Making of Tron

I don't know what more that I can say that would add to what has been done for tron. The more I admire this film the more encompassed I find myself. Everything from the music to visuals. I feel like I get to brag because a few of my friends were very instrumental in building and lighting the digital world of Tron. So as dorky as it sounds, go see it and be inspired by the vastness and amazement of the collective work of Tron!

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

New Years day I wanted to take my two oldest children to a movie. So with out telling them I stuffed them in the car and we drove down to the cinema to catch an afternoon at the theater. Much to my chagrin, every kid friendly movie was in 3D only. So after $60 for one adult, two children, and a bucket of popcorn, here are my thoughts.

First things first, the visuals. They were great. They didn't approach perfection as much as films past, but I wasn't distracted by the thought of the cg for almost the entire film. The 3D was much of the same except for some opening shots where some planes fly over and it didn't feel right at all. While I don't feel the 3D added as much to the experience as how it did for Tron or Avatar, it wasn't a distraction either.

Now for the story. As with any literary adaptation, I wasn't expecting to discover anything new to the plot, shy of some liberties taken to compress a story into a more timely format. My children are enamored with the first two movies, the latest film was not a disappointment. The climactic battle was a bit more frightening for younger viewers than the past films.

In conclusion this was a fun and inspiring movie with new characters and perils. One cannot remove the christian underpinnings of C.S. Lewis' novel without destroying the literary foundations of his stories. Yet whether or not the viewer espouses those beliefs to the characters in the film or not, the film should still leave the audience with feelings of hope and an overall uplifted sense. A good film.

Tron Legacy

I had the pleasure of seeing "Tron Legacy" in true Imax 3d over the holidays. Oh my! I was blown away by the fun of the movie. If you are a cg nerd like I am you will love to get lost in the absolutely awesome effects. It has flaws as all films do but for what my friends over at Digital Domain where able to do, I tip my hat.

First off, true Imax 3D is worth every dollar. I was blown away. I saw the film in "regular" 3D as well and it wasn't the same at all.

The visuals were awesome. Great environments, vehicles, costumes, and fxs! The cg Jeff Bridges at times was flawless. As with any cg human it is bound to have some bad scenes, and tron is no exception. To date Avatar's cg faces are the "coup de grâce" of cg faces. But this was sure close. The hardest for me was the final sequence. Up until then I was nerding out over this cg man in just about every scene.

I must also say I love what Daft Punk's music brought to the film. It was perfect for the subject matter. The digital tones and synthetic sounds mirrored the visuals in the most "harmonious" way (excuse the pun).

I watched the original "Tron" a few days before to prepare myself for the rebirth. While my friends who did the same were very heavy with disapproval and cynicism, I found that my childhood memories of the film held true. It is not a great film by any sense but it is an incredibly interesting expression of a story built around a historically innovative film technique.

In conclussion, this new installment bring new life and a much stronger story to what was and is a "fun" movie franchise. While it may not be the most sophisticated film it is incredibly fun to watch.

True Grit

I love westerns! Be it sixties "spaghetti westerns" or more serious action westerns, I love 'em. I have always loved the semi campy style of John Wayne's, Rooster Cogburn. When I saw the teaser trailer for the remake of "True Grit" I was elated. I could see from the trailer, this was going to be a much more serious take on the 1968 novel.

First let me say what a cast! Jeff Bridges, Matt Daemon, Josh Brolin! They were all awesome. And then we come to Hailee Steinfeld. Her performance was simple stupendous. Her portrayal of Mattie Ross gave the character a clear sense of strength and determination which was at the same time a mask for her characters true fear about what lay ahead.

There was amazing dialog in this movie, some of it rather campy but played so straight faced that it lent to the feeling of authenticity of the film. Part of that authenticity was in the violence. I do not particularly enjoy violence on the big screen, especially when the filmmakers seem to be rubbing in my face in gregarious proportions. While this film definitely pushed the line of graphic violence in a PG-13 movie, it was not reveling or glorifying it. It was merely a way of life and portrayed as such. While I could have used less graphic depictions, I did not find it offensive.

In conclusion the film has great heart and whit. It lived up to my excitement and as a lover of the genre I would recommend it to any avid western lover.

Yogi

So I went with all my family to see this over Christmas. We opted not to see it in 3D as the cost for that many people would be astronomical and my parents were footing the bill. As for the movie... it was... cute. The kids seemed to like it, though the adult side of the story (the love interest of Ranger "what's his name") didn't quite cut it for the kids. While people seem to love or hate this cg Yogi, I think the film could have used more of the title character.

The internet is full of people crying over the fouling of there childhood memories. So, I went and watched some old Hanabarbara cartoons on youTube to prep myself for the film and trust me, your memory doesn't suit you if you feel this movie didn't have the sophisticated humor of what your memory espouses to the old cartoons. As I have found with all my childhood memories of cartoons and many movies, my tastes for humor and entertainment have refined and evolved over the years. The "awesomeness" is in the memory, not the cartoon. So maybe this yogi can be to our kids what the old traditional yogi is to us. You choose.

While we didn't see it in 3D, all the "jump out of the screen" gags were very apparent. Yogi was well rendered but some of the river action compositing was less than decent. Overall, the film was fun but I might have been fine waiting for dvd to show the kids. Because if the kids don't enjoy it enough to sit through it, you won't either. If you go into this movie with an open mind you will find it more or less entertaining.