Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Tag: Movies Page 29 of 31

Biggs’ Cinema Scoop: First!

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On March 6, 2013

In Cinema Scoop, Movies

at_the_movies(New category of Biggs cortical cogitations – in these posts I am going to talk about some of the latest noteworthy minutiae in cinema. Movies are my second favorite pastime. I love the movie making process from acting to lighting, special effects, soundtrack and cinematography. If you like movies, I hope you find these tidbits interesting as well.)

First!

This is going to be the most difficult post I think because there is so much movie news I’ve been reading that I don’t know what I want to talk about. I know that if I try to cram it all into a post I will bore you all to tears! I don’t want to do that, I want you to be interested enough to read everything and to come back and read future posts. I will try to limit it to only the most recent movie news I’ve heard.

Angelina Jolie Probably Not Lara Croft in Reboot – The rumor mill has churned out another tidbit; there is going to be a Tomb Raider reboot and it doesn’t look like Lara Croft will be reprized by Angelina Jolie. The producers want a younger Lara Croft and while I thought Jolie fit the profile, I think if they pick the right person I don’t see a problem. Many didn’t like the original movies so perhaps a reboot will be better, it worked a little bit for the Hulk movie (the one starring Eric Bana).

Christian Bale reprising Batman – No, this isn’t going to be another movie in the Dark Knight series. I believe its been confirmed that he will be playing Batman in the upcoming Justice League movie opposite Henry Cavill as Superman. Of all the actor’s that portrayed Batman (excluding Adam West because he’s in a class all his own) I’d say Christian Bale is probably my favorite if not tied with Michael Keaton. As long as the Justice League movie is done right, this will be awesome.

Hamill, Ford & Fisher Confirmed for Next Star Wars Film – Don’t get your Star Wars dungarees in a bunch, they won’t be the main characters of the next film. While nobody has officially confirmed anything, my belief is that they will play secondary roles. In fact the story of Episode VII will probably be focused on Han and Leia’s kids and, in my opinion, it makes sense that Fisher and Ford return to portray the parents, and Hamill as the Obi-Wan-like uncle to provide continuity with the previous films.

Harrison Ford Is Kind of a Big Deal! – Speaking of Harrison Ford, it looks like he has been cast to appear in the Anchorman sequel. I. Think. That’s. Awesome! I wonder if he is going to play the rival anchorman, which I heard was the plot of the sequel. I may be risking my man-card here, but I really liked him in the movie Morning Glory as the gruff, hard-nosed and washed-up news anchor forced to pander to a more lighthearted audience. “A hot pan makes the eggs fluffy.”

All right, folks, I’m going to stop there. Again I don’t want to overwhelm you with too much movie gossip. I hope to be able to keep doing this post so I would really appreciate some feedback.

Biggs On: The Oscars

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On February 26, 2013

In Biggs On, Movies

film_reelI didn’t watch the Oscars this year, honestly it’s been several years since I have actually sat down and watched them like I use to. I wanted to watch some of my favorite movies potentially win the most prestigious award in the movie industry; I don’t want to hear George Clooney or some documentary troglodyte use their acceptance speech to soapbox some political agenda. When it became about politics, it stopped being interesting. We all know the primadonnas in Hollywood have their skewed and obscene opinions about certain political issues. Oscar night is not the forum for that because I. Don’t. Care.

Be that as it may, I am considering watching them again. This year was perhaps the first year where all the nominees for Best Picture were all movies I had seen or heard of and were actually good movies. I do wish I had watched them this year because of the brouhaha and alleged calamity of having Seth MacFarlane as the host. As I’ve been saying the past couple of days, if you have the creator of Family Guy host your show then you shouldn’t be shocked by lewd and crass commentary. Everything that I have heard about his comments and antics I thought sounded pretty damn funny.

The movies have always fascinated me. How they’re made from sound to cinematography; blending reality with computer animation; watching new actors and actresses come out of their comfort zone and blow us all away. I’m honestly still holding out hope that the Academy will pick Mila Kunis for a nomination. Her performance in Black Swan alone should have been worth a nod.

If the Oscars start to become more about glamour and goofs; honor and tributes; a night to be remembered not only for who won but also about who was honored (ex: 50 years of Bond) and having the humility to laugh at ourselves (ex: Side Boob!), then I will start watching again. I use to participate in the prediction contests every year, and a couple years I came pretty close to winning. I’d like to be able to do that again and its all because of Seth MacFarlane 🙂

/cheers

Biggs On: Disney’s Acquisition of LucasFilm [UPDATE]

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On October 31, 2012

In Biggs On, Movies, Star Wars

In 1977 the production budget for Star Wars Episode 4 was $11 million (which is approximately $45 million today). It made $460 million in the U.S. alone which, after adjusting for inflation, makes it the second highest grossing film in the U.S. and Canada. The amazing world that George Lucas created has permeated over three decades. What is a legacy like that worth?

Apparently $4.05 billion (that’s $4,050,000,000).

George Lucas has been under quite a bit of scrutiny over the past 10-15 years so whether his motivation was to create some separation from Star Wars completely, or he needed that extra $4 billion, the purchase by Disney has left me with mixed emotions. On one hand perhaps its time for a new perspective since most of the decisions Lucas has made since he announced Phantom Menace have been bombarded by scathing criticism by “fans” that “obviously know better then he does”. Disney, as a conglomerate, isn’t popular among many in today’s society, but as a film producer they are extremely successful and have made quite a few really great movies.

On the other hand it does feel a bit like he has now completely sold out. He has abandoned his legacy for some “extra cash”. Granted he will be kept around as a “creative consultant” but Disney producers will have the final say. It’s hard to predict what will happen to the franchise now. Disney has already said the 7th film will be out in 2015 and they intend to make 8 and 9 (Star Wars was originally intended to be 9 movies). The Star Wars movies and universe have been such a large part of my life and the core of what defines me as a geek.

What really makes this more strange and difficult is usually when I blog about these kinds of things (either under the Biggs On category or the Soapbox category) I always seem to reach a conclusion or some level of personal understanding with the topic. That simply isn’t the case here. I know, without even looking on the social media sites, that a line has been drawn in the sand. There will be the purist on one side nerd raging over this event and there will be the optimistic group (usually the ones I call the “true fans of Star Wars”) on the other side. I feel caught in the middle but leaning toward optimistic.

I don’t hate Disney, even Disney the Conglomerate, but I do fear that they could ruin the franchise, more then many have “claimed” Lucas has, if they don’t proceed carefully. I guess we will know in 2-3 years.

UPDATE:

Shortly after publishing this post I happened to be reading the recent post of The Queue over at WoW Insider and, coincidentally, someone asked a question about this very topic. Despite the fact that it wasn’t WoW related the author responded and there was a very excellent point.

The Avengers is probably one of this summer’s biggest blockbuster movies, and it is a Disney movie. In fact Disney owns Marvel Entertainment so every Marvel movie produced since 2009 is a Disney movie. That helps quell my fears because it does show that Disney does care about the fan perspective of cult classics and cult genres. Perhaps Star Wars is in better hands now. Perhaps it is something to be excited about.

/Cheers

Soapbox: Movie Theater Etiquette

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On July 24, 2012

In Soapbox

I recently saw a movie and I rarely see a movie in the theater, mainly because I think its too expensive to see movies anymore. I really dislike movies that are only available in 3D because I really don’t want to pay an extra $4 per ticket just for a gimmick whose fad is starting to wane. But I digress.

So my past movie theater experience was The Dark Knight Rises (you can read my review of it here) and I had a rather rude stranger sitting next to me. He started by arriving late so his girlfriend kept texting and calling him but it was only during the previews so it wasn’t that upsetting, but it set the precedent for the remainder of the evening. He sat right next to me and seemed to want to check his texts or respond to texts every 10 minutes. In fact at one point he was talking on the phone to his girlfriend who he sent out to get him pizza (from the local pizza place located in the same building as the theater).

I couldn’t believe how rude and obnoxious this asshat was. There were a few times I became really tempted to start screwing with the guy. I even thought about trying to reach over and grab a slice of his pizza. In fact I think from now on if you are sitting next to me and you feel the need to read and respond to your text messages, expect to share your messages with me. If I see you reading and sending texts I am going to purposefully look at your phone. I’m not going to try to hide it either. I am going to lean over so you can feel my breath on your neck because obviously your text messages are more interesting then the movie.

There is a reason that theaters have the promotions that play just before the movie asking all patrons to turn their phones off. All of us paid to watch the movie but your texts and phone conversations are not part of the experience, unless you are sitting next to me … then I will make them part of my experience.

/end soapbox

May the Force Be With You, George

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On January 19, 2012

In Movies, Star Wars

The man that brought us our beloved Star Wars universe announced on January 18th, 2012 that he is retiring from the film making industry. While many so-called “fans” continue to belittle and berate the man, I wish him Happy Retirement and Thank You. Your stories will live on forever in the hearts of millions.

I honestly can’t stand all the negative press and despicable grief thousands have been giving him over the prequels and the minor (and I mean extremely minor) changes that he has done to the original trilogy. I don’t blame him for retiring for these reasons; some ungrateful “fans” we turned out to be! Unless you can cough up a few million bucks and purchase the rights to the Star Wars movies, I say leave it be and STFU. These are his movies, his stories, his intellectual property. He is entitled to make, change or remove anything he feels like and if you don’t like it, well … tough! Buck Up, Sally!!

If it weren’t for him in the beginning we wouldn’t even have a community. We would all be worshipping Klingons and wearing pointed ears, and who wants that?? (Just teasing Trekkies!) I’m just saying that just because you have been a fan since you were 10 years old doesn’t entitle you to dictate how the story should be told when it’s not your story to begin with. I admit that the prequels have their flaws, but a true fan, a dedicated fan, can learn to accept the flaws and embrace all of it, unequivocally.

Besides, in the end it isn’t about midichlorians, or who shot first, or what Vader should or should not have exclaimed. It’s about immersing ourselves in the lore and adventure of different worlds and different species. It’s about total strangers from all over the world, coming together under a single, unifying, albeit fictitious, universe. This is what George Lucas has done; that is his legacy.

Thank you, George! And May the Force Be With You!
Cheers!

Very Sparkly

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On November 22, 2011

In General Cogitation, Movies

I am probably going to have my man can revoked but I watched the first Twilight movie on Monday. My wife wanted to watch them because of all the hype so I told her that I would watch them with her.

I am somewhat of a fan of vampire lore. I love the True Blood series. So I do have a few expectations when it comes to vampire lore. I think the first movie was alright, not quite as bad as I expected but there are two things that do bother me about the “alternative interpretation” to some of the vampire lore.

I know everyone has already mocked the Twilight movies about vampires sparkling. I’m sure Stephanie Meyer was just romanticizing the vampire lore to tell her love story but nearly every other vampire story will depict a vampire bursting into flames when they come in contact with sunlight. Vampires also do not have a reflection, and the climatic scene in Twilight takes place in a ballet studio and all the vampires have reflections in the mirrors. I think these two are some pretty core vampire lore, much like pointed ears on elves. While I can let the reflection thing slide, I’m having a hard time letting go of the sparkles.

So, while I’m definitely not a fan of sparkling vampires, so far I don’t think its a terrible movie. I told her I would watch the remainder the movies with her so I am interested to see how things transpire. The reviews I have been hearing about the one currently in theaters is that its much darker. Perhaps we will see the true brutality of vampires.

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