I can’t stop thinking about TRON: LEGACY.

Part of the reason for this is because I’m a big TRON fan from way back, having had my mind blown by seeing the original on the big screen when I was a kid. So I’m hard wired to enjoy light cycles, disc battles, and lines of dialogue like “Bring forth the logic probe!” The new TRON gives us all that, and it’s a lot of revisiting good ol’ Kevin Flynn, and that whacked out computer world. Yeah, it’s fun, but that’s not why I can’t stop thinking about TRON: LEGACY. Many people will choose to view the movie as “retro,” but, for me, it’s the opposite. For me, TRON: LEGACY represents the future.

Future shock 1: Free info

In the first third of the movie, before we get into the funky computer world, we first have to deal with the pesky human world. It’s here that we get an interesting vignette. The snotty bureaucrats that run the fictional Encom Company are about to release an operating system for extreme profits, despite Alan Bradley’s insistence that Flynn wanted it to be free for all. The sniveling bureaucrats ignore Alan’s noble ideals and instead roll out their apparently greedier plan. Enter our hero, Sam Flynn, who takes a stand for free information, screwing with Encom, putting the new O.S. on the web free for anyone who wants it, embarrassing the slimy bureaucrats as he does so. Plotwise, this establishes Sam as a combination of daredevil and idealist, and it helps us buy his “reckless choices with noble intent” actions that come into play later in the movie. This also reflects the changing of the times we’re currently experiencing. Everyone looks to the web for free media. Watch movies online! Watch your favorite TV shows online! Get the news online! Play games online! Instant this! Instant that! Instant! Instant! Instant!

Those in the so-called “traditional media” are terrified of this, but the mind-boggling success of sites like Facebook shows that free media and financial survival – if not success – is possible. (Though I’m still unclear as to how, exactly, Facebook made all its billions. I guess if I could answer that, then I’d be the one invented Facebook, right?) Anyway, Sam’s stand for free media, giving a metaphorical middle finger to the sterile bureaucrats as he does so, points a huge arrow in the direction that the world’s media is headed toward.

Future shock 2: The ISOs

TRON: LEGACY introduces some fascinating concepts, in between light cycle chases and flamboyant nightclub owners. You have “the grid,” which the fantastical TRON world, populated by programs instead of people. This is part of the novelty of the original TRON we all so fondly remember, but TRON: LEGACY takes it a step farther by asking, what’s beyond the grid? The logical part of the mind says there’s nothing beyond the grid. The creative part of the mind dictates that beyond the grid exists untapped potential, like a blank canvas, or, perhaps more appropriately, unused disc space – it could be used for anything you want. It’s in this unused/untapped space that Flynn makes his home in TRON: LEGACY, partially to stay hidden from the movie’s villain, but also to expand his own consciousness, via what he calls his “Zen master thing.” We’re told in a flashback that Flynn, Tron, and Flynn’s digitized counterpart Clu sought to recreate the Grid into a better, arguably perfect world. It’s outside the grid, though, where Flynn strives for inner peace, turning peace and perfection inward to his own self, rather than to the world around him.

It’s also outside the grid that we’re introduced to the ISOs, short for “isomorphic algorithms.” Who are they? The movie states that they are “self-produced programs that spontaneously evolved in the system, which carried the potential to unlock mysteries in science, religion, and medicine.” I don’t know about you, but I find this fascinating. In recent years, a lot of folks in the science fiction community have balked against the idea of life on other planets, alleging that inarguable mathematics prove that intelligent life does not exist anywhere else in the universe (What if you forgot to carry the one?) and therefore, the so-called experts say, no science fiction story should ever, ever, ever, again feature aliens from other planets, no matter how cool or fun those aliens might be. This line of thought has led to silliness like those lines about “the spaces in between” from INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL, as if to sell us on the idea that it’s more mathematically realistic for aliens to be from an alternate dimension than from another planet. I find this ridiculous, as grey-skinned aliens in a flying saucer are still aliens in a flying saucer, and who the hell cares how “realistic” that is?

This brings us back to TRON: LEGACY, which comes up with an altogether new idea. Here we have the ISOs, alien life that emerged seemingly from out of nowhere from beyond the grid. Who are they? Where did they come from? The movie doesn’t provide concrete answers, but what it leaves open to speculation is fascinating. TRON: LEGACY posits that contact with alien life forms will not be from other planets or other dimensions. Instead, we’re introduced to living beings made of pure information. After all, what is information, in a physical sense? It is electricity and light, transmitted from computer to computer, appearing on screen after screen. Both light and electricity are physical matter – we know this because both are affected by gravity. If the impulses of light and electricity at specific frequencies and/or intervals make up what we know as information, than who’s to say that information can’t grow, or, dare I say, evolve, into something far more complex, to the point where raw digital information becomes a life form of its own? Personally, in the future I envision, contact with alien life might just come from digital worlds we create and lose control of, rather than other worlds (I also believe extending our own humanity to life on other planets is integral to our survival, and that our life forms made of pure information could help us make that possible, but that’s an article for another time).

The ISOs of TRON: LEGACY are, to me, a more believable alien life form than any space aliens or alternate dimension goatee-wearers we’ve seen before. Even though I love freaky space aliens in sci-fi flicks, TRON: LEGACY says to something more. There’s a moment in TRON: LEGACY in which Flynn and Sam “hack” into Qurra, an ISO, and her disc, briefly revealing a three-layer DNA strand, as opposed to a regular human two-layer strand. How advanced she is, far beyond either program or user. Seeing this, all I can think is, this is where the future is headed.

Future shock 3: The face of Clu

It seems that any movie made during the 70s or 80s that used any sort of computer graphics, including TRON, claims to be the “first” to use CGI. For years, I believed that RETURN OF THE JEDI was the first to use CGI, but that was a year before TRON. THE LAST STARFIGHTER’s funky computer effects lay claim to be the first, but it was two years after TRON. Before TRON, things get even more sketchy. THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE, in 1986, also claims to be the first use of CGI in a movie, as does the cheesy 1976 sequel FUTUREWORLD. FUTUREWORLD’s predecessor WESTWORLD, also allegedly used some fleeting computer graphics, way back in 1973. So who was really this first? The debates among movie fans will never end.

Whether it was truly first, the original TRON, will always lay claim as an effects groundbreaker, because it had both computer effect and a computer-related storyline. First or not, TRON broke ground in special effects technology, creating visuals the likes of which have never been seen before since, not to mention those unendingly cool light cycles.

So, in 2010, when the time came to make TRON: LEGACY the creators are faced with an unusual challenge. In an age in which CGI makes any far-our fantasy worlds possible, how do you break new ground? Answer: You do the one thing that everyone says CGI can’t do – you do a CGI human.

Ever since the mid-90s, when CGI took off in a big way, everyone has pretty much agreed that despite everything CGI can do, it can’t recreate an actual human. Director Robert Zemekis gave it a halfway decent try with THE POLAR EXPRESS and BEOWULF, but those characters, stiff and glass-eyed as they were, were still fairly exaggerated (I dare you to rewatch BEOWULF and try to convince yourself that those “realistic humans” aren’t overly exaggerated. I dare you.) TRON: LEGACY goes father – a lot farther. The filmmakers have attempted what everyone in the world says is impossible – a CGI human. Can’t be done, you say? You could make that case, and yet, there’s Clu, front and center throughout the entire movie.

The original TRON might not have been the first move to use CGI, but it was certainly one of the first to gain notice for CGI used in a big way. In 1982, TRON set its foot down and said to the world “Computers are the future.” Then, in 2010, the creators of TRON: LEGACY did a comparable act, slamming their foot down and saying, “That what everyone says can’t be done? We’ve done it.” Or, at least, they’ve attempted it, more than anyone else has done. They went where all other filmmakers and special effects artists have never gone – that, to me, represents the future.

Is Clu a perfect effect? No. For that matter, is the brief glimpse of “young Flynn” in the real world a seamless effect? No. The human eye can tell it’s an effect. That said, turn the clock back to 1982. Are the CGI effects of the original TRON photo-real? Of course not. Are the images of light cycles and returners mesmerizing, and do they draw you into the story and into the fantastical world the filmmakers have created? Yes, yes they do. It’s the same thing – the special effects of the original TRON might be rough by today’s standards, but they were beyond what anyone else at the time had ever created. Those visuals might not have been first, but they represented the next step. In TRON: LEGACY, Clu might not be a seamless effect, but he represents what no other filmmakers dared attempt. What everyone else said was impossible is what TRON: LEGACY put on screen. Clu isn’t perfect, we can all agree on that, but just like the original TRON showed us where movie visuals would eventually go, I can’t help wonder if TRON: LEGACY is providing a similar road map to the future of animation and filmmaking.

Future shock: The 80s

Why do I love 80s stuff? All the neon, the sharp angles, the weirdness for weirdness sake in pop culture of the time, it was all about looking ahead, to the future. Yeah, 1960s retro was pretty big in the 80s, but even that was about taking the ideals of societal change and bringing them from the 60s into the modern time with a modern sensibility, working toward a brighter future, especially in the shadow of movements such as glasnost and perestroika. Then, along came the 90s, and suddenly everything was about retro. Fashion and pop culture became obsessed with reliving the past, even when faced with the rise of the internet and Y2K hysteria.

Throughout the years, however, TRON refused to be retro. TRON continues to represent the future, and where we’re headed, rather than where we’ve been, and TRON: LEGACY continues that trend. It has the light cycles and disc battles and arcades with Journey music to satisfy the nostalgia crowd, and that’s all great fun, but by the time the credits roll, TRON: LEGACY joins its predecessor as a movie that represents the future.

That’s why I can’t stop thinking about TRON: LEGACY.

Lionsgate and The Compassionate Friends Create Social Media Partnership in Support of the Upcoming Release of John Cameron Mitchell's RABBIT HOLE.

Lionsgate and The Compassionate Friends, a grief support organization, are excited to announce the launch of a social media partnership hosted on the official Facebook fan page for the upcoming theatrical release of Rabbit Hole.

Lionsgate and TCF have developed a custom Facebook application which allows users to upload original inspirational messages, artwork, and videos. The program reinforces the philosophy that the best way to work through grief is through love and artistic expression. It provides a resource for the newly bereaved to interact with other users who have survived a period of grief and loss and who have learned to live and love again.

Lionsgate hopes to encourage audiences to celebrate the manner in which the film beautifully and poignantly explores the concept of loss with an honest and knowing humor. Additionally, Rabbit Hole's partnership with TCF offers a unique opportunity to extend the film's message of love and hope to the social media space, where film goers can continue to explore the universal themes explored in the film, while also having real-world discussion about coping with grief.

For more information, please visit

Edward Norton announced today that his social philanthropy and fundraising site Crowdrise.com, which recently partnered with the New York Road Runners to help raise over $30 million for the ING New York City Marathon, 2010, is launching a new campaign for the holiday season called the Crowdrise Holiday Fundraiser Thing (CHFT). Crowdrise brings the power of crowdsourcing and the fun of social networking to giving back and Norton has enlisted over 20 of his "sort of famous friends" to help get everyone to participate.

The ever growing list of celebrities getting involved on Crowdrise
include: Ashton Kutcher, Will Ferrell, Edward Norton, Liz Banks, Jonah
Hill, Kristen Bell, Paul Rudd, Mandy Moore, James Franco, Seth Rogen,
Christina Applegate, Sophia Bush, Austin Nichols, Flea, Kate Walsh,
Robin Quivers, Jason Bateman, Patricia Arquette, Russell Brand, Glen
Hansard, Rosie Perez, John Legend, Paul Pierce, David Blaine and Barbra
Streisand.

Crowdrise is encouraging, and really peer pressuring, the rest of the
world to get involved in a few different ways.

1. Assuming people are decent typists, in one minute or less, they can
join a celebrity's fundraising team and help them raise money for their
cause. So, if someone wants to raise money for the American Cancer
Society they can join Paul Rudd's team and then reach out to their own
friends and family and ask everyone to donate to their campaign under
Paul's umbrella.

2. People can start their own personal fundraiser for the charity that
they care about most and have a chance to win $3,000 for their campaign
from Judd Apatow. That's right, super writer, producer, and director
Judd Apatow, is donating $3,000 to the top three non-celebrity
fundraising campaigns as long as everyone promises to watch all of his
movies from now until eternity and to read his book "I Found This Funny"
which he wrote to raise money for 826 National.

3. People can donate to any charity and send a holiday e-Card to the
person they're donating on behalf of. They're predicting this is the
only present that most people won't end up regifting, recycling,
throwing away or just getting mad about receiving this year. Basically,
a donation is the best present ever.

Crowdrise has amassed a collection of amazing prizes and contests for
those "slightly self-interested" folks who donate and fundraise. Some
of the prizes include: a cowbell signed by Will Ferrell, North Face
Jackets, a signed Ashton Kutcher poster for the movie No Strings
Attached (which isn't even out yet), and a Live Chat with Paul Rudd.
And Kristen Bell, Patricia Arquette and Will Ferrell are incentivizing
people to do some holiday shopping on Crowdrise. Bell is selling a
necklace she designed that goes to benefit Invisible Children, Arquette
is selling jewelry to benefit her charity which is raising money for
Haiti and Ferrell is selling suntan lotion with a photo of him naked on
it to benefit his Cancer for College campaign. Contests and prizes will
be added to Crowdrise regularly so that everyone can keep coming back to
embrace the chaos.

Crowdrise founder, Edward Norton, recently said, "People like to do nice
things for each other and have fun around the holidays so we put this
together in that spirit. And, hey, if you can get a guy with a 3rd
degree black belt and a reputation for fierce, dark action films like
Judd Apatow to bring out his funnier, goofy and generous side, you've
got to be doing something right."

According Judd Apatow, "I think Crowdrise came to me because when they
were looking for corporate sponsorship, they thought Pepsi? No. Nike?
No. Apatow. yes. Really though, Crowdrise is helping make fundraising
fun. I love that and I want to be a part of it. This is a great
community of regular people hustling for charity and I wanna introduce
an element of vicious competition to it all. I hope that doesn't ruin
the good vibes."

Crowdrise's slogan is "If You Don't Give Back No One Will Like You" and
they're hoping that their drive to push holiday giving will result in
the whole world embracing and French-kissing each other like mad come
New Year's Eve.

150 Movies You Should Die Before You See
By Steve Miller

Can you guess which of the following is not a real movie?
A. Nudist Colony of the Dead
B. Revenge of the Phantom Ghost Boy
C. Killer Klowns from Outer Space

If you guessed either A or C, you'd be wrong. It's a frightening truth, but murdering nudist zombies and space-traveling clowns are the premise for real-life films.

Let's face it: some movies are just made to be made fun of.

And for those who can't get enough bad movie magic (and mockery) comes 150 Movies You Should Die Before You See by film buff and professional movie reviewer Steve Miller—an unabashed celebration of the shockingly big and disastrously delicious world of bad movies!

The arena of bad cinema is far too big (and terrifying!) to traverse alone—but with 150 Movies You Should Die Before You See, film buffs and trivia junkies alike can indulge in 150 of the best bad movies ever made. With this guide at their side, readers will sink into the couch with a warm bowl of popcorn as they enjoy such tantalizingly terrible movies as...

Attack of the Giant Leeches (and, shockingly, its 2008 remake.)
Monsturd (yes, a monster turd that murders townspeople. Enough said.)
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (who could've guessed that a movie about Martians and everyone's favorite jolly gift-giver could be bad?)

Complete with a full cast list, plot overview, choice quotes, quiz, and trivia for each movie, 150 Movies You Should Die Before You See is the ultimate movie guide to have in hand as the opening credits for Jesus Christ, Vampire Hunter flash on the screen.

So get comfy and dig in—a world of wonderfully awful films awaits!

Buy it at Amazon

Objective: CTU is recruiting the most diehard “24” fans! To celebrate the DVD release of “24” The Complete Series, with all eight seasons of the adrenaline-charged show, CTU is hosting “The 24 Marathon Fanfest” in Hollywood, California.

Background: At 20:00 on 2 December 2010, “The 24 Marathon Fanfest” will begin and continue until there is only one fan remaining alert for terrorists. Participants will watch back-to-back Jack (continuous episodes of “24” starting with season one). Advanced interrogation techniques such as sleep deprivation will be used to ensure the last person remaining is truly the ultimate “24” fan, and potentially set a new world record for longest TV viewing, which is currently just over three days. The winning fan will receive $10,000 in cold, hard cash.

For fans not able to participate in the marathon, a Fan Fest area will be set up outside of the viewing arena where spectators can watch the participants, see actual props from the show and meet cast members.

Location: The marathon and Fan Fest are set to take place at the iconic Hollywood and Highland in Hollywood, California; beginning December 2 and extending through the weekend 12/2-12/5.

Additional Intelligence: To enter the challenge, e-mail to receive confirmation and your mission assignment.