The past few years I've been going to see movies less and less. At first, I thought this may be because the quality of movies was going downhill. They didn't entertain me as much, I thought.
Reading many magazine articles on the subject, I've changed my mind. The number one reason I don't go the theater is because I can get the best movie experience in my own home. Since we've gotten our HDTV with the crystal clear picture and superior surround sound, why do I need to suffer through the sub-par picture and sometimes sub-par sound quality of a movie theater? Especially as movie ticket prices have risen to about $9 for an evening film, $6.75 for a matinee. For the price of evening tickets ($18) I can get Netflix's upgraded DVD service (3 DVDs at once, unlimited) and watch approx. ten films on my beautiful screen a month.
Sure there are movies that I believe must be seen on the big screen and here in Florida movies on Saturday mornings before noon are only $4. Which is probably the only reason I've been going recently, good thing for that AMC promotion!
So today I saw the future of movie cinema - Disney Digital projection. We had to drive thirty minutes to the Muvico cinema where they have one of these expensive projectors. You can read more about Disney Digital 3-D here.
I am no fan of 3-D in theater. I saw Superman Returns on the Imax and thought the effects were distracting, poorly done, and incomplete. I didn't think much of the film but the 3-D effects certainly ruined the experience more for me.
Disney Digital 3-D though is different. For one, you get a brand new pair of plastic glasses, not some over-used and hastily washed pair like you get for Imax screenings. This means your lenses are not scratched (big plus!). Second, the 3-D is subtle. It is more about the screen having more depth than things popping out at you, meaning less eye strain. Not only that but the picture, for the first time I've ever seen, was as clear as my HDTV.
Drawbacks? The ticket cost for our matinee was $8.50/each. I can deal with paying that though if I'm going to get an A+ movie experience.
If you have a theater near you playing Nightmare Before Christmas in Disney Digital 3-D I highly suggest seeing for yourself. This should be the future of cinema.
Halloween is a big holiday in our household. I'm not sure why, maybe because everyone in my family has always embraced the supernatural. Or maybe because we all love candy more than vegetables. Whatever it is, when the beginning of October comes around we want to watch horror movies. So this year, armed with a Netflix subscription and free HBO/Showtime, my husband and I have set out to watch an unprecedented 2-4 horror films a week until Halloween. I have seen most of the classics through the years so we're trying to catch up on the modern stuff we have missed.
When I lived up north, I had a movie marathon on Halloween. Being that I have no family here down south, I've made it a tradition to watch horror films we've never seen before on Halloween. Last year it was House of 1000 Corpses. This year it looks to be Devil's Rejects.
The horror genre has always been popular in American culture. Wikipedia has an extensive exerpt on the history of horror in America. I was also facinated to read that these films are making a lot of money for American studios. Read the Entertainment Weekly article here.
So what have we seen so far?
The Skeleton Key (2005) - Much better film than I thought it would be. Centers around a hospice worker in New Orleans who gets sucked into Hoodoo. I liked it! 6/10
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006) - Horrible movie. No plot, just torture scenes which get really tedious and boring. 1/10
Saw 2 (2005) - Better than the first film, with a great ending. This franchise has a great premise to keep it alive...and it's making big money. 7/10
Cursed (2004) - Cookie cutter tween horror with CGI werewolves. Probably terrifiying to 12-year-old girls, not so much for me. 3/10
So do I think I'm getting desensitized to violence after all these films (and more to come)? Nope. I've seen real blood and guts and these movies are nothing like the real thing.
Oh it feels so good to be right. Marvel has pushed back issue #4 of Civil War, citing that it's artist, Steve McNiven, needs time to catch up on his art for the series. They don't want to compromise the story by putting in a new artist. Or, in other words, he's probably under contract and they don't want to eat his salary by hiring another artist to do the work. Meeting deadlines apparently is not a big deal in the comic book industry. If you think you're a great artist you just take your time. You can issue statements saying how "sorry" you are for the delay and how you're not a prima donna. How about this? You buckle down and work 12 hour days. Stop goofing off and wasting time apologizing. In other words, work hard and stop making excuses.
My husband's an artist. I know artists. If you've decided to be a commercial artist you need to meet deadlines and I think that should be more enforced in the comic industry. Personally, I think McNiven is a turd. I'm glad I never supported him or his not-so-great art by buying Civil War. And yea, I said it. His art isn't that great. He's not hand painting his stuff like Alex Ross, nor is his technique as refined. He's drawing characters with a pencil. Doesn't take as long as fanboys think. Considering all the starving artists out there who draw fast and work consistently I'm disappointed McNiven even has the gall to say how hard he's working.
I will continue my boycott Civil War. And yea, I'm still supporting 52. It's on week fifteen, the art and story are superb, and it's meeting all it's deadlines.
Sapph's favorite superhero? That's an easy one! Spider-Man. Always been. I've always loved everything Spider-Man. He adorned my dorm room in college and everyone knew what to get me for Christmas: Spider-Man stuff.
Once upon a time I was worried about my favorite character when Ultimate Spider-Man came out. Renumbering and redoing a series again? Blah. Then I fell in love. It was my favorite comic book for a long time before Bendis got lazy with it and began focusing on the big Marvel productions. It's currently struggling and has lost a lot of heart unfortunately. I've stopped buying it knowing that I can pick the missing issues up for $1 at a comic convention, or less on Ebay because the storyline is worthless. Harsh but true.
As for the regular "616" universe Spider-Man books they're honestly not that well done. I never was a fan of Strazynski's run. Then, in the last year , Spider-Man developed a new costume and powers. It's horrible. It's stupid. And everyone knows it's issues are headed for the bargain bin as well. All in the name of picking up some short-term sales.
Marvel has now decided to destroy my iconic character a bit more this past week by having Peter Parker reveal to the world that he is *GASP* Spider-Man. A bold move that has indeed bolstered sales and left me stunned. I'm sure Mary Jane will be dead in the near future. Or Spider-Man will become depressed or some kind of dark nonsense. Plus, in all their "teasers" Spidey is dressed in his old outfit. Shows you how Marvel stands behind the new look...
So have I protested this decision? Hell Yea! Not only have I not bought Civil War #2 I tell everyone to avoid it like the plague. I'm not buying ANY Spider-Man book either. No trades, no single issues, nada.
I'm sad to say that for now the movies and my old trade paperbacks are the only things giving me solace right now. My Mcfarlane Spider-Man poster from college now hangs in our spare "superhero" bedroom and that makes me feel better too. I'll be an old bitty I suppose and dwell on the past...on the good old days when Spider-Man was fun-loving and friendly.
I have a word for most of the music out today. "CRAPTASTIC." Meaning it's horrible yet strangely addicting. I think most hot singles are craptastic. This week it's Nelly Furtado's "Promiscuous" which is incredibly horrible with a terrible message. Like "Lady lumps," "The Thong Song," etc., this single is trash. And, yes, it's easy to dance to and hoochies everywhere are enjoying gyrating to it at the club much to the delight of the single sweaty guys looking for cheap feels. I remember those club days very well.
However what's on heavy rotation for me this week is the Gnarls Barkley single, "Crazy." It's for the adult crowd although it can't be too unhip because it's been all over MTV lately. It's an absolutely brilliant single. They lyrics are something I can relate to because I went crazy once. I'm still pretty crazy but in a much more positive light. These are some good lyrics and the beat is A+. Highly recommend it for those of you out there looking for something that isn't just craptastic but truly fantastic. Gnarls Barkley Crazy
I remember when, I remember, I remember when I lost my mind There was something so pleasant about that place. Even your emotions had an echo In so much space And when you're out there Without care, Yeah, I was out of touch But it wasn't because I didn't know enough I just knew too much
Does that make me crazy Does that make me crazy Does that make me crazy Possibly [video version] Probably [CD version]
And I hope that you are having the time of your life But think twice, that's my only advice Come on now, who do you, who do you, who do you, who do you think you are, Ha ha ha bless your soul You really think you're in control
Well, I think you're crazy I think you're crazy I think you're crazy Just like me
My heroes had the heart to Lose their lives out on a limb And all I remember is thinking, I want to be like them Ever since I was little, ever since I was little it looked like fun And it's no coincidence I've come And I can die when I'm done
So the past few years I've become a member of several messageboards. This stems from the fact that I mainly work on a computer now and have plenty of downtime in between emails and phone calls to browse the messageboard world. I've browsed plenty of boards and I've come to realize a female presence is very small compared to that of men. I'm sure there are lots of sociological reasons for this, including that woman are watching babies or in jobs that aren't on a computer as much as men. I really have no idea and I don't even want to hypothesize why they are not on them.
My post today is for the woman that ARE on those messageboards and how little I tend to get along with them. Here are my reasons why:
1. Their avatar is that of their boobs/butt. While this is an attention grabber it's also saying "hey, don't respect me."
2. They flirt outrageously in the board threads. This usually throws off the thread topic and makes it extremely uninteresting to read. Unless it's a dating service, use PMs to flirt ladies.
3. They're defensive. Disagree with them and they whine, thus bringing the men that are enamored with their boob avatar to their defense. Also a boring thread read and totally off topic.
Anyway, I thought I would throw that rant out there. It's just a pet peeve of mine and if there is a messageboard that lets the above happen, I'm definitely not a member.
I thought I would take some time to recap the best and worst of May Sweeps this season. See my past May Sweeps blog for a formal introduction into what I'm talking about.
The Best of May Sweeps:
The Office - Casino night rocked! Penned by Steve Carrell this episode delivered a lot of awesome moments. I almost cried when Jim and Pam kissed. Even my husband was touched. It also was one of the most talked about season enders wherever I went.
Lost - While I felt "blah" about the entire episode as a whole, the best scene of all my May Sweeps dramas was the four-toed giant foot statue remnant on the other side of the island. It was so Rod Serling. I loved it.
Saturday Night Live & Mad TV - Both provided me with fantastic cry-out-loud laughs for their season enders. Very memorable in their own ways. Almost all the sketches were spot on in both shows. A+ comedy.
Scrubs - Surprise pregnancies galore! The girl in me likes those surprises.
Prison Break - They did break out! That's all I ever wanted. Looking forward to next season.
The Worst of May Sweeps:
American Idol - Taylor Hicks? C'mon! Again I'm reminded that America is dominated by the older generation. The contestants were all so-so for me this year honestly and no one delivered a really memorable performance. Hicks does indeed look like a drunk dad at a wedding and I really hate that image. No "SOUL PATROL" for me. The results show had just-alright musical guests. It also had the most uncomfortable moment of the TV season: Mary J Blige and Eliot singing together. Yikes. Viewership was up however, probably to laugh at (not with) Hicks.
ER/OC/Lost - Can the trend to shockingly kill off a main character end please? I find that so cliche and boring.
Grey's Anatomy/ CSI Miami - Can the trend to shockingly kill off a non-main character or love interest please end? That is such a cop out to character development.
Survivor - Terrible season finale. Aras? B.O.R.I.N.G. It was the worst season I've watched and it may have convinced me to stop watching this show next season altogether. It's just not as fun as I used to think it was, kind of like Real World. Maybe I've outgrown it. Wasn't Great/Wasn't Bad:
Supernatural - A bit of an unsatisfying season finale but still I was okay with it. I did JUMP from fright a few times.
24 - The ending was long and predictable. It's unfortunate considering the beginning of the season was quite shocking.
CSI - The ending made me say "yikes!" I'm referring to the moment when you see that Gil is casually sleeping with Sara. Joe and I were kind of grossed out actually. I prefer Lady Heather.
