Digital Hollywood
Top Gear Comes to America, Gaming Movies Turn Sour & Tom Green Warms Up to the Web: B-List Goes Bust PODCAST
This week, Adam Carolla gives us a sneak peak at his new show, Top Gear USA; despised director Uwe Boll talks about his awful movies; and MTV-badboy Tom Green chats about his Web-based comeback.
First Adam Carolla Top Gear Q&A: Exclusive Specs on NBC Show
Radio host Adam Carolla is best known as a comedian. But this self-proclaimed car “nerd” has a bigger role this fall as host of NBC's Top Gear, an hour of supercar test drives, ridiculous road trips and death-defying stunts.
10 Best Car Chases in Movie History: Does Wanted Make the List?
A Dodge Viper spinning at 75 mph, Angelina Jolie clutching to it as she fires large-caliber weapons, the supercar literally driving off the side of an out-of-control bus—is this the stuff of Steve McQueen territory?
Why Pixar Is the Apple of Hollywood
Steve Jobs let the animators at his other little startup do what they do best with WALL*E: use breakthrough technology to bring a great idea to life, but don’t let it out of the lab until it’s perfect. Sound familiar?
The 10 Funniest Spy Gadgets in Movies ... Ever
Get Smart, with the return of the classic shoe phone, plus the addition of a tooth radio and what might be the most insane Swiss Army knife ever, represents the evolving combo of contraptions both ludicrous and hilarious.
F/X Legend Stan Winston Leaves High-Tech Legacy to Digital Hollywood
The man who turned sci-fi fantasy into big-screen reality before the days of CGI, has died at 62. And it wasn't just all animatronics and makeup. Winston lobbied so that the geeks in his field got the recognition they deserved.- PLUS: The Toughest, Smartest, Best Terminators Ever
- FROM UGO.COM: The Best of Stan Winston (With Video!)
5 Reasons Why Researchers Say The Happening Is Junk Science
In the global warming-tinged new film from M. Night Shyamalan, plants—yes, plants—are the enemy, releasing neurotoxins on the level of a massive terrorist attack. But could this horror fantasy ever really go down? Our experts all agree: absolutely not.
Fallout From Universal Studios Blaze Centers on Fake City's Grid
With water pressure mysteriously low, a bizarre movie set provides ideal kindling for a massive fire—again. Could "Doc" Brown's Back to the Future clocktower have been saved with building codes, fire lanes and no Hollywood camera trickery? Investigators seem to think so.
Lost for Dummies: Your Must-Have Science Glossary on New Island Mysteries!
To help you navigate tonight's two-hour, physics-packed finale of Lost, we followed up a season's worth of debunking with more TiVo and experts on hand for a recap on all the science we could find.
4 Ways Sci-Fi Indy 4 Fails Dr. Jones—and the Trilogy's Legacy
With aliens, mushroom clouds and man-eating insects, Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull might be more heavy on the science fiction than any films in the classic franchise. The Huffington Post's Hollywood geek says that's a bad thing.
Can Lost's New Bad Guy Blow Up the Rescue Boat From His Arm Gadget? Explosives Guru Says All It Takes Is the Sat Phone
Robert Young Pelton says to execute long-distance RF detonation—say, from a station in the middle of an island to a freighter more than five miles off shore—you'd need something that can cover some ground: "the standard IED system of sat-phone relays."
B-Movie Czar Uwe Boll Speaks Out on Anti-Gaming Flick Campaign
The director the Web loves to hate offers his first interview after a nearly $1 million sponsorship to shut down his video-game adaptations, comparing the anti-Boll petition to the Obama campaign, talking trash to his critics and showing off his lighter side
American Gladiators Returns With Rocketball Launcher—and Not Much Else Tech: Resident Geek
We decided to take NBC at its word, and explore the "latest technology" used in the comeback. One of the new events could've involve an exoskeleton, motion sensors or, like, lasers. Turns out there wasn't much other than a sweet ratchet decelerator.
Is Lost’s Island Electromagnetic Enough to Move Itself Through Space? Time-Travel Expert Says It’s Not Impossible
In the Locke-centric episode, “Cabin Fever,” we finally found out this season’s end game: If Locke wants to save the island, he’s going to have to move it.
Speed Racer's Breakthrough CGI Road Rally: Anatomy of a Scene
How 10 million robotic photographs, Google Earth and gaming-influenced driving simulators turned a green-screen dream into the best action sequence of the summer.
How Can Lost's Super Doc Get Sick on an Island Where Sickness Doesn't Happen?
"Something Nice Back Home" revolved more around the psychological action than the scientific, we’re still curious as to how exactly super surgeon Jack Shephard landed on sweetheart maternity doc Juliet Burke's operating table.
Incredible Hulk Smash Hands Make You Mike Tyson in Edward Norton's Big-Screen World (With Butt-Kickin' Video!)
As Iron Man kicks off a summer full of geektastic flicks past $100 million and beyond, the PM test lab is awash in blockbuster tie-in toys. We got our hands in Hasbro's all-new Hulk Smash Hands—oversize, grunting plush versions of Edward Norton's manos.
Top DIYers Say Lost's Sat Phone Mod Is Doable, but Is the Island Back to the Future?
Is it even possible, as physicist Daniel Faraday proposes on the fly, to convert a sat phone with a broken mic into a working telegraph with nothing more than some wire, a 9-volt battery clip and iron-bearing metal? PM asks the experts.
Inside Lost's High-Tech Mythology, Iron Man's Flying Suit and Summer Blockbuster Rumors: Geeks Go to Hollywood PODCAST
The case for a modern revival of science fiction films, an exclusive Season 4 preview with Lost gurus Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, and the inventor of Iron Man's digital suit tells us where Tony Stark's new weaponry really came from.
Debunking Lost's Science: Hollywood Sci-Fi Behind the Scenes
As our favorite TV show returns from writer’s strike purgatory, its creators reveal just how much research goes into the making of Lost’s high-tech mythology—and let slip a few secrets about the island’s future.
Create Green-Screen & Stop-Motion Special Effects on Your PC!
With a little attention to technique, a home video can be shot on a makeshift set, then fine-tuned in your own computer postproduction studio to create near Hollywood-quality special effects.
Hollywood Sci-Fi's Bronze Age: Are Comics to Blame?
The big-screen iterations of Bruce Banner and Tony Stark are in mortal combat with smart science fiction. In a post-ComicCon, pre-summer blockbuster analysis, PM's resident geek traces the decline of our favorite genre—and looks for a future fix.
Why Knight Rider 2.0 Needs More Tech to Survive in Prime Time
Can a Hasselhoff-less series move beyond a stinker pilot and live up to the hype? One fan looks back, and offers high-tech production advice.
The 10 Most Prophetic Sci-Fi Movies Ever
When Arthur C. Clarke died last week at the age of 90, science fiction—hell, science in general—lost one of its greatest, most forward-looking masters. In his honor, PM's resident geek and sci-fi buff analyzes the most eerily predictive, prescient films of the future.
4 Questions for Star Wars Modelmaker Grant McCune
George Lucas's team of F/X wizards took home an Oscar in 1977, and one of the quiet but crucial innovators among them granted PM a rare interview from his California-based studio, where his company still pumps out today's R2-D2 2.0 designs.
Lost's Mystery Bad Guy Did His Homework, as Aircraft Expert Says Fake Plane Crash Wouldn't Be Recovered
Whether it's Ben or Charles Widmore who staged the crash of Flight 815 and damned the castaways to purgatory, we have to give one bad guy some credit: He planted the fake in a spot that may very well be deep enough to prevent recovery.
Lost's Black Box Story Holds True, NTSB Records Chief Says: Hollywood Sci-Fi vs. Reality
And what use is the black box? Would the thing even spit out anything useful? Wee talked to James Cash, chief of the vehicle recorders division at the National Transportation Safety Board, to get some answers.
Pregnancy Science on Lost Is Flawed (Except for the Magnetism Factor), Top Maternity Doc Says
Why getting pregnant on the island is a death sentence, a Yale fetal expert can't say. It could have something to do with the weakened immune system, though. And what can cause a reduced white blood cell count? You guessed it: electromagnetic radiation.
IMAX Finally Goes Digital, and Your Big-Big Screen Flick Could Be Next
For IMAX, crossing over to digital with Texas Instruments' DLP technology is about more than just delivering superior picture—it's about saving a whole lot of money on film in theaters and for independent filmmakers.
Behind the Scenes of 10,000 B.C.'s Saber-Toothed F/X Realism
After thousands of photos, hundreds of software flip-flops, dozens of fur rugs in a dunk tank and a trip to South Africa, two teams of geeks connected to build a a realistic CGI version of Hollywood history's most intimidating cat.
Are Lost's New Time-Travel Physics Junk Science? Maybe Not, Expert Says: Hollywood Sci-Fi vs. Reality
With new particle physics research recently taking time travel from Doc Brown fantasy to down-the-line possibility, we spoke with Dr. Michio Kaku, whose new book makes Lost's flip-flop between past and present look, well, not impossible.
Lost Episode's 4 Mouth Grenade Tech Rings True: Hollywood Sci-Fi vs. Reality
Locke claims that since he's pulled the pin, the only thing preventing Miles from going kaboom is his bite on the lever. And the bald man's totally right—for once in this episode.- EARLIER: Can You Land a Chopper in an Electrical Storm?
- EARLIER: Are Super Satellite Phones That Good?
Geek the Oscars 2008: Experts Weigh in on Sci/Tech Categories
Whether you’re appreciating the nerds who make Hollywood blockbusters go boom, or just want to ace your party pool for this weekend’s Academy Awards, check in with some of the top minds in digital F/X for their picks.
Foley Artist: This is My Job
Dan O’Connell deals with broken bones on a regular basis. Explosions, too. His studio in Burbank, Calif., O’Connell creates the sounds that make films like Gladiator and The Bourne Ultimatum feel like real life.
The Signal’s Fallacy of Frequencies: Hollywood Sci-Fi vs. Reality
The Signal is a smart new horror flick that exploits society’s increasing dependence on digital technology. But does the story mesh with real world science? Our experts weigh in.
Jumper's Tricked-Out Teleportation: Hollywood Sci-Fi vs. Reality
The new adventure flick features Hayden Christensen and Samuel L. Jackson whizzing through wormholes around the world, but does that hold up to actual quantum research? We compare notes with the director and a top MIT physicist.
Computer, Gadget Geeks Take to Red Carpet (and Jessica Alba) at Sci/Tech Oscars
The Scientific and Technological Academy Awards, to many just a montage with a gorgeous host, celebrated the underappreciated gurus of digital F/X, with a particular focus on the digital wave magic of fluid simulation.
Before the Green Screen, Stunt-Man Safety Was Measured by Seconds, Not Computers: Time Machine (August 1946)
During the heyday of the western, long before the development of green screens and other next-gen F/X tools, PM examined the safety methods and devices ensuring that stuntmen’s risk of life and limb would go no further than absolutely necessary.
Lost Episode 2's Lightning-Induced Chopper Crash Doesn't Hold Up: Hollywood Sci-Fi vs. Reality
Could even the best helicopter pilot take a direct lightning hit, only to land in brush on a dark island, without night vision or a working instrument panel? An Army pilot and a chopper trainer say there's no way the would-be rescuers could pull such a stunt.- LOST WATCH: Is There a Real Super Sat Phone?
- EARLIER: Explosives Buffs on Season 3 Finale
- FROM UGO.COM: Full Episode Reviews, Sneak Peeks
Lost Season Premiere Relies on Super Satellite Phone: Hollywood Sci-Fi vs. Reality
After months stuck on an island inhabited by nefarious monsters and the Others, Jack and Co. are finally getting rescued—thanks to a satellite device from a short-lived parachuter. And most of the tech holds up, a sat phone manufacturer tells PM.
Untraceable's High-Tech Hijinks: Hollywood Fact vs. Fiction
In the new thriller, FBI agents track a killer who uses the Internet to commit murders. We asked the filmmakers and security experts and doctors how believable this Web criminal really is, and the results may surprise you.
The Toughest, Smartest, Best Terminators of All Time
In honor of Fox's Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, our favorite new sci-fi TV show, PM’s resident geek offers a thorough evaluation—from intimidation to design and intelligence to destruction—on the franchise's robotic evolution since Arnold.
Under the Hood With Knight Rider 2.0: Trans Am vs. Ford Mustang (Featuring Exclusive New KITT Specs—and Classic Hasselhoff!)
For all you Trans Am holdouts, Mustang droolers and Hasselhoff haters, here's the very first look at all of the new KITT's gee-whiz specs and functionality, matched up to the original to determine which is better equipped for Hollywood crime-fighting.
Speed Racer Car and More Lurk in the Basement: Live at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show
It's hard to beat the experience of staring down a herd of longhorn cattle contained only by dinky metal gates. But in the basement of the Cobo Conference Center here, serious press conferences are tempered by an array of exhibits both surprising and engaging.
I Am Legend's Junk Science: Hollywood Sci-Fi vs. Reality
How much of this sure-to-be blockbuster film is fact, and how much is fiction? We consult experts in the fields of structural engineering, virology and wildlife to determine what could happen—and what certainly won't.
How to Become a Filmmaker in 4 Easy Steps
As hi-def video gear has become more accessible, and online sites like YouTube have revolutionized distribution, there has been an explosion of creativity in low-budget cinema. How do you make your work stand out? With good old-fashioned craftsmanship.
10 Questions for Sunshine’s Scientific Advisor
In the new sci-fi thriller, the sun is dying, and it’s up to a team of scientists to save the day—literally. Dr. Brian Cox, a physicist with CERN, served as the film's scientific advisor. He sat down with PM to separate fact from fiction, and tell us how to reignite a star.
Transformers: The Best Special Effects Ever?
We go behind the high-tech scenes of this summer’s biggest blockbuster with the geeks who turned blazing concept cars into galaxy-saving Autobots — and re-wrote the rules of CGI in the process.
Blade Runner at 25: Why the Sci-Fi F/X Are Still Unsurpassed
A quarter-century after Ridley Scott's dark vision of the future changed the face of filmmaking, special-effects maestro and MythBuster Adam Savage offers an appreciation.
Top 10 F/X Scenes in Movie History
Today, many digital effects are so subtle that movie audiences often don't notice them — but it wasn't always so. We asked industry insiders to pinpoint the biggest breakthroughs in digital F/X history.
The Digital Movie Pipeline: From Set to Theater to Your Living Room
Choose your own adventure in tracking a motion picture from digital camera to home screen — without film.
PODCAST: Talking Digital Hollywood with ILM's F/X Head
We interview one of the moviemaking magicians at Industrial Light and Magic, Effects Supervisor Colum Slevin, and find out how digital production is fundamentally changing the way films are made.
Making 3D: Behind the Scenes with the New Nightmare Before Christmas
How George Lucas' special effects house and new digital projection technology are manipulating images so fast your brain can’t tell the difference — and how Hollywood can.
Big Shots: FX New & Old Make Movie Magic
Digital special effects create cool and convincing movie magic. But not every jaw-dropping effect comes out of a computer. Traditional FX tricks were behind some of last summer's wildest scenes.
Lights, Camera, Data!
In today's digital Hollywood, cameras capture scenes in bits, not frames—and computer wizards conjure up everything from impossible beasts to cliff-top battlegrounds. Film is dead. Long live the movies.
Backyard Filmmakers Are Hollywood's Greatest Fear: Analysis
The entertainment industry's real threat isn't piracy, it's backyard Spielbergs armed with digital moviemaking gear.- PLUS: Two Videographers & Their Gear
- GLENN REYNOLDS: The Columnist Looks at the Dangers of a Different Camera
Drive Green
Future of Biofuels
Looking way beyond ethanol, scientists have begun harnessing bacteria to produce eco-friendly hydrocarbons en masse by 2010.Worst-Case Scenarios
3D After the Flood
As rising crests move into Missouri, scientists have rigged high-end DLP projectors and set out to tell Americans where not to risk it next time.Military & Law Enforcement
Nukes Upends Air Force
The agencies chiefs were forced out, and reports say a mishandling of nuclear weapons was the last straw. We look at three lessons from the nuke run.Future of Space
Win the Lunar X Prize
Google's $20M purse is open to all, but to take your best shot at winning, you'll need a good game plan. PM's ultimate DIY guide can help you beat NASA to the moon.Automotive
Jules Verne's Batmobile
We're live at a military base in England as the British Steam Car takes its first step onto the track before 170 MPH at Bonneville.Science
Nano Food Fix
Could nano-enriched feed help chickens poop out pathogens and keep your table clean? Scientists may have found a safer option.Research
New Tornado Tech
Even as a twister killed four Boy Scouts, scientists tested a radar network that bounces signals from the sky to Wi-Fi for real-time reaction.Technology
5 MIT Startups
The class of '08 moves on, we look at projects (from a Google Android program out to beat the new iPhone, to a low-tech solution for Sudanese farmers) with big potential.Extreme Machines
Extreme Roller Coasters
Prepare for NASA-worthy g-forces, blistering speed and the ride of your life: PM takes you behind the cutting-edge tech of America's steepest new ride ... with video!Drive Green
New Hacks on Earth
As the Senate debates a climate-change bill, experts say geoengineering isn't so far-out anymore.Drive Green
10 Quick MPG Tips
Our guest MPG geek breaks down the vehicle mods, driving habits and common-sense fixes you need to know to max out your tank.Workshop
MythBusters Go Electric
Jamie breaks down his new experiment: pitting a Ferrari, Harley, ATV, compact car and go-kart against each vehicle's electric counterpart.Drive Green
Top 10 X Prize Cars
The most comprehensive, up-to-date scouting report on the field for the 100-mpg car of tomorrow.Digital Hollywood
Debunking Lost's Science
As the show returns, its creators reveal the making of high-tech mythology—and let slip a few secrets about the island’s future.Special Report
Rebuilding America
PM's report on fixing U.S. infrastructure examines new plans for bridges and beyond.Technology News
2008 Tech Preview
Get trends, videos and analysis of gadgets and innovation you need to know from the Consumer Electronics Show.Election News
Primary Sci/Tech Issues
The Democratic race winds down as Hillary Clinton tries to hang on against Barack Obama. Get behind their policies—and John McCain's—with PM's Geek the Vote '08 guide.Geek the Vote '08
The presidential race hangs in the balance, and PM compiles the candidates' science and tech proposals.Technology
iPhone Made Jobs Nice?
Was Steve Jobs planning the price drop all along? Live from WWDC 2008, PM's guest Apple geek unearths the landscape for the turtlenecked titan that Silicon Valley loves to hate.PM Ad Partner Links
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• myBike, PM's New User-Powered Motorcycle Community, Brought to You by Kawasaki
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• Mustang Make Over! - Sponsored by BFGoodrich & Optima Batteries
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My Popular Mechanics
Join PM's User-Powered Motorcycle Community!
Rev up with myBike to upload rides from your garage, rate others, make biker buddies and chat on message boards!• PLUS: How to Ride a Motorcycle
• VIDEO: Pick the Right Bike for You
• REVIEW: Test-Driving New Gear
Car Buyers Guide
2008's Top Cars & Trucks
PM's Automotive Excellence Awards honor 13 new rides and innovations in 10 categories.
Current Issue
Extreme Coast Guard Rescue & More
In an exclusive report, PM details a dramatic story of survival at sea.Reviews
Future Warfare: New DVD
PM's four-hour, two-disc set deploys battle footage, CG animation, live-action weapons testing and expert interviews to examine everything from robot warriors to UAVs.