While Netflix caved and signed the agreement with Warner, Redbox has simply let its agreement that has been in place with Warner for a few years expire. That agreement allowed Redbox to buy new DVDs and Blu-rays in bulk at a discount directly from Warner.

By letting the agreement lapse, Redbox has done two things. The first thing is Redbox no longer has to delay the launch of new DVD and Blu-ray releases in its kiosks by the 28 days that the old Warner contract had stipulated, much less than the 56 day delay that Warner now wants. The second thing that not signing the contract has done is force Redbox to buy DVDs in bulk from retailers and wholesalers at higher prices. That could mean the rental prices at the kiosks will go up, but it should give them a competitive advantage over other outlets who have to wait if they want discounted discs for rentals. FWIW, Blockbuster made the same move with Warner recently, too.

Personally, I would gladly pay a little more money at the kiosk then have to wait two months to watch a new film that I want to see. What do you think of this move? Would you be willing to pay a little more to rent a movie if Redbox refuses to renew these contracts that force delays in getting the movies you want to see?

[via LA Times]

Papercraft master Daumier Smith of Longtail’s Cafe previously built some awesome paper models of the V8 Interceptor from Mad Max, so it was only natural that he’d do another movie car as his next model.

The police spinner model is incredibly detailed, and even has a full cockpit and seating, as well as clear windows and roof, which are cut out of sheets of acetate.

The best thing about this thing is that you can make one for yourself. Sure, it’ll take some precision work with an X-Acto knife to cut out all the tiny components and then carefully glue them together, but when it’s done, it’ll look great.

You can grab a full set of PDFs of the spinner car paper model, along with construction diagrams, over at Longtail’s Cafe.

In that case you might want to hunt down some vintage equipment. Good luck finding something for a decent price that is in good condition and actually works. Well, here’s an alternative. Lomography has just released the LomoKino Super 35, a video camera that accepts any 35mm film cartridge.

The LomoKino Super 35 will shoot 144 images over 60 seconds, so you can create your own short clips while moving the hand-crank, which powers the camera. No batteries here. After you make your short movies, you can purchase a Lomokinoscope for replaying filmstrips, or scan the developed film and load the images your computer to convert them into digital. The LomoKino Super 35 sells for $79 (USD) and for $20 extra, you can get a bundle with one Lomokinoscope, a film canister and a book about the camera.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Netflix CEO Reed “Hasty decisions” Hastings said:

It is clear that for many of our members two websites would make things more difficult, so we are going to keep Netflix as one place to go for streaming and DVDs. This means no change: one website, one account, one password… in other words, no Qwikster… Consumers value the simplicity Netflix has always offered and we respect that… There is a difference between moving quickly… and moving too fast, which is what we did in this case.

What will this crazy company do next? Stay tuned.

[via Netflix]

The streaming deal in place now will last through February 2012, and then it’s gone. Netflix says that in the beginning Starz was only a small portion some of its mainstream content and now that it has more content providers, Starz is only 8% of its mainstream stuff. I’m not buying that, Starz is almost all of the mainstream content I want to watch. The rest are artsy films and other crap I don’t care about.

Once Starz is gone, I guess I will have to go back to watching on satellite to see the stuff. The content I will really miss are the Starz original shows I won’t be able to watch when I feel like it such as Spartacus. Netflix, you had better replace Starz with some good stuff.

[via Business Insider]

Kier didn’t actually build the case – it belonged to a Cars-themed TV and DVD combo – but he did add a lot of neat little touches to make the PC even more Cars-themed, like stickers on both the side of the case and on the RAM sticks and a Cooler Master V8 CPU cooling system.

The computer isn’t blazing fast either, but should be plenty adequate for his son’s needs since the lucky fella is still in kindergarten: A 15″ screen, MSI MATX Micro P4M890M motherboard, Gainward GTX285 1024 DDR3 GPU, Intel Dual Core E6400 CPU and two CORSAIR XMS2 DDR2 2GB RAM sticks.

Check out Kier’s original thread at Highflow for more details and pictures. Now I want to see an Up house casemod that actually floats.

[via Nowwhere Else]

It was created from a cast from the ring that was used in the movie. That’s pretty geek chic. The Green Lantern ring will cost you $39.99 (USD) and you can get it from BigBadToyStore.

This Thor hammer looks a lot better than this one we featured earlier this year. Keep in mind the hammer still isn’t made out metal (Thank God. Could you imagine the shipping costs?), it’s just made out of polymer. You can get it from 80stees for $75.

Here’s a Green Hornet gas gun replica. Hopefully it’s made better than the movie was, and won’t accidentally fire gas pellets at you instead of your intended victim. It sells for $149.95 at Hollywood Collectibles.

Perhaps the best movie prop replica of this bunch is Hellboy’s Big Baby. This beast weighs close to 50 lbs. and comes complete with six removable shells. This Big Baby will set you back $499.99, and that’s on special – it used to cost $749.99 (!).You can get it at the BigBadToyStore.

[via Don't Panic]

Disney is working on a system that will be able to be integrated into your computer chair for gaming and seats at the movie theater. Created by Ali Israr and Ivan Poupyrev at Disney Research Pittsburgh, the system is called the “Tactile Brush” and it has a series of 12 vibrating motors inside. The motors are able to trick the body into thinking it feels certain things like a touch or G-forces.

The team says that the system will even be able to make the person feel like water or rain is running down their back. Talk about bringing some realism to games, let me feel the Gs in a racing game along with a force-feedback system and motion control and I will be a happy camper.

[via New Scientist via Gizmodo]

I love the attention to detail in the drawing, like the broken Narsil sword from Lord of the Rings, the District 9 rifle and that… that pixelated hammer. Is that from Donkey Kong or Ice Climbers? I wish I was geeky enough to be able to identify all of these items, but alas, I’m not. Here’s a numbered version of the drawing:

I wonder if Tenten can fit all those weapons in a single scroll. She probably can. You can buy the weLoaded T-Shirt at Supermarket for $25 (USD). I think I’ve found my new wallpaper.

[via likecool]

As you can see the mecha-Mendeleev who put this together used characters from several media – cartoons, movies, anime and of course video games. Unfortunately the task involved putting in other characters that are not technically robots, hence the disclaimer title. It also meant skipping out on other famous robots. For example, Proto Man and Cutman are here, but not Rock Man/Mega Man. Also absent are Voltes V and Voltron, but that octopus attendant bot from Combattler V gets a slot.

Those oversights are by no means insignificant, but it’s still awesome seeing all these characters in one place. If you guys know who made this table please tell us in the comments. Meanwhile fellow robot fans looking to burn some time can view the full-sized table here and try and name all of the characters used.

[via Sankaku Complex] (Link NSFW)

I’m a big fan of science fiction because it gives us a look at what could possibly be. Many of the inventions found in classic science fiction have actually come to fruition, thanks in no small part to science fiction itself. I’ve compiled this list of the coolest things I’ve seen in movies and television shows that I wish were real.

Hoverboard from Back to the Future Part II (Watch Here)

I can only imagine that Santa Claus was very confused in the winter of 1989 when he was getting letter after letter about hoverboards. First seen in Back to the Future Part II, the hoverboard was Marty McFly’s souvenir from the future (it’s okay for Marty to take that to 1985, but not OK for him to take the Sports Almanac). I know I’ve been waiting for this to really come out for my entire life, but my friend said his cousin already has one and that they’re coming out soon, so I’m going to start holding my breath.

Neuralizer from Men in Black (Watch Here)

Out of all the cool gadgets from Men in Black, the neuralizer is probably the coolest. It’s part of some of the funniest moments of the film, the most touching moment of the film, and one of the only gadgets mentioned in Will Smith’s rap (though “noisy cricket getting wicked on ya” deserves a mention). Not only does it erase people’s memories, but it’s a great excuse to wear cool sunglasses. Now that I’m thinking of it, though, I wouldn’t be surprised if the real Men in Black have one of these things.

Sonic Screwdriver from Doctor Who (Watch Here)

The Doctor’s gizmo of choice on the long-running BBC series Doctor Who can do pretty much anything. The sonic screwdriver has been known to open locks, transmit information and thoughts, perform medical diagnosis, triangulate positions of ghosts, sink ships, operate computers, weld, scan for life-forms, uncork wine bottles, and anything else you can imagine. No Time Lord leaves his home without a sonic screwdriver and it, combined with his TARDIS and psychic paper are part of what makes the Doctor so special. Oh, but it doesn’t work on wood.

Lightsaber from the Star Wars Saga

Prequels notwithstanding, Star Wars is still a big deal. (While I’m on the prequels, though, Darth Maul’s DOUBLE lightsaber? The coolest.) What more is there to say about the lightsaber that hasn’t already been said? It’s maybe the coolest idea ever and it’s hard to imagine a world in which lightsabers aren’t something that everyone knows about. Most of the items on this list are things I’d like to own, but I really think I would end up cutting off a limb or two with one of these.

Holophonor from Futurama (Watch Here)

In Futurama’s 31^st century, the holophonor is a musical instrument that projects images relating to the music being played. Only a few people have the skills necessary to play it, and they can’t play it very well. In order to impress Leela, Fry takes up the holophonor and is, unsurprisingly, not very good. In a moment of desperation, Fry makes a deal with the Robot Devil for his robotic hands. With the Robot Devil’s hands, Fry becomes a universally renowned holophonor player, but when the Robot Devil attempts to collect his payment, Fry must choose between the hands and Leela.

Transporter Beams from Star Trek (Watch Here)

Transporter Beams were first used in the original Star Trek series so they didn’t have to show ships landing on planets in order to save money in the effects and props department. Little did they know the transporter would become a science fiction staple. In the many, many reincarnations of Star Trek the transporter is always present. For all the real inventions we now have thanks to Star Trek, going from point A to point B instantaneously has got to be next on the list- even if it means maybe encountering an evil, mustachioed version of yourself.

Point of View Gun from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Watch Here)

This device appeared in the (in my opinion underrated) movie version of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Created by Deep Thought and housed on the planet Magrathea, the gun, according to the Guide itself “conveniently does precisely as its name suggests”. When fired at someone, the gun makes that person take on the point of view of the person firing it. This comes in handy for Trillian since Zaphod Beeblebrox has a tough time seeing things from other people’s point of view.

Soylent Green from Soylent Green (Watch Here)

With our own population growing larger and larger, the time is drawing close to think of new and innovative ideas to curb poverty and starvation. The idea may be found in the titular product from the 1973 film Soylent Green. Described as a high-protein plankton, soylent green is introduced as the superior product to soylent red and soylent yellow, the demand skyrockets, and food riots become out of control. I think it’s time to start looking into this miracle food source before– I’m sorry, it’s made of what?!

But before we get to that let’s run down what you’ll get when you buy this collection. Each movie gets its own disc, with all six in 1080p and DTS 6.1 surround sound, and there are audio commentaries, both old and new, from the cast and crew for each movie. The deleted, extended and alternate scenes from all six movies are also included, plus other behind the scenes goodies and an unnamed “Additional Content.” Finally, one of the nine Blu-ray discs is filled with nothing but documentaries.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Awesome right? So what concerns – to put it mildly – do some fans have about this seemingly jam-packed collection? Well for one, it seems like the original theatrical releases will not be included in the collection. Another concern is that, if you look at the feature description, the deleted and extended scenes will not be incorporated in the movies, instead they’ll be on separate discs. The third major complaint is about the choice of documentaries included, one that I can’t verify because I’m not a Star Wars fan and thus have no knowledge of which docs are good and which are bad.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Are these complaints legitimate, or should fans just be thankful that their favorite franchise is coming to Blu-ray? I guess we’ll know when the set arrives this September. You can pre-order the Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray collection at Amazon for $90 (USD), or get just the Original Trilogy or the Prequel Trilogy for $45 each, although I don’t know if these smaller sets will have all the extras found on the complete one. Check out the link below or the official site for a more detailed rundown of what’s included.

[via HomeTechTell]

To make matters worse, there are 400 of these blasted end-bringers, each chip individually numbered. Members of the Resistance, make sure to snag all of them up and destroy them before the robots get their hands on one. You can pre-order them from Hollywood Collectibles for $169 (USD). That’s a small price to pay for our continued existence. Although if you multiply that by 400, it’s almost not worth it.

[via Chip Chick]

We already know that with the massive success that Avatar was worldwide the stage is set for a new flick in the franchise. These are no normal cameras. RED EPIC-M cameras are packed with tech and possibly the best-looking cameras on the planet with a very industrial design and an astounding 5K image resolution.

How much would 50 of the cameras cost? Some reports peg the number at close to $3 million. That is a drop in the massive bucket that is the budget for a blockbuster film like Avatar. Of course, the project could be unrelated to Avatar; about the only thing off the table is a sequel to Titanic.

[via REDUSER]

Every time we go to the movies, it costs me $60 between tickets, popcorn, drinks, and candy. DirecTV has a new VOD offering that is set to launch this month that will bring movies that are only 60 days past the premiere in theaters in your living room. The only catch is that the flicks are $29.99 (USD) for a 48 hour rental.

For me, that is cheaper than taking the kids to the movie for some stuff. Many theater owners aren’t happy about the plan though since they think it will cost them money. I say to the theater owners; try not charging $6 for a $1 candy and maybe more people would come watch your flicks. The first films are expected to be Sony’s Just Go With It, Fox’s Cedar Rapids and Warner Bros.’ Unknown.

[via Hollywood Reporter]

I’m not sure if this is what the complementary ring will look like though. As an added bonus, the ring lights up when pressed against the lantern’s face. It’s also been lovingly hand-painted to make it look exactly like the actual prop – a glowing tower of phlegm.

Seriously though it’s hideous. It’s going to stick out like a booger left on a white couch, in brightest day or blackest night. I don’t know why they didn’t just stick with the classic lantern. And here I thought having a freaking lantern for a power source couldn’t make Green Lantern any lamer. Still, if this lantern is right up your alley then you might want to pre-order it now at Entertainment Earth, since only 2,500 pieces will be made. It’s being sold for $290 (USD), and will start shipping this July.

[via Ubergizmo]

To promote the movie, Rovio and Twentieth Century Fox have teamed up for a new version of the popular Angry Birds franchise called Angry Birds Rio. The game will see the movie’s bird cast kidnapped and taken to Rio where they have to smash their way out.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The game will ship with 45 levels and will get more levels via updates. Rovio will offer the game for multiple platforms on tablets and smartphones all around the world. The game should land in March with the movie coming in mid-April.

Wheels?! Wheels?! Yes, the Autobot strategy seems to have rubbed off on Megatron. What’s even more sacrilegious surprising is that he transforms into a freaking tanker truck. JoBlo even included what it claims to be an on-set shot of the truck.

Round 3 of Megatron vs. Optimus Prime should be a hell of a battle…that will no doubt be too blurry to appreciate.

[via /Film via Topless Robot]

When he called up his local theater in Minnesota to tell them he was coming to see Legacy in his infamous suit, they told him not to come because his suit would be “too distracting.” I guess he gave them warning so they could put up ropes to stop the paparazzi from getting to close to that pimp outfit. TRON Guy (his real name is Jay Maynard) suspects that the theater didn’t want him distracting other watchers with his light up suit.

I’d be less worried about the light up portion of the suit if I were watching with him in the same auditorium and more worried about how tight the damn thing is. This thing cannot be unseen.

[via TMZ]

I’m not sure if the price range displayed on their ad is accurate, but if it is then Netflix is still a better option for US customers. Here’s the full ad, complete with maracas-infused generic ad music:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Assuming they have a decent movie selection, I think this service will do best on places where streaming video services are not yet available. The Flix on Stix website boasts that with their kiosk, you’ll save on time and gas because you don’t have any discs to return, but the fact is you still have to drive to a kiosk to rent movies, whereas with Netflix and other similar services you don’t even have to leave your room to start watching videos. What do you think? Will you try out Flix on Stix if it becomes available where you live?

[via Coolest Gadgets]