Hollywood

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on Hollywood:

Why the dream of Apple buying Disney won’t die

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Disney+.standalone.logo
The idea that Apple could buy Disney keeps coming up.
Photo: The Walt Disney Company

As legacy studios like Disney face formidable problems, a new report suggests CEO Bob Iger might revisit a “once-unthinkable option” — that Apple might buy the company, or at least a stripped-down version of it.

After all, in a near-future of even greater tech-company dominance over entertainment, Disney may need deep-pocketed protection. And its longstanding connection with Apple could come into play.

Today in Apple history: iTunes puts the hurt on DVDs

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iTunes getting day-and-date releases for new movies was a big deal.
Photo: Apple

May 1: Today in Apple history: iTunes begins selling digital movies on same day as DVD release May 1, 2008: The iTunes Store takes a gigantic step toward cinematic relevancy, selling new movies on the day of their DVD releases for the very first time.

“We’re thrilled to bring iTunes Store customers new films for purchase day-and-date with the DVD release,” says Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes, in a press release. “We think movie fans will love being able to buy their favorites from major and independent studios.”

Movies out that week include Cloverfield, Juno, Alvin and the Chipmunks and American Gangster.

Netflix warns investors of ‘headwinds’ caused by Apple TV+ and Disney+

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75% of Netflix users have no plans to jump ship to Apple TV+ (right away)
75% of Netflix users have no plans to jump ship to Apple TV+ (right away)
Photo: Stock Catalog/Flickr CC

Netflix warned investors that the upcoming launch of Apple TV+ and Disney+ could generate “modest headwinds” when it comes to new subscriber growth. Despite the warning, Netflix shares surged in after-hours trading today after it reported better-than-expected earnings.

In a letter to shareholders, Netflix didn’t sound too worried about the upcoming streaming wars. The company pointed out that it’s already been competing against streamers and regular TV for over a decade now.

Why massive Apple TV+ budget is a genius strategy

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CEO Tim Cook before a picture of actors, directors, and producers of Apple TV+ original shows.
Spending big on star power for Apple TV+ is really smart.
Photo: Apple

On the surface, Cupertino’s decision to spend massive piles of money on its upcoming Apple TV+ streaming service seems crazy.

Is this a company with too much money being suckered? Is it a huge display of hubris (as some say of Apple Park)? Or is it, just possibly, a clever strategy that could win Apple the streaming war?

Here’s why I think that third answer is the correct one. Dig a little deeper, and Apple’s spending spree looks nothing short of brilliant.

You could write Hollywood’s next blockbuster on your iPhone

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Wattpad: The social reading and writing app that’s transforming the entertainment industry
Wattpad: The app that's transforming the entertainment industry
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Ever dreamed of penning a Hollywood blockbuster? Turns out there’s an app for that: social reading and writing app Wattpad.

With more than 70 million monthly users (and growing fast), Wattpad is a low-key App Store hit. The app is like Instagram, but for sharing stories instead of photos. It’s a great way to find fantastic new stories — and it’s flipping the script on how Hollywood makes movies.

With Apple TV+, Tim Cook peddles an antidote to toxic TV [Opinion]

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Apple TV+ could have 26 million paying subs by 2025; 2.6 million currently
Apple TV+ could have 26 million paying subs by 2025; 2.6 million currently
Photo: Apple

At a time when critically acclaimed TV shows serve up a steady stream of sex and violence, the upcoming Apple TV+ service proffers an unusual prescription for success: optimism, inclusion, creativity and inspiration.

Touting its upcoming streaming video service as “the new home for the world’s most creative storytellers,” Apple is carefully framing its upcoming Apple TV+ day as a healthy antidote to Hollywood’s toxic hellstew of nudity and mindless gore. The company even suggested its original shows could act as a tonic to heal a nation divided by the bitter partisan politics of the Trump era.

Live blog: Apple’s streaming service gets the red-carpet treatment

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show time liveblog
Apple’s going full Hollywood at the event.
Photo: Cult of Mac

The first Apple event of 2019 is finally upon us and it promises to be unlike any other Apple keynote we’ve seen.

Services are set to be the star of the show as Apple busts out a new TV streaming app, news subscriptions and maybe even an Apple Pay credit card. Rumors have been ramping up leading to today’s “It’s show time” event, but there are still plenty of surprises waiting for fans. As always, Cult of Mac is live-blogging the whole dang thing with up-to-the-minute analysis on all the new stuff. Apple CEO Tim Cook takes the stage at 10 a.m. Pacific — most likely with a ton of Hollywood A-listers in tow — but we’re gonna get the party started a little before that.

Come join the fun:

Apple’s ‘intrusive’ execs criticized by Hollywood

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Tim Cook and Co. bring the hardware heat at The Brooklyn Academy of Music during the
Tim Cook wants TV shows to be family-friendly.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s “intrusive” executives, including CEO Tim Cook, have been criticized by Hollywood for becoming too involved in ongoing TV projects.

Agents and producers have complained about how “difficult” Apple is to work with, according to a new report. The company’s “nitpicking” has led to delays that mean only a handful of shows will be available when its new streaming service launches.

Apple looks to turn Time Bandits into TV show

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Time Bandits
The time-traveling dwarves of Time Bandits.
Photo: Handmade Films

Terry Gilliam’s fantasy film Time Bandits is set to be turned into a TV series by Apple.

The iPhone-maker is reportedly closing in on a deal that would give it the rights to make a TV series based on the 1981 movie, but Terry Gilliam won’t be attached as a writer for the series.

How the movie Her inspired Apple to create a better Siri

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The iPhone's home button could be going away.
Siri is set to get some big upgrades with iOS 11.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

For its next act with Siri, Apple is taking some cues from one of the tech world’s biggest sources of inspiration: Hollywood.

With the release of iOS 11 later this month, Siri is set to get some big upgrades. The most notable will be the AI helper’s silky-smooth voice. And according to one Apple exec, the movie Her played a big role in helping the company figure out the changes they should make.

Hollywood wants Apple to sell movies within weeks of theater debuts

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Apple TV Dark Mode
The wait for new movies could be just two weeks.
Photo: Apple

Hollywood is pushing for iTunes to show the latest blockbuster movies just weeks after they hit the theater.

Sources say a deal between Apple and a number of major studios could be signed as early as next year without the blessing of theater chains. However, talks are currently held up over the price that Hollywood wants to charge for new rentals.

Apple gear looks impossibly cool in classic movies

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Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy using an iPhone is a crazy sight.
Photo: Pablo Larrocha

Remember the time Laurel and Hardy rocked an iPhone in one of their movies? Or when Audrey Hepburn and Julie Andrews used one of Apple’s handsets to snap a selfie at the 1965 Oscars?

Obviously such scenes can’t be real — but that’s not stopped a bunch of 2017-era Apple gear showing up in classic movies, thanks to one Apple fan’s work.

Senior Apple execs fight for Hollywood deals

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Eddy Cue
Eddy Cue is one of three Apple chiefs trying to secure original content.
Photo: CNBC

Three senior Apple executives are in talks with Hollywood’s “most successful” TV and movie producers over original content for Apple TV, according to a new report.

Each member of the trio, which includes Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of internet software and services, is so desperate to secure the first deal that they supposedly are fighting against each other.

Apple pitches Hollywood on rushing movies to iTunes

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Apple wants a deal with studio execs to bring high-priced movie rentals to iTunes within days of release.
Apple wants a deal with studio execs to bring high-priced movie rentals to iTunes within days of release.
Photo: William Iven/UnSplash

Apple and Hollywood are reportedly in talks to provide home-video rentals of movies as little as two weeks after theatrical release.

Studio heads from Warner Bros., Universal Pictures and 21st Century Fox have indicated recently they are looking for deals. Two unidentified sources close to the talks told Bloomberg News the studios are considering partnering with Apple and iTunes.

Gwyneth Paltrow is bringing her coding skills to ‘Planet of the Apps’

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planet of the apes with tim cook
Welcome to our new world Gwyneth.
Photo: Twentieth Century Fox/Apple

Apple has signed Hollywood superstar Gwyneth Paltrow to join its unscripted series ‘Planet of the Apps’.

Paltrow will be joined by will.i.am and serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk on the show where all three will serve as mentors and advisors to app developers in the series that will reportedly act as a launch pad to exceptional developers.

Apple is secretly planning to take over Hollywood 

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Apple TV might get exclusive TV shows.
Apple TV might get exclusive TV shows.
Photo: Apple

Hollywood’s top filmmakers held secret meetings with Apple at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, according to a new report that claims Apple is planning to make a big play to take on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video by creating its own original TV shows and movies.

Apple hosted a secret ‘iTunes Lounge’ at Sundance for a number of invitation-only events for film makers, producers, actors, and other A-list talent to hear the company’s pitch on how it plans to create a ton of original content that will be exclusively available on Apple TV.

Meet the official cast of the Steve Jobs movie

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The official cast of Steve Jobs has been announced. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
The official cast of Steve Jobs has been announced. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Aaron Sorkin’s Steve Jobs movie has been down a hard road on its way to production. Disasters like fickle actors and directors have plagued the project, but filming is finally underway in San Francisco as we speak, and for the first time ever, we have an official cast list.

Universal Pictures announced the official cast for the movie this week as filming has already wrapped up at Jobs’ parents garage. The logline confirms the film will be “set backstage at three iconic product launches and ending in 2001 with the unveiling of the iPod. The film takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution to paint an intimate portrait of the brilliant man at its epicenter.”

We already knew Michael Fassbender has been tapped to play Jobs, but the official cast list includes a few surprises — like the three different actresses that will play Steve’s daughter — and a veteran Apple PR guru we didn’t see coming.

Here’s the full cast alongside the real-life people they’ll play:

The App Store makes more money than Hollywood

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App Store is now the world's top entertainer. Photo: Buster Hein
App Store is now the world's top entertainer. Photo: Buster Hein

Hollywood has long been the sparkling gem of entertainment in the U.S., but when it comes to making money, Apple is schooling the entertainment industry on how to bring in the cash with the App Store.

In 2014, iOS app developers earned more than Hollywood did from U.S. box office revenues, reports top Apple analyst Horace Dediu. According to Asymco’s number crunching, apps are now a bigger digital content business than music, TV programs, movie purchases and rentals combined.

Apple paid out approximately $25 billion total to developers, which means that not only is the App industry healthier than Hollywood, but also on an individual level, some developers are out earning Hollywood stars. The median income for developers is also likely higher than the median income for actors. If you’re looking to strike it rich, forget becoming the next Brad Pitt. Be the next Dong Nguyen.

Check out the chart below:

9 things we’re desperately hoping Batman V Superman gets right

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There are few comic books movies fanboys are salivating over more than 2016's upcoming Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.As huge Superman and Batman fans, no-one is more excited than we are. With that in mind, here are the 9 things we hope more than anything that director Zack Snyder is able to get right for history's most eagerly-anticipated team-up. Check out the gallery to find out what they are.
There are few comic books movies fanboys are salivating over more than 2016's upcoming Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.

As huge Superman and Batman fans, no-one is more excited than we are. With that in mind, here are the 9 things we hope more than anything that director Zack Snyder is able to get right for history's most eagerly-anticipated team-up. Check out the gallery to find out what they are.


Sex Tape’s porn fiasco could never happen with iCloud, says Apple

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Apple appears in more movies each year than Samuel L. Jackson.

The latest flick to feature the company’s products is the new comedy, Sex Tape, in which Cameron Diaz and Jason Segal record an “adult home movie” on their iPad, only to accidentally upload it to the iCloud, so that all their friends and family get to see it. (Yep, it’s basically the American Pie joke, only stretched to fill an entire movie.)

While Apple’s inclusion in the film means that Cupertino is presumably happy with the script (the trailer even features an added reference to Siri), when GQ magazine contacted AppleCare to find out whether the described scenario could actually happen it was told that it is pretty much flat-out science-fiction.

8 movies in need of a blockbuster reboot

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Pixar movies are all well and good (well, great), but I can’t help but miss the kind of kid’s movies that did the rounds in the 1980s. Of these, The Last Starfighter was a favorite -- and it’s definitely prime material for a reboot.The movie tells the story of Alex Rogan, an average teen boy who’s recruited by an alien defense force to help fight in an interstellar war, all because of his skill at the Starfighter arcade game. It was essentially a Star Wars ripoff, but it was one of the best ones, and among the first films to feature CGI graphics.Three decades after the movie’s 1984 release, video games have moved on a lot, but The Last Starfighter's key ingredients would be great in a refresh for the Oculus Rift generation. Today’s photo-realistic graphics and immersive VR environments would also open the doors for a blurring between fantasy and reality, making this a cross between The Last Starfighter and Total Recall.

Pixar movies are all well and good (well, great), but I can’t help but miss the kind of kid’s movies that did the rounds in the 1980s. Of these, The Last Starfighter was a favorite -- and it’s definitely prime material for a reboot.

The movie tells the story of Alex Rogan, an average teen boy who’s recruited by an alien defense force to help fight in an interstellar war, all because of his skill at the Starfighter arcade game. It was essentially a Star Wars ripoff, but it was one of the best ones, and among the first films to feature CGI graphics.

Three decades after the movie’s 1984 release, video games have moved on a lot, but The Last Starfighter's key ingredients would be great in a refresh for the Oculus Rift generation. Today’s photo-realistic graphics and immersive VR environments would also open the doors for a blurring between fantasy and reality, making this a cross between The Last Starfighter and Total Recall.


What did we miss?

Got your own favorite movie or TV franchise that’s just begging for a reboot? Let us know in the comments below.

Hollywood romance: 18 most iconic Apple cameos in cinema

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ZoolanderThe blissful stupidity of Derek Zoolander and Hansel still gets us stoked for Orange Mocha Frappuccinos and gas station fuel-pump fights, but the male model duo took tech problems to all new heights in Zoolander as they struggled to open the iMac G3 carrying the files to stop Mugatu.

Zoolander

The blissful stupidity of Derek Zoolander and Hansel still gets us stoked for Orange Mocha Frappuccinos and gas station fuel-pump fights, but the male model duo took tech problems to all new heights in Zoolander as they struggled to open the iMac G3 carrying the files to stop Mugatu.

Hollywood loves Apple almost as much as it loves itself.

The passionate affair burned for decades before Samsung came snapping celebrity selfies with Ellen at the Oscars and dishing out enough paid endorsements to finance the next Star Wars trilogy.

Apple plans to fight back with its own buzz marketer in New York to keep its products in the hands of the elite and glamorous. But Cupertino has never had a problem getting its products on the big screen and into the coolest TV shows — even though Apple swears it doesn’t pay a dime for product placements. Here are 18 of the most iconic Apple cameos to hit the screen.

Shoot Epic iPhoneography With The Phocus 3 Lens Plus Bundle [Deals]

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The iPhone has become a vehicle for not just texting and calling but also for social media and taking tons of pictures. And you certainly don’t need a Hollywood budget to make Hollywood-quality movies anymore. There are plenty of us out there who strive to take the best pictures (and make the best videos) possible and with the Phocus 3 Plus Lens Kit, that is what you’re going to get.

These three Phocus lenses and specially designed housing unit will get you there, and give you the ability to shoot photos and videos from your iPhone that will amaze even you. And Cult of Mac Deals has this package for just $99.95.

Scarlett Johansson Feels ‘Betrayed’ By Backstabbing Siri

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Her

In Spike Jonze’s latest film, Her, Joaquin Phoenix plays a man who falls in love with a Siri-like “digital assistant,” the titular Her, played by Scarlett Johansson.

But there’s no love lost between the two. If you ask Siri about ‘Her’, she’ll claim that Johansson’s “portrayal of an intelligent agent is beyond artificial” and “gives artificial intelligence a bad name.”

Looks like Scarlett Johansson caught wind, and now, her feelings are hurt by Siri’s harsh words.