It has finally happened. Disney and Lucasfilm have officially hired a director for Star Wars VII. Yes, everyone on the Internet knew last night. I even Tweeted about it (go look). However, it became official official just a little while ago.
While some people will complain that there will be too much lens flare blocking anyone from actually flying a ship or talking to someone else on screen . . . or that a random smoke monster manages to kill people for no reason . . . or that there happens to be time travel in a universe where it has not existed . . . tough.
In my opinion, JJ Abrams is the correct choice to direct the new Star Wars film and have a role in any sequels that come after it. If you look at the official statement (linked above), there are comments from three MAJOR contributors to the Star Wars films. Two of them were there at the beginning of Star Wars who have also worked with JJ and one has worked on the prequels (films that shall not be named) and the Clone Wars television show and has worked with JJ. All three praise JJ for his love of the original films and his willingness to keep saga alive.
As much as other people would have preferred a different director, someone along the lines of Joss Whedon or Matthew Vaughn or even Bryan Singer, all three are busy with their own projects. Then you might say, what about Star Trek? JJ has to finish post production on the sequel to that movie that comes out in May. For that matter, so does ILM. In fact, there are a lot of projects that JJ has on his plate at the moment for Paramount (I really read way too much about the entertainment business) and has no desire to let them fall either. But Star Wars is special and JJ is going to treat it with the care that it deserves.
JJ will take the script that is delivered (more than likely already has been) by Michael Arndt and make a few tweaks here and there and then start talking to George and some of the other people behind the scenes. It's going to have to be a quick process and I have a feeling they are going to want to start shooting by the end of the year since Disney is hoping for a summer 2015 release. ILM would need to have almost a year or more to complete the effects that you know this film is going to have.
This is exciting news and I cannot wait to see what JJ will bring to the Star Wars universe. Whatever comes of this decision, I know that Disney / Lucasfilm / JJ all made the right choice. May the Force be with them all.
Until next time.
Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts
Friday, January 25, 2013
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
I've Got A Golden Ticket
I figured this blog needed a little cheering up after the previous post, so here goes.
I’ve got a golden ticket.
I’ve got a golden twinkle in my eye.
So why am I quoting Willy Wonka? Simple. It’s because I got a golden ticket. Look at the picture below and I shall paused a few seconds.
And while this one (unfortunately) doesn’t come with a lifetime supply of chocolate should I survive the strange and silly factory tour led by Willy Wonka himself, it does protect my phone very well. However, since I don't really care for a lot of chocolate, I wonder if I could just get a lifetime of NERDS. I love NERDS. I don't even need to take over the chocolate factory. I could just let Abby have it.
So how did this come to be? How did I manage to find the golden ticket? Well, I didn't find money in the street and go get a chocolate bar if that's what you're thinking. Remember what I just wrote about not really liking chocolate?
Actually, since I purchased the iPhone 4 a few months ago, I have been wanting to find a very cool case. I've looked at hundreds of cases and I would send Joanna sevreral links to ones that I liked but one never popped out. That is, until I literally found the golden ticket.
I was sitting at home one morning and was looking through a website called Red Bubble. It's a website dedicated to helping artists sell their merchandise. Basically artists will create something and Red Bubble will make posters, postcards, mouse pads, iPhone cases, etc. Well, I just happened to see this one and showed Joanna. We were both immediately taken with the case and I purchased it. The picture above does not do it justice and it will just have to be seen to be believed. As I said, it protects the phone very well, though I do not wish to fully test it's drop capabilities. For now, I'll wander through the factory looking for the Fizzy Lifting Drink and avoiding being chopped to bits by the fan on the ceiling.
Until next time.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
You Need a John Williams Score to Read This Entry
When I heard the news this afternoon, it was a little bit of a shock. How could something like that have happened? Then, after reading several different articles and finding out more information, it was something that I was willing to accept, even praise. If you have no clue what I am talking about, then you sadly don't know me at all.
Earlier today, The Walt Disney Company marched into George Lucas' office and offered him $4.05 BILLION for Lucasfilm Limited. As the sole shareholder, I'm sure George didn't have to contemplate the deal very long. Actually, I have a feeling that he's been thinking about it for at least the past year.
Before I get into my complete reaction and how I feel about the company moving forward, let me explain how I feel about George basically giving up his company. That is not what he did. In fact, he is basically retiring from the movie making business. And while he will still write stories and possibly move them into the script process, he will no longer be actively doing so.
I've known for quite some time (because, you know, George and I are close), that George wanted to retire. The movie that came out earlier this year, Red Tails, was a project that he had worked long and hard to complete and with it fulfilled, George had finally felt he was finished with making movies himself. Again, that doesn't mean he is not in the process of overseeing stories for The Clone Wars or other projects that might come down the pike in the future, such as the supposed Star Wars: Episode VII.
It's easy to see that George had been preparing for something like this. Whether it was the actual sale of Lucasfilm or not, he had prepared to leave the company. Earlier this year, Kathleen Kennedy (one of Steven Spielberg's producing partners) joined Lucasfilm as co-chairman, essentially setting her up to be the person in charge once George stepped down. With the sale nearly complete, it appears that George will be able to ride off into the sunset just as Indiana Jones did at the end of The Last Crusade.
So now that I've talked a little about George and his reasons, let's talk about the company in general. As I trolled the Internet today for information, I saw numerous people decrying the buyout stating that George had "fallen" to the Dark Side and that the evil Emperor had finally won. Yes, it is true, George Lucas was a visionary and a pioneer and an independent filmmaker. He was not beholden to any studio to tell him what he could and could not do and that was how he liked it. Unfortunately, because of his own independence, there were certain disadvantages as well.
As the sole shareholder or Lucasfilm, everything was on his shoulders from budgets, casting, directing, writing, producing and I'm sure everything in between. That much work can take a lot out of a person and now that he is a little bit older (I will never call him old), he deserves a chance to rest.
Some people on the Internet were happy because Star Wars could finally get a decent writer and filmmaker and give "the fans" what they wanted from the movies in the first place. It's still unknown what SWVII will entail, but whatever it will be, I'm still going to see it. I'm one of those crazy fans when it comes to Star Wars, but when it comes to the prequel movies (those that shall not be named by certain people), I actually liked them. Yes, the dialogue was stiff. The acting was not stellar from some of the cast and certain things happened that people weren't happy about. Remember, though, folks, as prequels, they had a lot to live up to. There was already a story involved and they had to create the history to which is referred in movies from twenty years previous. Yes, some things didn't work well but on a whole, in my opinion, they were good movies.
So that's Star Wars. Let's talk about the other things that Disney will receive as part of the deal. Behind door number two: only the best post-production facility in the world, Industrial Light and Magic. Sure, WETA Studio is out there and so are dozens of other small firms, but ILM still leads the pack when it comes to advancements of special effects technology. A lot of the tech that is being used by other companies was designed by ILM or by someone that used to work for ILM. Skywalker Sound, one of the best sound editing facilities for movies and television is also included.
Both of these companies work on many Disney films at the moment, such as Iron Man 3 and The Avengers, but now instead of having to pay a separate fee to use them, they are technically "in house" properties, which makes it easier to assign the assets.
When people ask me how this will help Lucasfilm in the long run, I can only say that it will make it better. Look at what Disney has done with Pixar. Yes, Pixar was a wonderful company before it was purchased by Disney, but look what happened after. They just got bigger. The same with Marvel Comics. Wasn't The Avengers the summer's biggest blockbuster with a chance for more as the individual sequel movies start coming out in the next couple of years?
Though Lucasfilm is a great organization and a great film company, they are still small and independent. The Walt Disney Company is large and multifaceted. Disney understands Global Marketing in a way that Lucasfilm is only able to scratch the surface. This deal is good for everyone. George Lucas gets to retire on his terms with the person he trusts to run the company and Lucasfilm will not have to worry about projects or income slowly fading away.
Good luck George, with whatever you choose to do from now on.
Until tomorrow.
Earlier today, The Walt Disney Company marched into George Lucas' office and offered him $4.05 BILLION for Lucasfilm Limited. As the sole shareholder, I'm sure George didn't have to contemplate the deal very long. Actually, I have a feeling that he's been thinking about it for at least the past year.
Before I get into my complete reaction and how I feel about the company moving forward, let me explain how I feel about George basically giving up his company. That is not what he did. In fact, he is basically retiring from the movie making business. And while he will still write stories and possibly move them into the script process, he will no longer be actively doing so.
I've known for quite some time (because, you know, George and I are close), that George wanted to retire. The movie that came out earlier this year, Red Tails, was a project that he had worked long and hard to complete and with it fulfilled, George had finally felt he was finished with making movies himself. Again, that doesn't mean he is not in the process of overseeing stories for The Clone Wars or other projects that might come down the pike in the future, such as the supposed Star Wars: Episode VII.
It's easy to see that George had been preparing for something like this. Whether it was the actual sale of Lucasfilm or not, he had prepared to leave the company. Earlier this year, Kathleen Kennedy (one of Steven Spielberg's producing partners) joined Lucasfilm as co-chairman, essentially setting her up to be the person in charge once George stepped down. With the sale nearly complete, it appears that George will be able to ride off into the sunset just as Indiana Jones did at the end of The Last Crusade.
So now that I've talked a little about George and his reasons, let's talk about the company in general. As I trolled the Internet today for information, I saw numerous people decrying the buyout stating that George had "fallen" to the Dark Side and that the evil Emperor had finally won. Yes, it is true, George Lucas was a visionary and a pioneer and an independent filmmaker. He was not beholden to any studio to tell him what he could and could not do and that was how he liked it. Unfortunately, because of his own independence, there were certain disadvantages as well.
As the sole shareholder or Lucasfilm, everything was on his shoulders from budgets, casting, directing, writing, producing and I'm sure everything in between. That much work can take a lot out of a person and now that he is a little bit older (I will never call him old), he deserves a chance to rest.
Some people on the Internet were happy because Star Wars could finally get a decent writer and filmmaker and give "the fans" what they wanted from the movies in the first place. It's still unknown what SWVII will entail, but whatever it will be, I'm still going to see it. I'm one of those crazy fans when it comes to Star Wars, but when it comes to the prequel movies (those that shall not be named by certain people), I actually liked them. Yes, the dialogue was stiff. The acting was not stellar from some of the cast and certain things happened that people weren't happy about. Remember, though, folks, as prequels, they had a lot to live up to. There was already a story involved and they had to create the history to which is referred in movies from twenty years previous. Yes, some things didn't work well but on a whole, in my opinion, they were good movies.
So that's Star Wars. Let's talk about the other things that Disney will receive as part of the deal. Behind door number two: only the best post-production facility in the world, Industrial Light and Magic. Sure, WETA Studio is out there and so are dozens of other small firms, but ILM still leads the pack when it comes to advancements of special effects technology. A lot of the tech that is being used by other companies was designed by ILM or by someone that used to work for ILM. Skywalker Sound, one of the best sound editing facilities for movies and television is also included.
Both of these companies work on many Disney films at the moment, such as Iron Man 3 and The Avengers, but now instead of having to pay a separate fee to use them, they are technically "in house" properties, which makes it easier to assign the assets.
When people ask me how this will help Lucasfilm in the long run, I can only say that it will make it better. Look at what Disney has done with Pixar. Yes, Pixar was a wonderful company before it was purchased by Disney, but look what happened after. They just got bigger. The same with Marvel Comics. Wasn't The Avengers the summer's biggest blockbuster with a chance for more as the individual sequel movies start coming out in the next couple of years?
Though Lucasfilm is a great organization and a great film company, they are still small and independent. The Walt Disney Company is large and multifaceted. Disney understands Global Marketing in a way that Lucasfilm is only able to scratch the surface. This deal is good for everyone. George Lucas gets to retire on his terms with the person he trusts to run the company and Lucasfilm will not have to worry about projects or income slowly fading away.
Good luck George, with whatever you choose to do from now on.
Until tomorrow.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
I Couldn't Resist
Having read this blog at least a few times, you will know just how much fun I like to have at the expense of others. What's that word, schadenfreude?
Anyway . . . when I saw this article this morning I could not resist wanting to write about it. Before I show you the link, though, let's give a little background.
It's from England, so you know there's a chance that it might be something strange. It involves children, but nothing physically harmful to them. More like mental. And inadvertent, really, not malicious at all. Well, unless someone really wanted to pull a practical joke.
Here's the article.
For those of you not willing to click through and read it, I shall summarize in the next paragraph.
Apparently, at a local movie theater - I'm sorry, cinema - a group of children and parents had paid for a ticket to see Madagascar 3. You can all see where this is going, right? Well, they didn't get that movie. They got something a lot worse and sadly, I think it's funny that it happened. The movie that started playing was Paranormal Activity 4 (which won the box office this past weekend).
So how do you think one makes that mistake? It's not like there are that many similarities in the names, though I suppose having a number in each of them could be so confusing.
Going back to the article, apparently a body was thrown at the camera (probably in a vain attempt at playing up the 3D imagery) which then sent the children into a tizzy, causing several of them to scream louder than their poor parents probably had heard them. Of course, the children immediately started running for an exit, their parents attempting to catch them and get them back into a semblance of order. But of course, that just didn't happen.
The cinema, for their part, obviously had to apologize and offered those affected by the incident and offer complimentary tickets. The company even offered them the opportunity a chance to see Madagascar 3 a mere thirty minutes after scaring the crap out of them, which I do not have the accurate numbers for. Let's just take a guess that less than fifty percent managed to see it the second time, even with a free ticket in their pocket. I have a feeling that those children might be in for some trouble every time they try to watch a sequel to anything.
Until tomorrow.
Anyway . . . when I saw this article this morning I could not resist wanting to write about it. Before I show you the link, though, let's give a little background.
It's from England, so you know there's a chance that it might be something strange. It involves children, but nothing physically harmful to them. More like mental. And inadvertent, really, not malicious at all. Well, unless someone really wanted to pull a practical joke.
Here's the article.
For those of you not willing to click through and read it, I shall summarize in the next paragraph.
Apparently, at a local movie theater - I'm sorry, cinema - a group of children and parents had paid for a ticket to see Madagascar 3. You can all see where this is going, right? Well, they didn't get that movie. They got something a lot worse and sadly, I think it's funny that it happened. The movie that started playing was Paranormal Activity 4 (which won the box office this past weekend).
So how do you think one makes that mistake? It's not like there are that many similarities in the names, though I suppose having a number in each of them could be so confusing.
Going back to the article, apparently a body was thrown at the camera (probably in a vain attempt at playing up the 3D imagery) which then sent the children into a tizzy, causing several of them to scream louder than their poor parents probably had heard them. Of course, the children immediately started running for an exit, their parents attempting to catch them and get them back into a semblance of order. But of course, that just didn't happen.
The cinema, for their part, obviously had to apologize and offered those affected by the incident and offer complimentary tickets. The company even offered them the opportunity a chance to see Madagascar 3 a mere thirty minutes after scaring the crap out of them, which I do not have the accurate numbers for. Let's just take a guess that less than fifty percent managed to see it the second time, even with a free ticket in their pocket. I have a feeling that those children might be in for some trouble every time they try to watch a sequel to anything.
Until tomorrow.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Movies in the Park
If you have a program like "Movies in the Park" in your area you should take advantage. For the most part, the movies that are offered are fairly new (within the past year) and always family friendly. Plus, it's free. Last week we saw the movie, Dolphin Tale, a cute film about a boy and his dolphin. No, it wasn't a remake of Flipper.
In fact, this story was based on real events where a boy discovered a dolphn that had been caught in a lobster trap and, because of injuries, had to have its tail amputated. Of course, since this is a family movie, thankfully, you don't see that on the screen. You feel the emotions and understand the ramifications of the amputation as a dolphin requires its tail to swim.
A sub-plot of the film involves the cousin of the main character and his service in the army. None of that is shown but there is a point where he returns to his family, although injured. In a way, his story parallels the dolphins. Both are swimmers and both are missing something.
Through a series of attempts at helping the dolphin learn to swim, everyone learns a lesson. Mostly the lesson is to never give up on yourself or your dreams because you could be so close to fulfilling them and just give up. If you keep trying, no matter what, eventually your dreams will come true. Will they all come true? Who knows? But keep trying and find out.
Tonight's movie in the park is going to be Hugo. It's definitely a movie that I wanted to see when it came out in the theater, so it should be good. I'm not going to promise a review as I am not sure I'll be able to write one within a decent timeframe, but know (just in case) that I'm probably going to like it.
Until next time.
In fact, this story was based on real events where a boy discovered a dolphn that had been caught in a lobster trap and, because of injuries, had to have its tail amputated. Of course, since this is a family movie, thankfully, you don't see that on the screen. You feel the emotions and understand the ramifications of the amputation as a dolphin requires its tail to swim.
A sub-plot of the film involves the cousin of the main character and his service in the army. None of that is shown but there is a point where he returns to his family, although injured. In a way, his story parallels the dolphins. Both are swimmers and both are missing something.
Through a series of attempts at helping the dolphin learn to swim, everyone learns a lesson. Mostly the lesson is to never give up on yourself or your dreams because you could be so close to fulfilling them and just give up. If you keep trying, no matter what, eventually your dreams will come true. Will they all come true? Who knows? But keep trying and find out.
Tonight's movie in the park is going to be Hugo. It's definitely a movie that I wanted to see when it came out in the theater, so it should be good. I'm not going to promise a review as I am not sure I'll be able to write one within a decent timeframe, but know (just in case) that I'm probably going to like it.
Until next time.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Tragedy
Last night / early this morning, a severely disturbed man broke into a movie theater that was showing The Dark Knight Rises, released a cannister of gas and opened fire with several weapons. Current reports state that twelve people have died.
They were doing what a lot of people were doing last night - seeing one of the most anticipated movies of the summer next to The Avengers. And yet, this madman decided to enter the theater and cause havoc and grief. I don't want to discuss theories about why he did it. I don't even want to really discuss the concepts of gun control or the politics involved with such a terrible tragedy.
What I do want to talk about, though, is the fact that this movie, The Dark Knight Rises, is about genuine evil. The character Bane was designed to represent evil incarnate, showing no mercy for victims and no emotion other than pure anger. He's a terrorist to his core and his only wish is to wreak havoc on Gotham. And yet, Batman is there to save Gotham, like he had been in the previous two movies. But there's no Batman in the real world.
Fortunately, people can be heroes all the time and don't even need to wear a cape. Look at that bus driver in New York that caught the little girl as she fell from three stories up earlier this week. He's a hero. Firefighters, police, military. They're all heroes in their own way. They risk their lives so that the general public can be safe.
And yes, you can say where were the police? Several people died and a lot more were wounded but can you imagine what could have happened if there hadn't been some sort of response?
I still plan on seeing The Dark Knight Rises - in fact, I have tickets for this afternoon. While Joanna was a bit reticent to let me go for fear of anything happening, that is something that I can't think about. It's my same theory about terrorism in general. Terrorists attack things that we love and care about, or they attack close to home when we're not expecting it. If we simply give up and become depressed and scared, the terrorists have won. They live to strike "terror" into the lives of others. My opinion is to get back up and keep living my life. It will not be dictated to me by some guy randomly going into a movie theater and opening fire.
Am I scared of terrorists? Yes. Who wouldn't be? Am I going to stop living my life because of this inciden? Am I not going to go see a movie that I've wanted to see since The Dark Knight film ended? No - unless the movie theater actually cancels the show (that's pending a phone call later). Yes, I'll be cautious, but I am going to enjoy a fantastic film and yes, I might even cry.
Until next time.
They were doing what a lot of people were doing last night - seeing one of the most anticipated movies of the summer next to The Avengers. And yet, this madman decided to enter the theater and cause havoc and grief. I don't want to discuss theories about why he did it. I don't even want to really discuss the concepts of gun control or the politics involved with such a terrible tragedy.
What I do want to talk about, though, is the fact that this movie, The Dark Knight Rises, is about genuine evil. The character Bane was designed to represent evil incarnate, showing no mercy for victims and no emotion other than pure anger. He's a terrorist to his core and his only wish is to wreak havoc on Gotham. And yet, Batman is there to save Gotham, like he had been in the previous two movies. But there's no Batman in the real world.
Fortunately, people can be heroes all the time and don't even need to wear a cape. Look at that bus driver in New York that caught the little girl as she fell from three stories up earlier this week. He's a hero. Firefighters, police, military. They're all heroes in their own way. They risk their lives so that the general public can be safe.
And yes, you can say where were the police? Several people died and a lot more were wounded but can you imagine what could have happened if there hadn't been some sort of response?
I still plan on seeing The Dark Knight Rises - in fact, I have tickets for this afternoon. While Joanna was a bit reticent to let me go for fear of anything happening, that is something that I can't think about. It's my same theory about terrorism in general. Terrorists attack things that we love and care about, or they attack close to home when we're not expecting it. If we simply give up and become depressed and scared, the terrorists have won. They live to strike "terror" into the lives of others. My opinion is to get back up and keep living my life. It will not be dictated to me by some guy randomly going into a movie theater and opening fire.
Am I scared of terrorists? Yes. Who wouldn't be? Am I going to stop living my life because of this inciden? Am I not going to go see a movie that I've wanted to see since The Dark Knight film ended? No - unless the movie theater actually cancels the show (that's pending a phone call later). Yes, I'll be cautious, but I am going to enjoy a fantastic film and yes, I might even cry.
Until next time.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Nothing Good Comes To Mind
Once again I come to the end of another day and I have no topic to really write about. And yet, I must write something because of my oath at the beginning of the month to write at least one thing every day. As there are just a few days left in the month, I can't stop now.
So, what shall I write about? The helicopter circling the house right now at 11PM? Should I be worried? Is it looking for someone? Did it find someone? Or is it just doing its natural tour of Rancho Cucamonga, letting tourists see the town at night? Whatever the reason, it actually seems to have flown off since I started writing the sentence, so, oh well.
I could also write about the latest trailer for the G.I. Joe sequel coming later in the summer:
As far as the trailer goes, it looks pretty cool. A little silly, of course, but then, so was the first movie. I actually enjoyed the first G.I. Joe film and, more than likely, I'll see this new one later this year and enjoy it as well. I don't plan on seeing it solely for the actor's ability to shoot a gun or stare at the camera and say stupid things. Although, I think Jonathan Pryce as the US President - and the Cobra agent, Zartan (you would have had to have seen the last film to really get that) - is a good choice. Although it is ironic that the US President is played by a Brit. Nothing against the Brits, but it's just a little funny.
What I do find interesting about this film is that no one from the first movie seems to be in it, save for Jonathan Pryce and Channing Tatum. Though, based on the trailer, it seems that Channing Tatum's character dies very close to the beginning. And I'm not calling SPOILER because they say it right there at the beginning.
Whatever. Like I said, it's not a thinking movie and there will be no reason for me to do any sort of thinking when I do finally see the movie. Unless it's thinking about how much popcorn I should eat.
How about that? Nothing to talk about and I still found something to talk about. I guess that just shows either how desperate I am to write about something in general or the fact that I'm just that good. I'll go with the former.
Until tomorrow.
So, what shall I write about? The helicopter circling the house right now at 11PM? Should I be worried? Is it looking for someone? Did it find someone? Or is it just doing its natural tour of Rancho Cucamonga, letting tourists see the town at night? Whatever the reason, it actually seems to have flown off since I started writing the sentence, so, oh well.
I could also write about the latest trailer for the G.I. Joe sequel coming later in the summer:
As far as the trailer goes, it looks pretty cool. A little silly, of course, but then, so was the first movie. I actually enjoyed the first G.I. Joe film and, more than likely, I'll see this new one later this year and enjoy it as well. I don't plan on seeing it solely for the actor's ability to shoot a gun or stare at the camera and say stupid things. Although, I think Jonathan Pryce as the US President - and the Cobra agent, Zartan (you would have had to have seen the last film to really get that) - is a good choice. Although it is ironic that the US President is played by a Brit. Nothing against the Brits, but it's just a little funny.
What I do find interesting about this film is that no one from the first movie seems to be in it, save for Jonathan Pryce and Channing Tatum. Though, based on the trailer, it seems that Channing Tatum's character dies very close to the beginning. And I'm not calling SPOILER because they say it right there at the beginning.
Whatever. Like I said, it's not a thinking movie and there will be no reason for me to do any sort of thinking when I do finally see the movie. Unless it's thinking about how much popcorn I should eat.
How about that? Nothing to talk about and I still found something to talk about. I guess that just shows either how desperate I am to write about something in general or the fact that I'm just that good. I'll go with the former.
Until tomorrow.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
What Can't They Do?
Pixar, the fun-loving company that brought us such movies as
Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Cars and Up, are constantly coming up with imaginative
ways to entertain the public. It is with
great imagination and storytelling that
they give us hints into what life would be like as a bug or as a car or as a
toy. Viewpoints that would not even be
thought of, really, in most cases, though a car as a character in a movie or
cartoon has been around for a long time (see Knight Rider, My Mom the Car,
Speed Buggy and the Herbie movies).
This is not to say that Pixar can’t come up with great ideas. Their talent seems to be taking ideas or plots that have been done millions of times and coming up with a new twist. Whether it’s the buddy comedy / road trip movie, or the good versus evil movie or just a plain comedy that doesn’t make sense. For Pixar, all of their movies make sense and have an underlying theme to them.
With Up, it was about not giving up on dreams even in the face of extreme circumstances. With Wall-E, it was about discovering that love is there when you need it the most. With Toy Story, it’s the fact that the toys don’t like it when you try to destroy them. And with Toy Story 3, it’s all about ultimate friendship and sacrifice. With The Incredibles, it's about the importance of family.
That’s what is so incredible about Pixar and what they do. Every story means something and has meaning to everyone that watches it. Even children are still getting some lesson out of it. And yet, with news of two of the current “in development” movies at Pixar, I wonder just how amazing they are still going to be.
The first film that is just finishing development is Brave. A movie that is set in the highlands of Scotland a long time ago. It’s a grand movie with action and adventure and magic. Oh, and a female protagonist. That’s right, for the first time, Pixar is making a girl the main character. Let me be clear: there is nothing wrong with a female protagonist. Look at Disney, they’ve made their living on female protagonists (however, if you look at their most recent movie, Tangled – which is reviewed earlier on this blog – you’ll see there was also a male lead. This was because some producers at Disney felt that they needed to increase the male population attending their animated films as well as have more male related toys for the parents to purchase).
So why is Pixar creating a movie with a female lead? Because they can. But this leads to the question – will it work? All of their movies to this point have had male leads with female characters running alongside them. Pixar is taking a risk with a female leading the story (AGAIN, there is nothing wrong with this concept). Of course, it’s only a risk until the movie comes out. If it comes out and the movie makes $200 million, it wasn’t a risk at all. But if it only makes $150 million, that might be saying something to Pixar and Disney in general. Not that Disney and Pixar should change their movie making strategies, but at least to think about them a little more.
The second movie that Pixar has in the works “takes place inside of a girl’s mind” (quoted from this article). Again, it’s another risk to have a female that is technically in the lead (though, at the moment, it seems unclear exactly what the focus of the movie will be). But Pixar seems to be able to toss fairy dust on paper and it turns into a magical movie experience. I plan on seeing Brave for a lot of reasons, most of which are because I think the story is very original, but also because I am a fan of Pixar itself.
With these two movies, Pixar is taking a leap of hope and faith that their audience will remain loyal regardless of the film’s characters, setting or plot. For Pixar, the most important things are the characters and how they fit with each story being told. For me, I think that they will continue to tell great stories with great characters.
This is not to say that Pixar can’t come up with great ideas. Their talent seems to be taking ideas or plots that have been done millions of times and coming up with a new twist. Whether it’s the buddy comedy / road trip movie, or the good versus evil movie or just a plain comedy that doesn’t make sense. For Pixar, all of their movies make sense and have an underlying theme to them.
With Up, it was about not giving up on dreams even in the face of extreme circumstances. With Wall-E, it was about discovering that love is there when you need it the most. With Toy Story, it’s the fact that the toys don’t like it when you try to destroy them. And with Toy Story 3, it’s all about ultimate friendship and sacrifice. With The Incredibles, it's about the importance of family.
That’s what is so incredible about Pixar and what they do. Every story means something and has meaning to everyone that watches it. Even children are still getting some lesson out of it. And yet, with news of two of the current “in development” movies at Pixar, I wonder just how amazing they are still going to be.
The first film that is just finishing development is Brave. A movie that is set in the highlands of Scotland a long time ago. It’s a grand movie with action and adventure and magic. Oh, and a female protagonist. That’s right, for the first time, Pixar is making a girl the main character. Let me be clear: there is nothing wrong with a female protagonist. Look at Disney, they’ve made their living on female protagonists (however, if you look at their most recent movie, Tangled – which is reviewed earlier on this blog – you’ll see there was also a male lead. This was because some producers at Disney felt that they needed to increase the male population attending their animated films as well as have more male related toys for the parents to purchase).
So why is Pixar creating a movie with a female lead? Because they can. But this leads to the question – will it work? All of their movies to this point have had male leads with female characters running alongside them. Pixar is taking a risk with a female leading the story (AGAIN, there is nothing wrong with this concept). Of course, it’s only a risk until the movie comes out. If it comes out and the movie makes $200 million, it wasn’t a risk at all. But if it only makes $150 million, that might be saying something to Pixar and Disney in general. Not that Disney and Pixar should change their movie making strategies, but at least to think about them a little more.
The second movie that Pixar has in the works “takes place inside of a girl’s mind” (quoted from this article). Again, it’s another risk to have a female that is technically in the lead (though, at the moment, it seems unclear exactly what the focus of the movie will be). But Pixar seems to be able to toss fairy dust on paper and it turns into a magical movie experience. I plan on seeing Brave for a lot of reasons, most of which are because I think the story is very original, but also because I am a fan of Pixar itself.
With these two movies, Pixar is taking a leap of hope and faith that their audience will remain loyal regardless of the film’s characters, setting or plot. For Pixar, the most important things are the characters and how they fit with each story being told. For me, I think that they will continue to tell great stories with great characters.
Until next time.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
A Momentous Milestone
That's right, folks, as of this posting, my blog has reached 200 posts. I know that's not as many as some other bloggers out there, but it's a pretty big deal for me, especially since I only hit 100 posts in January. Of course, when you count the fact that I blogged for thirty one days in a row not once, but twice this year, it's pretty easy to see that I would reach two hundred before the end of the year.
And of course, with the year not over just yet, there are still things to talk about. Like Thanksgiving - the day that we give thanks to the Pilgrims for inviting the Native Americans to the dinner table before deciding that they wanted all of the land as a payment for cooking them a great meal (at least, that's what the history books said, right?)
Other things to talk about: Christmas, which actually isn't until almost the end of December, correct? That's why we're hearing Christmas music on the radio now?! (if you don't believe me, for those in the Los Angeles area, put your radio station to KOST 103.5).
I could also talk about movies - or at least movies that I might see, or movies that look interesting. In fact, an upcoming blog post will focus on the new Pixar movie, Brave. But I'm not going to write any more about that and let you read that one when it comes in the next few days.
Also on the plate, writing, because that's what I do. There will be more submissions to agents and I'll possibly get disappointed, but after reading that blog post that I mentioned in yesterday's post (I'll pause so you can look at it), I'm not going to worry myself too much if I get denied yet again. I'm just going to keep trying my best and that's good enough for me.
Oh yeah. I have a baby and it's very possible that some of her misadventures might end up on the blog as well. I guess I should set up her own email address so that her fans can start writing her.
So you see, these are just a few examples of what's upcoming for the blog. And I know that I wrote something like this before (check the archive), but I thought I would reiterate it now since I had your attention.
Until next time.
And of course, with the year not over just yet, there are still things to talk about. Like Thanksgiving - the day that we give thanks to the Pilgrims for inviting the Native Americans to the dinner table before deciding that they wanted all of the land as a payment for cooking them a great meal (at least, that's what the history books said, right?)
Other things to talk about: Christmas, which actually isn't until almost the end of December, correct? That's why we're hearing Christmas music on the radio now?! (if you don't believe me, for those in the Los Angeles area, put your radio station to KOST 103.5).
I could also talk about movies - or at least movies that I might see, or movies that look interesting. In fact, an upcoming blog post will focus on the new Pixar movie, Brave. But I'm not going to write any more about that and let you read that one when it comes in the next few days.
Also on the plate, writing, because that's what I do. There will be more submissions to agents and I'll possibly get disappointed, but after reading that blog post that I mentioned in yesterday's post (I'll pause so you can look at it), I'm not going to worry myself too much if I get denied yet again. I'm just going to keep trying my best and that's good enough for me.
Oh yeah. I have a baby and it's very possible that some of her misadventures might end up on the blog as well. I guess I should set up her own email address so that her fans can start writing her.
So you see, these are just a few examples of what's upcoming for the blog. And I know that I wrote something like this before (check the archive), but I thought I would reiterate it now since I had your attention.
Until next time.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Movie Night
I wish I could enjoy a movie at the theater once again. It's not that it's been a long time since I saw a movie at the theater - I saw Captain America earlier this summer - and then before that, we saw Harry Potter in the theater also. The problem is that because of Abby, it's hard for us to get to a movie. Not that it's a bad thing, but we used to go to the movies a lot. Of course, since those days were before the blog, you'll just have to take my word that I did see some good movies. And there are still good movies yet to come.
One that I'm curious about is Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Sure, it's starring the crazy Tom Cruise, but I liked two of the other Mission Impossible movies, so it's possible that I'll actually like this one. Who knows, but I'm willing to give it a chance, at least.
Another movie that I really want to see won't come out until the beginning of the year. It's The Lorax. Now, The Lorax is one of my favorite of the Dr. Seuss stories and it is that book that prompted me to look closer at other Dr. Seuss stories to find other messages hidden in the stories. Not every Dr. Seuss story has the hidden messages, but there are plenty of stories that have messages hiding in plain sight.
Of course, the biggest movie of the Fall (for me) is going to be The Muppets. I've been a fan of the Muppets for as long as I can remember. I don't really know why. They're silly and dumb and their jokes are silly and dumb but they just get funnier. I know you've seen a lot of the trailers and that you might think that all of the funny parts in just in the trailer, but I have a feeling that the movie is going to be just as funny as the trailers have been. That's my opinion, naturally, but as a fan, I have a job to simply suggest it's going to be good.
As for other movies, such as the Sherlock Holmes sequel, I'm not exactly sure if that's on my list. I didn't see the first one, so I don't know if I want to see the first and then the sequel. I'm also unsure of the Tin Tin movie, which, from my understanding, is a variation of Indiana Jones, except animated. Who knows?
I've got a lot of time to decide which movies I would like to see and hope for the best that we might be able to get to a movie theater. Here's hoping, anyway.
Until tomorrow.
One that I'm curious about is Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Sure, it's starring the crazy Tom Cruise, but I liked two of the other Mission Impossible movies, so it's possible that I'll actually like this one. Who knows, but I'm willing to give it a chance, at least.
Another movie that I really want to see won't come out until the beginning of the year. It's The Lorax. Now, The Lorax is one of my favorite of the Dr. Seuss stories and it is that book that prompted me to look closer at other Dr. Seuss stories to find other messages hidden in the stories. Not every Dr. Seuss story has the hidden messages, but there are plenty of stories that have messages hiding in plain sight.
Of course, the biggest movie of the Fall (for me) is going to be The Muppets. I've been a fan of the Muppets for as long as I can remember. I don't really know why. They're silly and dumb and their jokes are silly and dumb but they just get funnier. I know you've seen a lot of the trailers and that you might think that all of the funny parts in just in the trailer, but I have a feeling that the movie is going to be just as funny as the trailers have been. That's my opinion, naturally, but as a fan, I have a job to simply suggest it's going to be good.
As for other movies, such as the Sherlock Holmes sequel, I'm not exactly sure if that's on my list. I didn't see the first one, so I don't know if I want to see the first and then the sequel. I'm also unsure of the Tin Tin movie, which, from my understanding, is a variation of Indiana Jones, except animated. Who knows?
I've got a lot of time to decide which movies I would like to see and hope for the best that we might be able to get to a movie theater. Here's hoping, anyway.
Until tomorrow.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
I'm Too Smart To Watch Disney Movies
We were watching Pinocchio today and I started realizing that I'm way too logical now that I'm grown up. Now don't misunderstand, I'm definitely not choosing this moment to grow up. In fact, I am doing everything I can to maintain my childlike persona. However, as I was watching the movie, I started to think about simple things that could not have been possible.
Such as, Pinocchio goes off to school and runs into Honest John and then gets talked into joining Stromboli. But Stromboli basically turns him into a slave. Okay, that's fine. That's not what I was stuck on.
Pinocchio does a show and then gets locked up and Jiminy comes to find him. It's night time. Not day time. And as Stromboli and his cart move through the town, Geppetto is seen walking by calling out for his son. One, Pinocchio doesn't call out to him? One. Jiminy tries to rescue him, but can't break the lock and they sulk until the Blue Fairy decides to come to their rescue, but only after teaching Pinocchio the price for lying (his nose grows). When they escape, it's still night time. Supposedly, Geppetto is still out there wandering the streets.
Well then he runs home and is found by Honest John again and sent off on a new adventure. This time, he's headed to Pleasure Island-the place where young boys can play and fight and not worry. By the way, no girls in this town? Or is it that girls are too refined for a place called Pleasure Island? Two.
So, again, it's still night and Pinocchio and his buddy play all night and smoke and eat and do no good. And Jiminy comes to save him again and he doesn't want to go with him, which prompts the cricket to leave. But finding the little donkeys, Jiminy wants to save the wooden boy, which he does, and then they jump into the water. I know Pinocchio is made of wood, but where did he learn to swim? Three.
To that effect, when did the one day old learn to talk? Four. I have a seven and a half month old that isn't talking yet.
Anyways, once home, they look in the window and see that Geppetto is gone and there are cobwebs on the shelves. He was gone for a few hours at the most! Five.
So then the Blue Fairy in the form of a bird, let's Jiminy and Pinocchio know that Geppetto has gone looking for the boy out at sea and was swallowed by the whale Monstro. Wow, the things that can be done in one night.
Cut to Geppetto in the whale. He's on a boat. Where did he get a boat? Six. Well, he and Figaro are fishing and Geppetto says that there hasn't been any fish for days.
Days?!?!?
One night. No daytime. Go back and watch. You'll see.
Seven.
And those are the the ones I remember. I don't know. Maybe I need to go back to my innocent mind where I just watch the movie to watch it and not get caught up in the logic. Maybe I'm just too smart. Maybe I should stop watching movies. Nah.
Until next time.
Such as, Pinocchio goes off to school and runs into Honest John and then gets talked into joining Stromboli. But Stromboli basically turns him into a slave. Okay, that's fine. That's not what I was stuck on.
Pinocchio does a show and then gets locked up and Jiminy comes to find him. It's night time. Not day time. And as Stromboli and his cart move through the town, Geppetto is seen walking by calling out for his son. One, Pinocchio doesn't call out to him? One. Jiminy tries to rescue him, but can't break the lock and they sulk until the Blue Fairy decides to come to their rescue, but only after teaching Pinocchio the price for lying (his nose grows). When they escape, it's still night time. Supposedly, Geppetto is still out there wandering the streets.
Well then he runs home and is found by Honest John again and sent off on a new adventure. This time, he's headed to Pleasure Island-the place where young boys can play and fight and not worry. By the way, no girls in this town? Or is it that girls are too refined for a place called Pleasure Island? Two.
So, again, it's still night and Pinocchio and his buddy play all night and smoke and eat and do no good. And Jiminy comes to save him again and he doesn't want to go with him, which prompts the cricket to leave. But finding the little donkeys, Jiminy wants to save the wooden boy, which he does, and then they jump into the water. I know Pinocchio is made of wood, but where did he learn to swim? Three.
To that effect, when did the one day old learn to talk? Four. I have a seven and a half month old that isn't talking yet.
Anyways, once home, they look in the window and see that Geppetto is gone and there are cobwebs on the shelves. He was gone for a few hours at the most! Five.
So then the Blue Fairy in the form of a bird, let's Jiminy and Pinocchio know that Geppetto has gone looking for the boy out at sea and was swallowed by the whale Monstro. Wow, the things that can be done in one night.
Cut to Geppetto in the whale. He's on a boat. Where did he get a boat? Six. Well, he and Figaro are fishing and Geppetto says that there hasn't been any fish for days.
Days?!?!?
One night. No daytime. Go back and watch. You'll see.
Seven.
And those are the the ones I remember. I don't know. Maybe I need to go back to my innocent mind where I just watch the movie to watch it and not get caught up in the logic. Maybe I'm just too smart. Maybe I should stop watching movies. Nah.
Until next time.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
I Didn't Even Get A Free Hat
Joanna and I went to Disneyland yesterday. No surprise, right? However, Joanna just happened to ask the parking attendant if the park was full and he said no because of the World Premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean later in the evening and the park's early closing.
Really?
You mean to tell me that I was now given an opportunity to see celebrities?!?!?! For free!?!?!? Without having to find some way to get into the lottery of bleacher seats at the Oscars? No way. I told Joanna calmly that we should check it out, though, in my mind I was really hoping that we would just see the celebrities wandering the park. In fact, since I'm a Twithead, I jumped on my phone and started searching @Disneyland to see if anyone had spotted anyone. To my excitement, it was posted by a few people that Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush and Penelope Cruz were wandering the parks and enjoying the rides.
Game on. I suddenly went into celebrity watch mode at Disneyland. There's an easy way to spot celebrities and I'm going to let you in on a little secret. When you're at Disneyland, watch for the women that are dressed in red argyle sweaters with blue skirts and hats. These are the Disney hostesses, but really, they're celebrity handlers. They lead the celebs through the enormous crowds and ensure that the celeb makes it onto all the rides they want.
Back to the story.
So once we get into the park, we realize that it's not exactly crowded, but all of Main Street has been blocked off for media, therefore all the people are forced onto the sidewalk - not fun. In fact, large crowds at Disneyland are not fun at all, but this just seemed worse because of how Disneyland blocked off a lot of walkways.
We ate first (always a must) and then decided we should go see the setup over on Tom Sawyer's Island - that's where they place the movie screen:
Not the best picture, but it was from my iPhone (hey, at least I'm showing you pictures for the first time in my blog). The bleachers on the left were reserved seating for the actual movie. And had we known at the time and had the money, we, too, could have walked the black carpet (tickets sold out in three days at $1000 per ticket - donated directly to charity). But it was the mere mortals that had to pay the money. The celebs just got the invite.
Our next stop was the bleachers of Main Street (sounds like Holmes of Beaker Street. Or not.).
This was before it got crowded. Yes, I said before it got crowded. By the time the celebrities started to show up, there were people everywhere. It was cool.
As the evening grew closer and the wind grew stronger (as well as the cold), it seemed inevitable that we would start seeing celebrities. One of the first:
Eric McCormack. He's looking old. How sad. He used to be cute on Will and Grace. What happened? He was followed immediately after by Martin Short, but I don't have a picture of him. Well, they were just the beginning, but I won't go into all the details that a normal reporter might go into. Let's just say that there may as well have been a Dancing With the Stars Reunion Show happening at Disneyland for the number of cast members from that show. Not only did we see current professional dancers, such as Tony Davolani and Luis Van Amstel, but also current contestants, such as Kirstie Allie and Chelsea Kane, but also, there were plenty of past contestants from the show. Joey Lawrence (whoa), Cameron Matheson, Jennifer Grey....
....who seemed very excited to be recognized. Kyle Massey and Rick Fox (whom, if you have read this blog, we have actually seen at Disneyland before) were also there with family as well as Bruno Tonioli (the judge) there to tell them there needed to put more passion into their steps.
But then, it seemed like a parade of young Disney Channel stars - and I (thankfully) did not know who they were. Luckily for us, there were a group of young girls in front of us that would scream just about anytime one of these stars (male or female) would appear nearby and therefore within shouting range. Let's just say that I'm surprised that Abby managed to fall asleep a couple of times in Joanna's arms.
After the "kids" rolled through, it seemed time for more of the adults to traipse in - fashionably late, of course.
Teri Hatcher sauntered in with her daughter (whom we have actually seen at Disney's California Adventure in the past also) and Eva Longoria came in toward the end as well (so I guess anyone that is on a show on ABC gets the invite? For those of you that don't know, Disney owns ABC).
Several stars were rushed through the black carpet taking care to avoid being stopped for autographs and photos. In fact, it seemed as if Johnny Depp himself was being especially careful to simply wave to the fans:
I have a feeling this is because at the previous Pirates premiere at Disneyland, they had to hold off starting the movie for almost two hours because Johnny was outside still signing autographs. It's probably why they didn't want him walking on the sides and only in the middle. Oh well. At least I got a picture.
Boy, this post is long.
As it got darker and harder to see (Disney had not turned on all of the lights where we were located, Joanna and I decided that we should head out of the park before the rest of the crowd. As we walked, it was eerie to see most of the stores closed and rides non operational. As we walked down Main Street, we could see a few stragglers making their way down the black carpet - of note was Geoffrey Rush, whom I couldn't get a picture of because by then, my phone had turned itself off.
Last night was a great opportunity and Joanna and I are not really sure if we'll have that chance again. It was so fun even though our intention yesterday was to actually go on rides, but that's okay. We loved it and the people around us made it just as entertaining - well, except maybe the piercing squeals from the girls each time some young start arrived. Other than that, an incredible experience.
By the way, the reason the post is titled as such is because they were tossing free pirate Mickey ear hats into the crowd. And they were tossing a lot. Almost everyone in our section got one except for us. And I was simply trying to get them for Abby. Oh well.
Until next time.
Really?
You mean to tell me that I was now given an opportunity to see celebrities?!?!?! For free!?!?!? Without having to find some way to get into the lottery of bleacher seats at the Oscars? No way. I told Joanna calmly that we should check it out, though, in my mind I was really hoping that we would just see the celebrities wandering the park. In fact, since I'm a Twithead, I jumped on my phone and started searching @Disneyland to see if anyone had spotted anyone. To my excitement, it was posted by a few people that Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush and Penelope Cruz were wandering the parks and enjoying the rides.
Game on. I suddenly went into celebrity watch mode at Disneyland. There's an easy way to spot celebrities and I'm going to let you in on a little secret. When you're at Disneyland, watch for the women that are dressed in red argyle sweaters with blue skirts and hats. These are the Disney hostesses, but really, they're celebrity handlers. They lead the celebs through the enormous crowds and ensure that the celeb makes it onto all the rides they want.
Back to the story.
So once we get into the park, we realize that it's not exactly crowded, but all of Main Street has been blocked off for media, therefore all the people are forced onto the sidewalk - not fun. In fact, large crowds at Disneyland are not fun at all, but this just seemed worse because of how Disneyland blocked off a lot of walkways.
We ate first (always a must) and then decided we should go see the setup over on Tom Sawyer's Island - that's where they place the movie screen:
Not the best picture, but it was from my iPhone (hey, at least I'm showing you pictures for the first time in my blog). The bleachers on the left were reserved seating for the actual movie. And had we known at the time and had the money, we, too, could have walked the black carpet (tickets sold out in three days at $1000 per ticket - donated directly to charity). But it was the mere mortals that had to pay the money. The celebs just got the invite.
Our next stop was the bleachers of Main Street (sounds like Holmes of Beaker Street. Or not.).
This was before it got crowded. Yes, I said before it got crowded. By the time the celebrities started to show up, there were people everywhere. It was cool.
As the evening grew closer and the wind grew stronger (as well as the cold), it seemed inevitable that we would start seeing celebrities. One of the first:
Eric McCormack. He's looking old. How sad. He used to be cute on Will and Grace. What happened? He was followed immediately after by Martin Short, but I don't have a picture of him. Well, they were just the beginning, but I won't go into all the details that a normal reporter might go into. Let's just say that there may as well have been a Dancing With the Stars Reunion Show happening at Disneyland for the number of cast members from that show. Not only did we see current professional dancers, such as Tony Davolani and Luis Van Amstel, but also current contestants, such as Kirstie Allie and Chelsea Kane, but also, there were plenty of past contestants from the show. Joey Lawrence (whoa), Cameron Matheson, Jennifer Grey....
....who seemed very excited to be recognized. Kyle Massey and Rick Fox (whom, if you have read this blog, we have actually seen at Disneyland before) were also there with family as well as Bruno Tonioli (the judge) there to tell them there needed to put more passion into their steps.
But then, it seemed like a parade of young Disney Channel stars - and I (thankfully) did not know who they were. Luckily for us, there were a group of young girls in front of us that would scream just about anytime one of these stars (male or female) would appear nearby and therefore within shouting range. Let's just say that I'm surprised that Abby managed to fall asleep a couple of times in Joanna's arms.
After the "kids" rolled through, it seemed time for more of the adults to traipse in - fashionably late, of course.
Teri Hatcher sauntered in with her daughter (whom we have actually seen at Disney's California Adventure in the past also) and Eva Longoria came in toward the end as well (so I guess anyone that is on a show on ABC gets the invite? For those of you that don't know, Disney owns ABC).
Several stars were rushed through the black carpet taking care to avoid being stopped for autographs and photos. In fact, it seemed as if Johnny Depp himself was being especially careful to simply wave to the fans:
I have a feeling this is because at the previous Pirates premiere at Disneyland, they had to hold off starting the movie for almost two hours because Johnny was outside still signing autographs. It's probably why they didn't want him walking on the sides and only in the middle. Oh well. At least I got a picture.
Boy, this post is long.
As it got darker and harder to see (Disney had not turned on all of the lights where we were located, Joanna and I decided that we should head out of the park before the rest of the crowd. As we walked, it was eerie to see most of the stores closed and rides non operational. As we walked down Main Street, we could see a few stragglers making their way down the black carpet - of note was Geoffrey Rush, whom I couldn't get a picture of because by then, my phone had turned itself off.
Last night was a great opportunity and Joanna and I are not really sure if we'll have that chance again. It was so fun even though our intention yesterday was to actually go on rides, but that's okay. We loved it and the people around us made it just as entertaining - well, except maybe the piercing squeals from the girls each time some young start arrived. Other than that, an incredible experience.
By the way, the reason the post is titled as such is because they were tossing free pirate Mickey ear hats into the crowd. And they were tossing a lot. Almost everyone in our section got one except for us. And I was simply trying to get them for Abby. Oh well.
Until next time.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Baby, You're An Overplayed Song
Speaking of Idol.....last night as I was watching the opening, I noticed something that is really starting to get on my nerves. And, you know, it didn't start getting on my nerves until I saw it happen twice. And really, it wasn't a matter of seeing something, it was hearing something. It's the song, "Firework", by Katy Perry.
I know that I don't have to ask if you've heard it. Besides hearing it under the montage at the beginning of Idol last night, there are at least two movie trailers that feature the song. One is for the movie, Soul Surfer, the story of Bethany Hamilton, the girl that was attacked by a shark and eventually got up enough strength to surf again. The second is for a Disney film (I had to look it up on IMDB) called, Prom. No idea of the plot, so based on the title you have to figure that it must have something to do with the annual high school drama known as Prom.
Anyways....the movies and the show are not the point. The point is that I am getting tired of that song. This is not to say that I am getting tired of Katy Perry in any way. She has a good voice and her songs are very catchy and repetitive. Maybe she does that because kids these days have a short attention span.
(Pause)
What was I talking about again?
Kidding.
I understand the reasons behind using the song for these sorts of montages or movie trailers. The song's lyrics speak of being who you are and letting your light shine, despite "feeling like a plastic bag / drifting through the wind, ready to start again". It has a good message but I think that it's time for the message to be sung by someone else in some other rhythm with other lyrics.
As it is, as I continue writing this blog entry, the song is running through my head. I'm going to have to think of "It's A Small World" in order to get rid of it.
Until next time.
I know that I don't have to ask if you've heard it. Besides hearing it under the montage at the beginning of Idol last night, there are at least two movie trailers that feature the song. One is for the movie, Soul Surfer, the story of Bethany Hamilton, the girl that was attacked by a shark and eventually got up enough strength to surf again. The second is for a Disney film (I had to look it up on IMDB) called, Prom. No idea of the plot, so based on the title you have to figure that it must have something to do with the annual high school drama known as Prom.
Anyways....the movies and the show are not the point. The point is that I am getting tired of that song. This is not to say that I am getting tired of Katy Perry in any way. She has a good voice and her songs are very catchy and repetitive. Maybe she does that because kids these days have a short attention span.
(Pause)
What was I talking about again?
Kidding.
I understand the reasons behind using the song for these sorts of montages or movie trailers. The song's lyrics speak of being who you are and letting your light shine, despite "feeling like a plastic bag / drifting through the wind, ready to start again". It has a good message but I think that it's time for the message to be sung by someone else in some other rhythm with other lyrics.
As it is, as I continue writing this blog entry, the song is running through my head. I'm going to have to think of "It's A Small World" in order to get rid of it.
Until next time.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
It's That Time Again
Before I get into the commentary that I had planned for today, I first wanted to remind everyone of what will be happening for the next 31 days. It's something that started last July, where I made the commitment to blog for every day that month. And so here I am again, attempting to blog for 31 straight days.
Today's topic: the Oscars.
I love movies. I love them a lot. However, this past year was not the best year for me and movies. This was because Joanna was pregnant with our daughter and that made it difficult to attend movies. Because of this, I managed to only see a few movies in the theater. I am not going to get into the review of the few movies that I have not already mentioned on this blog as that will be yet another topic for the month.
For today, I want to talk about movies and the awards show that recently took place. Most people didn't like them. I wasn't particularly enamoured with the Oscar telecast, but it wasn't that bad. Anne Hathaway is always fun to watch and she seemed to have fun. On the other hand, James Franco was a mess. I'm sure you've seen the pictures - or watched the show - but it seemed like he was squinting the entire time. Don't ask me why. Maybe he was trying to read the poor script that he was given. Oh well.
One of the best part of the night came when Kirk Douglas came out and presented the award for Best Supporting Actress. The man may be ninety-four and had a stroke, but it was still obvious that he had his wits about him.
Seeing Billy Crystal was also a special moment as he had been the epitome of Oscars host back in the 90s, when the Oscars were fun. Sure, other people have come and gone, from good ones (Hugh Jackman, Steve Martin) to not so good ones (Jon Stewart, David Letterman), but Billy was one of a kind. He knew how to insult people and still get a laugh, even if not from everyone - just like Ricky Gervais.
SIDEBAR: I thought Ricky did a good job at the Golden Globes. Sure, he made snide remarks at Scientology and other groups that were "insulted", but please, he's a comedian. Those kinds of jokes are used during "Celebrity Roasts" and are much worse. I think he kept it funny enough and made fun of himself at the same time.
Anyways....back to the Oscars.
So, not only were the hosts only semi tolerable, having not seen most of the movies last year, it was hard to appreciate the awards that were being given out. I will, however, do what I can to see The King's Speech because it seems like it was a very good movie. Next year, depending on circumstances (read, can Joanna give up two Saturdays without the baby?), maybe we'll be able to attend the Best Picture Screenings at AMC Theaters. Of course, with ten Best Picture nominees, it seems a lot harder. I think I would have enjoyed that this year, except for maybe Winter's Bone, which, besides the teenage boy silliness of the title, seemed to be a very violent film, much more than even The Fighter, which was about boxing or True Grit, which was about the Old West.
Well, I guess that's it for my comments about the Oscars - for what it's worth. There were plenty of haters and a few people that actually enjoyed it. I think it had good moments, but they all didn't come from the hosts (James Franco in drag, anyone?). Let's hope they do better next year. I, for one, am hoping so, because I know of a lot of good movies coming out this year.
Until tomorrow.
Today's topic: the Oscars.
I love movies. I love them a lot. However, this past year was not the best year for me and movies. This was because Joanna was pregnant with our daughter and that made it difficult to attend movies. Because of this, I managed to only see a few movies in the theater. I am not going to get into the review of the few movies that I have not already mentioned on this blog as that will be yet another topic for the month.
For today, I want to talk about movies and the awards show that recently took place. Most people didn't like them. I wasn't particularly enamoured with the Oscar telecast, but it wasn't that bad. Anne Hathaway is always fun to watch and she seemed to have fun. On the other hand, James Franco was a mess. I'm sure you've seen the pictures - or watched the show - but it seemed like he was squinting the entire time. Don't ask me why. Maybe he was trying to read the poor script that he was given. Oh well.
One of the best part of the night came when Kirk Douglas came out and presented the award for Best Supporting Actress. The man may be ninety-four and had a stroke, but it was still obvious that he had his wits about him.
Seeing Billy Crystal was also a special moment as he had been the epitome of Oscars host back in the 90s, when the Oscars were fun. Sure, other people have come and gone, from good ones (Hugh Jackman, Steve Martin) to not so good ones (Jon Stewart, David Letterman), but Billy was one of a kind. He knew how to insult people and still get a laugh, even if not from everyone - just like Ricky Gervais.
SIDEBAR: I thought Ricky did a good job at the Golden Globes. Sure, he made snide remarks at Scientology and other groups that were "insulted", but please, he's a comedian. Those kinds of jokes are used during "Celebrity Roasts" and are much worse. I think he kept it funny enough and made fun of himself at the same time.
Anyways....back to the Oscars.
So, not only were the hosts only semi tolerable, having not seen most of the movies last year, it was hard to appreciate the awards that were being given out. I will, however, do what I can to see The King's Speech because it seems like it was a very good movie. Next year, depending on circumstances (read, can Joanna give up two Saturdays without the baby?), maybe we'll be able to attend the Best Picture Screenings at AMC Theaters. Of course, with ten Best Picture nominees, it seems a lot harder. I think I would have enjoyed that this year, except for maybe Winter's Bone, which, besides the teenage boy silliness of the title, seemed to be a very violent film, much more than even The Fighter, which was about boxing or True Grit, which was about the Old West.
Well, I guess that's it for my comments about the Oscars - for what it's worth. There were plenty of haters and a few people that actually enjoyed it. I think it had good moments, but they all didn't come from the hosts (James Franco in drag, anyone?). Let's hope they do better next year. I, for one, am hoping so, because I know of a lot of good movies coming out this year.
Until tomorrow.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
52 Weeks In Review
I suppose that's the whole year, huh? Well, then, let's get started.
Week 1.....Just kidding. Actually, in case you're just a little slow, this will be an overview of some of the cool things that happened over the course of this year. Let's jump in our friendly neighborhood TARDIS / Way Back Machine / DeLorean / or any other time traveling device you happen to have and see what happened.
One of the most important things that happened this year was I got an iPhone!! Yes, it seems silly for me to say that, but the iPhone has proven to be a saving grace in a lot of situations. No matter what I happened to do the rest of the year, there was an app for it. And if there wasn't, I probably shouldn't have been doing it in the first place.
Over the course of the year, I also saw several movies, though, as of this writing, I have yet to see Harry Potter. I know, mock me, if you will, but I have been a busy person. Some of my favorites from the year of movies were Kick Ass, Toy Story 3 and The A-Team. If you look through the archives, you'll find reviews for some of these movies and you can even read them, too, if you want.
During the summer, we got a lot of furniture for our house. Unfortunately, we did not get an chesterfield or an ottoman (for those of you who don't get that joke, I am sorry. You really should listen to the song "If I Had a Million Dollars" by the Barenaked Ladies. Go on. Listen right now. Here's the lyrics so you can sing along. There you go. See how funny that was?)
Speaking of Summer, you might have missed the entire month of July having fun, but you could have simply lived vicariously through me as I blogged every day for that entire month. Who knew that I had so many random and strange things happening in my life? I certainly didn't.
Also, in November, I attempted NaNoWriMo once again. However, this year was not as successful as my previous attempt, when I managed to get an entire novel written in the month of November. For some reason, I was completely exhausted and had trouble focusing on finishing the novel on time. I still have the desire to finish the story, but I am not ready to at the moment. It's more of a muse thing. When the time is right, I will continue.
In December I got to go someplace that I never thought I would ever get to visit. It was so unimaginable that I had placed it on a "Bucket List", figuring that it would just be something that I didn't get to do. What is it, you ask? Well, just look at the previous entry and you'll see. And if you're lazy and don't want to look back, I'll tell you. I got to go on a tour of Skywalker Ranch! I know that only a nerd such as myself would truly care or even mention it, but it was so cool and much better than even I could have imagined. It was interesting to step into the beautiful library and to walk the grounds and find stuff to purchase at the Gift Shop.
Now, I know there was something else that happened this year and I can't seem to remember.
Oh yeah! Of course. I became a dad for the very first time (that I know of. LOL. Kidding). Abigail was born September 22 and has been the life of every party that we go to now. "Oh, nice to see you, let's see the baby." / "The baby is so cute!" / "She's a good mix of both of you." Of course, with everyone paying attention to the baby now, it seems like Joanna and I are second fiddle, at best and act more like staff to the baby girl that warms our heart. What's that saying? "Dogs have masters, cats have staff." The same holds true for babies, too, because they need their parents to change them, feed them, burp them and play with them. We're not parents, just staff. No wonder I'm tired.
Well, that's the year, I guess. I'm sure there were hundred of other cool stories I could have told and people that I met, but there is no need to go into that on this blog. You can ask me individually and I might even remember enough of one to respond. If not, oh well. This has been a fun and interesting year and it's only going to get more fun as 2011 begins. I look forward to entertaining you more in the New Year and will once again try to be more consistent with blogging. Who knows, maybe I'll even blog an entire month again. I know that anticipation is killing you already.
Until next time.
Week 1.....Just kidding. Actually, in case you're just a little slow, this will be an overview of some of the cool things that happened over the course of this year. Let's jump in our friendly neighborhood TARDIS / Way Back Machine / DeLorean / or any other time traveling device you happen to have and see what happened.
One of the most important things that happened this year was I got an iPhone!! Yes, it seems silly for me to say that, but the iPhone has proven to be a saving grace in a lot of situations. No matter what I happened to do the rest of the year, there was an app for it. And if there wasn't, I probably shouldn't have been doing it in the first place.
Over the course of the year, I also saw several movies, though, as of this writing, I have yet to see Harry Potter. I know, mock me, if you will, but I have been a busy person. Some of my favorites from the year of movies were Kick Ass, Toy Story 3 and The A-Team. If you look through the archives, you'll find reviews for some of these movies and you can even read them, too, if you want.
During the summer, we got a lot of furniture for our house. Unfortunately, we did not get an chesterfield or an ottoman (for those of you who don't get that joke, I am sorry. You really should listen to the song "If I Had a Million Dollars" by the Barenaked Ladies. Go on. Listen right now. Here's the lyrics so you can sing along. There you go. See how funny that was?)
Speaking of Summer, you might have missed the entire month of July having fun, but you could have simply lived vicariously through me as I blogged every day for that entire month. Who knew that I had so many random and strange things happening in my life? I certainly didn't.
Also, in November, I attempted NaNoWriMo once again. However, this year was not as successful as my previous attempt, when I managed to get an entire novel written in the month of November. For some reason, I was completely exhausted and had trouble focusing on finishing the novel on time. I still have the desire to finish the story, but I am not ready to at the moment. It's more of a muse thing. When the time is right, I will continue.
In December I got to go someplace that I never thought I would ever get to visit. It was so unimaginable that I had placed it on a "Bucket List", figuring that it would just be something that I didn't get to do. What is it, you ask? Well, just look at the previous entry and you'll see. And if you're lazy and don't want to look back, I'll tell you. I got to go on a tour of Skywalker Ranch! I know that only a nerd such as myself would truly care or even mention it, but it was so cool and much better than even I could have imagined. It was interesting to step into the beautiful library and to walk the grounds and find stuff to purchase at the Gift Shop.
Now, I know there was something else that happened this year and I can't seem to remember.
Oh yeah! Of course. I became a dad for the very first time (that I know of. LOL. Kidding). Abigail was born September 22 and has been the life of every party that we go to now. "Oh, nice to see you, let's see the baby." / "The baby is so cute!" / "She's a good mix of both of you." Of course, with everyone paying attention to the baby now, it seems like Joanna and I are second fiddle, at best and act more like staff to the baby girl that warms our heart. What's that saying? "Dogs have masters, cats have staff." The same holds true for babies, too, because they need their parents to change them, feed them, burp them and play with them. We're not parents, just staff. No wonder I'm tired.
Well, that's the year, I guess. I'm sure there were hundred of other cool stories I could have told and people that I met, but there is no need to go into that on this blog. You can ask me individually and I might even remember enough of one to respond. If not, oh well. This has been a fun and interesting year and it's only going to get more fun as 2011 begins. I look forward to entertaining you more in the New Year and will once again try to be more consistent with blogging. Who knows, maybe I'll even blog an entire month again. I know that anticipation is killing you already.
Until next time.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Day 24 of 31 - I've Got A Golden Ticket
You can see by the quote at the top of this blog that I like Willy Wonka. Just by chance, I happened to be flipping channels and saw that it was on. Like other special films in my life, I will usually watch this when it comes on.
Maybe it's the sense of innocence in Charlie or the funny songs or the complete creepiness that Gene Wilder brought to the character of Willy Wonka.
Now, if you also note up there it says, the Real Willy Wonka. This is because to me, Gene Wilder was much better at creating a character that was a genius and a lunatic at the same time. Johnny Depp was merely a clown and a cry baby as Willy Wonka. Yes, the newer version was visually spectacular, but I still feel that the original was a better telling of the story.
Willy Wonka is the ultimate in children's fantasy. Not only does it remind children that they should be allowed to have their dreams, but, and I'm thinking more of the original film now, it also reminds us that children that are bad must deal with the consequences of their actions.
As the wise man said so eloquently, "Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker."
Until tomorrow.
Maybe it's the sense of innocence in Charlie or the funny songs or the complete creepiness that Gene Wilder brought to the character of Willy Wonka.
Now, if you also note up there it says, the Real Willy Wonka. This is because to me, Gene Wilder was much better at creating a character that was a genius and a lunatic at the same time. Johnny Depp was merely a clown and a cry baby as Willy Wonka. Yes, the newer version was visually spectacular, but I still feel that the original was a better telling of the story.
Willy Wonka is the ultimate in children's fantasy. Not only does it remind children that they should be allowed to have their dreams, but, and I'm thinking more of the original film now, it also reminds us that children that are bad must deal with the consequences of their actions.
As the wise man said so eloquently, "Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker."
Until tomorrow.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Day 20 of 31 - Is This a Convention For Comedians?
No controversial topic today. Today, it shall be a little more light hearted. Well, that is if you care for the subject. Again, though, if you don't, too bad. My blog. My rules. My subjects.
Today's topic: San Diego Comic Con 2010
Or, as I've heard some people call it: Nerd Fest
But it is anything but nerdish. Comic Con over the past ten years has seen a transformation from a convention strictly for comic collectors and die hard science fiction enthusiats to a mainstream event that gets coverage worldwide regarding the different events that take plcae.
Did you know that it was at Comic Con in 2004 that the Pilot episode of LOST was premiered? Along with the Star Wars panel that year, they were the two most attended of the Con. The Star Wars one was so attended because they were announcing the title for the sixth and final Star Wars film that wouldn't be released until Summer of 2005.
But that's not my point. The point is that Lucasfilm waited until Comic Con to announce it because it would be one of their biggest audiences and quickest way to get the information out to their fan base. And ABC chose Comic Con to premiere the first episode of LOST, knowing that people would simply be curious and want to see it. It was the word of mouth from Comic Con that garnered so much interest in the show when it premiered that Fall.
It was these events, along with several others, that allowed studios to finally realize that Comic Con was a great place to make special announcements, not only about movies or television shows that they had in the works, but also to attract a new fan base and hope that they, too, could find a place in movie or television history like Star Wars or LOST.
Of course, being that it is still called Comic Con, there are actual comic distributors and collectors there. There are also publishers and comic artists and authors that you can meet. In a place like Comic Con, everyone is a fan of everyone else, so you might see a favorite comic artist actually hanging out waiting for an autograph of another artist or an actor waiting to meet someone also.
It's all one big, calm party. Yes, there are strange "super nerds" there. Those that dress up in costumes of Anime characters all the way to Star Wars. And, being that this year there will be talk of some of the upcoming Marvel super hero movies, it is more than likely that there will be plenty of Captain America, Thor and The Avengers. Plus, the Green Hornet and the Green Lantern (no relation) will more than likely also make appearances.
So why am I talking about all of this? Well, every year, since 2004, I have wanted to make the annual trek to Comic Con. But, sadly, there is always something that impedes my journey, whether it's family events, weddings, my wife being pregnant, or simply being too busy to drive to San Diego. It's a four day conference and I can't even get to one day. This year, as much as I would have liked to go, I don't forsee that happening. It would have been fun, knowing several of the stars that will be there along with some of the panels. But oh well. I'll go next year and take my little girl and turn her into a fan. I figure if I can get it all into her head early enough, I'll be good.
Until tomorrow.
Today's topic: San Diego Comic Con 2010
Or, as I've heard some people call it: Nerd Fest
But it is anything but nerdish. Comic Con over the past ten years has seen a transformation from a convention strictly for comic collectors and die hard science fiction enthusiats to a mainstream event that gets coverage worldwide regarding the different events that take plcae.
Did you know that it was at Comic Con in 2004 that the Pilot episode of LOST was premiered? Along with the Star Wars panel that year, they were the two most attended of the Con. The Star Wars one was so attended because they were announcing the title for the sixth and final Star Wars film that wouldn't be released until Summer of 2005.
But that's not my point. The point is that Lucasfilm waited until Comic Con to announce it because it would be one of their biggest audiences and quickest way to get the information out to their fan base. And ABC chose Comic Con to premiere the first episode of LOST, knowing that people would simply be curious and want to see it. It was the word of mouth from Comic Con that garnered so much interest in the show when it premiered that Fall.
It was these events, along with several others, that allowed studios to finally realize that Comic Con was a great place to make special announcements, not only about movies or television shows that they had in the works, but also to attract a new fan base and hope that they, too, could find a place in movie or television history like Star Wars or LOST.
Of course, being that it is still called Comic Con, there are actual comic distributors and collectors there. There are also publishers and comic artists and authors that you can meet. In a place like Comic Con, everyone is a fan of everyone else, so you might see a favorite comic artist actually hanging out waiting for an autograph of another artist or an actor waiting to meet someone also.
It's all one big, calm party. Yes, there are strange "super nerds" there. Those that dress up in costumes of Anime characters all the way to Star Wars. And, being that this year there will be talk of some of the upcoming Marvel super hero movies, it is more than likely that there will be plenty of Captain America, Thor and The Avengers. Plus, the Green Hornet and the Green Lantern (no relation) will more than likely also make appearances.
So why am I talking about all of this? Well, every year, since 2004, I have wanted to make the annual trek to Comic Con. But, sadly, there is always something that impedes my journey, whether it's family events, weddings, my wife being pregnant, or simply being too busy to drive to San Diego. It's a four day conference and I can't even get to one day. This year, as much as I would have liked to go, I don't forsee that happening. It would have been fun, knowing several of the stars that will be there along with some of the panels. But oh well. I'll go next year and take my little girl and turn her into a fan. I figure if I can get it all into her head early enough, I'll be good.
Until tomorrow.
Monday, March 8, 2010
The Day After the Oscars
As some of you know (and the others will discover by reading this entry), I really enjoy movies. Even if I don't get to see all of the ones nominated each year, I still revel in the Oscars.
Last year, Joanna and I were fortunate enough to see the five nominated films in one day during AMC's Best Picture Movie Marathon. Unfortunately, because of the expansion of the Best Picture category this year to ten movies, it would be quite impossible. It would be a matter of taking up two days that would be very long, especially since Avatar is a three hour movie. The only good thing if we had done that this year, we would not have had to watch Avatar, since we had seen it once already.
In fact, we had seen one of the other nominees as well - Up. Not Up in the Air. Up - the cartoon with Ed Asner as the main voice. Not the George Clooney flying across the country firing people movie.
Where was I?
Oh yeah. So, I didn't get to see eight of the ten nominated films, but I don't think that matters in order to offer this opinion: I think that The Hurt Locker deserved to win the Best Picture Oscar and that Kathryn Bigelow deserved to win Best Director.
Now for the explanation:
Really, it's more of a bias. I would have been happy with eight of those movies winning. However, if Avatar had won, I would have been disappointed in the Academy.
A long time ago, in a movie industry far, far, away - 1978 - Star Wars was nominated for both Best Picture and Best Director, just as Avatar was. Unfortunately, Star Wars did not win that year. Annie Hall won. And Woody Allen (director of that film) won Best Director.
What I'm saying is that the biggest blockbuster at the time - Star Wars - wasn't deemed worthy enough to win Best Picture/Director. The same can be said of Avatar. I'm not saying that Avatar was a bad movie. Not at all. If you read the blog from a few months ago, you'll see that I offer a fairly positive review. However, it is the whole Star Wars thing with the Academy. I would have been disappointed in the Academy had they gone with the "highest grossing movie of all time" as a Best Picture and James Cameron as Best Director because they had not recognized Star Wars - a movie that was a special effects blockbuster that was the highest grossing movie of 1977 and, until Titanic, the highest grossing movie of all time.
This is not to say that I am against James Cameron. With Avatar, Terminator and even Titanic, James Cameron has shown that he has a tremendous vision. George Lucas had the same vision with Star Wars and had the Academy recognized Star Wars in 1978, then it would be fine with me if Avatar won at this year's Oscars. But since it did not, I wanted that same kind of fairness - which was granted me by the voters in the Academy.
Congratulations to all of the winners. Eventually I will see most of the nominated movies. Probably not The Hurt Locker, though, because I'm not really into that kind of movie.
Last year, Joanna and I were fortunate enough to see the five nominated films in one day during AMC's Best Picture Movie Marathon. Unfortunately, because of the expansion of the Best Picture category this year to ten movies, it would be quite impossible. It would be a matter of taking up two days that would be very long, especially since Avatar is a three hour movie. The only good thing if we had done that this year, we would not have had to watch Avatar, since we had seen it once already.
In fact, we had seen one of the other nominees as well - Up. Not Up in the Air. Up - the cartoon with Ed Asner as the main voice. Not the George Clooney flying across the country firing people movie.
Where was I?
Oh yeah. So, I didn't get to see eight of the ten nominated films, but I don't think that matters in order to offer this opinion: I think that The Hurt Locker deserved to win the Best Picture Oscar and that Kathryn Bigelow deserved to win Best Director.
Now for the explanation:
Really, it's more of a bias. I would have been happy with eight of those movies winning. However, if Avatar had won, I would have been disappointed in the Academy.
A long time ago, in a movie industry far, far, away - 1978 - Star Wars was nominated for both Best Picture and Best Director, just as Avatar was. Unfortunately, Star Wars did not win that year. Annie Hall won. And Woody Allen (director of that film) won Best Director.
What I'm saying is that the biggest blockbuster at the time - Star Wars - wasn't deemed worthy enough to win Best Picture/Director. The same can be said of Avatar. I'm not saying that Avatar was a bad movie. Not at all. If you read the blog from a few months ago, you'll see that I offer a fairly positive review. However, it is the whole Star Wars thing with the Academy. I would have been disappointed in the Academy had they gone with the "highest grossing movie of all time" as a Best Picture and James Cameron as Best Director because they had not recognized Star Wars - a movie that was a special effects blockbuster that was the highest grossing movie of 1977 and, until Titanic, the highest grossing movie of all time.
This is not to say that I am against James Cameron. With Avatar, Terminator and even Titanic, James Cameron has shown that he has a tremendous vision. George Lucas had the same vision with Star Wars and had the Academy recognized Star Wars in 1978, then it would be fine with me if Avatar won at this year's Oscars. But since it did not, I wanted that same kind of fairness - which was granted me by the voters in the Academy.
Congratulations to all of the winners. Eventually I will see most of the nominated movies. Probably not The Hurt Locker, though, because I'm not really into that kind of movie.
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