That’s quite a bold statement to make, but I’ll gently walk you through what’s been buzzing around in my head for months.  Let’s get the obvious stuff out of the way first: films, TV programmes, video games have traditionally been displayed in 2D.  As human beings, we see in 3D.

Perception

So why hasn’t this bothered us before?  Well, the human brain is a remarkable thing.  We may not be able to number-crunch as well as computers, but the brain is able to make sense out of our chaotic and often unpredictable environment.  As we look at a 2D photograph or video, we’re able to interpret what we see and ‘convert’ it into 3D in our minds.

Sure, we don’t get the added sense of depth that 3D technology provides, but I’ve coped well-enough up to now without wanting to reach out and grab those butterflies that adverts and tech demos are so fond of using.  As for the aforementioned tech demos, I found them to work better with 3D than the actual film itself.

How so?  For a kick off I found the picture a bit blurry (even though the latest 3D technology is supposed to keep the image crisp and clear) and in Tron: Legacy when the main protagonist of the film got sucked into ‘the Grid’ and everything was supposed to leap into 3D… I didn’t really notice it.  Could it be that technology is now trying to do something for us that our brains have already been doing for us on some unconscious  level?  You know, making sense of what we’re seeing.

Direction

I’m hoping that most of you will agree with me that Inception was one of the highest quality film releases we’ve had in some time.  It wasn’t in 3D though, was it?  Did that matter?  Well, no.  It received critical acclaim nevertheless.

As far as I see it, if you’re watching a film or TV programme, you’re viewing the world created by some very talented people through a window that the director has chosen to show you.  All of the precise camera angles selected, the lighting and the direction, have all been chosen for maximum effect.

Do I really want those butterflies to start flying towards me?  I jest, but if anything this new realm of 3D entertainment is perhaps better suited to video games.  Video games are a very immersive form of entertainment, and 3D could perhaps enhance this.

Yet… I then read about a warning from Nintendo about its 3DS handheld, stating amongst other things that it ‘could affect the way depth is perceived’ in young children’s eyes.  I honestly don’t know what to think.

To the future!

I’m not some kind of luddite who is adverse to new technology.  Far from it.  Multi- touch interfaces and high definition displays are now common pieces of technology for many people, and offer better experiences for users than what came before.  3D?  I just don’t buy it.

I’ll be all-for holographic technology and virtual reality environments when they come out as they’ll truly be a leap above and beyond what we have today, but more and more I’m feeling that the film industry and other companies with vested interests have conjured up 3D shortly after everyone made the leap to HD.  I mean, seriously?  It’s just never enough for them.

And that concludes my rant.

Yours,

A concerned citizen.

The first draft of this review turned out to be a complete disaster.  I had initially wanted to ‘describe and rate the total experience I had: the place, the cinema, and the film.‘  What actually happened was I ended up discussing car parks in great detail.  In-depth and rigorous, but ultimately very boring.  I’m sure you wanted to hear more about my thoughts on Watchmen, not car parks, right?

Most of you will know that Watchmen started out as a graphic novel.  I was aware of this, but as of yet I haven’t got around to reading it.  I will though, someday.  So, to many people a comparison with the graphic novel is a must, but alas I cannot do that here.  For that, you can take a look at Empire’s review.  Considering the creator of Watchmen, Alan Moore has been quoted as saying that Watchmen is “inherently unfilmable” I didn’t exactly know what to expect.

Again, if you want a sublime review considering every facet of the film, then I urge you again to read Empire’s review.  All as I am providing here are a few thoughts and opinions of mine on the film.  Obviously the film tends to benefit the reader of the novel, not your humble movie-goer.  I can tell you that my friends didn’t really ‘get’ the film, and rated it below average as it wasn’t a particularly action-packed film, and the pace didn’t really kick up a gear.  So whilst Empire has rated it 4/5, I’ve rated it 3.5/5 due to its poor translation on to film.

But even I feel that’s missing the point.  Whether or not you believe the film compares favourably with the graphic novel, it is still a very intelligent film that gives you a lot to think about.  Whilst coming out of the film initially disappointed- the underlying story, themes and concepts have been gradually eating away at me.  I want more!  And I’ll definitely be picking up a copy of the Watchmen graphic novel.  As a side note: the book containing artwork from the film is worth a look.  The black and white photos are fantastic.

So, a mixed bag of thoughts.  Those of you who have see Watchmen as well, please let me know what you thought and maybe I’ll be able to add another angle to this article.

Aunt May is supposed to be the hero’s role model and the wise, kindly heart of the franchise. In reality, she’s a humourless, boring windbag — Yoda without the lightsaber, kung fu skills or amusing wordplay.

I was just browsing your blog and thought that this would be of interest to you and your readers. It’s an online project for PlayStation 3 called Shoot!.

It brings six of the most promising international directorial talents together with the six of the most respected names in the film industry today, to make six short films commissioned exclusively for PlayStation.

Some of these films are already available and some will be released later this month through the PlayStation Network (available in High Definition through a PS3 or PSP) or 7 days later at www.psshoot.com (in standard definition).

Each week one of the films will be released to download (for free) along with further video content which tells the story of how that film was made, from its pitch to its production and interviews with the respective directors.

This is the kind of rich, value-added content that will entice users to make the most of the PlayStation Network and show that it can provide a wealth of great content, not limited to downloadable games.  I came across Shoot! at the weekend whilst perusing the PlayStation Store, but I didn’t know about this dedicated website.

Aside from the standard ‘this is good for PlayStation’ spiel, the content itself is very interesting and sheds light on how each respective director approached the creative process and the techniques used to achieve their vision.  Even for those who don’t have a PS3, videos are up on www.psshoot.com- well worth a look.

Sorry to be so abstract, but these are just some thoughts of mine on Cloverfield.  For some reason I hadn’t gone to the cinema to see this, it happens.  I don’t neccessarily go to see every film out there, although I admit I do try.  Heck- even though I know it’s supposed to be decent, I haven’t even seen Quantum of Solace yet!

Anyhow, when walking around HMV one fine day (it was probably raining to be honest), I felt compelled to pick up Cloverfield on DVD and buy it.  I’d heard mixed reviews: some thought it was the second coming, whereas others thought it was generic and sub-par.  I thought I’d give it a go anyway.

To be quite honest I was initially totally shocked with the opening.  It felt suffocating, being restricted to one solitary camera- a shaky one at that (hand-held camcorder).  I was also thinking ‘this sucks’ right from the beginning, and right the way through the party- watching and listening to some kind of mindless drivel from all of the guests and especially the guy holding the camcorder.  What a tool.

Yes, very boring right up until the point where… something happens.  From this point onwards in the film, and right until the bitter end- the whole camcorder perspective makes perfect sense.  There’s a point in the film which reminds me of some of the finest moments of Halo and Starship Troopers.  With a first-person viewpoint you are totally immersed in the film, and the film as a whole benefits enormously for it.

Again, I’m not going to go into too much detail here with regards to spoilers, but there’s a scene near the end that could have been done so much better.  I’ve seen more emotive stuff like this on a Stargate SG-1 episode called ‘Heroes‘.

So, to kind-of conclude: Cloverfield is on the whole, and excellent film, but be prepared for a totally different viewpoint.  I’m always interested in different cinematic styles and experiences (I found the film ‘Hero’ to be particularly good) but there absolutely must be a great story to back it up.  And Cloverfield has just that, the story of a group of ordinary people trying to survive the carnage of a monster in New york City.  Epic.

Anyone reading this seen Cloverfield?  Thoughs?  Agree?  Disagree?  Agree to disagree? Beg to differ?

Immediately after playing Uncharted for the first time, I had always thought that Nathan Drake more or less looked like, and sounded exactly like Joe Flanigan.  It looks like I’m not the only one who thinks this.  Joe Flanigan is perhaps best known (in my mind anyway) for his portrayal of Lt. Colonel John Sheppard on Stargate Atlantis.  I was initially going to provide side-by-side comparisons of them, but why bother?  If you ‘Google’ both names, you’ll soon see the similarity.  Also, if you hop on to YouTube, there might some clips of them both ‘in action’ so to speak.

Even if you’ve never played Uncharted or never watched Stargate Atlantis, then this is still relevant to you.  Whilst many videogame-to-film translations haven’t gone particularly well, this one should be a fantastic film.  Why?  Well Uncharted happens to have a particularly strong plot with plenty of twists and turns.  You could call it Tomb Raider-esque, but with way more substance.  The truly crucial factor though, is that the writers don’t deviate too far from the source material.  The source material is already gold.

If anyone knows what I’m on about, then please let me know what you think.  I’d love to have a chat about this!

Let’s start with my previous list:

The Happening
I just didn’t bother with this one.  Nothing much to say really!

Wanted
Really cool film.  Plenty of action and a reasonable twist towards the end.

Hancock
I didn’t have time to see this one, thought it’s on my wish list for getting it on DVD.

The Dark Knight
This was worth the wait and then some.  Possibly a bit too long, but dripping with amazingness(?!)

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Like ‘The Happening’, I just didn’t bother.  That, and most critics panned it.  Might get round to seeing it eventually though.

More films I want to see this year:

Quantum of Solace
Out: 31/10/2008
Anticipation factor: 5/5
Comment: I’m really looking forward to this one.  This new style is Bond how it should be.

Watchmen
Out: 06/03/2009
Anticipation factor: 3.5/5
Comment: I really don’t know what to expect from this film, but I’m intrigued by it.  Not your average superhero film, that’s for sure.

Ok, so this post turned out poorer than I could possibly have imagined.  But an update is an update I suppose.  Till next time!

After watching the film in it’s entirety I’d say that the bleeding effect between the deliciously dark fairytale and the gritty, harsh realities of the Spanish Civil War is truly magnificent.  Guillermo del Toro ‘s master touch and the dialogue being in Spanish adds that extra layer of immersion and authenticity.

The actor’s portrayal of the sadistic Captain added real depth to the film and created a true villain (but not clichéd) that you could hate.  The faun was a particularly interesting character indeed, as right until the last few minutes of the film, you didn’t know whether to trust him or not.  Quite creepy.

Pan's Labyrinth

I have to admit that this film scared me quite a lot.  The scene with the Pale Man and the banquet had me gripping the arms of my chair tight as I could see that Ofelia was oblivious to the creature waking up to get her.  A truly terrifying monster.  Why is it that this film (rated 15), scares me more than most 18 rated films?  I’d say it’s both the quality of the script and the director knowing exactly what he wants from a scene.  A true masterpiece.

Does this film have any detractions?  Not for me.  This has to be one of those rare films that I’m going to rate 5 stars.  An absolute triumph.  I’ll be getting Pan’s Labyrinth on DVD soon.

Ok, so you’ve heard enough superlatives from me, have you watched the film?  What do you think?  Please talk to me!

It’s going to be called ‘Decode’, and will debut on the movie soundtrack for the upcoming 2008 film- Twilight.  Apparently the film is based on a novel which admittedly I don’t recall ever hearing of, oh well.  It’s also mentioned the single will be available everywhere November 4th which is good.  I will, of course be buying this beauty on CD when it comes out, assuming it’s any good.  But this is Paramore we’re on about, of course it’ll be good.

More Paramore news/info as and when it happens.

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