Well, it's been a long time since Christine and I have been to the movies...I believe the last movie that we saw in theatres was Alice in Wonderland (which was fantastic - a review of that movie will be posted shortly).
There has been a complete dryspell when it comes to good movies being released. But don't worry: we will be attending movies galore starting within the next few weeks - because the month of May brings the start of BIG SUMMER BLOCKBUSTERS! And of course, whenever there are big blockbusters released - there tends to be a steady flow of good movies released under the radar.
So don't fret - we will be posting more reviews in do time!
Until then....
DANCE MAGIC DANCE! - a classic tune from the musical genius, David Bowie, from one of my all time favourite movies: LABRYNTH!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Avatar (or, who's that snoring?)
We finally broke down and went to see Avatar directed by James Cameron and starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, and 4000 HP servers.
The Good:
The best part of this movie is the visuality. It is truly a feast for the eyes. Vibrant colours and incredible texture give the world of Pandora an exceptional realness and alien-ness while avoiding the artificial feeling that many animated films cultivate. (Here I'm thinking of the cartoonish quality of the Disney/Pixar films.) The animated characters have an incredibly natural feel to their motion and facial expressions. Kudos to the motion-capture team because they truly have raised the bar for further development in the field. The depth-of-field 3D is also very well done and tastefully applied. There are no gratuitous 'things-flying-at-your-face' scenes that so many 3D films include simply because they can. Those sorts of visual gags have their place in action/adventure films but in a "drama" such as Avatar it would be cheesy. Rather, Avatar uses the beautiful jungle of Pandora to create the 3D environment for the viewer. Trees pass on either side and the long branches float over your head. In fact, the 3D is so well done you can almost forget that you're watching a 3D film, if it weren't for those glasses that keep slipping down your nose. So in that respect, Avatar (3D) is a success.
The Bad:
Where to start? I know that sounds harsh but honestly, did anyone find this story compelling? We've all heard the jokes. Fern Gully in space, Pocahontas in space, three hour technical demonstration pretending to be a movie...First: Jake Sully, the main character and our narrator, has zero back-story. He's in a wheelchair, he says within the first 20 minutes that he's an "ex-marine" and neither of these things are explained in any way. Being in a wheelchair in itself does not require exposition but when it appears to be the reason for the character being an ex-marine, coupled with the fact that he loves using an avatar because he gets the use of "his" legs back, the audience needs to know why it's so important to Jake to use the avatar designed for his twin brother. As long as we're talking about the brother, what was Jake's relationship with him? The audience again has no idea how the brothers felt about each other, it's simply assumed that we'll think "oh they are twins so they must be close"; yet Jake doesn't appear upset as his brother is being cremated. Granted, this could be how a marine, who has presumably seen death before, would react in any situation but without this explanation the whole twin-brother shtick becomes a plot device to get us to the spacey parts as quickly as possible.
Third: Why, oh why did it need to be three hours long? How many times can we be impressed with running through the forest, flying over the forest, climbing through the forest before it gets old? A film that long needs to have a story to back it up, or else it's just a bunch of pretty pictures for hours and hours.
Second: There were so many times during this film that I found myself asking "why am I supposed care?" The mineral that humans are mining on Pandora is called Unobtanium, which is a stupid name designed to tell the audience that it's hard to find, but no one tells us why humanity so desperately needs this mineral. It's incredibly valuable, which is probably due to the fact that it's so scarce, but scarcity does not always translate into monetary value. So we, the audience, know that it's rare and it'll cost you a fortune but we don't know what it's used for: that's it. My guess is Unobtanium is used in making metals for military purposes. After all, why would the military be so invested in a private company's mining operation without some sort of tangible return.
Overall this movie did not impress me. As a demonstration of technical ability it obviously surpasses anything that we've seen to date. But is it worth three hours at $12 to see it? I didn't think so, but I wasn't looking forward to this one in the first place. The thin plot and simplistic political and environmental messages offer nothing to keep the mind entertained as the eyes are dazzled with yet another pretty jungle scene.
Oh, and as for the alternate title for this post, it's because the other person who was with Arlaine and I fell asleep during the movie. No, he didn't snore, but it would have been awesome if he did.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
who we are and what we do (part 2)
I'm Arlaine, I'm one half of don't sit next to us and I too, am addicted to film. I love everything about movies. EVERYTHING. I love going to the theatre, the smell of popcorn, the mindless chatter from the people waiting in line with you, the three, four, sometimes five (if you're lucky) previews that come BEFORE the movie begins and of course, there's nothing like hearing that screeching noise that comes right before they start those dreaded commercials!
A few years ago, Christine and I decided to make a "movie list". It started as a "summer movie list" and over the years, has spawned off two sequels: a "fall movie list" and a "winter/spring movie list". As Christine mentioned, we have a certain criteria for movies making The List. In order to get a good feel for a new movie, we need to see a decent trailer. Teaser trailers only work for hyped up movies (ie HARRY POTTER) because we already know we are going to see it; as professional movie-goers, we tend to do our research months in advance. But for a regular movie to make The List, a two minute (at least) trailer must be seen. It is for this reason why we talk during the previews. I like to think of that time as our meeting time.
Sometimes after a first look at a trailer, we need to do further research into the movie's storyline to get a better concept of whether or not we would like to add it to The List. For example, Inglorious Basterds got a free pass through the first set of red tape for The List because it was directed by Quentin Tarantino. However, the shear fact that it was "starring" Brad Pitt (which honestly, is debatable seeing as he wasn't really in the majority of the film), forced us to put the movie on the back burner while we looked deeper into the storyline before we could consider putting it on The List. Needless to say, we liked what we saw (and read) and decided to put it on the Summer Movie List. No regrets there.
Over time, The List has grown into a movie culture; a culture we like to refer to as Movie Club. Yes, just like Fight Club. And like Fight Club, there are a few rules. First rule of Movie Club: You don't talk about Movie Club. Second rule of Movie Club: You DON'T talk about Movie Club. - Okay I could go on with this gag but I choose not to because, unlike some movies (2012) I know when to stop beating a dead horse! However, I must state the most important rule of Movie Club: NO CLAPPING. There's nothing I can't stand more than some idiot clapping at the end of a movie. Especially if that movie was CRAP! Seriously, why do people clap? Nobody on the screen can HEAR you clapping for them! So basically you end up clapping for the projectionist and the theatre staff. (Who do deserve some recognition but not in the form of applause)
But, I digress...
One important thing to note about don't sit next to us: We will not just review new releases that we see in theatre. We will also be reviewing movies released on DVD and the occasional revisited classic. Basically nothing has immunity when it comes to don't sit next to us.
Again, what are we doing here online? Well, we have a passion for film and we want to express our thoughts and insights to anyone who wants to listen. That's where you come in - we have our opinions and strong as they might be, we WANT you to share yours too. So feel free to join in the discussion!
...Look for our first review on Avatar - aka the snoozer of the year.
A few years ago, Christine and I decided to make a "movie list". It started as a "summer movie list" and over the years, has spawned off two sequels: a "fall movie list" and a "winter/spring movie list". As Christine mentioned, we have a certain criteria for movies making The List. In order to get a good feel for a new movie, we need to see a decent trailer. Teaser trailers only work for hyped up movies (ie HARRY POTTER) because we already know we are going to see it; as professional movie-goers, we tend to do our research months in advance. But for a regular movie to make The List, a two minute (at least) trailer must be seen. It is for this reason why we talk during the previews. I like to think of that time as our meeting time.
Sometimes after a first look at a trailer, we need to do further research into the movie's storyline to get a better concept of whether or not we would like to add it to The List. For example, Inglorious Basterds got a free pass through the first set of red tape for The List because it was directed by Quentin Tarantino. However, the shear fact that it was "starring" Brad Pitt (which honestly, is debatable seeing as he wasn't really in the majority of the film), forced us to put the movie on the back burner while we looked deeper into the storyline before we could consider putting it on The List. Needless to say, we liked what we saw (and read) and decided to put it on the Summer Movie List. No regrets there.
Over time, The List has grown into a movie culture; a culture we like to refer to as Movie Club. Yes, just like Fight Club. And like Fight Club, there are a few rules. First rule of Movie Club: You don't talk about Movie Club. Second rule of Movie Club: You DON'T talk about Movie Club. - Okay I could go on with this gag but I choose not to because, unlike some movies (2012) I know when to stop beating a dead horse! However, I must state the most important rule of Movie Club: NO CLAPPING. There's nothing I can't stand more than some idiot clapping at the end of a movie. Especially if that movie was CRAP! Seriously, why do people clap? Nobody on the screen can HEAR you clapping for them! So basically you end up clapping for the projectionist and the theatre staff. (Who do deserve some recognition but not in the form of applause)
But, I digress...
One important thing to note about don't sit next to us: We will not just review new releases that we see in theatre. We will also be reviewing movies released on DVD and the occasional revisited classic. Basically nothing has immunity when it comes to don't sit next to us.
Again, what are we doing here online? Well, we have a passion for film and we want to express our thoughts and insights to anyone who wants to listen. That's where you come in - we have our opinions and strong as they might be, we WANT you to share yours too. So feel free to join in the discussion!
...Look for our first review on Avatar - aka the snoozer of the year.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
who we are and what we do
I'm Christine, I'm one-half of don't sit next to us, and I am addicted to film. I love movies. A lot. I love the ritual and excitement of it all: getting your ticket, buying popcorn, finding a seat, hearing the chatter from other viewers as we all await the dimming of the lights...
We like to think of ourselves as professional movie-goers. We know the order of all the questions we'll be asked by the cashiers, we have our cards ready, we know what we're ordering and we know where we'll be sitting. We talk all through the previews to determine which movies will make The List (more on that in a minute), which are drive-in potential, which we'll see at the indy theatre nearby, and which are a definite miss. Hence the title of the blog - you really don't want to be sitting next to us (at least during the previews) and really, we like some buffer seats between us and the next guy or gal. Nothing personal you understand, it's just in case you're a talker, or a texter, or worse - a snorer.
So what makes The List and what gets cut? There aren't any hard and fast rules but there are a few criteria we look for in no particular order:
a) Decent story: I don't care if it's the same drama/comedy/action film that's been done a dozen times before, if you can make me forget that I've seen it already with different stars, chances are I'll give it a go.
b) Intelligence: If the movie looks like it requires you to actually pay attention to the plot and not just look at the pretty actor(s) then it will likely make it.
c) Fantasy: I love a good fantasy film. Give me creatures and magic and I'm happy, most of the time. It's got to be done right and not all about the effects or the actor(s). Think more Stardust and less Clash of the Titans.
d) Humour: Does it actually make me laugh? Is it free from frat-boy humour? If the answers are yes, I'll likely see it.
As I said above these are not "rules" in any way. They're more intuitive than that. When we evaluate a movie the smallest thing can make or break it's position on The List. For example, Inglorious Basterds looked extremely interesting save for one minor detail: Brad Pitt. We can't stand him. Really, it was embarrassing to say the words "one ticket for Inglorious Basterds please" because of the fact that so many other women were going only to gawk at Mr. Pitt. (on a completely unrelated note: that weekend we saw not one but two movies where characters were burned while watching a movie. creepy!)
So what are we doing here online? We just like talking about movies and hope that some of you will join in the discussion.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)