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Everyone's favourite animation studio is back, and this time with another addition to Toy Story. I was excited when I heard the news, after all, Pixar can do no wrong (Cars being the exception). When I saw the trailer however I felt rather indifferent and lukewarm towards the film. Now that the first reviews are in however, my enthusiasm is back. The response from critics range from good to fantastic. Pixar has an impressive list of films behind them, and while other studios have tried their best with How to Train Your Dragon, Shrek and Kung Fu Panda, they've not quite reached the brilliance of WallE, Ratatouille and Monsters Inc.
Toy Story 3 opens next week.
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Thursday, June 17, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
Cheapskates
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I recently watched Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus on dvd. Before the movie started there was an introduction by Gilliam regarding the Heath Ledger's death. Gilliam has been notoriously unlucky when making his film. In the introduction he said how saddened they all were by Heath Ledger's untimely passing etc. Gilliam's final words had nothing to do with Heath though. He said he hopes the viewer enjoys the movie which he's spent money on...unless the viewer rented it, in which case Gilliam says, the viewer didn't pay for and is a cheapskate.
Right. If only he'd rephrased it and put it a bit more eloquently then he might not have come across as a bit stupid.
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I recently watched Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus on dvd. Before the movie started there was an introduction by Gilliam regarding the Heath Ledger's death. Gilliam has been notoriously unlucky when making his film. In the introduction he said how saddened they all were by Heath Ledger's untimely passing etc. Gilliam's final words had nothing to do with Heath though. He said he hopes the viewer enjoys the movie which he's spent money on...unless the viewer rented it, in which case Gilliam says, the viewer didn't pay for and is a cheapskate.
Right. If only he'd rephrased it and put it a bit more eloquently then he might not have come across as a bit stupid.
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Thursday, May 27, 2010
What is a woman without another pair of shoes?
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A new Sex and the City movie is upon us. This time, Carrie and her friends are empowering women in the middle east apparently. When Sex and the City hit the small screen 12 years ago (yes, that makes Kim Cattrall 53 years old now), it soon caught the attention of both young and old, but mostly rich and white females all around the world. In short, it told women it was time equality was not just about the work place or sharing chores around the house, but that it should be applied to sex as well. And after centuries of sleeping around and treating women badly it was not like men had much they could say.
The problem that has arisen a decade later with the movies is that they are women women who are incredibly wealthy, has beautiful children and a live-in nanny, but who whine because they sometimes have to bake or throw away expensive clothing. Unfortunately for the cast, people often think they are who they are portraying, and to be honest, they have done a pretty good job of fooling people. But in real life, Sarah Jessica Parker and her gang are just normal women who need money to buy the latest fashion. They are getting old and possibly desperate to cling on to their beauty. Here I'm gonna give fans of the show some credit. They have idolized Sarah Jessica Parker for her character and inner beauty (so much so that they think she is good looking).
Fans of the TV show can mostly relax, knowing that it was indeed a show that was praised for doing quite a bit for women's rights and life options. Fans of the movies however need to take a good long look in the mirror, preferably not while wearing make up or a $300 dress.
But one stab to the TV show: when it came to sex, women didn't achieve equality the way they think they did. You didn't pull yourselves up to reach our level, you stooped down. You are no longer the fairer sex.
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A new Sex and the City movie is upon us. This time, Carrie and her friends are empowering women in the middle east apparently. When Sex and the City hit the small screen 12 years ago (yes, that makes Kim Cattrall 53 years old now), it soon caught the attention of both young and old, but mostly rich and white females all around the world. In short, it told women it was time equality was not just about the work place or sharing chores around the house, but that it should be applied to sex as well. And after centuries of sleeping around and treating women badly it was not like men had much they could say.
The problem that has arisen a decade later with the movies is that they are women women who are incredibly wealthy, has beautiful children and a live-in nanny, but who whine because they sometimes have to bake or throw away expensive clothing. Unfortunately for the cast, people often think they are who they are portraying, and to be honest, they have done a pretty good job of fooling people. But in real life, Sarah Jessica Parker and her gang are just normal women who need money to buy the latest fashion. They are getting old and possibly desperate to cling on to their beauty. Here I'm gonna give fans of the show some credit. They have idolized Sarah Jessica Parker for her character and inner beauty (so much so that they think she is good looking).
Fans of the TV show can mostly relax, knowing that it was indeed a show that was praised for doing quite a bit for women's rights and life options. Fans of the movies however need to take a good long look in the mirror, preferably not while wearing make up or a $300 dress.
But one stab to the TV show: when it came to sex, women didn't achieve equality the way they think they did. You didn't pull yourselves up to reach our level, you stooped down. You are no longer the fairer sex.
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Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Death to Dvd's?
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The Internet has been predicted to be the death of many things, including dvd's. Music cd sales have decreased over the last few years and legal and illegal downloading have taken most of the blame. Illegal downloading has taken its toll on the film industry as well and after proving to be a gold mine for many years, dvd sales have been dropping significantly.
Blu-Ray was thought to revive some of the interest but hasn't made a big impact so far. Reports from the industry say that most people still don't have a clue as to what Blu-Ray is, and a lot of the people that have an idea about it are confused as to what exactly is the difference between Blu-Ray and dvd's.
The film and music industries have handled the coming of the internet rather miserably, or as one illegal downloader called it...Epic Fail.
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The Internet has been predicted to be the death of many things, including dvd's. Music cd sales have decreased over the last few years and legal and illegal downloading have taken most of the blame. Illegal downloading has taken its toll on the film industry as well and after proving to be a gold mine for many years, dvd sales have been dropping significantly.
Blu-Ray was thought to revive some of the interest but hasn't made a big impact so far. Reports from the industry say that most people still don't have a clue as to what Blu-Ray is, and a lot of the people that have an idea about it are confused as to what exactly is the difference between Blu-Ray and dvd's.
The film and music industries have handled the coming of the internet rather miserably, or as one illegal downloader called it...Epic Fail.
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Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Sydney Film Festival
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I've been on a slight hiatus from watching movies recently. It usually happens for about a month or 3 weeks each year. Now I'm gearing up for the Sydney Film Festival however and if I could afford it I'd be watching 20 or so films this year. I'll probably be volunteering for the festival this year meaning I might not have time to spend money I don't have on tickets, so that'll probably work out well.
I'm currently trying to figure out what this year's silent film (with live music) is. Can't really find any information but it seems it might be Guy Maddin's 'Dracula, pages from a virgin's diary' screening at the Opera House, which would be slightly disappointing seeing how it isn't meant to be all that good.
All in all the program looks good and there's plenty to be excited about. A Somewhat Gentle Man and Exit Through the Gift Shop would be good bets, and I have high hopes for Cane Toads: The Conquest. Go buy tickets!
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I've been on a slight hiatus from watching movies recently. It usually happens for about a month or 3 weeks each year. Now I'm gearing up for the Sydney Film Festival however and if I could afford it I'd be watching 20 or so films this year. I'll probably be volunteering for the festival this year meaning I might not have time to spend money I don't have on tickets, so that'll probably work out well.
I'm currently trying to figure out what this year's silent film (with live music) is. Can't really find any information but it seems it might be Guy Maddin's 'Dracula, pages from a virgin's diary' screening at the Opera House, which would be slightly disappointing seeing how it isn't meant to be all that good.
All in all the program looks good and there's plenty to be excited about. A Somewhat Gentle Man and Exit Through the Gift Shop would be good bets, and I have high hopes for Cane Toads: The Conquest. Go buy tickets!
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Sunday, April 18, 2010
Piracy
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Movie piracy has probably been the most discussed subject in the film industry for awhile now. People who make their living in the film industry have problems with people taking their product without paying for it. And if people really thought about this I think most people would agree there is something wrong about taking something without paying for it. So far people haven't thought that downloading something illegally could cause someone to lose their job for instance. Anti-piracy campaigns have started pushing this idea now and they are trying to make people realize it is not a victimless crime.
I had a discussion with someone recently who thought no one should need to pay for entertainment. It was a comment that left me speechless. There was nothing in this person's mind that made the rather simple connection that if no one pays for movies/games/music etc. there will be little or none of it to entertain us.
But there are several sides to this issue. iiNet was recently taken to court by some film companies that argued that iiNet was responsible for what people were downloading and that they had to do something to stop them. The court ruled in favor of iiNet saying that it was not the business of the internet providers to police the web, and I couldn't agree more.
I think the way the film companies have gone about their anti-piracy campaign have been nothing short of terrible. They've come across as desperate and money grabbing and have lost support of a lot of film fans around the world.
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Movie piracy has probably been the most discussed subject in the film industry for awhile now. People who make their living in the film industry have problems with people taking their product without paying for it. And if people really thought about this I think most people would agree there is something wrong about taking something without paying for it. So far people haven't thought that downloading something illegally could cause someone to lose their job for instance. Anti-piracy campaigns have started pushing this idea now and they are trying to make people realize it is not a victimless crime.
I had a discussion with someone recently who thought no one should need to pay for entertainment. It was a comment that left me speechless. There was nothing in this person's mind that made the rather simple connection that if no one pays for movies/games/music etc. there will be little or none of it to entertain us.
But there are several sides to this issue. iiNet was recently taken to court by some film companies that argued that iiNet was responsible for what people were downloading and that they had to do something to stop them. The court ruled in favor of iiNet saying that it was not the business of the internet providers to police the web, and I couldn't agree more.
I think the way the film companies have gone about their anti-piracy campaign have been nothing short of terrible. They've come across as desperate and money grabbing and have lost support of a lot of film fans around the world.
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Tuesday, April 13, 2010
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