Maltin at the recent TCM Film Festival in Hollywood. (Photo: Graham Hill)

Famed film critic Leonard Maltin warns of the old saying "Be careful what you wish for- you just may get it!" when it comes to the movie industry's embracement of digital projection. While the digital systems do guarantee virtually perfect pictures, Maltin warns that smaller theaters are being driven out of business because they can't afford the huge investment in digital projection equipment. If he's right, you can say goodbye to small, independent theaters as well as screenings in under-funded museums. The studios, however, are thrilled with digital because it greatly reduces their costs for making prints and the cumbersome process of delivering large reels to theaters. Click here for more

The original Django starred Franco Nero

Quentin Tarantino has unveiled some details about his next film, which will be titled Django Unchained,an homage to Italian director Sergio Corbucci, who directed the Sergio Leone-style original Western Django, which inspired a number of knock-offs. Tarantino said he was also inspired by Japanese director Takashi Miike's Western of recent vintage, Sukiyaki Western Django. The film will star German actor Christoph Waltz, who won an Oscar for his performance in Tarantino's last movie, Inglourious Basterds. In the new film, Waltz's character teams with a former slave to battle an evil plantation owner. Tarantino also confirmed that a new chapter of the Kill Bill is the works. For more click here

Call it "Licence to Shill". Sony is launching an all-out campaign to elicit a record number of product placements for the next James Bond film, due for release in November 2012. The producers had down-played such tie-ins in recent years due to criticism that the Bond franchise was become a virtual commercials for the product placements. Sony hopes to offset up to $45 million of the production budget through the commercial partnerships. The Bond franchise has long benefited from such tie-ins, extending back to the early days of the series. However, some fans fear that the products might be pretentiously placed within the film and distract from the storyline. For more click here