At the RSA 2024 event in San Francisco this year one of the key areas addressing the fintech marketplace both for banking and for institutional investors was security operating on a container basis.
Historically a lot of the applications for fintech were run on large servers and then they ended up running on distributed platforms but ending up operating through base web operations now with the advent of smartphones as the primary input device self-contained apps are the key data transfer mechanisms
These apps on the smartphones not only contain the data but also contain the programs that will be run and the reporting mechanisms to the government the banks and the user.
As Fintech moves to larger applications the security aspects and privacy aspects move to the forefront.
At the RSA 2024 event many companies were now showing that they could provide tracking and security solutions 4 containers and apps distributed across devices to be able to ensure the fintech community could operate in relative safety.
One of the leaders in this space is Aqua IT solutions which has a full product solution space for tracking use and the distribution of containers and their associated data from financial institution to user and back.
This is an important step as more companies move to add line account management handling their own credits and gift cards and the financing behind coupon systems
Also supported the solution is companies like Arista that has security built into there’s Software Controlled Networking Equipment, MasterCard which was showing their data intelligence group that helps interpret transaction verification, next DLP which is monitoring the data along the way to make sure that it is not interrupted or corrupted, and member companies from the Thoma Bravo group which has long supported the fintech community.
The ability to bring security to the container deployment marketplace is a key stop as embedded video, training and customer support is moving to more AI and less people base solutions.
As I was shifting through the RSA Conference 2024 program guide, with it’s impressive comprehensive five day agenda, there was an enormous amount of activities going on to easily fill anyone’s calendar as an attendee for the week. 33 keynote presentations given on two stages in the West and South Stages at the Moscone Center, 650 speakers across 425 sessions, the Expo floors in the South and North Halls had over 600 exhibitors.
As I glanced into the program’s “keynote” section, I noticed one that immediately caught my eye entitled “A Conversation with Actor, Comedian, and Writer, Jason Sudeikis, hosted by RSAC Chairman, Hugh Thompson. It read…
BELIEVE. The Ted Lasso Way has put smiles on the faces of millions worldwide, and maybe made us all a little kinder. A little more focused on teamwork and collaboration. A little more aware of the power of community, and the importance of mental health needs. And a lot more aware of the impact of an inspiring leader. Join this keynote as Jason Sudeikis shares insights, laughs, and inspiration.
As a huge fan of the show, I was curious to know how much knowledge the four-time Emmy Award Winner Jason Sudeikis had in the Cybersecurity field. As I entered Moscone West Hall and tried to find a seat, I discovered that most of the capacity crowd also probably wanted to know, as well.
The Executive chair of RSAC and host Hugh Thompson introduced Sudeikis to the much appreciative crowd at Moscone West, and immediately asked Sudeikis what inspired him to be an actor and performer.
“I saw Beverly Hills Cop when I was nine years old… it was very motivational to me and I knew that’s what I wanted … to be a black cop from Detroit.”, Sudeikis replied.
From that moment on, you knew it was going to be a fun-filled afternoon with plenty of laughs with the always very playful Thompson, as host.
BE CURIOUS – NOT JUDGEMENTAL
In a few minutes after the introduction, the lights were further darkened to show a clip from the episode, “Diamond Dogs”, from Season One/Episode 8 of Ted Lasso. They played the infamous darts scene that contained the famous Lasso quote “Be curious, not judgmental”, which perhaps may be one of the most representative quotes based on Ted Lasso’s character reportoire, that easily can be applied practically everywhere in so many different situations. Thompson asked Sudeikis what he wanted people to take away from that scene.
“I just wanted to be cheering for the good guys…like the fact that people have taken and used that in commencement speeches… and I think even some political speeches”, Sudeikis explained...“I’m not sure what politics exactly…that monologue spilled out of me in 1/2 hour… I’m sure everybody has versions of this I know people speak about it a lot in the arts…”
Hopefully, to many of the conference attendees, they can bring this idea of “be curious, not judgemental”, when dealing with others. They should never “judge” whether someone has the means to effect change by contribution, but rather be “curious” having the power to apply and transform change for the better. With the advent of A.I. already now being a major force in Cybersecurity technology, it helps to not be judgemental.
A conversation with Actor, Comedian and Writer, Jason Sudeikis hosted by Hugh Thompson at the RSAConference2024. Photo by Marcus Siu
ALL ABOUT NETWORKING:
At the very beginning of the RSA conference, Thompson encouraged all attendees in the audience to go out an meet new people in the giant RSAC community where people could learn and feed off each other. He presented a hypothetical scenario in the “mean streets” of San Francisco during lunchtime to Sudeikis to the audience: If he was in line at a taco truck stand and would want to connect with a person right next to him, what would be his top five “icebreakers”?
Though Sudeikis didn’t come up with five all together, he and the audience certainly did have alot fun listening to his brainstorming answers.
“Well, I think I’d go “rub bellies” and ask what taco you getting?” “Have you been to this taco truck before?” “You know where the hot spots are?” Or if they are wearing a badge maybe ask them something about that…the big laminates…I don’t know what information is on there but” Sudeikis continued, “I don’t speak “curious”, to know… I mean this is “Playground 101″, I’d ask them their name OK?”
In the middle of Sudeikis’ rant, Thompson asked if tapping a person was okay…
“I think tapping someone might feel a little aggressive. (audience laughs) It depends on the line…if it’s proper like the way like Germans line up, like right behind each other and very rigid (audience laughs) …but if it’s a little “loosey-goosey” and I don’t know, you know, then maybe, yeah”.
Sudeikis then playfully voice acts out two characters in line.
“I apologize for my own hunger because of my tummy.”
“Sorry to hear that…oh, I didn’t hear your stomach.”
“Oh, OK, well it was actually my butt.”
The audience roared with laughter.
“So much of this stuff though is really just about hitting the playing TV Upbeat like your kids… you hit the balloon over to them and you see if they hit it back.“
“Number five would be, “have you seen anything on television that you’ve enjoyed recently?” as Sudeikis glances into the crowd and says “They are all looking for recommendations, and they can always go on “Rotten Tomatoes” but let me ask you perfect strangers.”, Sudeikis explained.
“This is great…which would be great if the answer was “Perfect Strangers”?”
THE ADMINISTER OF LAUGHTER
When Thompson asked Sudeikis, what role humor plays when battling, stress, depression, or burnout, Sudeikis credits his ten year experience on Saturday Night Live, which he was a both a writer and featured performer, as well as various TV projects, shows, and movies.
He highly credited his grandmother during his upbringing, Loretta Wendt, (also mother of Actor George Wendt) who was a volunteer at the Little Company of Mary Hospital in the Southside of Chicago, for teaching him how important humor was to healing.
“It’s always really moving and compelling to me what good medicine laughter is and being an administer of such things or at least a vessel, these projects has always really knocked my socks off and it was something about my grandmother, Loretta Wendt, she worked it, did a lot of work “, Sudeikis continued, “A big part of it was all about how important humor was to healing and I do believe that in between laughter, sleeping and crying are the three best medicines that you’re not going to give any money to a pharmaceutical company. There’s a fourth one too, the love and appreciation and execution of the arts…”
Of course, Thompson couldn’t resist pitching his own “brilliant” idea to Sudeikis for kicking the Emyy Award show into the next level by introducing a new character into the series and possibly leading up to the season finale for Ted Lasso. The concept of a mildly bald, suave, (but not to suave) cybersecurity character from some exotic background like Jamaica or the Carribean, who stalks down a hacker somehow didn’t quite make a very convincing pitch, even with Thompson’s impressive background in the Cybersecurity field.
“Would anyone believe that a character like that really existed…as a person?”, Sudeikis questioned.
So it became pretty obvious after the interview was over that the very delightful Jason Sudeikis didn’t have much to say about the very latest in cybersecurity trends at the RSA Conference, but to give him some due credit, his alter ego Ted Lasso certainly didn’t know much about European soccer (futbal) in his first season, either…and look what can happen. In any case, it couldn’t have been a more fun-filled entertaining afternoon for the RSA conference attendees.
Just like the movie industry from a year ago, the last twelve months have not been very kind to the video game industry. In contrast to the movie industry, where the pandemic single-handedly nearly ruined it with the “stay at home” order, video game sales spiked and reached unprescented highs, but soon plummeted as the pandemic slowly went away. Sales could not be sustained, which is why gaming companies had to make cuts in order to survive. Games in production were cancelled, studios shut their doors, as thousands of workers suddenly found themselves without a job.
Unfortunately, massive job layoffs started last quarter, with well over 10,000 jobs lost, and an additional 8,000 jobs were lost in the first quarter of this year. The industry has never experienced this much devastation ever. Even the big companies were vulnerable, as Sony Interactive Entertainment laid off 1,000 people in their last two quarters and Epic Games, laid off almost as many in just one day last year. As of today, layoffs still continue to worry the entire industry.
Even the prestigious E3 Conference, the most highly anticipated video game industry event in the country had to halt its operations a few years ago due to the the pandemic. It’s actual last live event was in 2019, the year before the pandemic hit. After the pandemic was over, the industry’s biggest names had pulled themselves out, such as Microsoft and Sony, two of the three biggest gaming console companies out there.
Indie games showcased at the IGF Pavilion at GDC2024 at the Moscone Convention Center. Photo by Marcus Siu.
WELCOME TO GDC 2024
This year, the Game Developer’s Conference, known as GDC, helped fill the empty void in the world of gaming conferences, at least in California and the West Coast. However, since the pandemic, companies continued to pull out conferences over the last few years. It became obvious that there just wasn’t a whole lot of new product to promote on the Expo floor compared to the pre-pandemic years.
Notably absent at GDC 2024 were Amazon Web Services and Sony Interactive Entertainment. Unity and Google were present, but did not have any product demos on the Expo floor. At least Epic – Unreal and Meta were at the show with their latest product demos.
One can easily make an argument that 2-D gaming that utilizes Unity isn’t as impressive as the heavy-weight large-scale advanced projects that Unreal Engine has or even the games coming from Meta using their latest Meta Quest 3 VR headset which is geared for Mark Zuckerberg’s vision of the Metaverse.
Regardless of the turnout on the floor, this year’s conference held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco still registered nearly 30,000 attendees from all walks of life from around the globe, which was about 2,000 more than a year before. The 730 nonstop sessions, workshops, and roundtable discussions to kept game developers busy for the entire week.
The Expo floor still was quite active mostly with Indie games, where you can play them as well as meet with the games creators and developers. In addition, hundreds of exhibitors were showing off there latest wares and tools, depending on your project needs. There were also various networking parties at separate off-site venues scattered around the city in a more relaxing atmostphere, as well.
Attendees came to meet, learn, and connect…and they did.
A GDC NEWBIE: MEET ALEX CRANE
Alex Crane in front of the entrance at Moscone Convention Center for GDC2024. Photo by Marcus Siu
Alex Crane, a 2019 graduate from the University of Kansas with a B.S. in computer science, was unsure what to expect at his first ever GDC. However, he was certain about achieving his ultimate goal; to be a game producer, project lead for a game company, or find another indie studio in the Midwest. He expressed what his intentions were while attending the GDC conference.
“My goals here were definitely to attend a lot of talks and learn a lot. I attempted to start an indie studio in the past…so attending talks about people who have done the same…figure out where we went wrong, what we could have done better…it would have been good attending talks at bigger companies and learn a lot about game development.”, Crane explained.
While an undergraduate, Crane’s background included a game project called “No Lives Left”, (much like the style of the classic game “The Legend of Zelda”), a meta imagining of what would happen if your games kept on going without you. Though he had regrets on not having completed the project during the three years he worked on it, he still gained tremendous knowledge in game design and its development, as well as having experience as a project lead for over thirty developers, engineers, and artists while using Unreal Engine 4.
At the same time, he became the President and Events chair for the “KU Game Developers Association” for the University of Kansas and has hosted many hackathons and jam events, such as “Game Jam”, which he is currently the Midwest Regional Organizer overseeing eight U.S. states for the “Global Game Jam”, an event that spans the entire world. In addition to having the opportunity to connect with professors who teach game design, as well as IGDA (International Game Developer’s Association) members, Crane was an organizer for “Flyaway Indies” and “Amber Waves of Games”, which is dedicated to connecting and showcasing video game developers who live in the Midwestern United States all through a discord server.
Even with all his Midwest connections, Crane was somewhat disappointed not having the opportunity to meet or connect with some of the bigger name game companies at GDC 2024, especially on the Expo floor.
“There’s a few of the bigger names and then not much else other than third party software that assists with the development of games as opposed to companies that develop games or game engines”, Crane continued. “You’ve got Epic and Unity here, a couple of other bigger names but I was expecting a bit more of that…Microsoft has their thing upstairs but it’s just for swag. They don’t really have recruiters here or anything or any of that. I didn’t know what to expect though since it’s my first time.”
However, as far as networking and connecting with other game developers from around the country, Crane found GDC to be quite useful. “I was surprised to meet so many people from the Midwest. I didn’t know there were so many developers in Wisconsin and Michigan. I wasn’t actually aware some companies have some campuses there.”, Crane remarked.
Indeed, out of all the advantages that the conference has to offer, connecting and networking is a huge plus at GDC. Despite all the gloom and doom around the Gaming industry now even more vulnerable than ever with the threat of A.I. in the horizon, it hopefully won’t stop the 30,000 attendees who like Crane, have drive and passion to pursue their dreams as game developers.
The world certainly needs them.
Meta Quest demo booth at GDC 2024. Photo by Marcus Siu.
20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL
directed, produced and filmed by MSTYSLAV CHERNOV. Courtesy of PBS
When watching the evening news every night on television with its almost repetitive nature of headlines covering yet another senseless mass killing somewhere in the U.S, I often hear criticism from others claiming there is hardly any media coverage in other parts of the world whose acts are even more tragic and horrific.
This is true, especially in those countries that do not represent human rights and whose brutal leaders do not want the “truth” to be exposed, especially when they are hiding possible war crimes. Such is the case in Ukraine, with the Russian invasion of the city of Mariupol.
The public takes it for granted that media covers just about everything with the utmost detail in the free world, but in reality, they have very little knowledge of what types of obstacles that journalists are up against in many corners of the world. Media certainly has its limitations with communications and can possibly spread misinformation or even disinformation that follows a propaganda agenda.
This is why director Mstyslav Chernov made “20 Days of Mariupol”.
“20 Days of Mariupol” is one of those rare films that shows the challenges that war-journalists have to face. Chernov, who also produced and shot the film, gives us a humanistic, yet non-sympathetic first person perspective of the ongoing crisis span during the first twenty days of the Russia-Ukraine war that your nightly news cannot possibly summarize, even if they had all of the footage sent to them on a timely basis each night for the broadcast.
Chernov had forty minutes of his footage published on television, but still had a good thirty hours of unused footage that would be used for the source of his documentary, which won the Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival nearly a year ago.
“I wanted to do more with that because the scale was so huge and you can’t really show that with news pieces”, Chernov continues, “We live in age of not just misinformation but misinterpretation…to persist that misinterpretation we need much more context for better understanding in the audience.”
“That’s where documentary films are becoming to be so important that they they give more than just one or two minute news pieces which can be overwhelming, but still you see them and you forget”, Cerno explained. “I kept meeting people who escaped from Mariupol who carried this city within them, but the city was did not exist anymore, so the city was just there in in their hearts. Making this film was also a way to to preserve it as it was being bombed and destroyed, but still existed. It was the way to preserve Mariupol in history, as well”.
20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL directed, produced and filmed by MSTYSLAV CHERNOV. Courtesy of PBS
Along with Chernov, the film documents his AP (Associated Press) team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol as they struggle to continue their work documenting atrocities of the Russian invasion. As the only international reporters who remain in the city, they capture what later become defining images of the war: dying children, mass graves, the bombing of a maternity hospital, and more.
The film also draws on Chernov’s daily news dispatches and personal footage of his own country at war. It offers a vivid, harrowing account of civilians caught in the siege, as well as a window into what it’s like to report from a conflict zone, and the impact of such journalism around the globe.
Chernov also serves as the narrator of the film and in spite of its subject matter, he does so in a calm fashionable manner. This was done after he realized he was imposing his emotions to the audience on the first take. His team agreed that his narration should sound like he would in a normal conversation, regardless of what was on screen. His narration reminds me of how Werner Herzog would narrate as an effective storyteller in his films, and it worked extremely well for this documentary.
Chernov initially emerged in 2008 as a fine arts photographer shooting in as many as forty different countries and winning awards all around the world. In 2013, he became the President of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (UAPF) and eventually started documentary multi-format (photo/video/text) working in journalism for the Associated Press, as well as being a war correspondent covering international conflicts and novelist known for his coverage of the Revolution of Dignity, War in Donbas, the downing of flight MH17, Syrian civil war, and the Battle of Mosul in Iraq.
He recently received the Pulitzer Prize for his work, shared with Evgeniy Maloletka, Vasilisa Stepanenko, and Lori Hinnant, for the Ukraine coverage. In addition, “20 Days of Mariupol” had just been selected last week as one of the fifteen shortlisted films to be elgible for the Academy Award for Documentary Feature film, as well as being shortlisted for International Feature film representing the country of Ukraine.
Unlike most documentaries, it is free to stream and accessible to everyone on YouTube above. It is also available on the PBS app. and is also available on DVD. Regardless of its bleak nature, this is essential viewing for everyone.
(L-R) Rick Goldsmith interviews Director Mstyslav Chernov at a screening of “20 Days of Mariupol” in San Francisco. Photo by Marcus Siu.
September 29th marks a very sad day for the remaining one million loyal Netflix DVD subscribers including myself. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the company announced earlier this year to pull the plug and close its DVD rental operations.
Needless to say, the DVD rental business for the company had been dwindling down ever since its streaming services became the primary choice for its subscribers all over the world and disrupted the video and movie industry.
To give you an idea, Netflix’s DVD revenue totaled $60 million for the first six months of 2023. In comparison, Netflix’s streaming revenue in the United States for the same period reached $6.5 billion. In 2022, the DVD business generated $145.7 million, down 20% year-over-year, which represented just 0.5% of its total revenue. That’s just half of one percent!
In their early beginnings in 1998, they couldn’t have chosen a more opportune time to get into the DVD rental business. DVD’s were at the beginning of their popularity. It also was the perfect format to ship and mail off to millions of customers due to its light weight and size. They wouldn’t have been very profitable during the days of VHS and Beta. Could you imagine Netflix stuffings bulky VHS or Beta tapes in the mail to make it in the video rental business to try to make a profit?
Instead of wasting time and gas and driving back and forth to rent and return the movies to brick and mortar video stores, customers only had to deal with their mailboxes with Netflix. They also had the luxury of returning it anytime, without any late fee to any mailbox. To many customers who are habitually late in returning their DVD rentals, it was a blessing.
Netflix was the primary reason why Blockbuster Video went out of business in 2010, along with the many independent mom and pop video stores that was virtually in nearly every neighborhood.
Nowadays, it’s unfathomable to even think that people actually made special trips back and forth to a video store just to rent and return a video.
As a Netflix subscriber, I had two gripes. There was no way to filter down movie titles that were only available in blu-ray when searching thru their inventory. The other issue that I had was trying to figure out what version of the movie that I would get if there was a title that had been released multiple times, I wouldn’t be able to tell which version of the movie I would get. Customer service was useless with those issues.
But, overall, I will miss this wonderful service.
Netflix not only changed our lives forever with the good old “red envelope” rental subscription for a good ten to fifteen years, but also with the introduction of their streaming services in 2007 it changed the world and the way we watched movies.
But is that a good thing?
Sure there are lots of great popular shows that are currently streaming on Netflix, but unfortunately the number of streaming titles in their catalog are very limited and cannot compete with the number of titles in the Netflix DVD catalog. Netflix streams about 4,000 titles at any given time, but during the peak of DVD rentals ten years ago, there were as many as 100,000 titles to choose from when DVD rental subscription peaked with over 20 million subscribers before streaming was even an option.
With their former DVD subscription, it was great to be able to search their vast inventory ranging from not just blockbuster feature films, but TV shows, documentaries, foreign films, and even music performances and videos. In addition, I loved being able to watch the extras and bonus features that were included on the DVD’s.
After mailing over five billion DVD’s and Blu-ray’s envelopes since 1998, Netflix has come to the end of an era for DVD rentals, but it certainly has been a great twenty five year run for Netflix and its appreciative customers, such as myself. It was a major part of my life.
In the future, I hope Netflix will realize that there is a demand for their own titles that should be released to home media. I do see some hope as “The Irishman” did get a release on the Criterion label, but would love to see more Netflix releases, such as “Squid Game” get a release, as well.
If they decide against releasing their movies to retail, they could at least compromise and have more special supplements streamable, like they did for “The Irishman”, with a Q&A session. I still want to know how certain movies were made along with a behind the scenes featurette, and watch interviews and commentaries with the filmmakers.
Now with my Netflix DVD subscription coming to an end, I may be forced to change my viewing habits and subscribe to their streaming services, but I know I will absolutely miss seeing Netflix’s red envelope in my mailbox every few days.
You could feel the sheer excitement in the air surrounding San Francisco’s Moscone Center where exhibitor’s and attendees convened at the 2023 Game Developer’s Conference. It recently happened a few weeks ago from March 20th thru the 24th when the Games Developer’s Conference tied its pre-pandemic record of 28,000 attendees in San Francisco that was set in 2019, more than doubling the number of in-person attendees from last year at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center.
It was all about the return of the “in-person” experience, having the strong desire and necessity of connecting with one another. Whether it was at one of the many numerous and inspiring sessions that was going on all week, or in one of the populated halls on the expo floor with some of the biggest names in the gaming world, or at a social mixer networking party with peers and leaders in the games industry; everyone seemed eager to seek and discover connections and to gain insight within their craft.
It seemed as though the conference hadn’t missed a beat since the pandemic.
For those who are unfamiliar with GDC, The Game Developers Conference® (GDC) is the world’s largest professional game industry event with market-defining content for programmers, artists, producers, game designers, audio professionals, business decision-makers, and others involved in the development of interactive games and immersive experiences. It also is the world’s largest and longest-running event serving professionals dedicated to the art and science of making games
All in all, GDC 2023 featured more than 1,000 speakers and 700+ sessions, workshops, roundtable discussions and networking opportunities. 330+ exhibitors were present to display their newest technologies, programs and services on the GDC Expo Floor, including industry leaders like Amazon Web Services, Adobe, Discord, Google, NEXON and more.
It was also a space for attendees to play and connect with the developers behind new and exciting independent games, including the finalists from the Independent Games Festival (IGF) and the alt.ctrl.GDC exhibit that is home to games that use alternative controllers like toaster ovens, giant oversized hats and others.
When you walk in the entrance on the South Side, some of the biggest name in gaming with attendees waiting in line for a demo as soon as they entered the hall, including Meta and Sony. Unity and Unreal were to the left of them and had even bigger booths with lots of play space. In fact, many of the companies were not signing anyone up for demos because they filled up within the first hour after the expo opened. Sign ups were available the next morning, as soon as they opened at 10 am, but filled up quickly. What I noticed this year compared to previous years is that there are more companies are using VR/AR/MR/XR and smart glasses for immersive gaming.
WELCOME TO THE METAWORLD
At the Meta booth, they had four demos, including Demeo, Ironman, Among Us, and a Mixed Reality Fencing Prototype which is the one I participated in. I requested the demo that would make use of the Meta Quest Pro, their flagship VR goggles. Unfortunately, Meta was having some wi-fi or battery issues and it took awhile to fix, but when it worked, I had a blast in my ten minute slot sword fighting against my opponent on the other side of the wall.
My opponent quickly got up to ten points, and just when I thought it was over, I was quick to go for another ten rounds. I was able to come out victorious. Ironically, after meeting my opponent, I found out he used to fence in Finland. Not sure if I should try the real thing next time I’m in Europe.
A swordfight at the Meta booth. The player on the left actually won, even thought the player on the right was an experience fencer.
A Meta rep also was roaming around the booth and touting their new Meta-Ray Ban glasses. She had me put them on and told me that they can capture what you are seeing in real time. Meta’s first generation of smart glasses have built-in cameras, open-ear audio, and seamless social sharing. Sort of a POV for the user that is sharable to others.
I can imagine that people may not have rush out and shoot with their smartphones any longer, if they wanted to capture something spontaneously by the touch of their finger. I immediately thought that this would be a great way to monitor the world around us and share our experiences together, as it doesn’t necessarily need to be for game sharing purposes. Perhaps, it could cut down on crime, since we might all be wearing these on a daily basis?
NReal booth demos the Air Glasses at GDC2023. Photo by Marcus Siu
AUGMENTED REALITYISJUST NREAL
Another company that I was happy to see having a nice booth at the Expo Hall was Nreal. I was first introduced to them at the Augmented World Expo in Santa Clara in 2019 and wrote about them with their impressive augmented reality technology. This time, they were demonstrated their latest “Air” AR Glasses on laptops and smartphones, which reminds me of Google Glass, but has much better promise.
My first impression with these ultra-lightweight Nreal Air glasses, which could easily be confused as regular fashion sunglasses, is an amazing 201″ spatial display that gets casted from your device, whether it’s streaming from a game on the cloud, a compatible smartphone, or a iMac.
It has Micro-OLED panels and it is just has an amazing immersive display. As I put them on, I was looking at floating apps and browsers that I could select with my mouse, and be transported watching videos. Imagine watching Netflix or having a big screen for cloud gaming on the big screen anywhere you go.
A glimpse at the Pico Booth at GDC 2023. Photo by Marcus Siu.
META’S MAIN COMPETITOR?
If there is a Meta competitor on the Expo floor, it would probably be Pico from China who made their debut at GDC. They had a nice booth showing the evolution of their hardware products over they years, much displayed like it would be at a VR museum, if there was one.
The release of their Pico 4 was getting some buzz on the floor, but didn’t get any official announcement when it would actually be released. This is probably due to the fact that their parent company, Bytedance, also owns TikTok, is still trying to settle with the Senate hearings.
What a great time to be a game developer! Here are a slideshow of a few scenes from the Expo floor.
originally published on https://mlsentertainment.wordpress.com/2023/04/21/the-2023-game-developers-conference-future-glimpse-of-the-latest-spectacles/
It’s been nearly a year since Will Smith infamously slapped Oscar host Chris Rock live onstage at last year’s Academy Awards telecast after cracking a “G.I. Jane” joke aimed at Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. It was indeed a surreal moment as the audience watched Smith laugh initially then turn to his wife who was fuming from the inside, got up from his chair to approach the stage and strike Rock.
Most of the audience thought that it was just “part of the act”, but when Smith returned to his seat and shouted expletives at Rock, they realized it was not.
Though the “teary eyed” and emotional Smith was allowed to return onstage to accept his Best Actor Oscar for “King Richard” after the incident, the Academy of Motion Pictures Sciences (AMPAS) decided a few weeks later that Smith would be barred from attending any Oscar ceremonies for the next ten years.
Months later, Apple TV announced a new movie called “Emancipation” to be released in late Fall starring Will Smith. At first, I thought it was about his documentary regarding his “freedom” from the Academy not having to attend the Oscars for the next ten years. Last weekend, Chris Rock premiered his Netflix special called “Selective Outrage”. “I rooted for Will Smith my whole life,” he said. “The other day, I watched “Emancipation” just so I could watch him getting whipped.”
All kidding aside, it’s a shame that had happened. It was one step forward for diversity, but two steps back. Or is it?
Sure, you can make a case there should have been at least more than two African-American nominees list this year for the acting categories. Viola Davis in “The Woman King” and Danielle Deadwyler in “Till” come to mind. You can also make a case that their directors from those films, Gina Prince Bythewood or even Chinonye Chukwu should have made the list in their category, even in a very competitive field.
Regardless of these omissions, the Academy is seems to be doing a formidable job of accomplishing its goals of diversifying the Academy since the #OscarsSoWhite movement eight years ago. They are clearly doing its best to continue its efforts in representing all groups, not just African-American filmmakers. If you look at this years nominations, it’s clearly diverse.
With four nominations, more Asian performers were recognized by the Academy in 2023 than in any single year in its history. In addition, Malaysian “Everything Everywhere All At Once” star Michelle Yeoh is only the second Asian best actress nominee in 95 years of Oscars history, with a strong chance of becoming the first winner.
After the embarrassing “Slap Heard Around The World” Oscars telecast like last year, we need a bit of comic relief. You can certainly bet our host for this year’s Oscars, Tonight Show’s own Jimmy Kimmel will prepare a lot of material that should keep us comfortably and uncomfortably laughing during the telecast. I can’t imagine a better host to open up the show and look forward to his monologue.
OSCAR PREDICTIONS
This may be the most difficult year in predicting the Oscars ever, but here are my predictions for the 95th Annual Academy Awards.
BEST PICTURE:
Exactly a year ago, when this “mind bending” independent film “Everything Everywhere All at Once” had it’s World Premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival on March 11th, 2022. Since that time, the film went on to become A24’s highest grossing film ever. It was re-released three times due to it’s popularity, including a one-night only at IMAX, and its re-release on January 27th thanks to a resurgence of interest for its leading eleven Academy Award nominations. It has won the top prizes from the Director’s Guild, Producer’s Guild, the Writer’s Guild, and won a record-breaking four awards at the Screen Actor’s Guild Awards. Though it lost at the BAFTA’s to “All Quiet on the Western Front”, the British Academy Awards, there is too much momentum for this film to lose at this year’s Oscars.
Everything Everywhere All at Once with Oscar nominees, Stephanie Hsu, Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of A24.
BEST ACTOR:
After watching Brendan Fraser in his heart-wrenching performance in “The Whale” as a 600 pound recluse, I was certain that was getting the Oscar. Fraser just recently won at the SAG awards, so we know at least a majority of actors loved his performance. However, the Academy didn’t embrace “The Whale” as much as they did “Elvis” with its eight nominations. “The Whale” was nominated for three awards, but wasn’t nominated as Best Picture or even screenplay.
I still keep changing my tune on my prediction for Best Actor even as I write, as picking Elvis starts to make more sense. The Academy loves bio-pics, and it’s rare to have an actor be able to portray someone as iconic as Elvis. Jamie Foxx played Ray Charles, Rami Malek played Freddie Mercury, and Renée Zellweger played Judy Garland and they all won the Oscar.
The extreme dedication of Butler for three years of his life is exemplary. As a method actor, he not only acted as Elvis, but embodied himself in his role as “The King”. He looked, sang and danced like him by watching tapes and films of him when production was down during COVID. He needed to be able to discern how Elvis talked and walked during certain periods of his career since they needed to shoot scenes out of sequence. He put posters and photos all over his wall during the shutdown when his co-star Tom Hanks, who played the Colonel caught COVID-19.
Even after the movie was done, he could not let go of Elvis, even as he went about promoting his film. He was Elvis 24/7 and still could not leave the King. He didn’t even see his family for three years because he was so focused on his role. What a hound dog!
This will be a tight race, but I think the “King” will live on.
AUSTIN BUTLER as Elvis in Warner Bros. Pictures’ drama “ELVIS,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
BEST ACTRESS:
Another difficult category to predict is Best Actress, which is really a race between the two-time Oscar winner, Cate Blanchett and Michelle Yeoh. Even on a fair playing field, I probably would have leaned for Cate Blanchett for her performance as Lydia Tár, one of the most extraordinary performances that she has ever done, if not the best.
She has proven she can play just about anything, including Spazzatura, the monkey in “Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio”. If there is a sequel to “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, the Daniels may want her to play a googly eyed rock, and she may get another nomination.
However, Michelle Yeoh, who gets her second Oscar nomination for “Everything Everywhere All at Once” since “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, even with her hot dog fingers, can still just beat anyone up against her…and not just the music exit prompters at the Golden Globes. She is well loved not just in Hollywood, but globally, and the Academy would probably want to honor her the award, rather than give Blanchett a third.
She would also be a fitting tribute to honor the first Asian Best Actress Oscar winner as she has made a tremendous contribution to World Cinema during her lifetime. It would be fitting and iconic.
Maybe the U.S. mint she will issue her own coin one day.
Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) is an average Chinese mother who reluctantly becomes a superhero, jumping alternate worlds and absorbing powers to fight an evil villain. A24
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
When Ke Huy Quan stopped getting roles after being a formidable child star working in movies such as Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom alongside with Harrison Ford with Steven Spielberg directing, and a cult timeless movie classic called “The Goonies”, Quan believed the best was over. He stopped getting roles and decided to stop acting and work behind the scenes, notably with Wong Kar Wai as an assistant director. Nearly broke, he told his agent that he needed to work and found a role that he really wanted. The real life story of Quan is inspirational to any actor who was once in the spotlight and wants to return to it.
If there is any category that is the “sure thing”, this is it. He has won nearly every “Best Supporting Actor” award, with the exception of the BAFTA, in which Barry Keoghan won for his role in “The Banshees of the Inisherin”. I highly doubt Keoghan will repeat on American turf.
Hollywood loves a comeback story. Ke Huy Quan is the real deal.
Ke Huy Quan in EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE. ALLYSON RIGGS / A24 / COURTESY EVERETT COLLECTION
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
This could be the category that will be most difficult to predict. Early in the Awards season, Angela Bassett was the frontrunner for “Black Panther – Wakanda Forever”. She won the Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award. However, the momentum shifted. Just recently, Jamie Lee Curtis won the SAG award and Kerry Condon won the BAFTA. I have a feeling that the Academy will split votes between Curtis and Bassett more in recognition for their life work as veteran actors and the Academy would still like to honor “The Banshees of the Inisherin” as an Oscar winner. This is the only possible category that it could potentially win. Condon most likely will take the award, and deservedly so.
One real mystery remains, however. Now that Will Smith is barred from the Oscars, who will present the Best Actress award to this years recipient?
MLS Entertainment’s Oscar Predictions:
Best Picture: “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Best Actor: Austin Butler, “Elvis” Best Actress: Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Best Supporting Actor: Ke Huy Quan “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Best Supporting Actress: Kerry Condon “The Banshees of Inisherin” Best Director: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Best Adapted Screenplay: Sarah Polley “Women Talking ” Best Original Screenplay: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Best Cinematography: “All Quiet on the Western Front” Best Costume Design: “Elvis” Best Film Editing: “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Best Makeup and Hairstyling: “The Whale” Best Music (Original Score): “All Quiet on the Western Front” Best Music (Original Song): “Naatu Naatu” Best Production Design: “All Quiet on the Western Front” Best Sound: “Top Gun Maverick” Best Visual Effects: “Avatar: The Way of Water” Best Animated Feature Film: “Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio” Best Foreign Language Film: “All Quiet on the Western Front” Best Documentary (Feature): “Navalny” Best Documentary (Short Subject): “Elephant Whisperers” Best Short Film (Animated): “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” Best Short Film (Live Action): “An Irish Goodbye”
originally published on https://wordpress.com/post/mlsentertainment.wordpress.com/8262
On Cyber Monday, one of the oldest grocery retailers in America, Albertsons, started selling and delivering tangible items in the metaverse. Metaverse, a platform for augmented reality, enables users to build interactive experience that combine the virtual and real worlds.
Metaverse is very popular in online video games, like Fortnite by Epic Games, and offers immersive digital gaming and social space that is an example of a real-life metaverse-like environment.
As the other retailers, fashion brands and restaurants have been experimenting with connecting the metaverse to real life shopping, Albertsons is the first in the grocery space.
Its pilot program, called the “Meta Mega Deal”, was launched on Decentraland, a 3D virtual browser-based platform. Albertsons offered Signature Select pretzels, peanut butter cups and a six-pack of mini coke as a bundle, all for $1 with free delivery. Users of Decentraland simply scan a QR code, pay by credit card and get items delivered in 45 minutes.
Albertsons, who oversees more than a dozen grocery store brands including Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco and Acme will closely analyze the Meta Mega Deal pilot program to understand the on-line interactive behaviors of its younger customers.
Metaverse was announced to be the next big thing at CES 2023. According to McKinsey & Company it is predicted that by 2030, the metaverse may generate up to $5 trillion in sales as an alternative to physical brick-and-mortar store shopping.
One of the big differences in the Metaverse shopping vs traditional on-line shopping is the buyer is not simply looking at an on-line catalog of static photos of items. It is an interactive experience that presents a real-life view of actually being in a location and uses either the actions of the on-screen avatar or a simple QR code to enable the e-commerce activity.
I vividly remember the first time becoming totally immersed with an “Arthouse film” It was in 1992, in a little dinky hole-in-the-wall cinema in San Francisco. I sat there completely mesmerized watching, and as far as I can tell, a “near-perfect” movie, as every component of it’s filmmaking was simply superior in every aspect. The movie was “Howards End”.
The tiny theater consisted of less than fifty uncomfortable seats, but that didn’t matter much, as I was glued to how the the story moved along with Emma Thompson’s nuanced performance as Margaret Schlegel, a character I would never forget, along with the masterly Sir Anthony Hopkins.
The adapted screenplay written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala of Merchant/Ivory fame resonated with me, that I inspired to seek out the original writings by the author himself, E.M. Forster. When everyone else was collecting Batman memorabilia, I was collecting anything “Howard’s End”.
The film went on the following year to win three Academy Awards, including Best Actress for Thompson. It also happened to be the very first Sony Pictures Classics movie ever released.
Thank you Sony Pictures Classics for not only for introducing me to “Howard’s End”, which was absolutely my “Best Picture” favorite from that year, but also to the countless movies that were released in the last three decades.
Over the years of festival going, I would flip through the programs as an active movie festival goer, always looking for thought provoking films, both domestic and international. If I see the name “Sony Pictures Classics” as the distributor, then I knew right off that it was going to be a high quality film.
I still can’t believe it’s been thirty years.
To commemorate, Sony Pictures Classics just released since their 30th Anniversary 4K UHD set and it’s a beautiful package. It is the perfect gift for that someone who not only collects 4K UHD movies, but who appreciates finely designed packaging.
One of my gripes of buying physical media is that more than 90% of the time, you just get an amaray case along with the paper insert and Blu-ray. I used to love collecting Digi books Blu-Rays in my collection. Here, you have a 24-page booklet, featuring an all-new essay from renowned film critic David Thomson about the history of Sony Pictures Classics, along with information about each of the included films and an introduction from SPC co-presidents Tom Bernard and Michael Barker.
This 11 movie box set includes iconic award-winning masterpieces from world-renowned filmmakers, unforgettable performances from global luminaries, and fan-favorite stories that have resonated across the years: ORLANDO, THE CELLULOID CLOSET, THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN, RUN LOLA RUN, SLC PUNK, CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE, VOLVER, SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK, STILL ALICE and CALL ME BY YOUR NAME. Each film is presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision High Dynamic Range.
Notably, ten out of the eleven titles have never been released on 4K. (Only Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was released in 4K) Also, the set includes hours of archival special features across the eleven films, plus a few newly added materials, rounding out this set.
It would be a wonderful present for the holidays, even if it’s just for yourself.
ORLANDO
Synopsis: Tilda Swinton and Billy Zane star in this hip, sexy and wickedly funny look at an English nobleman who defies the laws of nature and comes back to life as an English noblewoman.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
English 2-Channel Surround DTS-HD Master Audio
Audio Commentary with Director Sally Potter and Actress Tilda Swinton
Select Scenes Commentary
Orlando Goes to Russia
Orlando in Uzbekistan
Jimmy Was an Angel
Venice Film Festival Press Conference
An Interview with Sally Potter
Theatrical Trailer
Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature
THE CELLULOID CLOSET
Synopsis: Narrated by Lily Tomlin, this exuberant, eye-opening movie serves up a dazzling hundred-year history of gay men and women on the silver screen.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
English 2-Channel Surround DTS-HD Master Audio
Audio Commentary with Filmmakers Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman, Lily Tomlin, producer Howard Rosenman, and editor Arnold Glassman
Additional Commentary with Author Vito Russo
Collection of Outtakes
Interview with Vito Russo
Theatrical Trailer
Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature
THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN
Synopsis: From Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the director of AMELIE and DELICATESSEN, comes a fantastically twisted fairy tale chock-full of curious characters, spectacular stunts and unforgettable visuals.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
French 2-Channel Surround DTS-HD Master Audio
NEW Audio Commentary with Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Audio Commentary with Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Actor Ron Perlman
Making-Of Featurette
“Les Archives de Jean-Pierre Jeunet”
Interview With Costume Designer Jean-Paul Gaultier
Theatrical Teasers & Trailer
Optional English subtitles for the main feature
RUN LOLA RUN
Synopsis: A thrilling post-MTV, roller-coaster ride! Time is running out for Lola (Franka Potente). She’s just received a frantic phone call from her boyfriend, Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu), who’s lost a small fortune belonging to his mobster boss. If Lola doesn’t replace the money in twenty minutes, Manni will surely suffer severe consequences.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
NEW Audio Commentary with Director Tom Tykwer and Editor Mathilde Bonnefoy
NEW, Making-Of Featurette
Audio Commentary with Director Tom Tykwer and Actor Franka Potente
Still Running Featurette
Believe” Music Video
Theatrical Trailer
Optional English subtitles for the main feature
SLC PUNK
Synopsis: It’s 1985 and Stevo is that rare animal: a punk rocker in the Mormon stronghold of Salt Lake City, Utah. He just graduated from college with honors and now his life is a nutty roller coaster ride of rock shows, stealing cars, beating up rednecks and non-stop partying with his buddy, Heroin Bob, and his girlfriend. But with the scene getting lame and Stevo going nowhere fast, he has to put his punk ideals to the test.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
NEW Revisiting SLC PUNK – a new interview with Director James Merendino
Audio Commentary with Director James Merendino and Actors Matthew Lillard & Michael Goorjian
Comic Book Gallery
Theatrical Trailer
Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
Synopsis: An epic set against the breathtaking landscapes of ancient China, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon combines the exhilarating martial arts choreography by Yuen Wo-Ping (The Matrix) with the sensitivity and classical storytelling of an Ang Lee film. The result is something truly unexpected: romantic, emotionally powerful entertainment.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
Mandarin Dolbv Atmos and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Audio Commentary with Director Ang Lee and Writer / Producer James Schamus
Audio Commentary with Cinematographer Peter Pau
Introduction by Director Ang Lee
7 Deleted Scenes (in 4K HDR)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – A Retrospective
The Making of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
English “A Love Before Time” Music Video
Mandarin “A Love Before Time” Music Video
A Conversation with Michelle Yeoh
Photo Gallery
Theatrical Trailer
Optional English subtitles for the main feature
THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE
Synopsis: His father killed in the brutal fighting of the Spanish Civil War, ten-year-old Carlos is sent to live at the desolate Santa Lucia School, now a makeshift shelter for war orphans. Soon after his arrival, Carlos has a series of seemingly supernatural encounters: strange shadows, voices and, most frightening of all, the apparition of a brutalized young boy. Turns out that Carlos is not alone in seeing these strange phenomena, many other children have experienced the “One Who Sighs,” as the entity has come to be called.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Audio Commentary with Director Guillermo del Toro
Audio Commentary with Director Guillermo del Toro and Cinematographer Guillermo Navarro
Guillermo del Toro Introduction
Director’s Thumbnails Track
Director’s Notebook
Que es un fantasma? Featurette
4 Deleted Scenes with Director Commentary
Sketch, Storyboard, Screen – 6 Scenes
Making-Of Featurette
Summoning Spirits Featurette
Theatrical Trailer
Optional English subtitles for the main feature
VOLVER
Academy Award-winner Pedro Almodóvar (2003, Best Original Screenplay, Talk to Her) comes VOLVER, a comedic and compassionate tribute to women and their resilience in the face of life’s most outrageous tribulations. A luminous Penélope Cruz leads an ensemble of gifted actresses, including Carmen Maura (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown). Raimunda (Cruz) and her sister Sole lost their parents in a tragic fire years ago…or did they? Superstitious villagers claim that the girls’ departed mother, Irene (Maura), has been seen wandering around their Aunt Paula’s home. When Irene appears to Sole, she explains that she has returned to set right her daughters’ troubled lives and reveal shocking secrets that will impact everyone!
Special Features and Technical Specs:
4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Audio Commentary: Director Pedro Almodóvar and Actor Penélope Cruz
Making of Volver Featurette
Interview With Pedro Almodóvar
Interview with Penélope Cruz
Interview With Carmen Maura
Tribute to Penélope Cruz
Theatrical Trailer
Optional English subtitles for the main feature
SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK
Synopsis: From Charlie Kaufman comes a visual and philosophic adventure. Theater director Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is mounting a new play. His life catering to suburban blue-hairs at the local regional theater in Schenectady, New York is looking bleak. His wife Adele (Catherine Keener) has left him to pursue her painting in Berlin, taking their young daughter Olive with her. His therapist, Madeleine Gravis (Hope Davis), is better at plugging her best-seller than she is at counseling him. A new relationship with the alluringly candid Hazel (Samantha Morton) has prematurely run aground. And a mysterious condition is systematically shutting down each of his autonomic functions, one by one. Worried about the transience of his life, he leaves his home behind. He gathers an ensemble cast into a warehouse in New York City, hoping to create a work of brutal honesty. He directs them in a celebration of the mundane, instructing each to live out their constructed lives in a growing mockup of the city outside.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
The Story of Caden Cotard Featurette
NFTS/Script Factory Masterclass
Infectious Diseases in Cattle Roundtable
In and Around Synecdoche, New York Featurette
Theatrical Trailer
Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature
STILL ALICE
Synopsis: Alice Howland (Julianne Moore), happily married with three grown children, is a renowned linguistics professor who starts to forget words. When she receives a diagnosis of Early-Onset Alzheimer’s disease, Alice and her family find their bonds thoroughly tested. Her struggle stay connected to who she once was is frightening, heartbreaking, and inspiring. Also starring Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart, Kate Bosworth and Hunter Parrish.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
3 Deleted Scenes
Directing Alice Featurette
Finding Alice Featurette
Interview with Composer Ilan Eshkeri
Theatrical Trailer
Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature
CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
Synopsis: Amid the summer splendor of 1980’s Italy, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire that will alter their lives forever.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Audio Commentary with Actors Timothée Chalamet and Michael Stuhlbarg
Snapshots of Italy: The Making of Call Me by Your Name Featurette
In Conversation with Armie Hammer, Timothée Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Luca Guadagnino Featurette
“Mystery of Love” Music Video by Sufjan Stevens
Theatrical Trailer
Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature
The retail revenue from consumer electronics sales in the United States is expected to reach close to 505 billion U.S. dollars by the end of 2022, recording a growth rate of almost three percent – predicts Statista, a leading provider of market and consumer data.
The market continues to grow at a rapid pace as a major contributor in enriching people’s lives. It becomes most noticeable during the months of November and December, when consumer spending drives the holiday season compromising of about 40% of their annual revenue for most of the retailers during the year.
During the pandemic (COVID-19), that disrupted growth in several sectors, the consumer electronics market was resilient. With people spending a lot more time at home, increased demand for greater comfort and security through smart devices and appliances drove growth in the sector.
The consumer electronics market often appears to reach its saturation levels with proliferation rates at maximum, but there are always innovative products that act as critical drivers of growth in this sector. Today’s electronic devices are not only more technologically advanced than years ago, but also cheaper, more widely available, and more diverse.
According to Statista leading consumer tech product sales in US will be a smartphone. This largest electronics sector showed no sign to slow down. In 2021 reached a revenue 481 billion U.S. dollars and will continue to grow with 500 billion expected by 2026. In 2021, the television segment of the CE market reached a sales volume of 544 million units. Given the constant development of modern technologies, high-resolution TVs, such as 8K are becoming popular, while smart TVs with integrated internet features have already taken the world. Great consumer enthusiasm over the last years earns also wearable devices, which include fitness trackers and smart watches. The overall wearable market is projected to ship around 490 million units by 2023, an increase of approximately 80% compare to 2020. Strongly growing is also gaming consoles and VR/AR headsets. In contrast, digital cameras are undergoing a sustained market decline.
Welcome to the era of technology and Happy Holidays!
Electrification trends are shaping the future of mobility. At 2022 LA Auto Show that took place at Los Angeles Convention Center in the late November most of the press conferences were focus on electric cars, most talks were about electric cars and almost every auto manufacture present hybrid or fully electric vehicle of its own.
In a gasoline driven world, the latest electric vehicles are changing the landscape of the automotive industry. The negative environmental consequences of using gasoline can’t be ignored any longer. With the continuing high prices of gasoline that drivers face each time they fill up their automobile tanks at the gas station, consumers have an attitude like “it is what it is”. However, with the EV’s that have been introduced, they now have another viable option. Drivers will save not only on fuel costs but also will never have to pay any additional money for oil changes and smog check, not mention to be in fashion – environmentally friendly and concern about next generation future.
The EV’s are now presenting a new reason to get them into homes, providing power when the electrical grid goes down. Ford introduced the F-150 Lightning to their 2023 lineup which can power your home for up to 3 days automatically when it is connected to the Ford Charge Station Pro home charging unit.
These are great reasons to make a transition immediately to the electric cars, however is the automobile industry there? Gasoline, with all of its problems that it causes to the environment, is a very efficient way to store energy. It is definitely more efficient than an electric battery. In addition, plug-in electric’s also need a massive charging infrastructure and we already have a century’s worth of gas stations and other fueling infrastructures built. In conclusion, drivers’ expectations for electric cars presently do not compete the same way as the traditional gasoline cars do.
But there is no way back. The industry is heading to full electric models with powerful and smart chargers. Electrify America, that is an electric DC fast charging station network in the US, announced more than 791 charging locations (plus 90 coming soon) and over 3,531 individual charging units as of September 2022. The largest public fast charging network has been building out a convenient, reliable, customer-centric network of electric vehicles chargers nationwide – at workplaces, in communities, and on highways.
