You want how much for a tub of popped corn?

At work we have a group of people who use vacation time to take Friday afternoons off and go to the movies. Yes I know, you hate me. I get that. I make no apologies for my awesome job!

One of the side affects of seeing so many movies is that I see things well in advance of my wife. She is not a fan of the movie going experience. Maybe its the price, maybe its the kid kicking the back of her seat, maybe she would rather spend two hours of her life somewhere she can have a drink and a smoke. Regardless, due to her aversion to the theater, when she adds a movie to the Netflix Que it's likely that I have already seen it.

This is not such a bad thing, I can usually guide our rental experience and avoid seeing something awful (take Vin Diesels Babylon AD for example). Not to mention if I have already seen it and enjoyed it in the theater, I would like to see it again. Therein lies the problem.

My most recent example is Avatar. I saw that in 3D, an experience I came out of with mixed emotion. The glasses hurt my face after a while, and the constant in you face action gave me a headache. Still, I enjoyed the movie. It was good. Not great. Not a gazillion dollars in record setting ticket sales good, but good. I don't really get what the fuss was about. It's not as groundbreaking as they made it out to be, and the plot was very transparent/predictable.

Now the problem comes in when I was getting groceries the other day and noticed the DVD display with a big yellow sale sign on it. Not one to pass up a good deal (it was only $16.99) I put Avatar in the cart. When we watched it at home on the tv, which is fairly large and of good quality, it just fell flat. I immediately realized that this movie was designed for the theater. Everything about it was carefully crafted to dazzle and amaze, but only on a 30 foot tall screen with 3D and surround sound.

The movie is still watchable, but it is not the same. Some great action scenes still came across entertainingly enough, but the forest world, blue people, and flying scenes just seemed cheesy. I noticed the same thing with Transformers 2, and I think they even cut short a gratuitous running scene with Meghan Fox (maybe it just seemed to last longer on the big screen?). At any rate, I am acutely aware now of the difference between my decent home theater setup and seeing it the way Hollywood intended, in all its mind numbing glory.

Recent Movies I recommend:

Kick Ass - Very bloody and graphic, do NOT let young ones see this. Nick Cage plays a super hero he models after Adam West's Bat Man, this alone is enough to see the movie.

Alice in Wonderland - Burton and Depp are at it again. Not as good as I had hoped, but worth seeing.

Avatar - If only to see what the fuss is about.

Hurt Locker - Based largely on the life of a soldier from MI as he defuses bombs in Iraq.

Inglorious Bastards - Again, very bloody. If you don't like Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill) than you won't like this. If you are hip to the bizarre and bloody nature of his films, this is a must see.

So enjoy but caveat emptor, I make no warranty implied or expressed. If you see one of these films and think it's horrible, I can not give you a refund. I do however recommend you only see something Bruckheimer produces in the theater. It makes a difference.

Movie time!

At lunch today the conversation veered into movie land. I am somewhat jaded by Tinsel Town as of late, and my personal take is that they are running out of original ideas worth making a movie out of. Look at all of the dusted off old ideas that have been regurgitated in the last couple of years; Batman, Die Hard, Indiana Jones, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, just to name a few.

Some of these remakes are good; some of them should never have been touched. *see also The Incredible Hulk*

This got me to thinking about movies I have loved over the last decade or so, and I have compiled a list of "If you missed it, you should go check it out" movies.
(Editors note: I am by no means Roger Ebert, so these are just my non professional thoughts, observations, and ideas, so take it with a grain of salt)

1) The Comedy selection: Anchorman
Granted, Farrell is an acquired taste, but if you love his style check out the movie that gave us such memorable quotes as:
-You're a smelly pirate hooker. Why don't you go back to your home on Whore Island?
-I'm in a glass case of emotion!
-Sex Panther, 60% of the time, it works every time!
-Look, a glorious rainbow! Do me on it!
-and the list goes on...
Not to mention the classic scene of Farrell describing to his buddies what it's like to be in love by leading the gang in an A Capella version of 'Afternoon Delight'. Good stuff!

Honorable Mention: Superbad, a hilarious coming of age tale from new comedy genius Seth Rogan.

2) The Fantasy/Action Adventure selection: Pirates of the Caribbean, Curse of the Black Pearl
This was such a well told story with fantastic original characters and great visuals. I remember seeing this in the theater and thinking, "now that is how you make a great movie!” Johnny Depp takes the character 'Captain' Jack Sparrow to epic heights and anything Producer Jerry Bruckheimer touches turns to gold. The two sequels are worth seeing, but the magic of the original is never recaptured. Favorite quote, "Why is all the Rum gone?"

Honorable Mention: Star Wars III, Revenge of the Sith, easily the best of the 'prequels'

3) The Drama selection: The Good Sheppard
Brilliant casting, an edge of your seat thriller, and the best post WWII story I have seen. This one is a little bit hard to follow at times, but if you pay attention you should get it in the end. I love Matt Damon in this, because you never quite know what to think about his character. He keeps you guessing and as you find out throughout the film that has been his job since he was a college lad.

Honorable Mention: Reign over Me, Don Cheadle and surprisingly Adam Sandler turn in great performances in this post 9/11 life goes on story (I say 'surprisingly Sandler' because it is in my opinion his only serious role that he pulls off aside from maybe 'Spanglish'). Gripping scenes with Sandler recalling 9/11 and how it changed him forever.

4) Animated tale I saw before I had children that gave me a built in excuse: Finding Nemo
You have to love the voice cast in this and the animation was stunning. I was not an Ellen Degeneres fan before this movie, but Dory was an unforgettable character that still makes me grin. "Hi, I'm Dory. Have we met?” When she reads the 'escape' hatch as EsChaPeh and postures that it must be French, I just can't help but laugh. Then she says, "hey, that’s funny it’s spelled the same as escape". Brilliant. I still use the "Good feelings gone" quote from when the monster fish sneaks up on them in the abyss and love to sing and dance to "no eating here tonight, uh, no eating here tonight, you on a diet"!

Honorable Mention: Meet the Robinsons, a great flick about a boy genius who invents time travel. I know someone who reminds me of Yagoobian, but I won't say here...