stentz. Directed by Matthew Vaughn. (2:10) PG-13.

Todd's Blog: Film Quality motion pictures in the home?

35Mm film can capture an image that can hold effectively 4000 LINES of image resolution. The human eye can resolve 8000 lines of resolution so sometimes movies are filmed using 70mm film and shrunk down to fit smaller theater screens. In the 1940's and 1950's a device called Television was developed that could transmit images over radio waves in a FM frequency. Because radio waves are massive in order to send a moving picture they had to break the photons into smaller packets and found a way to squeeze the picture into a very tiny space by first cutting the picture into lines and sending half of the lines first and the other half second back and forth until a picture was drawn at the other end.  To save even more bandwidth they shrank the image down from 4000 LINES to 240 lines and then took it back up to 480 lines latter on to make room for color. By the late 80's TV screens were getting bigger but resolution stayed the same, you could only get 480 to 576 lines MAX on a TV that was showing a film that started with 2000-4000 lines of picture. Then Japan jumped the gun and started making shows and movies in High Definition, a system the government developed and tried to sell over seas. It failed and ended up getting replaced. Long story short in the old days of TV everyone had their own signal, NTSC, PAL, SECAM, SCART, etc, and it was confusing. Then in the 90's everyone came together on a universal format called DVD and decided if we can agree to do DVD we can agree on a TV standard that is more film like. They chose a Digital HDTV standard that used a minimum of 720 lines and a maximum of 1080. The difference was instead of sending te picture in broken segments they could send the entire image in one pass. This gave a super crystal clear quality image on tv sets that could display the extra lines. The problem was even if a TV can draw 1080 lines of picture, VHS only offers 240 lines to draw, DVD offers 480 and digital tv is expensive to produce. So what happens next? People need something to watch in HD or they wont buy HDTV sets. DVD forum develops a High Definition Video Disc based on DVD standards and begins to prepare to release it to market, but wait Sony says they have a better way of doing HD video on disc that will hold almost twice as much data and look a lot better. Companies not wanting to repeat the problems of the CD and VHS era declare they want a solution.

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