Normally you could expect my review of The new Nightmare on Elm Street movie over the weekend, but something unexpected has come up.
This weekend I am fortunate enough to be able to travel up to Walt Disney World (Which lies about an hour from my college). I am going to be staying in the Disney Port Orleans Hotel/Resort and will be traveling to EPCOT and Magic Kingdom. Check back on Monday for a full disclosure on both parks and Port Orleans.
Till Then I'm Beetlejuice and I'll be at the Happiest Place On Earth over the weekend..so, DO NOT DISTURB.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
BEETLE'S GAMER REVIEW: PORTAL
Portal is by far one of the most painfully original games I have had the pleasure of playing in years.
Brought to us by Valve (The people who also brought us the Half-Life Franchise, Team Fortress, and the Left 4 Dead Franchise), Portal is the story of Chell, a volunteer at the Aperture Science Center who is chosen to test run a hi-tech new gun capable of producing portals, and GLaDOS, the sentient computer that guides Chell through each test.
As we make our way through the testing rooms as Chell we begin to unravel an ever deepening mystery that Chell has become an unwilling part of. That's about all I can go into for story because if I say much else I take the risk of ruining this game's superbly crafted plot that is spoon-fed to the player throughout the game.
Portal is a puzzle-game first and an action adventure game second. The puzzles that can be found in Portal are challenging and mind-numbing, constantly teasing the player with complex brain-teasers and near solutions. Often split-second decisions must be made quickly and precisely as one mis-step or false move could send players falling to their death. Portal gains points for challenging players to use their brains and think in unconventional ways that open players minds in what is otherwise a market that is perfectly content allowing players to mindlessly mash buttons until their digits fall off. In Portal players must think fast on their feet if they are to survive.
While the puzzles are quite difficult, they aren't impossible to complete. The amount of time it takes to reach the Grand Finale differs depending on the skill of the player, however most will probably find themselves finishing the game after three or four days. I completed the game in a day and a morning with the game's data explaining it took me a total of around 4 hours to successfully complete it.
This takes me to one of the only downsides to the game: It is incredibly fast. If you like your games long, then Portal isn't for you. In fact if you don't like Strategy games, First Person games, or puzzle-games there's a good chance you may not enjoy Portal...but back to the subject at hand. Portal is very short. However, I don't consider this a downside, seeing as that if the game went on much longer I probably would have tottally lost my mind. Even though the game only took me around two days to finish the end result had me feeling like it was alot longer than it actually was. In the end, Valve successfully packs so much fun into such a short time span that most should come out feeling satisfied and like they actually accomplished something.
Portal is a game that starts out as a puzzle-game but once players reach the final level it quickly morphs into something else entirely in a way that is both thrilling and terrifying. Did I mention that the end credits song is also one of the most addictive and original that I've heard? In the end, all the pieces fit together to create one damned-near perfect game and one of the most fun I've had the pleasure of playing in a while.
10/10
Portal 2 is set to come out December 2010.
Brought to us by Valve (The people who also brought us the Half-Life Franchise, Team Fortress, and the Left 4 Dead Franchise), Portal is the story of Chell, a volunteer at the Aperture Science Center who is chosen to test run a hi-tech new gun capable of producing portals, and GLaDOS, the sentient computer that guides Chell through each test.
As we make our way through the testing rooms as Chell we begin to unravel an ever deepening mystery that Chell has become an unwilling part of. That's about all I can go into for story because if I say much else I take the risk of ruining this game's superbly crafted plot that is spoon-fed to the player throughout the game.
Portal is a puzzle-game first and an action adventure game second. The puzzles that can be found in Portal are challenging and mind-numbing, constantly teasing the player with complex brain-teasers and near solutions. Often split-second decisions must be made quickly and precisely as one mis-step or false move could send players falling to their death. Portal gains points for challenging players to use their brains and think in unconventional ways that open players minds in what is otherwise a market that is perfectly content allowing players to mindlessly mash buttons until their digits fall off. In Portal players must think fast on their feet if they are to survive.
While the puzzles are quite difficult, they aren't impossible to complete. The amount of time it takes to reach the Grand Finale differs depending on the skill of the player, however most will probably find themselves finishing the game after three or four days. I completed the game in a day and a morning with the game's data explaining it took me a total of around 4 hours to successfully complete it.
This takes me to one of the only downsides to the game: It is incredibly fast. If you like your games long, then Portal isn't for you. In fact if you don't like Strategy games, First Person games, or puzzle-games there's a good chance you may not enjoy Portal...but back to the subject at hand. Portal is very short. However, I don't consider this a downside, seeing as that if the game went on much longer I probably would have tottally lost my mind. Even though the game only took me around two days to finish the end result had me feeling like it was alot longer than it actually was. In the end, Valve successfully packs so much fun into such a short time span that most should come out feeling satisfied and like they actually accomplished something.
Portal is a game that starts out as a puzzle-game but once players reach the final level it quickly morphs into something else entirely in a way that is both thrilling and terrifying. Did I mention that the end credits song is also one of the most addictive and original that I've heard? In the end, all the pieces fit together to create one damned-near perfect game and one of the most fun I've had the pleasure of playing in a while.
10/10
Portal 2 is set to come out December 2010.
Friday, April 23, 2010
BEETLE'S BUG JUICE: REMAKES, SEQUELS, PREQUELS, 3-D, AND A HOT CHICK
HEY THERE BEETLE-HEADS!!!! It's that time again, time for another segment of Beetle's Bug Juice. I've got alot to go over today, so best buckle up.
Seat Belts Buckled... you ready??? Good, then LET'S GET IT STARTED!!!
First up we have a remake rumor
Suppossedly Breck Eisner (Director of The Crazies) is signed on to helm a remake of 80's classic Escape From New York. This time their taking the plot of the original and mixing it with an Origin story for Snake Plissken. It sounds interesting, and I would be interested in seeing it if it weren't for 2 things.
1. The character of The President has been replaced by a female Senator. Not necesarrily a bad thing except that the filmmakers changed it that way so the film could have more witty banter.....FAIL!!!
2. Manhattan is going to be intact and working as an Island where prisoners are sent to live out the rest of their lives. In the first film the image of a destroyed nightmare Manhattan captivated audiences and I feel that if they just keep Manhattan intact it may take away some of the punch the first film had.
The first Escape from New York was a masterpiece in its day, and while the special effects don't hold up today it's still a damn good film to revisit. I feel that this remake runs the risk of turning into another hack remake which could potentially ruin the legacy of the first film.
Next up: Sequel News
The public demand for a monsters Inc. sequel appears to have finally worn down Disney and Pixar as a Monster Inc. Sequel appears to have been greenlit for 2013. Original Director Pete Docter ( also directed of UP!) will not Direct though. Who will direct is unknown as of now.
3-D news is up next
Apparently the powers that be want to convert the (already crappy looking) Last Airbender into 3-D. Now, if you have already read my 3-D post you know my opinions on this. There is NO reason to convert this stupid pice of shit into 3-D. It's already going to suck in 2 dimensions, do we really need it to suck that much more in 3??? God have mercy on us, for the end of the world is at hand. positive sidenote: M. Night hasn't OKd the 3-D conversion yet, so there's still hope.
Now onto brighter fields with some prequel news
The first details of Ridley Scotts Alien Prequel have just been released. The Story is going to be set in 2085 (around 30 years before the first Alien) and aims to solve some of the biggest mysteries of the Alien Franchise: Who were the Space Jockeys we saw the remains of in the first film, what were they doing, were their intentions bad or good, and of course how did those nasty aliens come to be?? Working as a prequel and origin story, this film looks bad-ass. It also helps that Ridley Scott (director of the first Alien) is signed on to direct this one as well.
Today, I end this segment with A Hot Chick
Vanessa Ann Hudgens is suppossedly signed on to play the role of Spider-Woman in her own stand alone movie. Persoanlly, I think that this could give her the chance to really show that she can do good work in films that aren't meant purely for kids. I want to see her sex up the screen in this role, just really go all out there and flaunt it. I'm also hoping for her to slip us some boobs, but I know thats never going to happen in a spidey film...but one can dream.
So, that about wraps it up for this segment of Beetle's Bug Juice. I hope you had as mch fun reading this as i did researching and typing it up.
Till then I'm Beetlejuice, and I'll see YOU at the movies.
Seat Belts Buckled... you ready??? Good, then LET'S GET IT STARTED!!!
First up we have a remake rumor
Suppossedly Breck Eisner (Director of The Crazies) is signed on to helm a remake of 80's classic Escape From New York. This time their taking the plot of the original and mixing it with an Origin story for Snake Plissken. It sounds interesting, and I would be interested in seeing it if it weren't for 2 things.
1. The character of The President has been replaced by a female Senator. Not necesarrily a bad thing except that the filmmakers changed it that way so the film could have more witty banter.....FAIL!!!
2. Manhattan is going to be intact and working as an Island where prisoners are sent to live out the rest of their lives. In the first film the image of a destroyed nightmare Manhattan captivated audiences and I feel that if they just keep Manhattan intact it may take away some of the punch the first film had.
The first Escape from New York was a masterpiece in its day, and while the special effects don't hold up today it's still a damn good film to revisit. I feel that this remake runs the risk of turning into another hack remake which could potentially ruin the legacy of the first film.
Next up: Sequel News
The public demand for a monsters Inc. sequel appears to have finally worn down Disney and Pixar as a Monster Inc. Sequel appears to have been greenlit for 2013. Original Director Pete Docter ( also directed of UP!) will not Direct though. Who will direct is unknown as of now.
3-D news is up next
Apparently the powers that be want to convert the (already crappy looking) Last Airbender into 3-D. Now, if you have already read my 3-D post you know my opinions on this. There is NO reason to convert this stupid pice of shit into 3-D. It's already going to suck in 2 dimensions, do we really need it to suck that much more in 3??? God have mercy on us, for the end of the world is at hand. positive sidenote: M. Night hasn't OKd the 3-D conversion yet, so there's still hope.
Now onto brighter fields with some prequel news
The first details of Ridley Scotts Alien Prequel have just been released. The Story is going to be set in 2085 (around 30 years before the first Alien) and aims to solve some of the biggest mysteries of the Alien Franchise: Who were the Space Jockeys we saw the remains of in the first film, what were they doing, were their intentions bad or good, and of course how did those nasty aliens come to be?? Working as a prequel and origin story, this film looks bad-ass. It also helps that Ridley Scott (director of the first Alien) is signed on to direct this one as well.
Today, I end this segment with A Hot Chick
Vanessa Ann Hudgens is suppossedly signed on to play the role of Spider-Woman in her own stand alone movie. Persoanlly, I think that this could give her the chance to really show that she can do good work in films that aren't meant purely for kids. I want to see her sex up the screen in this role, just really go all out there and flaunt it. I'm also hoping for her to slip us some boobs, but I know thats never going to happen in a spidey film...but one can dream.
So, that about wraps it up for this segment of Beetle's Bug Juice. I hope you had as mch fun reading this as i did researching and typing it up.
Till then I'm Beetlejuice, and I'll see YOU at the movies.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
BEETLE KICKS SOME ASS WITH HIS REVIEW OF KICK-ASS!
I've said it once and I'll say it again...2010 is shapin up to be a damn good year.
Every Year has its defining Super-hero movie. 2008 had the suitably dark The Dark Knight, 2009 had the underappreciated Watchmen and now 2010 has the mind-blowing "kick you around the theatre like a rag-doll" KICK-ASS.
The beautiful thing about Kick-Ass is that it understands what it's like to grow up as a teen in this day and age. It understands every kids dreams and fantasies, and it's this fundamental knowledge that makes Kick-Ass work.
Kick-Ass takes place in the world where we live today. It's not another dimension, or a fantasy-land where super-heroes are abundant. NO, this is our world. The main protagonist, Dave, is the typical unpopular high-school goer. He's not a nerd or a geek, he's normal. He has trouble controlling his raging hormones, dreams about one of his teachers, Constantly masturbates to porn sites, is "Invisible" to girls, and even has a secret crush on one of the popular chicks. In simpler terms: He's just like me...or anyone else growing up today. After the first 5 minutes we are strongly rooting for this kid to win the gold.
Unlike other superhero films, Dave does not turn into a super-hero via a radioactive insect, nor does he have hi-tech gadgets. Instead, he grows bored one day and decides to try his hand at becoming a masked vigilante. His first foray into heroism doesn't end well for him as he wakes up several days later in a hospital with shattered never endings and his bones reinforced with metal. Now, more ready than ever, Dave decides to give it another go and soon becomes an interwebz sensation as one of his good deeds goes viral.
What Starts out as a John Hughes Inspired comedy quickly segues into a not-so-typical action packed bloodfest. Some may view this as a negative...but I sure don't!!!
Kick-Ass works as wish fulfillment for any hardcore comic nerd, movie geek, or superhero worshipper. Luckily...I'm all 3. This film was made for people like myself. If you don't happen to be one of the above 3 categories there's still a chance that you'll get a KICK out of Kick-Ass: just as long as you're not offended by ultra-violence, heavy bloodshed, a profanity spewing ass-kicking 11 yr old, and chaotic violent scenes played to hip music like Bad Reputation.
The film also works due to a strong cast of main and supporting characters. Aaron Johnson plays Kick-Ass as a shy, clumsy and unsure teen (A winning combination if I've ever seen one) that immeadietly finds himself in WAAAAY over his head once he dons his specially ordered scuba suit.
Christopher Mintz-Plasse plays Chris D'Amico, the son of head bad guy Frank D'Amico, as a kid that vies to assist his dad in the family business and thus dons the persona of Red Mist in an attempt to befriend and trap Kick-Ass.
Lyndsy Fonesca plays the insanely hot Katie Deauxma, the self-assure and popular girl that serves as the focus of Aarons attention (She can also be seen as Jennie in Hot Tub Time Machine even though she is on her A game here and is much better). When she one day starts talking to Aaron, he soon realizes that it is because she believes him to be gay and, in a desperate attempt to get closer to her, Aaron goes along with her preconceived notion.
Mark Strong plays Frank D'Amico, the typical baddie and doesn't bring much new to the role but is nontheless still enjoyable in the role.
Nicholas Cage plays Big Daddy, the comic book nerd father to Hit Girl, he plays the role with gleeful enthusiasm and it is obvious that he had great fun with it since he is apparently a comic book nerd at heart too.
There's Clark Duke as Aarons BF#1 Marty, Sadly he is underused here and is never really given a chance to truly shine, even though he does garner a couple of laughs during the film (He also shares the screen in Hot Tub Time Machine).
Evan Peters plays Aarons #2 BF Todd, He constantly appears next to Marty as they both share advice with Aaron on how to win the girl, and chat to Aaron about their love of all things super.
Chloe Moretz plays the enthusiastic and surprisingly sexy 11 year old bad-ass Hit Girl (If anybody tells you that they didn't find themselves attracted to this feisty chick, then their lying). She is by far the best character in the film and the one that is most enjoyable to watch as she goes to work cutting off limbs, throwing her switch blades around the room, opening fire on baddies, and spitting out increasingly profane words. Like Todd, I too found myself falling in love with this psychotic 11 year old.
There has been much talk about whether Kick-Ass will spell the end for the super-hero fad. Personally, I don't believe it will. This is a movie for fanboys and it will only serve to highten the public's lust for all things super.
As I already stated I am a comic book nerd, a movie geek, and I, like every other red-blooded American teen, LOVE all things super. This film was made for people like me. Words cannot describe how much I love and worship this film. It's an all-American ass kicking, profanity spewing, blood gushing, gun toting bad ass film that is almost guaranteed to win over any fanboy's heart. Hell, I could sell my soul to this film, thats how much I love it.
From its first shot of a super hero wannabe plummeting to his death to its final "shot in the face" ending, Kick-Ass is a magnificent triumph and quite possibly the best super-hero film to come out of 2010 (I can already guarantee you that it will blow Iron Man 2 out of the water). If you enjoy your films bloody and awesome, then Kick-Ass is for you. SEE IT!!!
5/5 BETTER THAN SEX WITH A PURPLE-HAIRED 11 YR OLD!!!!
I DEMAND A SEQUEL!!!!!
Every Year has its defining Super-hero movie. 2008 had the suitably dark The Dark Knight, 2009 had the underappreciated Watchmen and now 2010 has the mind-blowing "kick you around the theatre like a rag-doll" KICK-ASS.
The beautiful thing about Kick-Ass is that it understands what it's like to grow up as a teen in this day and age. It understands every kids dreams and fantasies, and it's this fundamental knowledge that makes Kick-Ass work.
Kick-Ass takes place in the world where we live today. It's not another dimension, or a fantasy-land where super-heroes are abundant. NO, this is our world. The main protagonist, Dave, is the typical unpopular high-school goer. He's not a nerd or a geek, he's normal. He has trouble controlling his raging hormones, dreams about one of his teachers, Constantly masturbates to porn sites, is "Invisible" to girls, and even has a secret crush on one of the popular chicks. In simpler terms: He's just like me...or anyone else growing up today. After the first 5 minutes we are strongly rooting for this kid to win the gold.
Unlike other superhero films, Dave does not turn into a super-hero via a radioactive insect, nor does he have hi-tech gadgets. Instead, he grows bored one day and decides to try his hand at becoming a masked vigilante. His first foray into heroism doesn't end well for him as he wakes up several days later in a hospital with shattered never endings and his bones reinforced with metal. Now, more ready than ever, Dave decides to give it another go and soon becomes an interwebz sensation as one of his good deeds goes viral.
What Starts out as a John Hughes Inspired comedy quickly segues into a not-so-typical action packed bloodfest. Some may view this as a negative...but I sure don't!!!
Kick-Ass works as wish fulfillment for any hardcore comic nerd, movie geek, or superhero worshipper. Luckily...I'm all 3. This film was made for people like myself. If you don't happen to be one of the above 3 categories there's still a chance that you'll get a KICK out of Kick-Ass: just as long as you're not offended by ultra-violence, heavy bloodshed, a profanity spewing ass-kicking 11 yr old, and chaotic violent scenes played to hip music like Bad Reputation.
The film also works due to a strong cast of main and supporting characters. Aaron Johnson plays Kick-Ass as a shy, clumsy and unsure teen (A winning combination if I've ever seen one) that immeadietly finds himself in WAAAAY over his head once he dons his specially ordered scuba suit.
Christopher Mintz-Plasse plays Chris D'Amico, the son of head bad guy Frank D'Amico, as a kid that vies to assist his dad in the family business and thus dons the persona of Red Mist in an attempt to befriend and trap Kick-Ass.
Lyndsy Fonesca plays the insanely hot Katie Deauxma, the self-assure and popular girl that serves as the focus of Aarons attention (She can also be seen as Jennie in Hot Tub Time Machine even though she is on her A game here and is much better). When she one day starts talking to Aaron, he soon realizes that it is because she believes him to be gay and, in a desperate attempt to get closer to her, Aaron goes along with her preconceived notion.
Mark Strong plays Frank D'Amico, the typical baddie and doesn't bring much new to the role but is nontheless still enjoyable in the role.
Nicholas Cage plays Big Daddy, the comic book nerd father to Hit Girl, he plays the role with gleeful enthusiasm and it is obvious that he had great fun with it since he is apparently a comic book nerd at heart too.
There's Clark Duke as Aarons BF#1 Marty, Sadly he is underused here and is never really given a chance to truly shine, even though he does garner a couple of laughs during the film (He also shares the screen in Hot Tub Time Machine).
Evan Peters plays Aarons #2 BF Todd, He constantly appears next to Marty as they both share advice with Aaron on how to win the girl, and chat to Aaron about their love of all things super.
Chloe Moretz plays the enthusiastic and surprisingly sexy 11 year old bad-ass Hit Girl (If anybody tells you that they didn't find themselves attracted to this feisty chick, then their lying). She is by far the best character in the film and the one that is most enjoyable to watch as she goes to work cutting off limbs, throwing her switch blades around the room, opening fire on baddies, and spitting out increasingly profane words. Like Todd, I too found myself falling in love with this psychotic 11 year old.
There has been much talk about whether Kick-Ass will spell the end for the super-hero fad. Personally, I don't believe it will. This is a movie for fanboys and it will only serve to highten the public's lust for all things super.
As I already stated I am a comic book nerd, a movie geek, and I, like every other red-blooded American teen, LOVE all things super. This film was made for people like me. Words cannot describe how much I love and worship this film. It's an all-American ass kicking, profanity spewing, blood gushing, gun toting bad ass film that is almost guaranteed to win over any fanboy's heart. Hell, I could sell my soul to this film, thats how much I love it.
From its first shot of a super hero wannabe plummeting to his death to its final "shot in the face" ending, Kick-Ass is a magnificent triumph and quite possibly the best super-hero film to come out of 2010 (I can already guarantee you that it will blow Iron Man 2 out of the water). If you enjoy your films bloody and awesome, then Kick-Ass is for you. SEE IT!!!
5/5 BETTER THAN SEX WITH A PURPLE-HAIRED 11 YR OLD!!!!
I DEMAND A SEQUEL!!!!!
Friday, April 16, 2010
THE FUTURE OF 3-D IS NOW
Yes, It is time to talk about one of the most highly discussed and controversial of art forms that has had a stake in films for a while...the art of 3-D.
Awhile back I predicted that Avatar would be the film that would forever change the art of making movies, I ended up being correct. I was talking about the impact it would have on the future of SFX, NOT 3-D. The SFX in Avatar were astounding, a fact I'm sure we all could agree on. I figured if filmmakers were smart, they would adopt the techniques used in Avatar to the films of today. I could never have predicted that they would instead latch onto 3-D and mark it as the reason for Avatar's success.
Don't get me wrong, I'm one of the big supporters of 3-D and believe that it can do wonders for a film if applied correctly and to the right kind of film. Here's a few examples of films that used 3-D in the way that it's meant to be used: How To Train Your Dragon in 3-D, Avatar, Monsters Vs. Aliens (First ever film that used 3-D to its full potential) Alice In Wonderland, Up, Beowulf, Meet The Robinsons, Nightmare Before X-Mas, Polar Express, Legends Of The Guardians and Coraline.
Now lets compare those to examples of films that missed the mark with 3-D: G-Force, Spy Kids 3-D Game Over, Clash Of The Titans, My Bloody Valentine 3-D, and Sharkboy and Lavagirl. The main way we can tell if a 3-D film is taking advantage of the technology is if the 3-D is being sold as a gimmick or is being used as a way to draw more audiences to the film. Look at the above titles and feel free to compare them to each other, see if you come to the same conclusion as I.
3-D started its life as nothing more than a gimmick, something used to make audiences jump out of their seats or duck behind the seat in front of them. Most of the early 3-D films were horror ones like Jaws 3-D and Dial M for Murder. Several decades later 3-D found a new life for itself in big name theme parks, used in such amazing attractions as Honey I Shrunk The Audience, It's Tough To Be A Bug, Mickey's Philharmagic, Muppetvision 3-D, Shrek 4-D, and the Spiderman attraction at IOA. For quite a while these had the most hi-tech 3-D quality, matched by none...until films like Monsters Vs. Aliens came out, films that boasted the best 3-D quality that any of us had seen in theatres for a while. Then, Avatar made it's grand release and changed the face of 3-D as we know it.
Major studios targeted 3-D as being the reason for Avatar's huge success and clamored to nab more 3-D films into their release schedule that would help them bring in a piece of the profit and thereby created film's newest, hippest trend to date. Films like Despicable Me, MegaMind, Shrek 4, Toy Story 3, Tangled, and Resident Evil: Afterlife were all green-lit to be shown in glamorous 3-D. Unfortunatey, the studios got it all wrong. The 3-D did help contribute to Avatars success, but the main reason it performed as well as it did was because of the technology that went into creating the planet of Pandora. Now, I've only seen Avatar in 3-D but I've heard from several others that even in 2-D that planet stood out as the films main star.bThe Studios should have spent more time advancing the overall technology in their films instead of choosing to focus solely on the 3-D aspect that helped to make that technology shine even brighter.
3-D has always been used as a gimmick, a device to draw more people into the theatre and get them to fork over more money. Films like Avatar, Monsters Vs. Aliens, Coraline, and How To Train Your Dragon have challenged the usual conventions of 3-D, daring the studios to fully develop this amazing technology and use it to its full potential. When viewing the films that correctly use 3-D, it makes it all the more upsetting when those films come out that aim to use 3-D the way it was used before...as a gimmick. If we continue on with our old ways and use 3-D solely as a gimmick we will lose this amazing technology forever.
Wherever you look these days you are bound to find 3-D there, Samsung has even started to create 3-D TV's. This overuse of 3-D combined with the studios idea to use 3-D as a gimmick is bound to result in the destruction of the 3-D technology that I, as many, have come to know and love. We owe it to ourselves and the future generations to fully develop 3-D technology and spend our time using it the way it's meant to be used: As a way to bring audiences into the world of the film and take them on spectacular flights of fancy that they cannot experience anywhere else. Save 3-D...Save the Future.
SideNote: Films to avoid in 3-D
Resident Evil: Afterlife- Uses James Cameron's advanced 3-D technology in the old gimmicky way.
Despicable Me: No reason to see in 3-D except for the rollercoaster sequence which alone could save the film in 3-D.
MegaMind: Could be a new Monsters Vs. Aliens...could just as easily be another G-Force. We'll have to wait and see.
Cats and Dogs 3-D: Are you kidding me??? If I really have to explain why not to see this flick in 3-D then there really is no hope for you.
Piranah 3-D: GIMMICKS!!! THE AUDIENCES DEMAND MORE GIMMICKS!!! umm...no, we don't.
Awhile back I predicted that Avatar would be the film that would forever change the art of making movies, I ended up being correct. I was talking about the impact it would have on the future of SFX, NOT 3-D. The SFX in Avatar were astounding, a fact I'm sure we all could agree on. I figured if filmmakers were smart, they would adopt the techniques used in Avatar to the films of today. I could never have predicted that they would instead latch onto 3-D and mark it as the reason for Avatar's success.
Don't get me wrong, I'm one of the big supporters of 3-D and believe that it can do wonders for a film if applied correctly and to the right kind of film. Here's a few examples of films that used 3-D in the way that it's meant to be used: How To Train Your Dragon in 3-D, Avatar, Monsters Vs. Aliens (First ever film that used 3-D to its full potential) Alice In Wonderland, Up, Beowulf, Meet The Robinsons, Nightmare Before X-Mas, Polar Express, Legends Of The Guardians and Coraline.
Now lets compare those to examples of films that missed the mark with 3-D: G-Force, Spy Kids 3-D Game Over, Clash Of The Titans, My Bloody Valentine 3-D, and Sharkboy and Lavagirl. The main way we can tell if a 3-D film is taking advantage of the technology is if the 3-D is being sold as a gimmick or is being used as a way to draw more audiences to the film. Look at the above titles and feel free to compare them to each other, see if you come to the same conclusion as I.
3-D started its life as nothing more than a gimmick, something used to make audiences jump out of their seats or duck behind the seat in front of them. Most of the early 3-D films were horror ones like Jaws 3-D and Dial M for Murder. Several decades later 3-D found a new life for itself in big name theme parks, used in such amazing attractions as Honey I Shrunk The Audience, It's Tough To Be A Bug, Mickey's Philharmagic, Muppetvision 3-D, Shrek 4-D, and the Spiderman attraction at IOA. For quite a while these had the most hi-tech 3-D quality, matched by none...until films like Monsters Vs. Aliens came out, films that boasted the best 3-D quality that any of us had seen in theatres for a while. Then, Avatar made it's grand release and changed the face of 3-D as we know it.
Major studios targeted 3-D as being the reason for Avatar's huge success and clamored to nab more 3-D films into their release schedule that would help them bring in a piece of the profit and thereby created film's newest, hippest trend to date. Films like Despicable Me, MegaMind, Shrek 4, Toy Story 3, Tangled, and Resident Evil: Afterlife were all green-lit to be shown in glamorous 3-D. Unfortunatey, the studios got it all wrong. The 3-D did help contribute to Avatars success, but the main reason it performed as well as it did was because of the technology that went into creating the planet of Pandora. Now, I've only seen Avatar in 3-D but I've heard from several others that even in 2-D that planet stood out as the films main star.bThe Studios should have spent more time advancing the overall technology in their films instead of choosing to focus solely on the 3-D aspect that helped to make that technology shine even brighter.
3-D has always been used as a gimmick, a device to draw more people into the theatre and get them to fork over more money. Films like Avatar, Monsters Vs. Aliens, Coraline, and How To Train Your Dragon have challenged the usual conventions of 3-D, daring the studios to fully develop this amazing technology and use it to its full potential. When viewing the films that correctly use 3-D, it makes it all the more upsetting when those films come out that aim to use 3-D the way it was used before...as a gimmick. If we continue on with our old ways and use 3-D solely as a gimmick we will lose this amazing technology forever.
Wherever you look these days you are bound to find 3-D there, Samsung has even started to create 3-D TV's. This overuse of 3-D combined with the studios idea to use 3-D as a gimmick is bound to result in the destruction of the 3-D technology that I, as many, have come to know and love. We owe it to ourselves and the future generations to fully develop 3-D technology and spend our time using it the way it's meant to be used: As a way to bring audiences into the world of the film and take them on spectacular flights of fancy that they cannot experience anywhere else. Save 3-D...Save the Future.
SideNote: Films to avoid in 3-D
Resident Evil: Afterlife- Uses James Cameron's advanced 3-D technology in the old gimmicky way.
Despicable Me: No reason to see in 3-D except for the rollercoaster sequence which alone could save the film in 3-D.
MegaMind: Could be a new Monsters Vs. Aliens...could just as easily be another G-Force. We'll have to wait and see.
Cats and Dogs 3-D: Are you kidding me??? If I really have to explain why not to see this flick in 3-D then there really is no hope for you.
Piranah 3-D: GIMMICKS!!! THE AUDIENCES DEMAND MORE GIMMICKS!!! umm...no, we don't.
Friday, April 9, 2010
BEETLE LEARNS HOW TO TRAIN A DRAGON IN 3-D!!!
2010 is really shaping up to be a grand improvement over 2009. So far we've had great films like The Lovely Bones, Hot Tub Time Machine, and now How To Train Your Dragon in 3-D.
The Story is sweetly simple as it follows the adventures of a teenage viking, Hiccup, who dreams of proving himself to the lovely Astrid, a hot teen viking girl, and his father, the viking hero and head of the village. One night during a dragon attack Hiccup escapes from his job as assistant blacksmith and tries out an invention he created, successfully bringing down the most elusive and deadly dragon in existance...the Nightfury aka Nightmare. However, when he comes face to face with his prize, he finds himself unable to kill it, and so nurses it back to health and in the process learns what it means to be a true hero.
Dragons has earned my immense respect by breaking free from most of the stereotypes and cliches of animated films. There are truly scary shit your pants moments, the characters actually have story arcs and succeed in getting the audience to care for them, and the film even puts its characters in dangerous situations and has decidedly different events happen to them that most animated films would not do. Take the sequence when Hiccup and Toothless(his Nightfury that he rescued) kidnap Astrid and drop her off on the top branch of a tree, where she dangles and almost falls to her death. Most animated films would never dream of having the hot heroine and love interest dropped into such a precarious situation, by the main characters no less, but Dragons 3-D pulls this off brilliantly. The story itself also manages to have a satisfying outcome and unusual ending for Hiccup.
The characters themselves are even dealt with in a beautiful way. Astrids introduction with the fire filling the screen behind her, while typical for your average teen heroine, in 3-D left me with my jaw open. Each character is given a reason for acting the way they do and a motivation to every action they perform. It would also be a shame if I didn't give props to the fantastic voice acting done by Jay Baruchel as Hiccup, Gerard Butler as Stoick (Hiccups Dad), America Ferrera as the lovely Astrid, and Chris Ferguson as Gobber (Hiccups mentor of sorts).
And I can't forget to mention the dragons. They are animated in such a way that they are indeed quite scary to behold, while at the same time keeping that Chris Sanders touch to them. They do not act like people, but like wild, unpredictable animals which is yet another triumph of the film. The main dragon, Toothless, is animated in such a way that you can actually imagine what it would feel like if you reached out and touched it.
Yet another thing that puts Dragons 3-D a step above the rest of your typical animated fare is its spectacular use of 3-D, the best examples of this are during the breathtaking flying sequences with Astrid, Hiccup, and Toothless. We, the audience, are given the rare chance to fly alongside the heroes, swooping, diving, climbing, and spinning with them. The main characters during these sequences are shown as small minitures against a large background of amazing color. I swear I could feel the wind in my hair during these amazing moments and was constantly tempted to raise my hands in the air and let loose a mighty victory whoop for I was finally flying. It really feels like you are flying with them, the film giving way to an amzing roller-coaster ride of speed and thrills. It's, simply put, amazing.
But the flying sequences aren't the only thing done well in 3-D, every inch of atmosphere is brought to life and the 3-D helps to bring us into the open spaces and even the private moments of these characters. At times it almost feels like we are intruding on an intimate moment that we should not be seeing, it's pretty cool.
While it did take me half of the film to truely gt invested in the characters and plot of the film, by the time I WAS fully invested there was no turning back. In fact, there was a time where I took off my 3-D goggles to clean my glasses and I realized that the film just didn't feel right in 2-D, so I quickly placed the goggles back over my eyes.
Now, here's the part where i feel obligated to address an issue that keeps coming up with Dragons 3-D. There are some who say that Dragons is much better than Avatar. Personally, I believe that Avatar ws really lacking in a good story and character development, and while its true that the SFX were years ahead of its time, I still think that becuae Dragons has a solid story and strong character development, mixed in with amazing 3-D effects and some truely breathtaking flying sequences that do make it a SMIDGEN better than Avatar.
I believe that this film is the best Dreamworks film to come out in a while. Gone are the days when Dreamworks made hip, pop-culture referencing films...Hopefully Dragons is the first step in what could be a new era for Dreamworks.
While it does take a while to fully get into the films fantastic world of vikings and dragons, the final product is definently worth the wait if you see this beauty through till the end. With Fantastic 3-D, a well-rounded story, loveable REAl characters, believable animals, a main character that is actually turns into a legit. hero, and a great message about growing up and finding yourself Dragons 3-D is a film that noone should miss. Once again, I must say DO NOT WALK, RUN TO THIS FILM.
5/5 Stars BETTER THAN SEX
The Story is sweetly simple as it follows the adventures of a teenage viking, Hiccup, who dreams of proving himself to the lovely Astrid, a hot teen viking girl, and his father, the viking hero and head of the village. One night during a dragon attack Hiccup escapes from his job as assistant blacksmith and tries out an invention he created, successfully bringing down the most elusive and deadly dragon in existance...the Nightfury aka Nightmare. However, when he comes face to face with his prize, he finds himself unable to kill it, and so nurses it back to health and in the process learns what it means to be a true hero.
Dragons has earned my immense respect by breaking free from most of the stereotypes and cliches of animated films. There are truly scary shit your pants moments, the characters actually have story arcs and succeed in getting the audience to care for them, and the film even puts its characters in dangerous situations and has decidedly different events happen to them that most animated films would not do. Take the sequence when Hiccup and Toothless(his Nightfury that he rescued) kidnap Astrid and drop her off on the top branch of a tree, where she dangles and almost falls to her death. Most animated films would never dream of having the hot heroine and love interest dropped into such a precarious situation, by the main characters no less, but Dragons 3-D pulls this off brilliantly. The story itself also manages to have a satisfying outcome and unusual ending for Hiccup.
The characters themselves are even dealt with in a beautiful way. Astrids introduction with the fire filling the screen behind her, while typical for your average teen heroine, in 3-D left me with my jaw open. Each character is given a reason for acting the way they do and a motivation to every action they perform. It would also be a shame if I didn't give props to the fantastic voice acting done by Jay Baruchel as Hiccup, Gerard Butler as Stoick (Hiccups Dad), America Ferrera as the lovely Astrid, and Chris Ferguson as Gobber (Hiccups mentor of sorts).
And I can't forget to mention the dragons. They are animated in such a way that they are indeed quite scary to behold, while at the same time keeping that Chris Sanders touch to them. They do not act like people, but like wild, unpredictable animals which is yet another triumph of the film. The main dragon, Toothless, is animated in such a way that you can actually imagine what it would feel like if you reached out and touched it.
Yet another thing that puts Dragons 3-D a step above the rest of your typical animated fare is its spectacular use of 3-D, the best examples of this are during the breathtaking flying sequences with Astrid, Hiccup, and Toothless. We, the audience, are given the rare chance to fly alongside the heroes, swooping, diving, climbing, and spinning with them. The main characters during these sequences are shown as small minitures against a large background of amazing color. I swear I could feel the wind in my hair during these amazing moments and was constantly tempted to raise my hands in the air and let loose a mighty victory whoop for I was finally flying. It really feels like you are flying with them, the film giving way to an amzing roller-coaster ride of speed and thrills. It's, simply put, amazing.
But the flying sequences aren't the only thing done well in 3-D, every inch of atmosphere is brought to life and the 3-D helps to bring us into the open spaces and even the private moments of these characters. At times it almost feels like we are intruding on an intimate moment that we should not be seeing, it's pretty cool.
While it did take me half of the film to truely gt invested in the characters and plot of the film, by the time I WAS fully invested there was no turning back. In fact, there was a time where I took off my 3-D goggles to clean my glasses and I realized that the film just didn't feel right in 2-D, so I quickly placed the goggles back over my eyes.
Now, here's the part where i feel obligated to address an issue that keeps coming up with Dragons 3-D. There are some who say that Dragons is much better than Avatar. Personally, I believe that Avatar ws really lacking in a good story and character development, and while its true that the SFX were years ahead of its time, I still think that becuae Dragons has a solid story and strong character development, mixed in with amazing 3-D effects and some truely breathtaking flying sequences that do make it a SMIDGEN better than Avatar.
I believe that this film is the best Dreamworks film to come out in a while. Gone are the days when Dreamworks made hip, pop-culture referencing films...Hopefully Dragons is the first step in what could be a new era for Dreamworks.
While it does take a while to fully get into the films fantastic world of vikings and dragons, the final product is definently worth the wait if you see this beauty through till the end. With Fantastic 3-D, a well-rounded story, loveable REAl characters, believable animals, a main character that is actually turns into a legit. hero, and a great message about growing up and finding yourself Dragons 3-D is a film that noone should miss. Once again, I must say DO NOT WALK, RUN TO THIS FILM.
5/5 Stars BETTER THAN SEX
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)