Aftershock Festival 2023 Lineup Announced

Courtesy: Ashton-Magnuson Media

Aftershock Festival organizers have announced the lineup for the annual event, which is scheduled to be held Oct. 5-8 at Discovery Park in Sacramento, CA.

Guns N’ Roses, Korn, Tool, and Avenged Sevenfold have been announced as the headliners for this year’s festival. Also on the bill for the event are other equally well-known bands, such as Godsmack, Incubus, Pantera, Megadeth, Rancid, Queens of the Stone Age, The Cult, I Prevail, AFI, Dance Gavin Dance, 311, Turnstile, and Limp Bizkit.

This year’s event is being put on by Danny Wimmer Presents, and Danny Hayes, the company’s chief executive officer, said he is looking forward to this year’s festival.

“We are so excited for what will be the biggest Aftershock in the festival’s 11-year history,” Hayes said. “We are grateful for our partnership with the city and county of Sacramento and together we have built an amazing brand that showcases Sacramento to attendees from all over the globe.”

Avenged Sevenfold is scheduled to headline the festival’s first day. Other acts scheduled for Day One are the likes of: Pennywise, Beauty School Dropout, The Cult, AFI, and Incubus.

Tool is scheduled to headline Day Two, with the likes of Megadeth, Memphis May Fire, The Hu, Skillet, Limp Bizkit, and Coheed and Cambria joining the band and others on the day.

Korn will headline Day Three. Others on the day’s schedule include and are not limited to: Corey Taylor, Avatar, The Amity Affliction, Parkway Drive, and Babymetal.

Guns N’ Roses will close out the four-day festival. Leading up to the band’s performance, other acts, including and not limited to: Queens of the Stone Age, Rancid, I Prevail, Dance Gavin Dance, Daughtry, and Mayday Parade will also take the stage.

The full list of this year’s acts is noted below. Audiences can put down $10 now toward the price of the passes. Payments toward the price can be made from there between April and August. The down payment can be made here.

The full Aftershock 2023 lineup is as follows (subject to change):

Thursday, October 5: Avenged Sevenfold, Incubus, Turnstile, The Cult, AFI, Pennywise, Nothing But Thieves, L7, White Reaper, Senses Fail, Don Broco, The Bronx, Nothing, Nowhere., DeathByRomy, Beauty School Dropout, Bob Vylan, Holding Absence, Pinkshift, Thousand Below, Starbenders, SeeYouSpaceCowboy, Static Dress, Letdown.

Friday, October 6: Tool, Godsmack, Limp Bizkit, Megadeth, Coheed and Cambria, Skillet, Bad Omens, The Hu, Deafheaven, Memphis May Fire, Converge, Fire From the Gods, Polaris, Rain City Drive, Gideon, Currents, Varials, Strange Kids, Dragged Under, Tallah, HANABIE., Widow7, Death Valley Dreams

Saturday, October 7: Korn, Pantera, 311, Corey Taylor, Parkway Drive, Babymetal, Polyphia, Dethklok, Avatar, Fever 333, The Amity Affliction, Sleep Token, Escape the Fate, Boston Manor, Fame on Fire, Catch Your Breath, Ten56., Reddstar, Holy Wars, ’68, Ithaca, Devil’s Cut, Traitors, Fox Lake, All Waves, As You Were

Sunday, October 8: Guns N’ Roses, Queens of the Stone Age, Rancid, I Prevail, Dance Gavin Dance, Daughtry, Badflower, Billy Talent, Mayday Parade, Suicide Silence, Movements, Ayron Jones, You Me At Six, Dead Poet Society, Austin Meade, Alpha Wolf, Jehnny Beth, Redlight King, Tigercub, Call Me Karizma, Ryan Oakes, Gnome, Luna Aura, Asava

More information on the 2023 Aftershock Festival is available along with all of the festival’s latest news at:

Website: https://www.AftershockFestival.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AftershockFestival

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AftershockSac

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Antisaint Added To Download Festival Lineup

Courtesy: Head First Entertainment

Independent hard rock act Antisaint is going to get some major exposure during this summer’s festival season.

The band has been added to the lineup for this year’s Download Festival. The announcement was made Friday. The 2023 Download Festival is scheduled to be held June 8-11 at Donington Park, UK.

The band joins the likes of Halestorm, Alter Bridge, Bad Wolves, Avatar, and The Warning as the newest acts to join the annual festival’s lineup. Antisaint is scheduled to perform June 10 at the festival, along with Clutch, Ice Nine Kills, Motionless in White and Metallica, among so many other major name acts.

Antisaint front man Matthew Whiteman said he was humbled as he talked about the announcement of the band joining the festival’s lineup.

“We’re beyond excited and grateful for the opportunity,” Whiteman said. “This is the kind of show you dream about and to be a part of it is a huge honour. “It’s crazy to see ANTISAINT’s name on the same poster with so many legendary bands that we grew up listening to and drawing influence from.  To be included in the 20^th Anniversary celebration of such a widely respected festival makes it that much better.  It’s a privilege to be included this year!”

Antisaint’s upcoming performance at the Download Festival is in support of the re-issue of its 2021 album, Vaticinate, which was released last year.

More information on Antisaint’s upcoming performance at the 2023 Download Festival is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:

Website: https://antisaintband.square.site

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/antisaintband

Twitter: https://twitter.com/antisaintband

To keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews, go online to https://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.Advertisement

 

Houston Open Air Festival Lineup Announced

Courtesy: Ashton-Magnuson Media/Danny Wimmer Presents

The lineup for the 2016 Houston Open Air Festival has officially been announced.

Organizers with the Houston Open Air Festival have revealed the lineup for the 2016 Houston Open Air Festival.  The lineup will feature 35 bands over two days.  That list includes: Deftones, Slayer,Chevelle, The Cult, Ministry, Alter Bridge, Ghost, Anthrax, Pierce The Veil, Of Mice & Men, Sevendust, Baroness, Hellyeah, Chevy Metal, Buckcherry, Nothing More, The Amity Affliction, Max & Iggor Cavalera: Return To Roots, Avatar, letlive., Jim Breuer and the Loud & Rowdy, Texas Hippie Coalition, Young Guns, Starset, Sick Puppies, Skindred, Neck Deep, Sons Of Texas, KYNG, Twelve Foot Ninja, Gemini Syndrome, The Word Alive, Dinosaur Pile Up, September Mourning, and more.  Avenged Sevenfold and Alice in Chains have been named as the festival’s headliners.

A rolling discounted Early Bird pre-sale for Weekend General Admission tickets begins this Tuesday, May 17^th at 12pm CDT/1pm EDT.  A very limited quantity of tickets will be available during this pre-sale.  They can be purchased online at http://www.HoustonOpenAir.com and will only be available while supplies last.  Their prices are noted below.

 

Early Bird #1: $89.50

Early Bird #2: $99.50

 

VIP weekend tickets will also be available at a cost of $234.50.

Public on-sale tickets will go on sale Friday, May 20^th at 12pm CDT/1pm EDT.  They will also be available for purchase online at http://www.HoustonOpenAir.com.  Their prices are listed below.

 

 

Weekend GA: $109.50

Single-day GA: $69.50

Single-day VIP: $129.50

VIP Weekend: $234.50

 

 

VIP tickets include: VIP entrance lanes into venue, access to VIP-only area featuring dedicated bar, beverage and food options (for additional purchase), VIP-only viewing area of Main Stage, dedicated restroom facilities, and a VIP-only commemorative laminate.

A portion of all proceeds from ticket sales for the festival will go toward aiding the Greater Houston Storm Relief Fund.  The Greater Houston Storm Relief Fund was established by Houston’s mayor Sylvester Turner in order to accept donations for flood relief in the Houston community.  This includes aiding victims of the flooding that stemmed from recent storms that hit the region.  More information on The Greater Houston Storm Relief Fund is available online at http://www.houstonrecovers.org.  Danny Hayes, CEO of Danny Wimmer Presents, spoke with the media recently.  He discussed the timing of the festival’s announcement in relation to the city’s recovery from said storms as well as the motivation for teaming with Mayor Turner in his recovery efforts.  “Houston Open Air has been in the works for almost a year now,” he said.  It’s awkward to announce a major music festival in a city that has experienced such recent hardship and, in fact, we delayed our announcements out of respect for what Houston has endured. But at the same time, our festivals are about highlighting the strengths (or sometimes the needs) of our host city. There’s no more important way to do that right now than to support Mayor Turner’s efforts to help Houston recover from this spring’s flooding and we will be incorporating this message throughout our launch campaign.”

Danny Wimmer is the founder of Danny Wimmer Presents.  He shared his thoughts on the logistics of the concert’s location, its lineup, and more in his discussion with the press.  “Houston is one of the country’s biggest rock markets and, when combined with the impressive food scene happening here, it’s a natural location for a DWP festival,” he said.  “We’re thrilled to have such a diverse first-year lineup that includes Avenged Sevenfold, Alice In Chains and Chevelle. With the inclusion of an incredible food experience and the Jack Daniel’s Whiskey Row, we are kicking off a powerhouse experience that will live in the market for many years to come!”

The Houston Open Air Festival’s band lineup is just part of what audiences have to look forward to this year.  There will also be a special food and drink experience for fans who attend.  This includes the Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Whiskey Row and a massive Gourmet Man Food Experience  The brands featured in the Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Whiskey Row include: Jack Daniel’s Black Label, Gentleman Jack, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire, Old Forester, and Woodford Reserve.  The complete lineup and menus for the Gourmet Man Food experience will be announced soon.

Houston Open Air is produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, producer of: Louder Than Life, Chicago Open Air, Monster Energy Welcome To Rockville, Monster Energy Fort Rock, Monster Energy Aftershock, Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion, Northern Invasion, Monster Energy Rock Allegiance, Rock on the Range, and more.  It is sponsored by: Monster Energy, Jack Daniel’s, El Jimador, Fxck Cancer’s Dyin2Live, NRG Park, and SoHo Concessions, and more to be announced soon.

NRG Park is the home of the NFL’s Houston Texans and the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.  It is located at One NRG Park in Houston, TX.

More information on the Houston Open Air Festival is available online now at:

 

 

Website: http://www.HoustonOpenAir.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/houstonopenair

Twitter: http://twitter.com/HouOpenAir

 

 

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Another Lost Year Added To Shiprocked 2017 Lineup

Courtesy: O’Donnell Media Group

Another Lost Year is getting Shiprocked!

The Charlotte, North Carolina-based band has been announced as the latest addition to the 2017 edition of the annual Shiprocked cruise.  The cruise will feature a number of today’s top rock acts including but not limited to: Breaking Benjamin, Papa Roach, Alter Bridge, Sevendust, Pop Evil, and The Stowaways.  The floating music festival will be held aboard the Carnival Victory.  The liner will sail out of Miami Florida on January 16th, 2017, and make its way to Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos before returning to port on January 20^th, 2017.  Also featured in the 2017 Shiprocked cruise will be: Avatar, Crobot, 12 Stones, and many others.  A very limited number of rooms is still available for the 2017 Shiprocked cruise.  VIP packages are sold out.  Pricing information for the available rooms is noted via the official Shiprocked website.

Before the band takes to the high seas it will also perform live at the 2016 Laconia Fest Motorcycle Music Festival.  The Laconia Fest is part of what is billed as the “oldest motorcycle rally on the planet.”  The nine-day festival takes place at Weirs Drive-In Theatre in Laconia, New Hampshire from Saturday, June 11^th to Sunday, June 19^th.  The debut installment of the Laconia Fest will feature performances from some of the top acts from rock’s past, present, and future.  They include but are not limited to: Steven Tyler, Lita Ford, Ted Nugent, Warrant, LA Guns, Dope, Everybody Panic!, Sevendust, Buckcherry, Fuel, Saving Abel, and many more.  General Admission tickets and VIP passes are available for a number of the festival’s performances.  General admission tickets include: Admission to the Festival village, the FMX Stunt Show, Main stage & EMP Group Label Group – Stage 2 Views, and more.  VIP Pit passes include: Exclusive, best-position access to stage-front from the Pit viewing area, 2 complimentary tokens, and access to cash bar and other amenities.  VIP Tower passes are also available.  They include: Exclusive access to an elevated 15-foot platform with premium stage view, private bar with beer and other drinks, prepared box meal, luxury accommodations, and other optional extras.  Those extras come at an added cost.  Wheel chair access will also be available for the festival.  Tickets and VIP passes allow for “all-day” access to the Laconia Fest and all related events and attractions.  Tickets are sold on a per-day basis and re-entry is allowed per day.  More information on ticketing, VIP passes, performance lineups, and more is available on the festival’s official website.

The band’s performance at the Laconia Fest is just one of a number of dates that is on ALY’s current live schedule.  The band will be live today in Chesterfield, Michigan before heading to Janesville, Wisconsin for a performance there this Sunday, May 15^th.  Performances in Pinehurst, NC and Charlotte, NC on June 2^nd and 4rth are also included in that schedule, which is noted below.

 

Another Lost Year Tour Dates:
5/12/2016 Chesterfield MI @ Diesel w/ P.O.D.
5/15/2016 Janesville WI @ Back Bar w/ DEVOUR THE DAY
5/18/2016 Belvidere IL @ Apollo Theatre w/ P.O.D.
5/20/2016 Janesville WI @ Back Bar w/ ROMANTIC REBEL – JJO Presents
5/29/2016 Algona IA @ Afterlife Lounge
6/2/2016 Pinehurst NC @ Private Acoustic
6/4/2016 Charlotte NC @ Rabbit Hole w/ SCOTT BARTLETT of SAVING ABEL
6/9/2016 Hagerstown MD @ Municipal Stadium – Hagerstown Suns Baseball Game After Party

6/10/2016 Battle Creek MI @ The Music Factory w/ SHAMANS HARVEST
6/11/2016 laCrosse WI @ Pearl Street Brewery w/ DRUGS DELANEY
6/12/2016 Ft Atkinson WI @ Hyjinx w/ DRUGS DELANEY
6/15/2016 Laconia NH @ Laconia Fest w/ STEVEN TYLER
6/16/2016 Laconia NH @ Laconia Fest w/ BRET MICHAELS
6/17/2016 Cranston RI @ 1150 Oak Bar w/ EVERYBODY PANIC
6/18/2016 Cranston RI @ 1150 Oak Bar
6/19/2016 Hampton Beach NH @ Wally’s
7/2/2016 Battle Creek MI @ Private Party
7/3/2016 Pekin IL @ Twisted Spoke w/ DRUGS DELANEY
7/15/2016 Kankakee IL @ Kankakee BBQ Fest w/ VINCE NEIL
7/16/2016 Clarksville TN @ z97.5 Festival
7/16/2016 Grayson KY @ HeadCase Festival
8/6/2016 Hagerstown MD @ Private Party
8/12/2016 Algona IA @ Algona Fairgrounds w/ SMILE EMPTY SOUL

 

Another Lost Year will release its new album Alien Architect Friday, Jun e10th via EMP Label Group and Mirage M’Hal Records.  The band recently premiered the video for the album’s lead single ‘Wolves’ online.  It can be viewed via YouTube and Vevo.  More information on Alien Architect is available online now along with more information on the band’s upcoming live dates at:

 

Website: http://www.whoisALY.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AnotherLostYear

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Official_ALY

 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Monster Energy Rock Allegiance Festival Returning For Its Second Year

Courtesy: Danny Wimmer Presents/Ashton-Magnuson Media

There’s big concert news coming out of Pennsylvania  today.

The Monster Energy Rock Allegiance Festival is returning to Pennsylvania this summer.  It will take place Saturday, September 17^th and Sunday, September 18^th at Talen Energy Stadium (formerly PPL Park), home of Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union, in Chester, PA, which is just outside of Philadelphia.  It will feature a lineup of more than 35 bands.  That lineup includes but is not limited to: Avenged Sevenfold, Alice In Chains, Slayer, The Offspring, Breaking Benjamin, Volbeat, Chevelle, The Cult, The Pretty Reckless, Pierce The Veil, Of Mice & Men, Ghost, Anthrax, Killswitch Engage, Chevy Metal, Baroness, Hellyeah, Sevendust, Motionless In White, Buckcherry, Trivium, Avatar, Max & Iggor Cavalera Return To Roots, Jim Breuer and the Loud & Rowdy, Sick Puppies, The Amity Affliction, letlive., Neck Deep, Skindred, KYNG, Young Guns, Crobot, Devour The Day, Twelve Foot Ninja, Dinosaur Pile Up, Death Angel and Hundredth.

A rolling discounted Early Bird on-sale for weekend General Admission tickets and VIP passes starts this Tuesday, May 10^th at 12pm EDT and runs through Friday, May 13^th at 10am EDT.  Early Bird tickets and VIP passes will be available in a very limited quantity.  The prices for each is noted below.

 

Early Bird #1: $79 GA Weekend Stands, $99 GA Weekend Floor, $219 VIP Weekend

Early Bird #2: $89 GA Weekend Stands, $109 GA Weekend Floor, $239 VIP Weekend

Early Bird #3: $99 GA Weekend Stands, $129 GA Weekend Floor, $259 VIP Weekend

 

Zippo 2-packs will also be available at a price of $550.  They include 2-VIP weekend passes and 2 commemorative Zippos.  Single-day admission and general weekend packages will go on full sale along with VIP packages beginning May 13^th at 10am EDT.  Prices will increase in the weeks leading up to the festival.  Current prices are listed below.

 

GA Weekend: $129 floor, $99 stands

GA 4-Packs: $308

VIP Weekend: $219

VIP 2-Packs: $550

Single Day GA (stands): $44.50

Single Day VIP: $119.50

 

VIP packages for the festival include: Stadium-level VIP main stage viewing, floor-level VIP viewing area for the west main stage, dedicated entrance lanes into the festival, VIP area with shade and picnic tables, VIP restrooms, special food and beverage offerings (for additional purchase), and a commemorative VIP laminate.

The music is just one part of the experience that audiences will be able to enjoy at this year’s festival.  Along with lots of great music there will also be loads of great food and drink, too.  There will loads of dishes offered by some of Philadelphia’s eateries in the Gourmet Man Food experience.  There will also be plenty of brews offered by breweries from across America.  The culinary lineup for the Gourmet Man Food Experience currently features: Braz-B-Q, Chickie & Pete’s, The Cow & The Curd, Dos Hermanos, Dump ’n’ Roll, M.A.T.T.’s Gourmet Sliders, Mama’s Meatballs, Seoulfull Philly, Sum Pig and The Tot Cart.  The breweries that will be at the festival include: Evolution Craft Brewing Co (Salisbury, MD), Fordham & Dominion Brewing Company (Dover, DE), New Belgium Brewing (Fort Collins, CO), Starr Hill Brewery (Crozet, VA), Tröegs Independent Brewing (Hershey, PA) and Victory Brewing Company (Downington, PA).

Danny Wimmer, head of Danny Wimmer Presents, recently discussed the festival’s return with the media.  He discussed not only the festival’s return but its expansion to two days this year and expectations in general for this year’s event.  “When we came to Philadelphia last year, we knew there was a demand for this kind of festival in the market, but the response exceeded our expectations,” he said.  Growing to two days in our second year was an obvious decision, and we’re looking forward to giving fans an even better experience in 2016.”

Geoff Gordon is President of Live Nation Philadelphia.  He echoed Wimmer’s sentiments in his thoughts on the festival’s return.  “Last year’s Monster Energy Rock Allegiance was a huge success on so many levels,” he said.  “We were proud to bring this venue their first ever concert; a record-setting, sold out smash hit. The audience had such a great time enjoying a unique experience of music and lifestyle — we knew in 2016 we could turn it up a notch!”

The Monster Energy Rock Allegiance Festival is presented by Danny Wimmer Presents, Live Nation, and Spectra at Talen Energy Stadium.  It is sponsored by: Jack Daniel’s, Zippo Encore, The Music Experience, Take Me Home, and Fxck Cancer/Dyin2Live, with more to be announced.  More information on the 2016 Monster Energy Rock Allegiance Festival is available online now at:

 

Website: http://www.RockAllegiance.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rockallegiance

Twitter: http://twitter.com/rockallegiance

 

More information on all of the latest events at Talen Energy Stadium is available online now at:

 

Website: http://www.philadelphiaunion.com/stadium

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TalenEnergyStadium

Twitter: http://twitter.com/talenenergystdm

 

Audiences can also get advance notice about all of the latest events at Talen Energy Stadium by joining the free Talen Energy Stadium CyberClub here.

To keep up with all of the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Life of Pi One Of 2013s Best Home Releases

Courtesy: 20th Century Fox/20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

20th Century Fox’s big screen adaptation of author Yann Martel’s book, Life of Pi is one of the best movies of 2012. And now that it has been officially released on DVD/Blu-ray/Digital combo pack, it is become one of the top home releases of 2013. The movie has been billed as “The Next Avatar” as a means of promoting the movie. But the reality is that it isn’t the next Avatar. Rather, it’s better than Avatar. Unlike that movie, Life of Pi has so much more than just special effects going for it. What’s more, it doesn’t have the “preachy-ness” of that movie. It’s a work that in its little more than two hours succeeds in keeping viewers engaged, and by the end of that time, will leave any viewer moved. Even though there are disparities between the movie and the original, book, this adaptation still succeeds in the end. And thanks to the bonus features of the home release, audiences who perhaps might have criticized it for the differences between the book and movie will have a different view thanks in large part to the movie’s bonus features. BY the time one watches through the movie and its bonus features, one will see exactly why this is one of the best home releases of 2013.

The big screen adaptation of Life of Pi is such a wonderful work. Despite being billed as “The Next Avatar”, it is far better than that movie. It succeeds in so many ways that Avatar fails. Life of Pi is obviously not the first epic tale ever made. But it is the first great epic of the 21st Century. A lot has changed from the book, obviously. But as audiences will learn through the movie’s home release that even the book’s author, Yann Martel openly accepted the big screen adaptation. He even notes early in the bonus features that it would be difficult to directly translate the book to the big screen. This is just one of so many factors that make this such an impressive story.

Also interesting to note from the movie is its dual faceted storyline. On one side, audiences get an allegory about having something in which one can believe. Audiences are presented with this from early on as Pi discusses with the writer about trying his hand at so many different faiths. That theme of faith continues throughout Pi’s journey. The second storyline that makes the movie a success is the classic man versus nature/man versus himself storyline. Pi being alone at sea, save for one other figure—in this case, a tiger. Being lost at sea, he has to face the tiger, himself, and the elements. For those who have read the book, one could make the argument that the tiger was really just a product of his own imagination, just as the other animals. That plays perfectly into another part of what made Life of Pi so enjoyable.

Late in the movie (not to give away too much plot information), the adult Pi tells his reporter friend about a second story that he told a pair of Japanese officials, since the ship on which Pi and his family were traveling was Japanese. In explaining to his reporter friend the second story that he told to the officials and why he told the second story, he asked the reporter which story he preferred. This is really a dual purpose question. On the surface, he was asking the reporter which story he preferred and what he believed. On another level, he was asking audiences—regardless of whether or not they had read the book before watching this movie—which story they preferred. That in itself makes the big screen adaptation that much more entertaining. The fact that writer David Magee could have Pi break down that fourth wall with such subtlety adds even more to the movie. Magee is asking not only which story do viewers believe from Pi, but which version do they “believe” more?; the book or the movie? That is the eternal question with movies after all. Regardless of which version viewers “believe” more, it is still a movie that any true lover of movies should see at least once.

As one can already tell, a lot of work went into the adaptation of Yann Martel’s novel. In terms of the storytelling, the story was adapted quite well, changes aside. The story was just part of what made this one of the greatest movies of 2012, and the first great epic of the 21st Century. Also to be taken into account with this movie is its spectacular special effects and cinematography. Not enough can be said of the work that went into both. Viewers will be amazed in watching the movie’s bonus features to learn that the tiger in the movie was a real tiger less than half the time. The bonus features reveal that the majority of the time, the tiger was in fact digitally created. But it looks so realistic that one can’t really tell the difference. And of course, who can forget the now famous whale scene or the flying fish? These and so much more make Life of Pi a visual masterpiece.

Staying on the movie’s visual aspects and its bonus features, there is perhaps one negative to the entire package. That one negative comes as director Ang Lee discusses how he and his staff presented the movie to 20th Century Fox’s studio heads not in storyboard form, but in digital storyboard form. So not only have animated movies gone the way of the dinosaur, but apparently the mere art of storyboarding has, too as studios are apparently opting even more for a digital product even in movies’ storyboarding. It’s a minor negative. But it’s still very telling about the direction that movies and visual entertainment in general have taken. It makes the statement without saying it, that the very art of making art is dying. And that is a sad statement. So while it isn’t necessarily a negative to Life of Pi, it makes for an interesting dissertation for those involved in the movie and television industry. Keeping this in mind, it takes little to anything away from the movie itself, and allows the movie to maintain the status of one of 2012’s greatest movies as well as one of 2013’s greatest home releases. It’s available now in stores and online. It can be ordered online direct from 20th Century Fox’s online store at http://www.foxconnect.com/life-of-pi.html.