3D Fading Out

This has nothing to do with Jurassic Park. These people actually died. 

At least, that's the question posed by the New York Times columnists Brooks Barnes and Michael Cieply in their article published on May 29th, only two days ago.

For a link to the article itself, click here.


This is an editorial, and The New York Times is the only source I have for this. Except me. And, after interviewing myself for hours about this, I can safely tell you that I tired of 3D formatting just as quickly as it blew up. Yes, I still have a few pair of those ridiculous glasses that they require us to wear, and I still remember fondly watching Avatar. But, there's a difference between Avatar and most 3D movies. What is it? Avatar was actually made for 3D. It wasn't re-formatted because someone thought "Oh, this will drive up ticket prices be pretty cool."

More after the cut--

Inside Job, Jackass 3D, and Others on DVD this week

Apologies for the late posting. Life has been hectic, and my finger is still... incapacitated. But, such is blogging, no?

On DVD this week, five films are being released. A few promising films that turned flop, and a couple of surprises that wound up highlighting the year all the way from left field. Morning Glory, Jackass 3D, Four Lions, Inside Job, and The Next Three Days. The most important thing, however, is which one is worth your money! Let's take a closer look, yeah?

I'd like to start with one of the biggest surprises of last year, for me - Jackass. Admittedly, I'm a fairly big Johnny Knoxville fan. His screen presence is huge, and he's a decently talented actor. I find him compulsively watchable. Even if he's electrocuting his friends, or getting hit in the balls, or vomiting, or getting hit in the balls, or getting hit in the balls. He's just... fun to watch. So, as a fan of the show, and of the last couple of films, I was surprised even at myself at how much I enjoyed this outing of violent and stupid behavior - please note, I'm not one of those guys who tried to perform these stunts when growing up (except for the grocery store jousting. I did that one.) But, I enjoyed it from this perspective: it wasn't made to please anyone but the people involved, and eventually, it became what will surely be a staple in the 3D discussion. Live action 3D is something that isn't used fairly well. And without the over-abundance of computer effects, the 3D in this film is... mind-blowingly impressive. I'll be around for the fourth one. If indeed there is a fourth one.



The special features are as follows, from the film's Amazon page -

MTV Making Of Special
Outtakes
Deleted Scenes
Time Magazine Trailer


The film is on all DVD formats (as well as Blu-Ray), and maintains its 3D structure. So, you went to see a 3D film, you will be buying a 3D film. 


More after the cut --

Megamind

One of the best posters ever.

The anti-superhero film of last year blasted onto DVD yesterday, so I sat down and took another look at what made me enjoy it so much. And while it winds up being Dreamworks' answer to Pixar's The Incredibles, the film stands on its own as a sharp-witted and fully realized, not to mention wildly funny, piece of escapism. 

More after the cut --

In Theaters This Weekend

I can't say anything but "hell. yes."

I don't know what to make of this week. Five releases as we move toward the end of this month. Drive Angry (which offers Nicolas Cage in 3D), Hall Pass (a sure to be irreverent film by the Farrelly Brothers), two French dramas  (Of Gods and Men and Heartbeats), and The Grace Card (the lastest in a long line of church-produced films).

What makes movies like Drive Angry so much damn fun are that, usually, they are original works. It's like someone answers the challenge that Hollywood can't tell an original story anymore. So, a director or group of directors, decide to shake things up by taking four or five genres, three or four ridiculous stories, two or three of their favorite actors, and make one hell of a movie. Drive Angry is the result of that. For an example - the film is about a man who escapes from Hell to seek vengeance on the satanic cult that murdered his daughter, all while picking up a hitchhiker and being hunted by a man known only as "The Accountant". What makes things cooler? Cage's name in the movie is Milton.

Sadly, this isn't the only movie I can focus this post on. So, we're back to the format, with a trailer for each release -


starting with Drive Angry.


More after the cut --

The State of the Race: Best Animated Feature - A Look Back, and Forward

Thanks for playing, everyone else!

It's thanks to Pixar, really, that the modern animated film is something to talk about in terms of the Academy Awards. Well, Pixar, Disney, and Dreamworks. And, of course, Hayao Miyazaki. The four major players in the category since its conception in 2001. Pixar has five of the nine available trophies, losing only two nominations. They are, undoubtedly, the kings of the mountain. This year, with Toy Story 3, they'll get their sixth Oscar and maintain their title. Of course, we should look at this objectively and talk about the other nominees. But, let's face it - if Toy Story 3 isn't winning this, no one is. 

The Importance of Jackass 3D

So important, in fact, that I stopped what I was currently writing to share this with all of you - this is, without a doubt, the best awards moment of the year. Not since the "Not since [...]" campaign for Toy Story 3, nor the audacious "why the hell not" campaign for Zack Snyder's Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, has one advertisement taken me so far aback and made me think "You know what? Okay. Yes."

This, ladies and gentlemen, is my favorite thing of the season -