After Christmas was over, I was looking to relax and de-tangle, so I caught up on movies and things that interested me. Luckily, everything ended up being better than I was expecting. Plus, my good buddy Ken was available quite a bit. Here’s a list of the various things I tried:
Christmas night: Avatar in 3D at Blackstone Valley Cinema with Ken
My expectations for this one were pretty low, as they tend to be for anything with this amount of hype. I was pleasantly surprised. The effects were absolutely amazing, and it was a joy to see 3D finally done really well, without too many gimmicks and errors. The character/background/prop design was outstanding, and I was really impressed with many things I hadn’t seen done before to really push the feeling of being immersed in the world, including air-rippling heat effects rendered correctly. As for plot, I thought it was entertaining and enough to keep me interested, but it did run very long. The final battle is incredible and worth the price of admission alone, but I don’t think it would hold up without 3D. It holds up better than most 3D movies would, but it still isn’t quite the epic in 2D that it is in 3D. It certainly is a successful 3D film, and I hope that it ushers a new era of the format. As usual, the Blackstone Valley Cinema experience was great, with the film bright and in focus, with the deep base rumbling the place.
A Serious Man at West Boylston Cinema with Andy & Ken
I tend to like Coen Brother’s movies, especially the smaller ones, and this one fit my expectations. The characters were quirky, and many brought a laugh just by their appearance alone. The pacing is perfect, the theme was interesting, and it left us trying to figure out exactly what they were trying to say. Ken & I had completely opposite ideas as to what it all meant, and both arguments worked. Andy was a bigger fan of No Country for Old Men, but I think this was a much stronger movie. Every character was strong, and the dialogue really hooked me in. It was the type of movie where the characters hook you in so much that it could keep going for double the runtime without trouble. West Boylston Cinema is very cheap – Andy and I both bought our tickets for less than half the cost of a single ticket to Avatar 3D – but the screen size is tiny in comparison, and the theater was almost full. The movie was engrossing enough that none of that really mattered. I’m still trying to interpret that opening, though.
Rockband 2 with Andy & Ken
I had been trying to talk Andy into playing this for a long time. The high price tag kept us from getting it, even as it dropped from $200 all the way down to $99. Luckily, Andy’s mother picked it up for us for Christmas, and we hooked it up to the projector. It ended up being a lot of fun, and Andy really gets s kick out of it (I hear a lot more rock being played in the kitchen now – thank goodness some of that pop has been replaced!). We had so much fun playing with Ken (who somehow talked Andy into singing – hearing her sing Disturbed’s “One Step Closer” was hilarious) that I decided it was finally time to upgrade the sound system in the living room theater. One visit to Craigslist and one trip to Worcester to meet a sketchy dude later, and we were rocking out full blast on Sunday.
World’s Greatest Dad in the home theater with Andy
To start, this movie was written & directed by Bobcat Goldthwait. Yes, I imagine that’s as surprising to you as it was to me. Let me start by saying that this is not the movie that was advertised. This movie is dark, dirty, and shows things I’ve never seen before, and I’ve seen quite a lot. It carries an indie feel throughout. It’s also one of the best movies I’ve seen this year, easily. It had me laughing out loud, and even almost brought me to tears a couple of times. Robin Williams is perfect for the role of a father who will put up with anything his kid puts him through, and this kid is my worst nightmare of what a child could end up being. I really felt for William’s character, and when the big plot twist comes, it’s heart-wrenching. The theme is universal, and it constantly takes unexpected turns, and never goes down simple, unbelievable paths, which it could have easily done. This was a very impressive movie, and I hope you’ll support it by checking it out.
The Invention of Lying with Andy
This was a little over-polished, and I’m not sure if Gervais is trying to copy the feel of a Woody Allen movie. Also, Jennifer Ganer to me completely unlikeable in this movie. Her character is obnoxious, under developed, and fake-looking. With all that said, this really is the atheist epic I’ve been waiting for. It takes agnostic/atheist themes and really takes that ball and runs with it. All of a sudden, about half way through the movie, a very touching scene between Gervais and his mother turns the movie in a direction I really wasn’t expecting. This movie remained smart all the way to the end, and I enjoyed it immensely. It seems like Gervais really nailed the potential that this idea held, and really made a good movie out of it. I was nervous about this one, especially after being so disappointed by Ghost Town, but it really was entertaining and thought-provoking. It also has some of the best product-placement I’ve ever seen. I love it when it’s done with complete disregard for a special-interest group.
