I love movies. I love going to the movies. I love watching movies. I love anticipating new movies. Its the closest thing to a holodeck we're going to have for some time. And now movie technology has taken a step up. We've dabbled in 3-D since the begining of motion pictures, with the height being in the 50s. Now, companies have finally started making 3-D movies (outside of IMAX documentaries) that look gorgeous and nothing more than a light-weight, polarized nerd-glasses. It's a good thing that theater is dark or we'd look stupid. Okay, more stupid. The first sets of movies being shown in 3-D are the CG movies, because they are already created in three-dimensional computer space and it's easy to flip the switch from flat to dimensional. Superman Returns doesn't count because only a small part of the movie was "converted" to 3-D. Beowulf (not the other CG "B" movie) is the next reason to leave the house. BTW, in previews for Bee Movie, why the hell are bees driving cars. I don't understand Disney.
I'm not sure how I feel about these motion-capture CG/almost-real movies. They are almost so real why don't they just make a real movie. It could look like Lord Of The Rings or the Prequel Trilogy or something. The movie didn't quite sell me in the first few minutes, but then the Grendal hit the fan and the movie had my attention. From the beginning, which had way more naked men than I like in my movies (CG or not), Beowulf looked good, but not outstanding, like watching video game cut scenes. By the end of the movie I thought things improved a hundred percent and the 3-D was extraordinary. Where the Polar Express failed, this movie had characters with emotions. I don't think I would have liked this movie normally but the 3-D was stunning, and somehow felt right, even though some scenes were obviously designed for medium. I prefer my 3-D movies not to "frame" shots to impress me. I walk around in 3-D all the time so this tends to feel gimmicky.
Some of the previews were in 3-D as well, including the first fully live-action, digitally-filmed movie adaptation of "Journey To The Center Of The Earth." Once again the previes show nifty 3-D moments that looked staged, but James Cameron's name is attached somewhere in the credits so I hope that stuff is kept to a minimum. I'm a big fan of the "original" 1959 movie version, but I realise I haven't read the 19th century novel so I aquired it for later consumption. The new "Cloverfield" preview is also on the movie and it looks even better. A must see in less that two (2) months. Once I came home from the movie I felt compelled to watch the 13th Warrior and see the connections/differences between the two. All the key points of the original 10th Century plot are contained but the surrounding events are changed to fit the needs of Director. The big difference between the two is that one is a more realistic tale of Norsemen (and an Arab) dealing with an evil religious sect, and the other is a mythological monster tale of heroes trying to conquer man's mistakes and the consequences of said actions. The latter is closer to the epic poem, but diverges in the last parts.
Guitar Hero is still a constant challenge. I'm one song shy of beating Medium so I tried Hard and managed two songs. I highly recommend co-op mode, even if the other person has to use a controller. I think it's even a littl eeasier for new players to learn. I did learn that if the two (2) of you are on different difficulty levels the lowest one is the one thats counted when you complete all the songs. There are even different songs and set lists from the single player mode. No guitar-battles so the co-op is a quick way to get achievement points. In the week I've had it I've only unlocked 11 of the 59 achievements for a total of 100 (out of 1,000) points. This game is rough. Still looking forward to drumming on Rock Band next paycheck, or maybe I'll wait until X-Mas.
I went book shopping today, after Beowulf, and bought the aforementioned "Journey To The Center Of The Earth," as well as the original Frankenstein. I believe this to be the first Sci-Fi novel written, being published in 1818. We are almost 200 years since it was written and the best movie version is still the 1931 adaptation (or Young Frankenstein depending on your point of view). Brilliant in it's own right, but butchers the source material. I will start reading this book tonight and see if I can finish it before Monday. This story is so simple, in that man's creation becomes corrupt and evil, that plot points still resonate today, from The Terminator to Jurrasic Park to The Matrix. Once I watch the 1994 movie version I'll write a comparison. See you next broadcast.
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