Yes, it's the day before the Oscars, and I'm just NOW putting in my guesses. I've been busy getting engaged and starting a new job, I haven't had much time to do this. But I've made it just in time, so let's do this!
Best Picture:
"Argo"
"Argo" has been winning everything in the preliminary award ceremonies. This is to rub it in the faces of the nominators over Ben Affleck's directing snub.
Best Director:
Steven Spielberg, "Lincoln"
This should be Affleck or Kathryn Bigelow ("Zero Dark Thirty"), but both were snubbed. Spielberg is the default here, though it could go to Michael Haneke ("Amour").
Best Actor:
Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln"
A shoo-in.
Best Actress:
Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook"
Pretty confident here, though Emanuelle Riva ("Amour") could narrowly edge her out.
Best Supporting Actress:
Anne Hathaway, "Les Misérables"
If you guessed anyone else, then you're probably new at this.
Best Supporting Actor:
Robert De Niro
This is the closest race this season since all the nominees have won before. I've been saying Tommy Lee Jones the whole time (even moreso after seeing both nominees' movies), but I'm changing it at the last minute. I'm personally rooting for Jones or Christoph Waltz.
Original Screenplay:
"Zero Dark Thirty"
This is a two-horse race. Again, Haneke ("Amour") could easily win, but word on the street is that, politics aside, "Zero Dark Thirty" is the better screenplay. I'm personally rooting for Quentin Tarantino ("Django Unchained").
Adapted Screenplay:
"Argo"
Best Foreign Film:
"Amour"
Nothing is more certain this season than this category.
Best Animated Film:
"Wreck-It Ralph"
It just about swept the Annies (the "animation Oscars") and rightfully so. "Brave" was lackluster compare to Pixar's previous greats. Fortunately, the Pixar braintrust stepped in and made "Ralph" an extraordinary movie.
Best Cinematography:
"Life of Pie"
Best Documenary:
"Searching For Sugar Man"
It's won everything up until now. It's pretty much a shoo-in.
Costume Design:
"Anna Karenina"
I don't care that much, but if Eiko Ishiko ("Mirror, Mirror") won, it'd be the first posthumous Oscar since Heath Ledger's in 2009.
Best Editing:
"Argo"
Editor Dylan Tichenor is nominated twice (also for "Zero Dark Thirty"). Also, this category typically goes hand-in-hand with Best Picture.
Best Song:
"Skyfall"
Adele is destined to bear the moniker "Oscar winning singer".
Production Design:
"Anna Karenina"
Best Score:
"Life of Pie"
Best Visual Effects:
"Life of Pie"
I want "The Hobbit" to win, because it deserves it as well as the fact that every Lord of the Rings movie has won this category. "The Avengers" would be more than worthy too.
Best Animated Short:
"Paperman"
I have a soft spot for "Fresh Guacamole", but the Disney short "Paperman" is a beautiful short worthy of an Oscar.
Best Documentary Short:
"Open Heart"
It's the same subject matter as last year's winner but with children this time.
Best Makeup and Hair:
"The Hobbit"
Or "Les Misérables". It's really hard to tell.
Best Live Action Short:
"Curfew"
Best Sound Editing:
"Zero Dark Thirty"
Best Sound Mixing:
"Les Misérables"
The only movie I can think of where sound mixing has ever been watercooler conversation.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Monday, July 30, 2012
Which First? Book, Movie, or Remake?
I've finally cracked the code. When faced with a movie based on a book, which do you consume first? The Answer: movie. ALWAYS the movie. Why? Because it is inferior. But what if there's a remake as well? Tonight, I've finally cracked the code. If you have to take one thing from this article let it be this: For the safest journey of maximum enjoyment, start with the most inferior and work your way up.
I still want to watch "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo", but until tonight, I haven't known whether to start with the book, the original Swedish version, or David Fincher's American remake. Remakes are generally inferior, so I should start with that. It was David Fincher's amazingly deft directing style that has allowed me to believe it may be superior than the foreign version. But the safest way (i.e. maximizing the least disappointment) is starting with the remake. THEN I should watch the original. Then, if I have time, I will read the book. If I put one of these steps out of order, the superior will be the one to always fall back on. For a book, your imagination's cinematographer, director, and actors will always be better than your average blockbuster (typically speaking), and you are given the time to explore details the movie would never have the time for. That's why you save the book for last. Otherwise, you can join the echoing cliche of the multitudes: "Oh, the book was SO much better."
Monday, February 27, 2012
All of what I've seen in 2011
I would love to give an in-depth review of all the movies I saw last year. Unfortunately, I'm still in the middle of a move and have much to do, so the list below will have to suffice. I have ranked them according to both how much I enjoyed watching these movies and how much I want to see them again. Here are all 22 movies I saw from 2011 (so far):
A:
1. Moneyball - Superb underdog story. Jonah Hill sells it.
2. Bridesmaids - Kristen Wiig at her finest.
3. The Artist - One of the most delightful movies I've seen in years.
4. Thor - Probably more of a guilty pleasure. I really had a lot of fun.
5. Tree of Life - The Waco, TX stuff with Brad Pitt is genius.
6. Super 8 - Loved every minute of this 80s homage but pretty forgettable.
B:
7. The Muppets - Fun from the beginning to end but not a lot of substance.
8. Life In A Day - Really captures the heart of a human on the planet.
9. Captain America: The First Avenger - Lots of spectacle and action.
10. X-Men: First Class - A lot of fun but too many stories are trying to be told.
11. Source Code - Flawed but really fun sci-fi film.
12. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - Very well done but I'm not a big HP fan.
C:
13. Rise of the Planet of the Apes - Monkey movie with some fun action.
14. Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon - Greatest spectacle of the year with little else.
15. Green Lantern - Character development is very flawed. A sequel will be better.
16. Conan O'Brien Can't Stop - Insightful and funny documentary on a workaholic-egomaniac with a heart of gold.
17. Paul - Deserves more recognition for the talent involved but pretty much fizzles out.
D:
18. Cowboys & Aliens - Yep. That's exactly what that was.
19. Sucker Punch - Best visuals of the year. So many flaws elsewhere.
20. Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1 - No comment.
21. Rango - Something about Gore Verbinski's style rubs me the wrong way.
22. Water For Elephants - Chick flick that wasn't horrible.
I still have MANY more movies that I WILL see. Most notable titles include "Drive", "50/50", "The Descendants", "Hugo", "Young Adult", "Sherlock Holmes 2", "Paradise Lost 3", "A Separation", "The Help", and "Midnight In Paris".
A:
1. Moneyball - Superb underdog story. Jonah Hill sells it.
2. Bridesmaids - Kristen Wiig at her finest.
3. The Artist - One of the most delightful movies I've seen in years.
4. Thor - Probably more of a guilty pleasure. I really had a lot of fun.
5. Tree of Life - The Waco, TX stuff with Brad Pitt is genius.
6. Super 8 - Loved every minute of this 80s homage but pretty forgettable.
B:
7. The Muppets - Fun from the beginning to end but not a lot of substance.
8. Life In A Day - Really captures the heart of a human on the planet.
9. Captain America: The First Avenger - Lots of spectacle and action.
10. X-Men: First Class - A lot of fun but too many stories are trying to be told.
11. Source Code - Flawed but really fun sci-fi film.
12. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - Very well done but I'm not a big HP fan.
C:
13. Rise of the Planet of the Apes - Monkey movie with some fun action.
14. Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon - Greatest spectacle of the year with little else.
15. Green Lantern - Character development is very flawed. A sequel will be better.
16. Conan O'Brien Can't Stop - Insightful and funny documentary on a workaholic-egomaniac with a heart of gold.
17. Paul - Deserves more recognition for the talent involved but pretty much fizzles out.
D:
18. Cowboys & Aliens - Yep. That's exactly what that was.
19. Sucker Punch - Best visuals of the year. So many flaws elsewhere.
20. Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1 - No comment.
21. Rango - Something about Gore Verbinski's style rubs me the wrong way.
22. Water For Elephants - Chick flick that wasn't horrible.
I still have MANY more movies that I WILL see. Most notable titles include "Drive", "50/50", "The Descendants", "Hugo", "Young Adult", "Sherlock Holmes 2", "Paradise Lost 3", "A Separation", "The Help", and "Midnight In Paris".
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
This SHOULD be a movie!
Today, I read one of the funniest things I've ever read. It comes from Reddit user RubyRhod. I'll let him tell his story (Warning: NSFL):
"When a kid is being a brat in a noisy and public area, I casually get close to them and fart on their head/face. I'm really tall so it's usually a direct hit."
"It's funniest when the kid notices and doesn't know what to do because I'm a fucking giant and I'LL EAT THEM IF THEY TELL THEIR MOMMY."
"If I decide to stare it's usually with a, "Yeah, what the fuck are you gonna do about it?" look.
I'm about 6'7'' so even when I'm just trying to be friendly (i.e. not farting on a stanger kid's head) and meeting a family member's or friend's kid for the first time, I've noticed they get very 'hide between their mother's legs' intimidated on sight if I'm not sitting down. So it's not hard for me to silence/intimidate a child, especially when I'm trying to.
However, a few times I've been called out. One time I was pretty drunk with a friend at a Target buying Risk (and no, we never finished playing the whole game). This little mexican 5-7 year old with a mohawk, was being an insufferable little shit in the action figure section. I heard him from like 5 aisles over and it was like nails on a chalkboard. I tell my friend, "I'm gonna fart on this kids head. Watch and learn."
I saunter on over to the aisle in question and see the vile little prick calling his mom an "idiot" for not buying him a huge fucking G.I. JOE The Movie vehicle (which pissed me off even more considering how awful that movie was. BUY SOME GOOD TOYS!) "I already bought that one for you and you broke it by throwing it down the stairs" "SHUT UP. I NEED IT. IT'S THE ONLY ONE I DON'T HAVE NOW." The mother was younger than me (I'm mid twenties) and gave a defeated look, "I don't have enough money right now." "YOU ARE AN IDIOT," and continued to just berate and publicly shame this woman.
At the time, I was on a strict Chipotle carnitas burrito diet. And while I was watching all this, my stomach gave me an initial warning gurgle (very courteous stomach) telling me I was about an hour away from punishing the toilet. Serendipity! Destiny!
I inch a bit closer to my prey, inspecting some wrestling toys and pondering the weird homoeroticness of the whole 'sport' in general. The kid shouts "FUCK YOU, I HATE YOU!" The mom rolls her eyes and turns her back to the kid to ignore him. And could you believe it, the kid gets on his hands and knees and starts taking the toy out of the box. It's go time, motherfucker.
I position my back towards him and at this point am like 2 feet away from him. His head is down, getting frustrated with those god damn twisty tie things, and I go for the kill. I bend down to reach for the one of the toys on the lower shelf. At this point, my ass is INCHES away from this kids head.
Now, generally speaking, the best way to go about this is to act casual, drop your belly bomb, then walk away after a few seconds like nothing is out of the ordinary. I usually go one aisle over and listen to the kid's reaction in delight. However, today I couldn't help myself. I have my head tilted back looking at this kid out of the corner of my eye, to ensure accuracy.
I'm so close that from a distance it looks like I'm about to sit on him,. My friend sees this happening and can no longer contain himself. He's covering his mouth, but his 'hee-haw' hyperventilating donkey chortle is fairly audible over the late 90's pop muzak playing on the loudspeakers.
The kid immediately looks up towards the laughter, but can't help but notice there is an ass now directly in his face. Now, I'm trying not to laugh but also panicking as I just made eye contact with him. He furls his brow and I look over in the mother's direction, still back towards us. I relish in the moment and the look on this child's confused and naive face.
The initial blast was mighty and boisterous. I swear I saw his hair blowing in the wind (so to speak). If I wasn't wearing jeans, I think it could have probably blown over an empty soda can. I would call it "a very fun fart" (A++ would buy again). However, what immediately followed that out the chamber was truly horrifying. The fart's implication changed without notice and swiftly. It went from a joyous, dry airhorn squeal to a nefarious, hissing mephitis. I think the little moppet noticed the hateful metamorphosis before even I did because he wretched his neck violently trying to get away from the personified evil being fumigated into his soul. Because of his positioning (hovering over the toy, hands and knee), it was all in vain as the only way out was forward...and forward would mean certain death. I had positioned myself well on the higher ground, free to escape or relent at any time and him, poor and immobilized: biding his time until the cruel attack was over. Obviously, this child needed to re-read Sun Tzu.
In total, it lasted about 4 seconds but for that kid, it must have seemed like time was frozen. The long-term severe brain damage which he no doubt suffered, only added to that effect.
When finished with my bidness (i.e. forcing a little boy to huff my farts), there was a silent, pregnant pause. The kid was clearly shocked and stunned. No one had ever stood up to this dwarf sociopath in his whole life. I had taken the words out of his mouth and filled it with fart.
I make my move first, picking up the toy I was "reaching for" off the low shelf, take a few steps forward and stare at it for a few seconds. On '2 alligator,' the only thing the kid could manage to do was burst into tears. My friend senses danger 'the jig is up' and his head darts for cover. The mom turns around to see her kid with an open toy, crying on the floor and me minding my own business.
She walks up to him and asks what's wrong but the kid can't speak. All he gets out is, "BAWAWAAAWAFARTBAWAWA." It took every fiber in my body not to laugh. I put the toy back on a middle shelf, turn around, give a final nonchalant looksy and then begin to take my exit.
Sensing that his assailant was getting away scot-free, he somehow managed to compose himself for a moment. He shouts, "HE FARTED ON ME!" I could feel him pointing at me but I continued to act like I was just browsing. I was ALMOST around the corner when the mom goes:
"Excuse me....sir....SIR!"
I turn around nonplussed, "Uh...who? Me?" while pointing to myself.
"Yes. Did YOU just FART on my son?"
Weighing my options, I played dumb. "What? I mean, I did fart."
"On my son?"
"Well, I mean, technically speaking...I mean...what is 'on'?"
"Why did you fart on my son?"
At this point the little kid has the look of schadenfreude on his face, happy to see me in trouble. Fuck you, I'M A MAN! I WILL FART ON YOU IF I PLEASE! I turn my attention to the little kid and stare at him, "Because the whole store could hear him being a little, rotten asshole to his mother so I thought I'd come over here and treat him like one."
The mom looks at me, her son and the scattered GI JOE/wrappers/box on the floor. The mom is puzzled as to what to do and says, "Just..just go." That's my cue! I turn around, walk away with little extra step. I look up to see the black orb of security cameras and all the stories on reddit about unjustly having to register as a sex offender flash before my eyes. As soon as I turn the corner, I book it outside as fast as I can while dialing my friend. Like a true friend, he is right out front with the engine running and Risk in the trunk.
We laugh on the car ride back about the whole scene. With a slight hint of seriousness in his tone, my friend asks me:
"Do you do that a lot?"
"Ahhh, not that much. Like once every 6 months or so."
We both knew I was lying. We got to our other friends house, played risk until 4 in the morning while drinking scotch. Overall, I would say it was a preeeetay preeeeetay good day."
Originally from from this link found here.
"When a kid is being a brat in a noisy and public area, I casually get close to them and fart on their head/face. I'm really tall so it's usually a direct hit."
"It's funniest when the kid notices and doesn't know what to do because I'm a fucking giant and I'LL EAT THEM IF THEY TELL THEIR MOMMY."
"If I decide to stare it's usually with a, "Yeah, what the fuck are you gonna do about it?" look.
I'm about 6'7'' so even when I'm just trying to be friendly (i.e. not farting on a stanger kid's head) and meeting a family member's or friend's kid for the first time, I've noticed they get very 'hide between their mother's legs' intimidated on sight if I'm not sitting down. So it's not hard for me to silence/intimidate a child, especially when I'm trying to.
However, a few times I've been called out. One time I was pretty drunk with a friend at a Target buying Risk (and no, we never finished playing the whole game). This little mexican 5-7 year old with a mohawk, was being an insufferable little shit in the action figure section. I heard him from like 5 aisles over and it was like nails on a chalkboard. I tell my friend, "I'm gonna fart on this kids head. Watch and learn."
I saunter on over to the aisle in question and see the vile little prick calling his mom an "idiot" for not buying him a huge fucking G.I. JOE The Movie vehicle (which pissed me off even more considering how awful that movie was. BUY SOME GOOD TOYS!) "I already bought that one for you and you broke it by throwing it down the stairs" "SHUT UP. I NEED IT. IT'S THE ONLY ONE I DON'T HAVE NOW." The mother was younger than me (I'm mid twenties) and gave a defeated look, "I don't have enough money right now." "YOU ARE AN IDIOT," and continued to just berate and publicly shame this woman.
At the time, I was on a strict Chipotle carnitas burrito diet. And while I was watching all this, my stomach gave me an initial warning gurgle (very courteous stomach) telling me I was about an hour away from punishing the toilet. Serendipity! Destiny!
I inch a bit closer to my prey, inspecting some wrestling toys and pondering the weird homoeroticness of the whole 'sport' in general. The kid shouts "FUCK YOU, I HATE YOU!" The mom rolls her eyes and turns her back to the kid to ignore him. And could you believe it, the kid gets on his hands and knees and starts taking the toy out of the box. It's go time, motherfucker.
I position my back towards him and at this point am like 2 feet away from him. His head is down, getting frustrated with those god damn twisty tie things, and I go for the kill. I bend down to reach for the one of the toys on the lower shelf. At this point, my ass is INCHES away from this kids head.
Now, generally speaking, the best way to go about this is to act casual, drop your belly bomb, then walk away after a few seconds like nothing is out of the ordinary. I usually go one aisle over and listen to the kid's reaction in delight. However, today I couldn't help myself. I have my head tilted back looking at this kid out of the corner of my eye, to ensure accuracy.
I'm so close that from a distance it looks like I'm about to sit on him,. My friend sees this happening and can no longer contain himself. He's covering his mouth, but his 'hee-haw' hyperventilating donkey chortle is fairly audible over the late 90's pop muzak playing on the loudspeakers.
The kid immediately looks up towards the laughter, but can't help but notice there is an ass now directly in his face. Now, I'm trying not to laugh but also panicking as I just made eye contact with him. He furls his brow and I look over in the mother's direction, still back towards us. I relish in the moment and the look on this child's confused and naive face.
The initial blast was mighty and boisterous. I swear I saw his hair blowing in the wind (so to speak). If I wasn't wearing jeans, I think it could have probably blown over an empty soda can. I would call it "a very fun fart" (A++ would buy again). However, what immediately followed that out the chamber was truly horrifying. The fart's implication changed without notice and swiftly. It went from a joyous, dry airhorn squeal to a nefarious, hissing mephitis. I think the little moppet noticed the hateful metamorphosis before even I did because he wretched his neck violently trying to get away from the personified evil being fumigated into his soul. Because of his positioning (hovering over the toy, hands and knee), it was all in vain as the only way out was forward...and forward would mean certain death. I had positioned myself well on the higher ground, free to escape or relent at any time and him, poor and immobilized: biding his time until the cruel attack was over. Obviously, this child needed to re-read Sun Tzu.
In total, it lasted about 4 seconds but for that kid, it must have seemed like time was frozen. The long-term severe brain damage which he no doubt suffered, only added to that effect.
When finished with my bidness (i.e. forcing a little boy to huff my farts), there was a silent, pregnant pause. The kid was clearly shocked and stunned. No one had ever stood up to this dwarf sociopath in his whole life. I had taken the words out of his mouth and filled it with fart.
I make my move first, picking up the toy I was "reaching for" off the low shelf, take a few steps forward and stare at it for a few seconds. On '2 alligator,' the only thing the kid could manage to do was burst into tears. My friend senses danger 'the jig is up' and his head darts for cover. The mom turns around to see her kid with an open toy, crying on the floor and me minding my own business.
She walks up to him and asks what's wrong but the kid can't speak. All he gets out is, "BAWAWAAAWAFARTBAWAWA." It took every fiber in my body not to laugh. I put the toy back on a middle shelf, turn around, give a final nonchalant looksy and then begin to take my exit.
Sensing that his assailant was getting away scot-free, he somehow managed to compose himself for a moment. He shouts, "HE FARTED ON ME!" I could feel him pointing at me but I continued to act like I was just browsing. I was ALMOST around the corner when the mom goes:
"Excuse me....sir....SIR!"
I turn around nonplussed, "Uh...who? Me?" while pointing to myself.
"Yes. Did YOU just FART on my son?"
Weighing my options, I played dumb. "What? I mean, I did fart."
"On my son?"
"Well, I mean, technically speaking...I mean...what is 'on'?"
"Why did you fart on my son?"
At this point the little kid has the look of schadenfreude on his face, happy to see me in trouble. Fuck you, I'M A MAN! I WILL FART ON YOU IF I PLEASE! I turn my attention to the little kid and stare at him, "Because the whole store could hear him being a little, rotten asshole to his mother so I thought I'd come over here and treat him like one."
The mom looks at me, her son and the scattered GI JOE/wrappers/box on the floor. The mom is puzzled as to what to do and says, "Just..just go." That's my cue! I turn around, walk away with little extra step. I look up to see the black orb of security cameras and all the stories on reddit about unjustly having to register as a sex offender flash before my eyes. As soon as I turn the corner, I book it outside as fast as I can while dialing my friend. Like a true friend, he is right out front with the engine running and Risk in the trunk.
We laugh on the car ride back about the whole scene. With a slight hint of seriousness in his tone, my friend asks me:
"Do you do that a lot?"
"Ahhh, not that much. Like once every 6 months or so."
We both knew I was lying. We got to our other friends house, played risk until 4 in the morning while drinking scotch. Overall, I would say it was a preeeetay preeeeetay good day."
Originally from from this link found here.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Why You Want A 3D TV
I won't bury the lead, so I'll say this: You can watch ALL your favorite movies you have on dvd (and blu-ray) in 3D. Think of your favorite movies. Got it? Now, imagine being able to watch them in 3D. You don't *have* to watch *all* of them that way. But I bet there's quite a few you'd get a real kick out of.
Today, I decided to try out the 2D-to-3D conversion. If you're worried about price, just know that the tv I demoed this all on is the best 50" in-store tv Best Buy has and it retails for $1,249. That's cheap enough to get some 3D glasses too! I actually got giddy watching. True 3D can extend pretty far, but simulated 3D starts with the screen and creates depth to everything behind it. From what I saw today tho, it gets closer than expected! It still can be flat by comparison, but it's amazing to think you can watch a 30 year old movie in 3D at the push of a button. I don't know how the technology works but I can tell you it does work surprisingly well. Esp considering it hit every curveball I tried to throw at it (more on that later).
I knew it was gonna be a slow day, so I brought about 8 dvds with me to test. The results were... astonishing. I didn't bring any blu-rays with me btw. And yet these all looked very good because of the upconverting. I'm not sure my brain could handle all this in blu-ray! Here's a quick break-down of what I tested:
First up! Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - The first couple scenes I selected were cramped and didn't allow much depth. But then I found Aragorn & Theodin preparing for a battle. I couldn't believe it! The extras walking in front of the cameras were really close! And the extras in the back gave it all some real depth. The camera pans about, surveying the dozens (or hundreds) of extras, and it was quite expansive. Best was when they looked down from a mountain top and you could see the whole battleground stretched miles away!
Next! X-Men - I think I would've liked this one had I sat down to watch from beginning to end. Some things stood out, but nothing to write home about (except for perhaps the landscape Logan's Winnebago drives through where the trees start close and stretch out to the horizon). Also, one moment had trouble focusing on Rogue. Again, prob best to watch beginning to end.
Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith - If I have a 3D tv by the time this comes out in theaters in 3D, I will not need to go cuz this does the job! The opening space fight is primo demo material, and it did not disappoint. Prob my fave scene out of everything I watched. I'm telling you this movie was designed to be in 3D... and I never realized it! At one point, the camera zooms head first into an exploding ship and the fire gets closer to anything else that I demoed. I may keep this one on-hand just to wow customers.
Empire Strikes Back - If I had to pick a 2nd place for demo (ROTS being 1st), it'd be the AT-AT attacks on Hoth. The A-Wings are flying all over the place taking down giant scale models (). Interestingly, the cockpits are some of the most effective 3D effects. Prob cuz the hull reaches close to the camera and you have the pilot sitting back with the added element of stars, space, and spaceships behind that:
Back To the Future - This worked waaay better than I expected it to. First, the dvd is actually kinda murky compared to the clean-up done for "Empire", so I thought that'd make it hard to work with. Nope. This had the most close-ups of any movie I demoed. When Marty is late and Doc Brown goes into his "Damn... Damn Damn" part, he is quite close to the camera which makes him stand out considerably. But of course, I wanted to see the climax in 3D. Easily the best 3D conversion I saw for the movie. That, and the very end:
"Where we're going, we don't need... roads."
Then I tested a home movie from 2003. Yep. It worked. Surreal.... and cool!
Finally, I tried a Donald Duck cartoon. Wasn't sure what would happen. It was mostly flat. So then it occurred to me: Of course! The animation cells were still 2D but raised from the painted backgrounds. These are layered cells, so of course that's the dimensionality it took! Gotta bring in "Fantasia" for the Ava Maria scene. Best use of multi-layering animation ever done. Should be interesting to see all the layers there.
Next chance I get (hopefully tomorrow), I'm gonna try a 1950s b&w, some home movies from the 80s (and 70s, if I can find some), an old sports event, and a tv show. And for everyone else, ask your local Best Buy home theater rep if it'd be ok to bring a movie or two from home to test it out for yourself! :D
Today, I decided to try out the 2D-to-3D conversion. If you're worried about price, just know that the tv I demoed this all on is the best 50" in-store tv Best Buy has and it retails for $1,249. That's cheap enough to get some 3D glasses too! I actually got giddy watching. True 3D can extend pretty far, but simulated 3D starts with the screen and creates depth to everything behind it. From what I saw today tho, it gets closer than expected! It still can be flat by comparison, but it's amazing to think you can watch a 30 year old movie in 3D at the push of a button. I don't know how the technology works but I can tell you it does work surprisingly well. Esp considering it hit every curveball I tried to throw at it (more on that later).
I knew it was gonna be a slow day, so I brought about 8 dvds with me to test. The results were... astonishing. I didn't bring any blu-rays with me btw. And yet these all looked very good because of the upconverting. I'm not sure my brain could handle all this in blu-ray! Here's a quick break-down of what I tested:
First up! Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - The first couple scenes I selected were cramped and didn't allow much depth. But then I found Aragorn & Theodin preparing for a battle. I couldn't believe it! The extras walking in front of the cameras were really close! And the extras in the back gave it all some real depth. The camera pans about, surveying the dozens (or hundreds) of extras, and it was quite expansive. Best was when they looked down from a mountain top and you could see the whole battleground stretched miles away!
Next! X-Men - I think I would've liked this one had I sat down to watch from beginning to end. Some things stood out, but nothing to write home about (except for perhaps the landscape Logan's Winnebago drives through where the trees start close and stretch out to the horizon). Also, one moment had trouble focusing on Rogue. Again, prob best to watch beginning to end.
Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith - If I have a 3D tv by the time this comes out in theaters in 3D, I will not need to go cuz this does the job! The opening space fight is primo demo material, and it did not disappoint. Prob my fave scene out of everything I watched. I'm telling you this movie was designed to be in 3D... and I never realized it! At one point, the camera zooms head first into an exploding ship and the fire gets closer to anything else that I demoed. I may keep this one on-hand just to wow customers.
Empire Strikes Back - If I had to pick a 2nd place for demo (ROTS being 1st), it'd be the AT-AT attacks on Hoth. The A-Wings are flying all over the place taking down giant scale models (). Interestingly, the cockpits are some of the most effective 3D effects. Prob cuz the hull reaches close to the camera and you have the pilot sitting back with the added element of stars, space, and spaceships behind that:
Back To the Future - This worked waaay better than I expected it to. First, the dvd is actually kinda murky compared to the clean-up done for "Empire", so I thought that'd make it hard to work with. Nope. This had the most close-ups of any movie I demoed. When Marty is late and Doc Brown goes into his "Damn... Damn Damn" part, he is quite close to the camera which makes him stand out considerably. But of course, I wanted to see the climax in 3D. Easily the best 3D conversion I saw for the movie. That, and the very end:
"Where we're going, we don't need... roads."
Then I tested a home movie from 2003. Yep. It worked. Surreal.... and cool!
Finally, I tried a Donald Duck cartoon. Wasn't sure what would happen. It was mostly flat. So then it occurred to me: Of course! The animation cells were still 2D but raised from the painted backgrounds. These are layered cells, so of course that's the dimensionality it took! Gotta bring in "Fantasia" for the Ava Maria scene. Best use of multi-layering animation ever done. Should be interesting to see all the layers there.
Next chance I get (hopefully tomorrow), I'm gonna try a 1950s b&w, some home movies from the 80s (and 70s, if I can find some), an old sports event, and a tv show. And for everyone else, ask your local Best Buy home theater rep if it'd be ok to bring a movie or two from home to test it out for yourself! :D
Monday, April 12, 2010
Comparing The Two Takings of Pelham 1 2 3
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (1974) - Walter Matthau plays a subway operator who must outwit a team of hijackers who hold a car of people for hostage for $1M. This is classic 70s cinema in the best way possible. It reminds me a lot of Dog Day Afternoon. It's funny but at times gravely serious. Everyone talks and acts like they're from the Bronx and the whole movie takes a cue from Matthau's humorous nonchalance fed-up-edness, making it wildly entertaining. For example, when Matthau tells that the lead hijacker has a British accent, he relays "He's either English or a fruitcake." Cheesy The story is a battle of the minds. I just love it when the heroes and the villains have enormous respect for each other. Everyone plays fairly (tho the hot-headed Mr. Grey henchman has his moments). And it's also an action movie complete with a ticking clock. It builds up halfway, and then unfolds non-stop action for the second half. Truly a well-done screenplay.
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009) - Within seconds, I could tell you it's by Tony Scott (I somehow missed the "A Tony Scott Film" opening credit so the Produced By credit was validating). It's all flashy colors with ostensibly glamorous jobs like subway dispatcher. The original looks like United 93 by comparison. It foraskes the original's realism for Bruckheimer-style gloss. The biggest difference is Robert Shaw's calm collected villain is replaced by John Travolta's Broken Arrow-style criminally insane one, leaving little to no character development for the other villains or passengers. Also, the introduction of wifi and (sigh) a subversive video chat on a laptop. The differences actually spiral exponentially (esp starting at the halfway point), so that by the end, they're almost two different stories.
By no means is the remake a bad movie. It's as good as a well done music video, and the original story really elevates it (it's hard to screw up a story this well written). But the absolute best part of the remake was introducing me to the original as well as offering a fun thrill ride where you don't have to turn your brain off to enjoy it (well, maybe just a little). I look forward to rewatching the original (4 stars). I could take or leave the remake (3 solid stars).
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009) - Within seconds, I could tell you it's by Tony Scott (I somehow missed the "A Tony Scott Film" opening credit so the Produced By credit was validating). It's all flashy colors with ostensibly glamorous jobs like subway dispatcher. The original looks like United 93 by comparison. It foraskes the original's realism for Bruckheimer-style gloss. The biggest difference is Robert Shaw's calm collected villain is replaced by John Travolta's Broken Arrow-style criminally insane one, leaving little to no character development for the other villains or passengers. Also, the introduction of wifi and (sigh) a subversive video chat on a laptop. The differences actually spiral exponentially (esp starting at the halfway point), so that by the end, they're almost two different stories.
By no means is the remake a bad movie. It's as good as a well done music video, and the original story really elevates it (it's hard to screw up a story this well written). But the absolute best part of the remake was introducing me to the original as well as offering a fun thrill ride where you don't have to turn your brain off to enjoy it (well, maybe just a little). I look forward to rewatching the original (4 stars). I could take or leave the remake (3 solid stars).
Sunday, February 28, 2010
My Favorite Movies of 2009
This list will be surprising for many. Most notably for putting "Avatar" and "Funny People" so high and for putting "The Hurt Locker", "Inglourious Basterds", "Moon" and (especially) "Up" too low. But this list isn't YOUR list. It's MY list. I could easily make a list that you could agree with. However, this is my PERSONAL favorite movies of 2009. Biggest factors for ranking are a combination of how much fun and enjoyment I had watching a movie and how much I'd like to return to that movie. So let the controversy begin:
These movies get an "A":
1. Avatar
2. (500) Days of Summer
3. I Love You, Man
4. Star Trek
5. Zombieland
6. Funny People
7. District 9
8. Taken
9. Fantastic Mr. Fox
10. Julie & Julia
11. Inglourious Basterds
12. The Hangover
13. Watchmen (note: this movie has grown on me over time)
B's:
14. Monsters Vs. Aliens
15. Michael Jackson: This Is It!
16. Princess & the Frog
17. Precious
18. Humpday
19. Coraline
20. The Hurt Locker
21. Moon
22. Up In the Air
23. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
24. Big Fan
C's:
25. Anvil! The Story of Anvil
26. Where the Wild Things Are
27. State of Play
28. Push
29. Capitalism: A Love Story
30. Paranormal Activity (note: avoids getting an F for the final scene)
D's:
31. Up (note: talking dogs flying bi-planes just loses me)
32. It Might Get Loud
33. Disney's A Christmas Carol
34. Knowing
F's
35. Bruno
36. Transformers 2
So... have you calmed down from my low ranking of "Up" yet? Haha. Hm... 36 movies. That may be a new record for me. The three movies I started watching but abandoned (out of sheer not-in-the-mood-ness) are "Ponyo", "Drag Me To Hell", and "Terminator: Salvation".
Here are the movies I haven't seen yet that I plan on seeing (in order of how much I want to see them):
New Moon (+RiffTrax)
Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs
Food, Inc.
Harry Potter and Whichever One Came Out This Year
Whip It
The Informant!
Adventureland
Sherlock Holmes
Jennifer's Body
Mike Judge's Extract
In the Loop
White Ribbon
A Single Man
An Education
A Serious Man
Bright Star
Away We Go
Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
Men Who Stare At Goats
These movies get an "A":
1. Avatar
2. (500) Days of Summer
3. I Love You, Man
4. Star Trek
5. Zombieland
6. Funny People
7. District 9
8. Taken
9. Fantastic Mr. Fox
10. Julie & Julia
11. Inglourious Basterds
12. The Hangover
13. Watchmen (note: this movie has grown on me over time)
B's:
14. Monsters Vs. Aliens
15. Michael Jackson: This Is It!
16. Princess & the Frog
17. Precious
18. Humpday
19. Coraline
20. The Hurt Locker
21. Moon
22. Up In the Air
23. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
24. Big Fan
C's:
25. Anvil! The Story of Anvil
26. Where the Wild Things Are
27. State of Play
28. Push
29. Capitalism: A Love Story
30. Paranormal Activity (note: avoids getting an F for the final scene)
D's:
31. Up (note: talking dogs flying bi-planes just loses me)
32. It Might Get Loud
33. Disney's A Christmas Carol
34. Knowing
F's
35. Bruno
36. Transformers 2
So... have you calmed down from my low ranking of "Up" yet? Haha. Hm... 36 movies. That may be a new record for me. The three movies I started watching but abandoned (out of sheer not-in-the-mood-ness) are "Ponyo", "Drag Me To Hell", and "Terminator: Salvation".
Here are the movies I haven't seen yet that I plan on seeing (in order of how much I want to see them):
New Moon (+RiffTrax)
Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs
Food, Inc.
Harry Potter and Whichever One Came Out This Year
Whip It
The Informant!
Adventureland
Sherlock Holmes
Jennifer's Body
Mike Judge's Extract
In the Loop
White Ribbon
A Single Man
An Education
A Serious Man
Bright Star
Away We Go
Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
Men Who Stare At Goats
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