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Friday, April 9, 1998
9:49pm PST - Be looking for another mystery screen shot on our contest page this weekend. Whoever tags the name of the film it came from first, wins the DVD. We've modified the rules slightly -- only one winner per household per 30 days (sorry, Daniel) and we're also going to leave the image on the page in case you missed seeing it before some eagle-eyed, eager-beaver snapped up the prize before you can even pour yourself a cup of coffee. Good luck!

3:59pm PST - Laserviews has updated their DVD announcement page with a slew of new titles to come from Image Entertainment.

2:43pm PST - One of our readers, Mark Holtz wrote to ask "whatever happened to that Pixar interview?" Good question: Here's the answer: We've received a firm date of April 12th for the interview and should have it published for our readers by April 13, 1999.

2:38pm PST - Special thanks to Mick Bernardo for alerting us to this story which starts with the line: "Not since the cattle prod has there been a technology devised with as much ill will toward its intended audience as the Divx movie player." Check out cyberpunk for the rest of the story.

1:29pm PST - So who says that you can't teach an old dog new tricks -- or can't take an old fairy tale and give it a contemporary twist. Who says that Drew Barrymore can't do an English accent worth a fig? Jeff McNeal, in his latest BIG picture review of EVER AFTER.

12:20am PST - Last night, the kids talked us into watching RUGRATS: The Movie. There was a small amount of aliasing on the image at times, but all in all the image quality was above par -- and a lot more interesting than the TV show, thanks in part to the widescreen version (you can choose between widescreen or standard formats) and also to the improved animation techniques that included depth of field focusing and shadow rendering. The soundtrack is the real star of the show, however. An excellent DD 5.1 mix with exceptional detail afforded to the surround tracks. Sounds are in perfect context to the "camera" placement and there's lots to hear. A 4/5 glober for image and sound.

2:18pm PST - Be sure to check out the DVD R2 Project page for the full scoop on some of those Fox titles coming to Europe along with TITANIC in September. Titles like BRAVEHEART and INDEPENDENCE DAY for starters. Things aren't all rosey in the United Kingdom, however. Also read about the battle our R2 cousins are having trying to prevent PAN & SCAN releases of LOST IN SPACE and BLADE. YOUCH!!

7:56am PST - Here's the response some of our readers have been getting from Radio Shack when inquiring about their rumored talks with Divx:

We appreciate your email.

The information you have heard about RadioShack and DIVX is incorrect.
RadioShack has no plans to sell or enter any agreements to sell DIVX. We hope you will continue to shop at RadioShack. We value you as a customer and appreciate your business.

Sincerely,

Jeff Carman
RadioShack Customer Relations

While we've never been a big fan of Radio Shack's products, we do like that for once, a major corporation has had the good sense to attach a real persons name to their correspondence with their concerned customers. There's nothing that irks me more than receiving a cryptic response from a "title" with no name. Just for that, I think we'll drop in our local Radio Shack today and buy a resistor or something. Maybe even some wire...

7:41am PST - Yawn... We're not sure if it's just because we woke up or the news by now is so anticlimactic and relatively dull, but TITANIC has finally been set for DVD release in September of this year. All this time in limbo and now no extras or special features (at least not for the Euro version)? Bah! TBP thanks readers Alan Dalman, Jason Graham and Mick Bernardo for making sure that we got the, uh, exciting news out bright and early today...

10:20pm PST - I think I've finally discoverd the true meaning of the title: THE MAN WITH TWO BRAINS. It's taken me over 15 years, but after watching Steve Martin let "the little head do the thinking for the big one" in this hilarious comedy, it all began to come into focus. Ah yes! Two brains! The little one and the big one! Of course!

6:48pm PST - Anyone for a little game of asphalt pinball? Never before have I been so jolted and bored by the same movie. It's a good thing Bob wrote the review of MEET JOE BLACK.

12:19pm PST CORRECTION: We received a correction to the press release below. The title Michael has been replaced with The Devil's Advocate in connection with the promotion.

10:49am PST - The Coup de Grace for Divx?... Artisan, Columbia TriStar, New Line and Warner Home Video have announced a breakthrough marketing program designed to accelerate sales of DVD players in 1999 and to help reach an industry goal of nearly four million players installed by years end. This first ever, multi-studio DVD promotion engages Panasonic, Phillips, Sony and Toshiba in a two-month marketing campaign beginning April 30th, 1999. The campaign will feature 10 million dollars in consumer advertising including national television and print ads in leading magazines. The promotion offers five free DVD movies with the purchase of one of 35 DVD players made by the four manufacturers. The offer is valid between April 30th and June 30th and is redeemable through a mail-in coupon. The titles include: Lost In Space, Lethal Weapon 4, Michael, Matilda, and Rambo: First Blood Part II. The promotion applies to the following DVD player models: Panasonic DVD-A105, DVD-A110, DVD-A310, DVD-A112, DVD-A115, DVD-A120, DVD-C220, DVD-K510, DVD-K520, DVD-L10, DVD-L50 AND DVD-P10; Philips Magnavox DVD400, DVD420, DVD815, DVD825, DVD835, DVD850; Philips DVD840, DVD855; Sony DVPC 600D, DVPS300, DVPS330, DVPS500D DVPS530D, DVPS550D, DVPS7000, DVPS7700, PBDV30; and Toshiba SD-2008, SD-2107, SD-2108, SD-2109, SD-3108, SD-3109 AND SD-9000.

12:19am PST - Here's an interesting article in the New York times courtesy of Special Field Operative Dana, who went through great lengths to get the link to us. It's called "Circuit City Learns the High Price of New Video Technology". We're still waiting to see an article titled: "Circuit City Learns the High Price of Stiffing the Early Adopters of Video Technology".Gee, maybe we should write it!

1. THE MATRIX Warner Bros.
2. 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU Buena Vista
3. THE OUT-OF-TOWNERS Paramount
4. ANALYZE THIS Warner Bros.
5. FORCES OF NATURE Dream Works
6. EDtv Universal
7. SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE Miramax
8. DOUG'S 1ST MOVIE Buena Vista
9. LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL Miramax
10. THE MOD SQUAD Warner Bros.

10:06am PST - Here's another BIG Picture review, just the way you like 'em. In-depth, detailed and comprehensive. A tip of our hat to Bob Banka for another outstanding effort with DAYS OF HEAVEN.

12:46am PST - Laserviews slipped in another update while our backs were turned. The usual suspects are all rounded up in one, big, informative page: Street date confirmations, changes and some title announcements from Columbia are among them, with the exception of these announcements that slipped under the radar and into our hands: TAXI DRIVER: SE featuring digitally remastered video and audio (Dolby Digital 2.0), a new 70 minute documentary featuring all new interviews with (get this!) Martin Scorsese, Robert DiNiro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Peter Boyle and Albert Brooks! TAXI DRIVER will also contain bios and filmos, a photo montage/portrait gallery, storyboard sequence, original screenplay and ad materials. It will be 16x9 enhanced and carry a suggested list price of ... wait a minute, let me rub my eyes... $19.95??? Look for TAXI DRIVER, SO I MARRIED AN AX MURDERER and SILVERADO on June 1st.

12:29am PST - Yes, but will we need a towel and a cigarette after we visit this place? On a lick and a prayer, DiVaDee.com announced that it has opened an online store for adult Digital Video Discs that claims to be "shedding the sticky floor image often associated with adult products". Seems they want to cater to women and couples. Right.

12:18am PST - Here, there, and everywhere... If you're a "numbers" kinda guy (or gal), then you're going to like the fact that over 360,000 DVD players were shipped to retailers in the first quarter. For the whole scoop, check out this release from the DVD Video Group.

Release   Artist              Title                          Label          
4/27/99   Mariah Carey        Mariah Carey around the World  Columbia  
6/1/99    Kathy Smith         Kathy Smith: Kickboxing        SMV       
6/1/99    Gloria Estefan      Everlasting Gloria             Epic     
6/8/99    Harry Connick Jr.   The NY Big Band Concert        Columbia 

Sony Music is also planning summer releases from the Offspring, Charlotte Church, Johnny Cash & Willie Nelson, and Celine Dion, as well as more releases of programs from MTV and VH-1. A follow-up to the critically-acclaimed "Best of Sessions at West 54th" is also in the works. John Denver's "The Wildlife Concert", which was first announced quite a while ago is now back on schedule for July. The other title that some sites continue to list, Collin Raye, is currently not on their schedule. However (and this is a BIG however), "Pink Floyd's The Wall" is officially on their schedule for release in the fourth quarter. We will forward more information on the features and extras once everything has been decided. Sony Music would like you to know that this is a Columbia Music Video release, not a Columbia TriStar (or MGM) title, as many sites still indicate.

11:21am PST - We've just added film critic Michael Banka's observations of the 1999 Academy Awards on our new BIG Picture Box Office Review page! If you enjoy Bob Banka's writing style (and we know you do), you'll see that talent runs in the Banka family!

8:56am PST - Congratulations (again!) to Daniel Wilson of St. Louis MO for being the first to correctly identify the screen shot from AMERICAN HISTORY X on our contest page over the weekend! This is the second DVD that Daniel has scored from TBP in less than a week! Wow!

8:54am PST - First, a BIG thank you from The BIG Picture to all of those who sent their messages of congratulations on our first anniversary over the weekend. We were delighted to hear from you and look forward to serving you in the years to come.

Saturday, April 3, 1999
2:27pm PST - We're finsished uploading all our review data into our new review search engine. All BIG Picture reviews are now easily cross-referenced by title, genre, year, etc. Of course, individial reviews can be found as well -- and much faster than before, thanks to the generosity and assistance of Steve Snodgrass of Pheran's DVD Review Index. A BIG thanks, Steve, from TBP. One of the latest titles you'll be able to look up in a flash is Bob's review of THE GAUNTLET. It's a Clint Eastwood double-header this weekend, from your friends at The BIG Picture. Have a Happy Easter.

Sometime the light's all shining on me... Other times I can barely see... Lately it occurs to me... what a long, strange trip it's been. -- The Grateful Dead

It's official. The BIG Picture has just completed our first year of service to the DVD and home theater enthusiast. Thank you for being one of them. We have some exciting things planned for your continued enjoyment in our second year, as we continue to grow and evolve.

First, a look back. In January 1997, I purchased a new Sony VPL-W400Q video projector, taking the first step into what's proven to be an incredible journey both from a personal and professional standpoint. When DVD arrived on the scene in March of '97, I was one of the "early adopters", an elite class of home electronics shoppers that you can count yourself among if you own a DVD player. Anxious to push my new projector to its limits, I bit the bullet and bought the best available DVD player at the time -- The Sony DVP-S7000 -- and began buying DVD's in earnest. Obsessed with the need for more information about upcoming titles and DVD reviews, I stumbled across E/Town's "It's All DVD" forum page. There, I began writing posts and sharing my experience with the Sony projector with fellow netizens there and on the usenet.

It wasn't long before I was posting an occasional review on E/Town -- but nothing that could compare to the reviews I began reading in earnest from one certain "Bob". His writing style was very engaging and his reviews were unlike any that I had ever seen regarding DVDs. They were in-depth, well-researched and always entertaining. As the months passed by, more and more people found there way to the forum and Bob's movie review posts would quickly filter down the list and drop off all together, sucked into the murky depths of an archive somewhere.

During this time, I was noticing a real disparity in image quality from disc to disc -- and to my surprise, even within the same studios. While some DVD's looked absolutely stunning on my large display, approaching (and sometimes even exceeding, in my opinion) a commercial theatrical experience, I found that other discs were somewhat to very disappointing -- and the idea for The BIG Picture started to take shape. I wanted to provide a service to help other large screen owners differentiate between the good, the bad and the ugly when it came to DVD rental and purchase decisions. At least, that was the initial concept.

About three days before launching my new DVD site, Bob Banka put out the word that he was looking for a DVD webmaster that might be willing to archive and host his reviews, which numbered around 50 at the time. Being a fan, first and foremost, I jumped at the opportunity, knowing that Bob's insightful observations could only lend depth and credibility to my fledgling website. To my utter amazement and delight, Bob chose my site over several other established DVD sites to host his reviews and our collaboration began. Soon thereafter, Bob and I established a format based on reader input to lend consistency and cohesion to our reviews and I began writing them as well.

I posted an announcement for The BIG Pictures' April 3, 1998 launch on E/Town and the usenet newsgroups. The first day, the site generated about 300 page views. I couldn't believe that so many people visited the site! I was overjoyed. The next day, the number was 500. Within a couple of weeks, I decided to add The BIG Picture DVD News Daily, to give good folks like you reason to come back on a daily basis. Soon, we added a live chat page, and eventually, three user forums, editorial pages, news archives, our top picks for the best looking DVDs and everything else you see here today. Before long, potential sponsors were contacting us looking to place banner ads. Digital Eyes was the first on the scene, and we're delighted that they remain loyal sponsors to this day.

The film studios embraced the site, providing us with copies of their films to review. This in turn, has led to some exciting interview opportunities, and our Special Reports began in January of this year. Our next inteview with the development team at Pixar (arranged by Disney) is set for April 12, 1999.

In the Fall of '98, BigStar and DVD Empire entered into multi-year agreements to post our original review content on their respective sites, and several more sponsors have joined us to support The BIG Picture as well, including DiscShop and Medical Video Systems to name just a few.

Bob and I have forged a wonderful friendship based on mutual respect and trust. Along the way, we've made many new friends, both from our readership, other DVD sites and in the film community itself -- and the entire experience has been a wonderful, surreal, and at times, exhausting one.

In our first full month of operation, The BIG Picture generated just under 100,000 page views, which really blew us away. Little could we have imagined that several months later, we'd generate over 28,000 more visits than that -- a total of 128,000+ -- in one single day. Last September, TBP exceeded a million page views for a single month. In March of this year, the site generated over 2,200,000 page views -- a figure that Bob and I still really can't quite comprehend. Do I hear ten million this time next year? We're not sure what to expect -- but frankly, your readership of The BIG Picture has exceeded our expections time and time again. We must be doing something right.

Looking ahead -- Our newest enhancement to TBP: Part of what makes The BIG Picture the unique site that it is, has to do with our willingness, indeed, our desire, to open up new avenues of discovery for our readers. Recently, Bob approached me with the idea of adding current film reviews to the website. After all, we're movie lovers first and foremost, right? Considering that all major studios are supporting DVD, every film in the theaters today is destined for DVD (unless they really tank). We thought it would be a great idea to give you something else to look forward to. Providing new DVD title release dates is fun -- but learning more about the films being released adds a whole new dimension of excitement and significance to those announcements. Often, a studio will announce a title on DVD that some of us may not be familiar with. Our new feature might help to alleviate that problem.

Therefore, to help celebrate our first anniversary today, It is with great pleasure that we announce the addition of two new film reviewers to The BIG Picture, handling current theatrical releases on our brand spanking new BIG Picture Box Office Review page. This new page will be updated periodically with current reviews of films, plus links to other informative websites, including MovieLink.com, so you can determine which local theater is playing the film you just read about! Bob and I will continue to write TBP's DVD reviews, on an average rate of about 30 a month, weather permitting. Here's a brief introduction to our new players at The BIG Picture:

A former story analyst for Home Box Office, Heidi Gensch has written extensively about film and television. She lives in Maplewood, New Jersey with her husband and son and is currently writing a screenplay. A graduate of Rutgers University, Heidi holds degrees in English-Film
Studies and Theater Arts.

An award-winning journalist, Michael Banka has been writing about film for 19 years. A graduate of Rutgers University with degrees in English and Communications, he also holds a Master's Degree in Film History, Theory and Criticism from Columbia University. He lives with his wife and son in Maplewood, New Jersey.

We hope you enjoy reading Michael and Heidi's film reviews as much as we do. We think you will. Like Bob and I, Heidi and Mike are interested in sharing their honest observations, though their focus will be squarely on the artistic value of current films, rather than their technical merits. The technical consideration will continue to fall under the watchful eyes of both Bob and myself as these films make their way onto DVD.

We're looking forward to our next full year of service to you.

Best wishes,

Jeff McNeal, editor & publisher
The BIG Picture