Digital Media FX News Archives

Monday - August 20, 2001
- Sci-Fi Continues to Become a Reality
- The Simpsons Coming to DVD!
- Release Charts: Animated, Anime, and FX DVDs
- News Link of the Day - Mystery Girl Versus Creepy Vampires

Sci-Fi Continues to Become a Reality
(by digitalmediafx.com) The saying that "yesterday's sci-fi is tomorrow's reality" continues to be true as information was released about U.S. and Britain projects to create Star Trek like shields to protect their vehicles. The special effect shields that play prominent roles in most space-based futuristic movies are being developed to protect new "super tankers".

According to The Guardian Unlimited (a U.K. publication), when a missile hits a tank, the new technology, "would sever optical cables in the mat below the tank's outer plastic cover. This would trigger sensors to activate electrical capacitors inside the tank which would send a mighty electrical current surging through the metal coils at the base of the smart armour...Essentially, electromagnets would be used to dissipate the energy of an anti-tank missile or shell, like the force shields that protect the fictional Starship Enterprise."

The "force field" technology isn't the only major advancement taking place. Scientists are also encouraged by early results in creating teleportation systems.

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The Simpsons Coming to DVD!
(by digitalmediafx.com) Fox is releasing the entire first season of The Simpsons onto DVD on September 25, 2001. The first complete season consists of the following 13 episodes:

"Some Enchanted Evening"
"Bart the Genius"
"Homer’s Odyssey"
"There’s No Disgrace Like Home"
"Bart the General"
"Moaning Lisa"
"The Telltale Head"
"Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"
"Call of the Simpsons"
"Homer’s Night Out"
"Life in the Fast Lane"
"Krusty Gets Busted"
"The Crepes of Wrath"

In addition there are several bonus features, including:

• Episode Commentaries
• Some Enchanted: Original Script
• Unaired Episode with Optional Commentary
• Animatic: Bart the General w/Commentary, Albert Brooks
• Outtakes
• America's First Family BBC Special
• Bart T-shirt Controversy ABC News
• Tracy Ulman: Good Night Simpsons
• Foreign Language Clips (7)
• Early Sketches (Still Gallery-100)
• 12 stills and magazine covers
• Bart the Genius: Original Script
• Bart the General: Original Script
• Moaning Lisa: Original Script

Click here for information on preordering The Simpsons DVD.

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Release Charts: Animated, Anime, and FX DVDs
(by digitalmediafx.com) After a slow week last week things are picking up with a selection of new FX, animated, and anime DVDs as listed below:

Gremlins (1984 - FX)
Pokemon The First Movie (1999 - animated/anime)
Pokemon The Movie 2000 (2000 - animated/anime)
Pokemon 3: The Movie 2001 (2001 - animated/anime)
Pokemon Movie Collection (animated/anime)
Ranma 1/2 - Random Rhapsody - Demon From Jusenkyo Vol.4 (anime)
Scooby-Doo's Spookiest Tales (animation)
Spawn (animated)
Spawn 2 (1997 - animated)
Spawn 3: The Ultimate Battle (1999 - animated)
The Ultimate Spawn Collection (animated)

Amazon.com is now accepting pre-orders for the Shrek 2-Disc DVD. Click here.
Amazon.com is also accepting pre-orders for The Phantom Menace DVD. Click here.

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News Link of the Day - Mystery Girl Versus Creepy Vampires

According to the New York Times:

"You don't have to be familiar with the convoluted pop mythology behind the Japanese anime film 'Blood: The Last Vampire' to appreciate some aspects of a movie that seems destined for cult status. Anyone who desires to explore its world, which is really a genre-within-a-genre, is advised to do a little homework..."

Click here for the full story. (may require free registration)

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