MoPix Update from WGBH- December 19 and 26

MOPIX UPDATE FROM WGBH - DECEMBER 19 AND 26

ACCESSIBLE FILMS OPENING DEC 19

Seven Pounds from Sony Pictures
(cc dvs) (rated PG-13)
An IRS agent (Will Smith) with a fateful secret embarks on an extraordinary journey of redemption by forever changing the lives of seven strangers.

Slumdog Millionaire from Fox Searchlight
(cc dvs) (rated R)
The story of how impoverished Indian teen Jamal Malik became a contestant on the Hindi version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" -- an endeavor made without prize money in mind, rather, an effort to prove his love for his friend Latika, who is an ardent fan of the show.

The Tale of Despereaux from Universal Pictures
(cc dvs) (rated G)
The tale of three unlikely heroes-- a misfit mouse who prefers reading books to eating them, an unhappy rat who schemes to leave the darkness of the dungeon, and a bumbling servant girl with cauliflower ears-- whose fates are intertwined with that of the castle's princess

Yes Man from Warner Bros. Pictures
(cc dvs) (rated PG-13)
Jim Carrey stars as a guy who challenges himself to say "yes" to everything for an entire year.

FILMS OPENING DECEMBER 25 or 26

Bedtime Stories from Buena Vista Pictures
(cc dvs) (rated PG)
Adam Sandler stars in this family comedy about a hotel handyman whose life changes when the lavish bedtime stories he tells his niece and nephew start to magically come true.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button from Paramount Pictures*
(cc and description) (rated PG-13)
Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton in the story of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards with bizarre consequences.

Marley and Me from Twentieth Century Fox Films
(cc dvs) (rated PG)
Based on the best-selling book, a family learns important life lessons from their adorable, but naughty and neurotic dog. Starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston.

Valkyrie from MGM
(cc dvs) (rated PG-13)
At the height of WW2, a group of high-ranking German officers hatched a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, and seize power of the military command in order to end the war. The operation was codenamed "Valkyrie" for the emergency plan that was meant to be used in case of a revolt against the Nazi government. This plan had been modified by the conspirators to ensure their success, but for various reasons the plot failed when finally carried out on 20 July 1944. The conspirators of the inner circle were shot after a kangaroo trial or sentenced to death soon after. Tom Cruise stars.

The Reader
(cc only) (rated R)
Post-WWII Germany: Nearly a decade after his affair with an older woman came to a mysterious end, law student Michael Burk re-encounters his former lover (Winslet) as she defends herself in a war-crime trial.

Revolutionary Road from Paramount Vantage*
(cc only) (rated R)
A young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children. Based on a novel by Richard Yates and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.

NEW MOPIX-EQUIPPED CARMIKE THEATER OPENS IN DES MOINES
Another MoPix system donated by the community is up and running!  Hail, hail to the Rounceville's whose fundraising success is detailed in an article from the Des Moines Register linked here:

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20081215/NEWS/812150319/-1/SPORTS12

Here's the info on the new theater:

Carmike Wynnsong 16
Auditorium #8
5233 Stoney Creek Road
Johnston, Iowa  515 331-3456 (recorded information line)

Playing this week in the equipped auditorium:
Seven Pounds (cc dvs) (rated PG-13)
Fri-Tues Dec 19-23:  1:00  4:30  7:15  10:00PM


HMM, ANYONE OUT THERE HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT DTV?
We've captioned the youtube.com video that PBS produced to provide information to television viewers about the digital television conversion coming in February.  Here's the link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot422LMFc5s

If you have questions specifically about captioning and description for DTV, we've corralled many resources, some written by WGBH, others by the FCC, and placed them all at dtvaccess.org.

LIST OF DVDs WITH DVS TRACKS UPDATED

Please visit this page of the Media Access Group's site to learn which mainstream (sold in stores and online) DVDs include a description track created by WGBH:

http://main.wgbh.org/wgbh/pages/mag/resources/accessible-dvds.html

Most recent titles, or those soon to be available for sale or rent include:

Death Race (Universal Home Video, available 12/21)
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Universal Home Video)
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (Universal Home Video)
Wanted (Universal Home Video)

"COMING SOON" MOPIX LOCATIONS...

AMC Otay Ranch 12, Chula Vista, CA (Mopix system set to debut soon)
AMC Tyler 16, Riverside, CA (MoPix system to debut soon)
AMC Castleton Square 14 Theatre, Indianapolis, IN (MoPix system to debut soon)
Rave Theatres 14 Omaha, Omaha, NE (New chain, funded by the community! System to debut very shortly!)
National Amusements City Center 15, White Plains, NY (Second MoPix auditorium at this location coming soon!)
AMC Highland Village 12, Highland Village, TX (MoPix system to debut soon)

Link to the full list of over 300 MoPix-equipped theater locations at www.mopix.org.

THEATER CHAIN WEB SITE ADDRESSES

As several theater chains are now listing accessible films and showtimes on their Web sites, we want to take this opportunity to provide you with those site addresses. Helpful hint, some chains require you to know which theater in your area is equipped prior to finding the info on their sites. For a full list of MoPix locations, searchable by state, first go to www.mopix.org and link to "View Theaters".

You can also search for captioned movies near you at fomdi.com

AMC Theatres: http://www.moviewatcher.com/jsp/amg.jsp

Carmike Theatres:
http://www.carmike.com/showtimedetails.aspx?theatrenumber=075623

CEC Theatres: http://www.cectheatres.com (link to state, and then theater)

Cerrito Speakeasy Theatre:
http://www.cerritospeakeasy.com/calendar/index.html

Cineplex Theatres (Canada):
http://cineplex.com/Theatres/MovieTechnology.aspx?aud=rwcdvs

Clearview Cinemas: http://clearviewcinemas.com/tripod.shtml

Cobb Theatres:  http://www.cobbtheatres.com/ (link to equipped theater near you)

Empire Theatres (Canada): http://www.empiretheatres.com (link to province,
then to theater)

Celebration! Cinema RiverTown and Lansing Michigan:
http://www.celebrationcinema.com (select RiverTown or
Lansing from list of locations)

Kerasotes ShowPlace Theatres: www.kerasotes.com (select City North, Block E or the Glen 10 from the list of locations)

Megaplex Theatres:
http://www.megaplextheatres.com/nowshowingdetail.php?th_code=all

National Amusements Showcase Cinemas and Cinema de Lux locations:
http://www.nationalamusements.com/wireless
(link to theater under state heading)

Regal Cinemas:
http://www.regmovies.com/nowshowing/opencaptionedshowtimes.aspx#MA

Additional chains with MoPix systems are not yet listing MoPix-accessible film information on their sites at this time: Malco Theatres, Mann Theatres.

NOW PLAYING

Available with closed captions using the Rear Window Captioning system, and audio descriptions utilizing the DVS Theatrical System:

Australia from Twentieth Century Fox Films
(drama/adventure - rated PG-13)

Bedtime Stories from Buena Vista Pictures (debuts Dec 25)
(comedy/fantasy - rated PG)

Bolt from Buena Vista
(comedy/animated - rated PG)

Changeling from Universal Pictures
(biography/crime/drama - rated R)

The Day the Earth Stood Still from Twentieth Century Fox Films
(sci-fi - rated PG-13)

Four Christmases from Warner Bros. Pictures
(comedy - rated PG-13)

Frost/Nixon from Universal Pictures
(historical drama - rated PG-13)

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa from Paramount Pictures*
(animated - rated PG)

Marley and Me from Twentieth Century Fox Films (debuts Dec 25)
(comedy/drama - rated PG)

Quantum of Solace from Sony Pictures
(action/adventure - rated PG-13)

Seven Pounds from Sony Pictures
(drama - rated PG-13)

Slumdog Millionaire from Fox Searchlight
(drama - rated R)

The Tale of Despereaux from Universal Pictures
(adventure/family - rated G)

Twilight from Summit Entertainment
(fantasy/drama - rated PG-13)

Valkyrie from MGM
(historic drama/thrilled - rated PG-13)

Yes Man from Warner Bros. Pictures
(comedy - rated PG-13)

Available with closed captions using the Rear Window Captioning system (descriptive narration is not available for these films):

Cadillac Records from Sony Pictures
(drama) (rated R)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button from Paramount Pictures* (debuts Dec 25)
(drama/fantasy/mystery - rated PG-13)

Gran Torino from Warner Bros. Pictures
(action/thrilled - rated R)

Nothing Like the Holidays from Overture Films
(comedy/drama - rated PG-13)

The Reader from The Weinstein Co.
(drama/romance - rated R)

Revolutionary Road from Paramount Vantage*
(drama/romance - rated R)

MORE ACCESSIBLE MOVIES TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN THE NEXT MONTH
(plot descriptions from imdb.com)

Defiance from Paramount Vantage*
(Jan 2) (cc only)
Three Jewish brothers escape from Nazi-occupied Poland into the Belarussian forest, where they join Russian resistance fighters and endeavor to build a village in order to protect themselves and others in danger.

Bride Wars from Twentieth Century Fox Films
(Jan 9) (cc dvs)
Two best friends become rivals when they schedule their respective weddings on the same day. Starring Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson.

Not Easily Broken from Sony TriStar
(Jan 9) (cc only)
A car accident and shifting affections test the bond between a married couple.

The Unborn from Universal Pictures
(Jan 9) (cc dvs)
A young woman fights the spirit that is slowly taking possession of her.

Notorious from Fox Searchlight (Jan 16) (cc dvs)
The life and death story of Notorious B.I.G. (a.k.a. Christopher Wallace), who came straight out of Brooklyn to take the world of rap music by storm.

Paul Bart: Mall Cop from Sony Pictures
(Jan 16) (cc with dvs tba)
When a shopping mall is overtaken by a gang of organized crooks, it's up to the a mild-mannered security guard to save the day.  Starring Kevin James (from TV's King of Queens)

Hotel for Dogs from Paramount Pictures
(Jan 23) (cc only)
Two kids secretly take in nine stray dogs at a vacant house.

Last Chance Harvey from Overture Films
(Jan 23) (cc only)
In London for his daughter's wedding, a rumpled man finds his romantic spirits lifted by a new woman in his life.

 Underworld: Rise of the Lycans from Sony Screen Gems
(Jan 23) (cc only)
An origins story centered on the centuries-old feud between the the race of aristocratic vampires known as Death Dealers, and their onetime slaves, the Lycans.

* WGBH has developed a conversion process to enable select Paramount and DreamWorks films to be available via Rear Window Captioning systems. Some of these titles will also be available with descriptions. The latter will be designated "description" vs. DVS in our Updates to indicate availability of that feature, though WGBH did not create those descriptions.

--
CREDITS

Closed captioning and description of films provided by the Media Access Group at WGBH, a nonprofit division of Boston public broadcaster WGBH. The Rear Window Captioning and DVS Theatrical systems were developed by WGBH to make feature films accessible the date films open in theaters nationwide- and during regular showtimes- to movie fans who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, blind or visually impaired.

For more information on the WGBH's Motion Picture Access (MoPix) efforts, including how to encourage a theater in your area to install the access systems, please visit www.mopix.org, e-mail access@wgbh.org or call 617 300-3700 v, 617 300-2489 TTY.  You can subscribe to this newsletter directly by visiting,http://ncam.wgbh.org/mailinglist.html.