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The Second Screen Experience Of ‘App’ – Technological Gimmick Or The Shape Of Cinema To Come?

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9 years ago

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Nestled within the classic films and straight-to-video movies in the horror section of Netflix is an interesting little Bobby Boermans-directed Dutch gem from 2013 called App.  What makes App interesting isn’t the movie itself, but the “second screen” technology that the movie uses to immerse the audience in its world.

At the beginning of App, the viewer is told to download an app onto their phone or tablet by texting the word “IRIS” to 97-000 (the app can also be found by searching for IRIS in Android and iPhone App Stores).  Once installed, the Iris App will use the device’s microphone to sync itself up with the movie, and the fun begins.

App (2013)

Hannah Hoekstra and Iris in App (2013).

App is about a young college student named Anna (Hannah Hoekstra) who goes to a party and drinks way too much.  When she wakes up the next morning, there’s a mysterious app on her phone called, you guessed it, Iris.  Similar to the iPhone’s Siri, Iris is a voice activated personal assistant type of program.  At first, Anna finds the app useful, but eventually she notices that the app seems to have a mind of its own.  As the app gets more and more invasive, Anna finds that Iris can’t be deleted from her phone, and even replacing the phone doesn’t get rid of the app.  It’s like Iris is Anna’s virtual stalker.

The film itself is average at best, a well-made thriller without any real shock or awe.  The second screen experience is what makes App fun.  During the course of the movie, the viewer’s phone will vibrate to alert them that there is something going on there.  The second screen content varies; sometimes it will be simply an alternate angle of what’s going on in the movie, other times it will be a text message conversation between two characters – it’s generally little things like that.  The movie is perfectly coherent and watchable without the second screen, but the supplemental content adds a cool dimension to an otherwise mediocre movie.

App (2013)

App (2013)

With technology advancing faster than ever and filmmakers always searching for the next big thing, App is an intriguing idea.  The second screen concept is clearly in its infancy, but App will be considered a highly influential film if it catches on.  It definitely seems to lend itself better to VOD releases, as the constant glow of audience members’ cell phones in a theater while they check the extra content would be downright annoying.  As of now, it’s limited to just being a William Castle-esque gimmick, but who knows?  The potential for coolness is there.  In the hands of the right director, second screen technology could be the wave of the future.

App is streaming now on Netflix.

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Netflix Releases First BTS ‘Fear Street: Prom Queen’ Footage

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2 hours ago

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April 30, 2024

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It’s been three long years since Netflix unleashed the bloody, but enjoyable Fear Street on its platform. Released in a tryptic fashion, the streamer broke up the story into three episodes, each taking place in a different decade which by the finale were all tied together.

Now, the streamer is in production for its sequel Fear Street: Prom Queen which brings the story into the 80s. Netflix gives a synopsis of what to expect from Prom Queen on their blog site Tudum:

“Welcome back to Shadyside. In this next installment of the blood-soaked Fear Street franchise, prom season at Shadyside High is underway and the school’s wolfpack of It Girls is busy with its usual sweet and vicious campaigns for the crown. But when a gutsy outsider is unexpectedly nominated to the court, and the other girls start mysteriously disappearing, the class of ’88 is suddenly in for one hell of a prom night.” 

Based on R.L. Stine’s massive series of Fear Street novels and spin-offs, this chapter is number 15 in the series and was published in 1992.

Fear Street: Prom Queen features a killer ensemble cast, including India Fowler (The Nevers, Insomnia), Suzanna Son (Red Rocket, The Idol), Fina Strazza (Paper Girls, Above the Shadows), David Iacono (The Summer I Turned Pretty, Cinnamon), Ella Rubin (The Idea of You), Chris Klein (Sweet Magnolias, American Pie), Lili Taylor (Outer Range, Manhunt) and Katherine Waterston (The End We Start From, Perry Mason).

No word on when Netflix will drop the series into its catalog.

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Live Action Scooby-Doo Reboot Series In Works at Netflix

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3 hours ago

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April 30, 2024

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Scooby Doo Live Action Netflix

The ghosthunting Great Dane with an anxiety problem, Scooby-Doo, is getting a reboot and Netflix is picking up the tab. Variety is reporting that the iconic show is becoming an hour-long series for the streamer although no details have been confirmed. In fact, Netflix execs declined to comment.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!

If the project is a go, this would be the first live-action movie based on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon since 2018’s Daphne & Velma. Before that, there were two theatrical live-action movies, Scooby-Doo (2002) and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), then two sequels that premiered on The Cartoon Network.

Currently, the adult-oriented Velma is streaming on Max.

Scooby-Doo originated in 1969 under the creative team Hanna-Barbera. The cartoon follows a group of teenagers who investigate supernatural happenings. Known as Mystery Inc., the crew consists of Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, and Shaggy Rogers, and his best friend, a talking dog named Scooby-Doo.

Scooby-Doo

Normally the episodes revealed the hauntings they encountered were hoaxes developed by land-owners or other nefarious characters hoping to scare people away from their properties. The original TV series named Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! ran from 1969 to 1986. It was so successful that movie stars and pop culture icons would make guest appearances as themselves in the series.

Celebrities such as Sonny & Cher, KISS, Don Knotts, and The Harlem Globetrotters made cameos as did Vincent Price who portrayed Vincent Van Ghoul in a few episodes.

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BET Releasing New Original Thriller: The Deadly Getaway

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3 hours ago

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April 30, 2024

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The Deadly Getaway

BET will soon be offering horror fans a rare treat. The studio has announced the official release date for their new original thriller, The Deadly Getaway. Directed by Charles Long (The Trophy Wife), this thriller sets up a heart racing game of cat and mouse for audiences to sink their teeth into.

Wanting to break up the monotony of their routine, Hope and Jacob set off to spend their vacation at a simple cabin in the woods. However, things go sideways when Hope’s ex-boyfriend shows up with a new girl at the same campsite. Things soon spiral out of control. Hope and Jacob must now work together to escape the woods with their lives.

The Deadly Getaway
The Deadly Getaway

The Deadly Getaway is written by Eric Dickens (Makeup X Breakup) and Chad Quinn (Reflections of US). The Film stars, Yandy Smith-Harris (Two Days in Harlem), Jason Weaver (The Jacksons: An American Dream), and Jeff Logan (My Valentine Wedding).

Showrunner Tressa Azarel Smallwood had the following to say about the project. “The Deadly Getaway is the perfect reintroduction to classic thrillers, which encompass dramatic twists, and spine-chilling moments. It showcases the range and diversity of emerging Black writers across genres of film and television.”

The Deadly Getaway will premiere on 5.9.2024, exclusively ion BET+.

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