Boom Baby
I went to a movie premiere a few weeks ago. Well, it wasn’t necessarily a premiere and it wasn’t necessarily a movie either… So I’m not sure what I did. I guess I paid $12 bucks to see a television show before it was broadcast. They did take it to Sundance, if that means anything…
So what’s the deal? It was the premiere of an ESPN documentary in their 30 for 30 series titled Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks directed by Dan Klores.
What is 30 for 30? It’s ESPN’s 30th anniversary, and to commemorate the milestone have commissioned 30 documentaries by 30 filmmakers on unique topics. Only a handful of titles have aired so far, but they’ve been great pieces so far. I saw one on Jimmy the Greek that was pretty good… One on how the University of Miami came to actually have a contending football team… One on Muhammad Ali vs. Larry Holmes… And a pretty good one on the USFL. There’s one about the Baltimore Colts marching band, but I haven’t seen that one yet. So far, they’ve been good topics, and great 2-hour (with commercials) documentaries.
So this film is set to premiere on Sunday March 14th on ESPN with many re-broadcasts soon thereafter.
It’s about a basketball player named Reggie Miller, and the rivalry that sprouted between him and the Knicks and a very specific Knick fan – Spike Lee (yes, the filmmaker). It also talked about the rivalry known as “the hicks vs. the Knicks” which I was somewhat unaware of back then.
To be honest, I can’t be that subjective about much of this. Why, because I was a Pacer fan back then… (I didn’t hate the Knicks… Just John Starks)
Notice the past tense in my admiration for the Pacers and the NBA? Yeah. Because I think the NBA has degenerated into a piece of crap sports league with no leadership among the athletes or the administrators. It doesn’t help that the Pacers have turned to crap since the departure of Reggie Miller from the team…
But this piece details a fun time for Indianapolis when the Pacers had a good squad, the NBA had great match ups, and the NBA had a good proportion of college graduates.
So you may or may not be interested in this… It took me back to a time when I liked a sport, had a home team that I respected, and have fond memories of that time in general. There’s a pretty good amount of comedy in the piece based on what actually happened and some new details.
So I’ll gladly watch it again, and may try and purchase it to have. Watching Miller score 8 points in under 20 seconds to win a playoff game by two is a thing of beauty.
take the glasses off
Back a few weeks ago when I reviewed Avatar, I knew it was a big deal to a lot of people. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal though. It is, after all, just a movie.
Then I hear some things here and there… And then it wins a few big Golden Globes… Now I become annoyed, and hence I blog.
So the award thing is pretty annoying. I just hope the academy awards don’t turn out the same.
What’s really been a wonder for me is the effect the movie seems to be having on some… The people who feel “depressed” because our world is just so boring in comparison to Pandora (I’m not making this up)…
My response to this? Get an F***ing life. If that’s the way you feel, then you haven’t seen the world you’re inhabiting.
Seriously… I’ve done a fair amount of traveling, but not that much. From what I’ve seen and know is out there, our world is just as amazing in it’s splendor, and a billion times more amazing in it’s realism.
Avatar: behind the glasses
So last week, I braved the cold and crowds to go and see Avatar at one of the newer megaplexes.
My expectations were a mix of high and low. I had very low expectations from the previews I have been catching for the past year. The higher expectations are form the reviews extolling both the effects and the overall awesomeness of the movie.
2-Cent review up front: I’m glad I saw it in the theater, but it underperformed for me. So let’s get into it.
The Production
There are a few things unknown about the movie. I can’t find specific amount of the film that was CG. Some accounts claim that 100% of the film is computer genera generated. Other have said that it’s actually in the order of 80% of the film that is CG. I’m not sure. The other guessing game that’s going on is the final budget of the film. The consensus of what I’ve been gathering is that it’s somewhere in the 300 to 500 million dollar range.
The CG
The CG is amazing. The CG is overpowering at times. The CG is the film. Without the CG, there is no movie. The thing is that this is a fictional imagination of an alien environment that is quite fantastical. I feel that it was kinda taken a few steps too far just for the sake of being visually stunning.
Sure, what reference does anyone have for how an alien land looks and has evolved – but so much is vibrant, different manners of locomotion, glow in the dark, and even interactive in manners that feel too imagined.
The 3D
With amazing CG, this was also developed to showcase how amazing CG could be utilizing 3D to take the theater experience to a new level. I think it was definitely an experience, but I’m not sure if it’s something I want to become a trend.
There have been widespread accounts of viewers feeling vertigo or motion sick because of the 3D experience. It’s basically something that can’t be overcome in scenes showing depth of field in a movie given how the human eye works. I’ll try and quickly explain. Notice how in movies there are things in focus, and things not in focus? That is generally intentional. But when showing large environments akin to mountain ranges and such forcing a focal point on the human brain goes against how we are used to taking a scene in. Humans look around and their eye focus on different depths and uses relative sizes and shapes to interpret an environment. The 3D environment created in Avatar only allows the user to see what the director wants you to see in focus. If your eye wanders in any of the large scenes and tries to focus on the background to gain perspective, you can’t overcome the simulated lens blur forced onto you. Hence the motion sickness.
The Story
This is by far the weakest link of Avater. It felt… Too easy… Too idealistic… and mostly, too convenient. It was way to easy to see this trying to be an apology from a white man to the Native Americans. Or maybe it was an apology from an insanely rich white man to the natural resources squandered from corporate humankind.
My big thing was that for a world full of so many glowing, savage, primitive creatures and gravity resistant mountains – an intelligent bi-ped with a complex culture with no written language seems more than just a little implausible and way out of place.
The Overall Experience
First off, if I’m going to pay $3 for 3D glasses, I’m going to keep them. That’s more than nickel and dimming.
As I said in my snap review, I’m glad I saw it in the theater. Despite it being an amazing showcase of entertainment technology, there are limitations in how the technology is currently understood as well as a story lacking in many ways. If you’re going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars over so many years to make a film, I would hope for something much, much better.
It’s a shoe in for a lot of effects awards. Maybe some sound or editing awards (I don’t think it’s worthy). I’ll be damned if this gets any acting, cinematography or best picture awards.
If you’re into effects and the progression of entertainment technology, then you have to go see this in 3D while it’s in the theater. If you’re more into story and good movie making, you don’t need to go see this in 3D, or even a theater. If you’re feeling guilty at the treatment of indigenous cultures, then just buy a copy of Dances with Wolves – because Costner needs the money more than James Cameron.
Top Five Movies
I love movies.
It’s just that simple. I love that I can go to a movie, pop in a DVD, or run across something on TV that can take me away for a while to let my mind think about new things or revisit old memories (that whole escapist thing). I have a deep appreciation for what it takes to complete the production in so many ways. But as I begin to digress, I’ll redirect my efforts to the list.
5. Good Will Hunting – It just hit home with me. I identify strongly with the whole loyalty to friends theme in the film. But it’s the search for one’s self thanks to a romantic connection that took it over the top. Call me a softie… Call me mushy… Just don’t call me Shirley. Wait, wrong movie. Well acted, well shot, and amazingly written… It’d be higher on the list if it weren’t one of those too good to be true things. It deserved many of the Oscar’s that year stolen by a crappy sinking boat.
4. The Fog of War – The only documentary to make the list. This definitely shaped my political outlook in a major way. Going into how it has done so would be a monumental task, so instead I simply ask that you see this movie and internalize McNamara’s lessons regardless of whether you agree with them or not. It’s hard to deny the painstaking logic behind them, and the profoundness of the experiences that produced them.
3. Heat – It’s Probably one of the most complete movies in my mind. It’s shot well… it’s acted well… It’s pretty realistic without the need for either CG or the suspension of disbelief. The story is long and complex – but it all comes around… The length and complexity are are impressive, but it’s also the biggest detraction. I think I caught this 5 times in the theater, including the last time where I was the only person in the theater.
2. Real Genius – It was 1985. I was 9, and my sister was 11. We were crazy for this film. It was so funny, and the belief that a youngster like Mitch Taylor could hang with the big boys was awesome. And don’t for get about the popcorn. It’s one of those childhood things, but it has actually stood up for me unlike a lot of others. Still great lines and a fun time to be had. My sis and I saw this 7 times in the theater.
1. Fight Club – It’s all about the story in this one – and you have to be a really good filmmaker to pull it off. It’s very complex, and the fact that it was pulled off to the level it was is a big reason why it’s at the top of my list. The other big reason is that the story itself is captivating to me. It’s an amalgamation of many dead-on snapshots of things I currently or previously identify with. I could care less about the fighting. It’s more about the messages.
Honorable Mentions: Top Secret, Amelie, Blazing Saddles
Hacker Movies
So we just watched Untraceable, and by god was it a horrible movie. But somewhere in the middle of it, I got to thinking about hacker movies. The whole genre has turned to… as the french say… caca.
Childhood and adolescence are filled with a few choice examples of hacker movies that have developed a cult-like status. War Games. Sneakers. The aptly named Hackers which is liked more for it’s cheesiness than it’s cinematic achievement. Some even consider Tron to be a hacker movie (which is due out for a sequel in the next few years).
But more recently, movies that involve high technology seem to be so utterly horrible. Firewall. Untraceable. Perfect Stranger. Swordfish. Antitrust.
So what is it? Is it just that there’s this perceived interest in all things hacking? Is it some mythical area where writers go? Or is it a crutch for those that really have no idea what’s involved in the processes?
Lots of Rush (the good Rush)
So The Spirit of Radio just came up on random, and it reminded me of a thought yesterday about wanting to blog about Rush – the band, not the pundit.
Why would I want to do such a thing? Is it because I used to have a co-worker with Tom Sawyer as one of his rings? No. Is it because my mom hated Rush when I was a kid? No. It’s Because they seem to be coming up a lot lately. It was brought up more than a few times in our watching of the Freaks and Geeks series… It was a major part of the move I Love You, Man… And it also came up more than a few times in the movie Fanboys.
Now I realize Freaks and Geeks was produced a long time ago, but it may happen to be the lynchpin between the other two. Freaks and Geeks starred Jason Segel and Seth Rogen, who each played large parts in the other two movies. Maybe a coincidence, maybe not.
Do I really care? No. I’m a Rush fan, but not an obsessed Rush fan. It just seems odd, bordering on annoying because I know they’re not as popular outside a few population segments.
Birthday Battle: Walken vs. McGregor
Who wins in a battle by any character played by Christopher Walken vs. Ewan McGregor?
My vote goes for more cowbell because archangel beats jedi… Am I wrong?
Free movie for car fans
Audi produced a movie that aired last week. It’s titled Truth in 24. The film’s website is flash intensive and very well done [truthin24.com]. I knew about this and was looking forward to catching it. To my happy surprise it’s been released for free on iTunes.
This film chronicles the 2008 Le Mans with some history at the very beginning. It’s extremely well shot, and narrated by Mr. Audi – Jason Statham.
I do recommending at least taking in the first 5 minutes of the film for a tiny bit of history and some very nice shots.
If you’re not much into cars, then the entire film isn’t really for you. It does have the formulaic elements of a event documentary – set up the event, create an adversary, show some action when possible, and then pull it all together in terms of the event. It’s not quite that easy, but oh well.
Gimmie your worst sequel
Just watching the dark clouds roll across the sky to which I commented “It looks like Ghostbusters 2 out there”
It got me to thinking… What’s the worst sequel?
Not just the Air Bud 7 or whatever they are on now… But sequels that were released with a lot of hype that just sucked beyond belief… So let me know what you all think are the worst sequels…
American Teen
Last week we got the documentary American Teen on Netflix. It’s a documentary taking place at an Indiana high school and focusing on 5 students.
It was a good documentary that showed a glimpse of what it’s like to be an average American teen in 2006. The immediate thing that struck me was the Cell / SMS use within the film. I realize that it’s madly proliferated that age group across the country, but I’ve not seen it in practice across the spectrum. There was also an instance of how the internet can let some things get out of control.
But the more things change, the more they stay the same. There’s all the same cliques… The different attitudes and/or insecurities that go along with any different social status. Some of that was painful to watch.
I can’t make any generalizations about whether anyone will or will not like this documentary. It’s not socially important or anything, but I found it interesting. I could definitely identify with a good amount of it.
