Transformers 2 - Release and Marketing
By Michael Nielsen

Transformers 2, the science-fiction film is the latest sensation, and is the most awaited movie of the year. After the huge success of Transformers and the unimaginable amount of love and support given to the characters and actors by the fans, Transformers - Revenge of the Fallen, is considerably anticipated by the enormous fan following.

The film is soon to be released on June 8, 2009 in Tokyo, Japan, June 19, 2009 in U.K and in U.S on June 24, 2009. Michael Bay as director and Steven Spielberg are once again bringing an original entertainment for the huge audience. The duo shook the multiplexes with Transformers, and now is planning to sway the industry once more.

With Shia LaBeouf once again acting as Sam Witwicky, and Megan Fox as his girlfriend Mikaela Banes, the couple would once more face the Decepticons and would try to outdo them with the help of their Autobot friends. The film was shot at several locations with the main focus being Egypt.Out of many amazing yet dangerous scenes, three scenes were shot with IMAX cameras. The IMAX footage is said to be 3D and the scenes involve Optimus Prime. Now, that would be interesting to watch our favourite robot on IMAX. What a treat that would be!!

The cast and crew of the film to help promote the film have done many guest appearances, interviews, and TV shows. New and latest toys of the robots are introduced. The old and favourite toys have been modified and have interesting new features and gadgets. The latest line of toys for Transformers' sequel introduced by Hasbro includes new models of all the robots that are introduced in the film. The old robots have new colour schemes and new moulded elements.

The toy of our most favourite car Bumblebee would be released on 30 May, 2009 alongside the robot toys of Soundwave. Additional toys are due to be released in August, 2009. Those will include many human figures along with some transforming and non-transforming car reproductions.

A new video game is being launched by Activision made by Luxoflux. Embedded marketing is being done by several multinational companies including Burger King, LG phones, Wal-Mart, YouTube, Nike, Inc. and M&M's. Paramount believes that a major reason for the first film's great success was the promotion and marketing through advertisement.

An Idea and Design Works prequel formally named Destiny was to be published. Later, it was split in two parts namely, Alliance ad Defiance which would feature humans and Autobots. A comic book adaption as well as a novel publication is being done for the film's promotion. Some false rumours were also circulated on different sites by the filmmakers themselves to add speculation and interest among the fans. Every new character and robot was hidden from the media's eye, and gossip was circulated at large to increase curiosity.

These tricks have helped to increase and maintain the interest of the fans of Transformers. The rumours, the latest toys, comics, and new characters are attracting more and more audience day by day. Now, the audience is waiting for the release of the movie impatiently.

New Releases on DVD - Top 5 Comedy New Movies of 2008,
By Lane Wright

Are you interested in comedy movies? Some are good, some not so good. But comedy is very subjective. Here are my picks for the top five animated movies of 2008 are as follows.

(1) Pineapple Express

Pineapple Express -- Starring Seth Rogen and Jame Franco. After a druggies accidentally witnesses a cop commit murder, he and his dealer must head out on the lam.

(2) Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Forgetting Sarah Marshall -- Starring Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, and Russell Brand. When Sarah dumps Peter he is devastated. In order to get over his heartache he plans a trip to Hawaii, only to find you can't run away from your problems.

(3) Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Zack and Miri Make a Porno -- Starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks. Zack and Miri are roommates who can't come up with the rent. They figure the best way they can make some extra money is to make a porn film.

(4) Tropic Thunder

Tropic Thunder -- Starring Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr. In this film we encounter a group of demanding, self-absorbed actors who are dropped into the middle of the jungle instead of a cushy set in order to film the war movie they are starring in.

(5) Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist

Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist -- Nick can't get over the woman who just dumped him and Nora is being used by her boyfriend. Will a night of searching for their favorite band bring the two together?

The 2008 crop of comedy films was wonderful. Are you looking to add any of these movies to your collection? Are you upgrading from DVD to Blu-ray?

New Releases on DVD - Top 5 Drama New Movies of 2008
By Lane Wright

Are you interested in dramatic movies? Some are better than others. Here are my picks for the top drama movies of 2008 are as follows. Most top five lists of dramatic movies for 2008 include Doubt and Slumdog Millionaire, but we found the following five movies to be the best of the bunch.

(1) The Wrestler

The Wrestler -- Starring Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei. Twenty years after stardom, an aging wrestler has a heart attack and is forced into early retirement where he reevaluates his life.

(2) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button -- Starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. This is the story of a man who ages backwards.

(3) Frost/Nixon

Frost/Nixon -- Starring Frank Langella and Michael Sheen. Three years after being impeached and forced to resign the office of the president, Nixon agrees to an interview with British talk-show host David Frost. Nixon assumes he'll be able to steer the interview and win back the hearts of the American public.

(4) Milk

Milk -- Starring Sean Penn and Josh Brolin. This is the true story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official.

(5) The Reader

The Reader -- Starring Kate Winslet and Liam Neeson, this is the story of a passionate love affair between an older woman with a very dark secret, and a 15-year old boy.

These are my picks for the top five dramatic movies for the year 2008. Do you need to add any of these to your move library? Are you upgrading from DVD to Blu-ray?

All About Transformers - Revenge of the Fallen
By Michael Nielsen

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a sequel of Transformers 2007. In both the versions, we can see the continuous battle of vicious workings of evil. Transformers 2 is an action packed movie with numerous new characters. The Decepticons, Autobots, and Humans all work together in the development of the story.

The movie is marked with drama, action, suspense, thrill, speculation, tragedy, grief and joy along with strong characterizations and perfection of plot. All the characters project high levels of energies. Just like part 1, we see here the goodies fighting with the evils to protect the world and humanity from the evil clutches.

Surprisingly, we see Megatron again in Transformers 2. One of the Constructions resurrects him. He comes to life in part 1 also with the help of a small robot: Construction. The difference in the story of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is that now the Decepticons are after Sam to get some information from him regarding the origin of the Transformers.

This information came to Sam in the form of some visions that he gets from the remains of Allspark. Sam is shown going to a college to learn astronomy. He is away from his girlfriend Mikaela as she is not able to go to the college due to financial reasons, and is working at a motorcycle workshop. Sam has also got another human helping hand; Leo Spitz. Bumblebee will also be staying away from Sam, which one can hardly expect after watching the first part. He can't accompany Sam to the college as any fresher is not allowed to park his car at the college.

The Autobots too have a delicate touch with the addition of a female Autobot Acree. Amongst the Decepticons, a new and very important character is introduced: the Fallen. It is the Fallen whose name is seen in the title of the movie. We will enjoy the movie with a new line of Construction/ Devastators too.

With an impressive sound track by Linkin Park, the scenes create quite an impression. The scenes have been shot at different locations, with Egypt being the most prominent of all, where the final battle has been filmed. Other places include Bethlehem, Philadelphia, New Mexico, Tuscan International Airport, and Pennsylvania. IMAX cameras have been used to shot the action sequences of the movie, which make it all the more impressive.

Special effects in this movie are worth watching. Real F-16 Fighting Falcon has been used in the movie to make it look more life-like. Tank fire, which we see in the movie are also real. Enhanced designs of the robots have been used to make them look deadly and ferocious. Hasbro has worked quite hard on the designs of the robots, both the Decepticons and the Autobots. This time the filmmakers have dedicated more of the budget to the effects.

The most interesting part of the movie is its battles. For elevated marketing of the film, its premier will be shown in Tokyo, Japan by the 8th of June 2009. After that, the movie will be released in UK and USA.

Donald Trump Made the Right Decision
By Barbara Morris, R.Ph.

As I watched Annie Duke and Joan Rivers duke it out for the title of Celebrity Apprentice I tried to be fair in my assessment of their competence.

Both women qualified as winners but in choosing Joan, The Donald demonstrated that he understands that advanced age should not be a measure of competence. Even though he made negative reference to Joan's age a couple of times, and it concerned me that it was a tipoff that he was going to be predictable and choose the young and pretty Annie Duke, he finally made the right decision. Perhaps he saw in Joan the specter of his own advancing age, and how people will judge him when he is "over the hill" by cultural standards.

Trump's decision was a huge win not just for Joan Rivers, but for all midlife women who want more out of their remaining years than playing shuffleboard in a retirement community. He gave every older woman with a fire in her belly the green light to do what she wants to do - age be damned.

Donald did more than hand the trophy to Joan. He made her Role Model of the Year. In our shamefully ageist society he raised the consciousness of everyone about the value and abilities of older women and for that he is a winner.

Aside from her triumph, Joan is proof that traditional retirement is for the birds. She is testimony that if you maintain your health, have a purpose in life that benefits not just yourself but others, you don't have to decline.

Her feisty energy and business accomplishments demonstrate that age 75 is not the end of the line. Because she has chosen to avoid traditional retirement and instead, continue to grow and be productive, she is enjoying a lifestyle that women who want to be ageless can emulate.

Joan decimates the concern of every midlife woman who yearns to achieve an unfilled dream but feels held back because of the culturally sanctioned notion that "I'm too old to do that." Joan will never be too old to do what she wants to do because she has discovered the key that unlocks agelessness. Joan Rivers has not only empowered every midlife woman to believe in herself, but she also demonstrates what is possible when women avoid the decline oriented senior culture, and instead, live productively. It's the ultimate anti-aging magic.

Five Essential Steps For Developing Your Own Reality TV Show Or Documentary Film
By Hector V. Herrera

These five steps will help you set out on the path towards developing your own reality TV show or documentary film with a professional, well thought out concept and a solid 30 second pitch.

1. THE HOMEWORK: The first step in developing your show or documentary film is research. As you begin flushing out your idea, do your homework. Think of all the reality TV shows you've seen in your lifetime. Which ones did you enjoy most? Why? Make notes of them and actively search for and try to find the most successful shows resembling your concept and ideas. You are going to need those in order to write an effective "log line" for your Reality TV style online video series, program or blog.

2. THE TREATMENT: Step two in the process of creating a sound TV show or documentary concept, is to write a one-page treatment. If you are writing a treatment for a reality TV program or documentary film, then begin the treatment with a single solid and well-written paragraph that grabs the reader's attention and briefly introduces them to the each of the themes you will cover in greater detail in the paragraphs below it. Dead simple... Right?

3. THE LOG LINE: Once you have a solid treatment down you can move on to step three. You will need to create a truly effective log line for your reality TV show or documentary film. Remember that a Log Line is a brief summary of your TV show or documentary concept, it should give a brief synopsis of the main plot, and what makes it different or unique, as well as what makes it similar, to other programs.

4. THE STORYBOARDS: The fourth step in developing a good reality TV show or documentary film concept, is to illustrate your point and that means creating storyboards to visualize your concept. You want to give the reader a visual feel for your TV show or documentary. Do some homework on branding techniques and search for royalty free images that will help illustrate your story. If your concept is for a reality TV show or even for a documentary film or series, don't be afraid to shoot stills with a digital camera or use stock photography to create your storyboards.

5. THE ONE SHEET: The final step in developing your concept for a TV show or documentary film is to put all of the pieces together into a single one sheet document that includes your log line, edited copy, a few key images and a brief synopsis of your reality TV show or documentary film concept. For an reality TV show or documentary film producer, this is the equivalent to a head shot for an actor or model, or a sizzle reel for a director or cinematographer. It's your calling card and the one thing anybody will ever really read all the way through. You need to grab the reader's attention immediately or it will quickly end up under a pile of other really great ideas, or most likely, under another thousand or so really mediocre ones.

Utilize each of these steps to focus on telling your full story in a clear and succinct fashion. The reader will appreciate it and will likely give it do time and consideration, which is likely to be 30 seconds or less. But, then again, it only takes an instant to make a good decision. Believe me, the media industry is beaming with content created in this exact way! If you follow the general guidelines in these examples you will have a short document that explains your brand vision clearly and professionally.

Ironically Luck by Chance - At 'The New India'
By Frank Ravtiz

It's a common story when it comes to an individual struggling to make it be a star in the film industry. A similar line drawn here except the movie is based on this concept. The hero hails from the capital with hopes, dreams and aspirations to become a star in the famous film producing industry in India, 'Bollywood'. It is not easy as it seems as it's not just a small industry where a new comer's presence is never noticed, acknowledged is far from this.

The guy meets his other counterparts running the race with him to the goal of getting a lead role in the films. And hence the meeting with the heroine who has struggled much before him and is still not made it to the finish line. They say that 'its all matter of luck in the famous 'Bollywood''. Well in the yesteryear this phrase would have been true. But not anymore with so many budding talented artists fighting the battle to get into the movies even for a small role as a starter if not the main cast. For the present times its more of hard work, dedication, commitment, talent and loads of other factors, not to forget the charisma and the power to get the audience to love you. To add to all the requirements one also has the existing legends who have their positions almost fixed and ruling the films. Similarly our hero also faces the struggles.

With the exit of a superstar from big project game our hero a big break into the films, which one can call it coincidence or the shine of the face of the luck fairy, thus racing past the heroine. Now there need compromises to be made in order to keep the new found fame. However the story takes an abrupt climax turning the focus to the girl. The story culminates on a pragmatic note, though it evades such treatment through its run by not getting hard-hitting heavy or regressively realistic.

Almost every character in the film has grey shades though not glorified to extreme extents. The movie reveals the double standards of industry people though not showing them in an outright negative light.