Things I Know Exist But Am Baffled By: Prescription 3D Glasses!

Hobbit_Oakleys 
I recall being at a trade show back around 2006 or 2007 and overheard some people talking about the prescription 3D glasses or lenses for moviegoers. I laughed at that because 3D has always been a few year fad that fades away as interest wanes and money goes down the drain, but it seems I was off a bit. Yes, Virginia, you CAN get a pair of actual prescription glasses like these Oakleys from a few places for your movie and TV watching pleasure. Wow. Granted, like actual modern 3D glasses, they’re one hundred percent useless for walking down the street, so if you spring for the super cool Hobbit or Transformers frames, no one will see them in a dark theater unless you buy your ticket beforehand, whip out your shades, make a clever joke and put them on like you’re on an episode of CSI. (Yeaaaaaaaaahhhh!).

 
Of course, the oh, so painful downside of looking so cool at a price is the other price of falling down that long escalator up to the theater as you’re trying to impress people with your specs but can’t see a few steps in front of you. Just remember, when you DO fall, try to tuck and roll – being curled up in the fetal position at the bottom of that escalator makes it easier for the paramedics to do their thing. And if you DO fall, and don’t get a scratch on you?

Well, I guess you can just call it a case of… blind luck! (Yeaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!)

STRIPPED: Mr. Bill Is Back On The Boards For This Comic Documentary

Stripped_MP 

Ever since Calvin & Hobbes disappeared from newspapers in 1995, the great Bill Watterson has been missed by many fans of his work. However, as you can see here, the man is back with a funny poster for the serious documentary about the dying print newspaper comics business, STRIPPED, now available for pre-order (ironically) on iTunes. Me, I’ll hold out for a Blu-Ray/DVD release because I like owning my movies and holding them in my grubby little hands. I hope people watching this now on their small screens can appreciate what’s being said and maybe think about how they consume their media in the future. But of course, you can’t beat convenience and enforced evolution colliding as they squeeze out some who formerly made a decent living doing what they love. Ah, my old fogey card is showing here, I guess…

Thank You, David Lynch For Making It Clear (Again)…

(Thanks, BrittneyGilbert!) 

So, I’m working on a long post about the demise of movie theaters in the area where I live because it just blows my mind to bits that something like fifteen to twenty or more cinemas around here are gone for what seems to be good and it’s a total joke that no one seems to care or mind. Granted, those people who don’t give a crap are a big part of the reason why theaters are vanishing from this part of NYC, but tell them that and they tend to get a bit more obnoxious than they would if you told them to shut off their damned cell phone BEFORE they even bought their tickets. Anyway, mini-rant over (although it’s not really a rant at all)… Back in a bit.

Godzilla Official Trailer: Now THAT’S More Like It (Times Ten Or So)…

 
BOOM. Okay, I’ll take two tickets, please. Any doubts that a decent Godzilla can be made outside of Japan get squashed here and now. Toho is probably pretty happy with the results, I’m gathering. I can’t say anything more because I despise the usual speculation and trailer trawling that goes on as soon as something like this goes up. Slowing it down to poke and peck at individual frames is meaningless because the final film will be structured differently and may not even have everything seen in the trailer. But you can’t stop people who should be happy and move onto more productive stuff from getting all over-geeky and picky and foolish with their opinions, so I won’t even try. Eh, whatever. I just file the good trailers away into my Must See mental pile while the rest go into the Catch it on Cable stack where most films end up because they’re not worth traveling money and the ticket price to pay for. Godzilla, on the other hand? He’s worth the 11-mile or so trip I now need to take since there are NO theaters near me at all these days. Bleh.

Hey, Spider-Man 2? Even Electro Doesn’t Spark My Interest…

Uh… nope. I’m not feeling this new Spider-Man movie at all for a few reasons. The reboot was kind of lame and forced with way too many CG effects (par for the course for this franchise) and worse, separating it from the rest of the Marvel movie lineup has always been a terrible idea because as come comic fans know Spidey WAS an active Avenger for a brief time. Anyway, this new film has too many villains, too many connected bits (I think the Oscorp-created heroes is a terrible idea) and nope, I don’t like the casting here at all. That said, this one will rake in the dough as it were because the fans don’t seem to care thanks to them just wanting more of the same but bigger and louder.

That said, I’d really rather see a filmed version of that now dead Broadway musical Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark just because of all that behind the scenes turmoil that went into the live show and all its changes during and after its initial previews and premiere. I hope someone was smart enough to shoot that, as even as a flawed work, there’s something about a live show (or a filmed version of one) that’s a good deal more interesting and impressive than a film with a room full of computers powering the better parts of the action scenes…

Godzilla “ROAR” Teaser: What’s Coming Is Far Larger Than You’re Thinking…

Soooooo, tomorrow is the big day, huh? 10AM, hmmmmm? Well, it’s a date then. And I do hope this trailer coming shuts up the people wailing like a stomped on Bambi that Legendary Pictures hasn’t been promoting their big movie as much as the more vocal fans wish. Trust me, kids… like a real giant monster attack (well, if giant monsters did exist), you won’t be escaping from this new Godzilla any time soon once he gets walking in your general direction. I’ll bet that in some cities, no form of transportation, billboard or other large free spaces will be safe! Well, from an ad plastered all over those things, that is. You’ll see…

Random Film of the Week: Master of the World

Master of the WorldAh, Master of the World… you’re so well intentioned but when all is said and done you’re just not as good a film as you wanted to be… and that’s too bad. Even the great Vincent Price reading the words of the great Richard Matheson (who reworked elements from two of the great Jules Verne’s books into a screenplay) can’t save you from your crushing mediocrity. Nope, those barrel bottom visual effects work and an unfunny comic relief chef character tossed into the rather serious story can’t keep this Albatross afloat at all. That said, it’s an OK flick if you don’t mind it reminding you of a few better ones it tries so hard to template.

Now, call me crazy… but I think the idea of a war-hating kind of madman flying around the world and waging war against people who wage wars is both nuts and necessary in this day and age. However, this film fails to excite on a few levels other than giving Price his juicy lead role and Charles Bronson a chance to play a rugged-looking 19th century good guy for a change. For all its explosions and shouting, it makes the idea of Price’s bomb-dropping anti-war antihero Robur a pretty dull one and the film wears out its welcome around the halfway point… Continue reading

Random Film of the Week(end), Too: The Night Digger (The Road Builder)

(Thanks, Night of the Trailers!) 

the night diggerI used to get The Night Digger and The Night Visitor confused when I was younger, but that’s since been rectified (and nope, I’ve been fortunate enough to NOT confuse any of them with The Night Porter). Both films are from 1971 and bother are psychological thrillers, with the former film being the more “horror” oriented one on a few fronts. However, neither is a straight up slasher flick and both have elements that make them superior to typical genre entries.

Here, Patricia Neal gives a powerful performance as Maura Prince, a woman living with and caring for her blind mother Edith (Pamela Brown), with both women falling prey to the charms of the handsome young Billy (Nicholas Clay) who rides up one day on his sleek motorbike and asks for a job. He’s not just good with his tools, folks… he’s also a violent sex criminal and murderer who has a handy way of disposing of his victims. In a bizarre twist (one of a few the film socks you with), the film turns into a very strange love story where you may find yourself rooting for that emotion to take hold and win over all, but there’s that air of inevitability and gloom thanks to the plot turning as it does and a beautiful and haunting Bernard Herrmann score that will raise a few hackles (if you haven’t gone and shaved them off like the kids do with their hair in certain spots, ewww)…
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New Arrivals: Speaking of Godzilla (and Other Big Things)…

new arrivals 2_20 
Yeah, yeah, I know that luscious Criterion Collection version is THE one to have, but I couldn’t pass this older set up at under seven bucks. That Blade Runner set was a gift from a friend who knows I have mixed reactions to this “classic” even to this day and he’s trying to get me to be in the rah-rah camp on this. I don’t “hate” the film at all, mind you. It just has never floored me as much as some and I’ve seen three of the four versions in this set. I’ve never seen the making of features, so those will get viewed first because I just LOVE all that behind the scenes stuff. That Superman cartoon collection was four bucks and ESSENTIAL for anyone who thinks that Batman animated series from the 90’s was amazing. If it weren’t for the Fleisher brothers and their skilled handful of animators, that series and any others that swipe its lovely art style and still powerful animation wouldn’t even exist.

The Sword of Doom is one of my favorite movies, period. But this isn’t that Criterion Collection edition that commands top dollar, but a fine restoration print for under five bucks. On the game front, Tales of Symphonia Chronicles was also in the mail today (Thanks, Namco Bandai Games!) so there goes my weekend. Well, thee goes next weekend, as I’m just starting a few reviews I need to get done and I’m not even going to crack open the shrink wrap on this or else I’ll just see a week vanish in no time flat with nothing to show for it but a lack of sleep. Okay, back to work for me – I’m poking together a few Toy Fair articles for next week, so updates will me minimal while I get those together. My brain is ready – my fingers just need to be able to keep up (typety type type type)

Random Film of the Week(end): The Night Visitor

(Thanks, vivendientertainment!) 

the night visitorAs a child, the poster to Laslo Benedek’s The Night Visitor used to scare the heck out of me, but when I finally saw the film after it popped up on TV a few years later, I wasn’t frightened all that much. Granted, it took a few more viewings as I got older to really appreciate what’s here and it’s a nifty little thriller worth tracking down (it’s been out of print for years on DVD). While it’s not the best nor most coherent suspense flick out there (calling it a “horror” movie is a bit of a mistake), the casting is solid (Liv Ullman, Max von Sydow, Trevor Howard, Per Oscarsson), the script has its moments and you may even get a surprise or three as this creepy little tale plays out.

Von Sydow plays Salem, a rather crafty resident of a supposed “escape proof” mental asylum who escapes a few times in order to exact some extended revenge on his sister (Ullman) and her husband (Oscarsson). Why? Well, not just because he’s nuts plus tax, kids. Salem was set up for a brutal murder by his brother-in-law and he’s not having the time of his life in that freezing hellhole. Of course, the fact that each time he escapes he’s in his underwear (Why? You’ll see, you’ll see) and he manages to make it back before its noticed he’s missing keeps the film going for a while as a local inspector (Howard) tries to find out what’s going on when some new murders start happening…
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