3D tax

I like going to the cinema, but aspects of it do piss me off.

As you may have worked out by now I live in the lovely valleys town of Merthyr Tydfil, sadly all we have is a Vue. We used to have nothing, and for years so it's progress and everything, but we did get stuck with the lesser of the chains. Always expensive, limited showings, only the most mainstream of films and not always at their best (no 3D showing, films only there for a few days, you know the kind of thing.)

But there are things I don't understand, there are possibly perfectly good reasons but what they are... not forthcoming. The main one is the couple of quid they chuck on the (already nearly £8) price for 3D films. I went to see The Hobbit this weekend with the good wife and £20 of tickets for the bog standard seating (if we'd wanted the nice seats it'd be the same price to get into the Odeon IMAX in Cardiff Bay) makes cinema going prohibitive. Plus generally the effect isn't worth it, in this instance it looked nice on a few landscape shots and looking into the Goblin city (no spoiler warnings, the book's been out long enough) but for the film as a whole, I could have done without it.

Do they need special projectors? (I assume so) Does it cost for to put on? Are we paying for those poxy glasses they demand back at the end? I've never seen a film which I initially saw in 3D back in normal 2D and thought... missed that 3rd dimension there. That includes Avatar and Avengers! As a gimmick its fine, as it was in the 70s and the 40s (I think) but it died then and may do so now.

If I wanted to take the full set of sprogs and wife... £8 extra. That's a whole extra person! On release weekend that cinema was 1/3 full at most. I'd imagine cost would be a factor. People wonder why films like Dredd 3D fail, the fault may be as much with the cinemas themselves as with the films.

People weigh up the excessive cost of going and the majority of the time things like cinema lose.

Oh and why couldn't we get an Odeon or a Cineworld... Sad face.

The film itself was good, didn't think it was great. Acting was OK, Freeman was good as Bilbo and it was good to see Sylvester McCoy in work but I found James Nesbitt highly annoying, but then again I always do. The first and last hours were very good but the middle kind of sauntered along waiting for something to happen. It's worth a watch but the 3D isn't a deal breaker.

Bits felt padded out/unnecessary and this didn't always work, it brings me back to other moans about a 300 page book being stretched beyond what is healthy.

I'll be watching the next two but I'm struggling to see how they'll fill 6 more hours!

£20 worth... Nah.

Avengers

I like my superhero films, and while my first loyalty will always be to DC (mainly due to Batman being my fav superhero by a distance), I've got time for Marvel even though some of the films have hit n miss.

There has been years of build up to The Avengers (or Avengers Assemble if you will as us Brits are too thick to distinguish between it and the horrific 1998 The Avengers or indeed the 60's TV series) in the form of the previously mentioned films, Thor, Captain America, 2 Iron Men and one of the Hulks (I think the first one didn't count) and that mean allot of money spent on it so far, and indeed allot of money taken! This thing had to be good.

They got Joss Whedon to write/direct, always a good sign (even if it has seemingly delayed/killed Dr Horrible 2) got the cast back from the set of earlier films (except Ed Norton, replaced with Mark Ruffalo who was much better anyway) all was set. I paid my rough-value-of-a-kidney for my 3D tickets and myself and the wife ventured onwards.

2 and a bit hours later... result, awesome film!

The whole was greater than the sum of it's parts by some distance, the dynamic between the characters (particularly Cap and Tony Stark) was excellent, it has plenty of action, more humour than the last 3 Police Academy films combined. Joss rarely lets down with a script... ahem and he hasn't here. The acting was excellent, it contains Samuel L. That's always an endorsement (I've had it with these motherfuckin' Avengers on this motherfuckin' helicarrier), Downey Jr if anything was even more smarmy and arrogant here than in his own films, Ruffalo should have the part regularly from here on in, Hemsworth was good, better than he was in Home and Away anyway, Jeremy Renner was excellent as Hawkeye and Evans was... the same. Combine that with Hiddlestone being an excellent antagonist and you're on to a winner.

I rarely think films need 3D but to be fair while there were cheap stuff-blowing-up-at-the-screen shots, most of it was just for effect and actually helped the action sequenced. Supporting the claim it wasn't shot in 3D, but was changed in production. Although that still makes me question where the cheap shots came from, it must've been in the back of Joss' mind at least.

The ending implied sequel and I've no doubt there will be. There's already an Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 confirmed (wow they didn't get killed in the film then, of course they didn't, it's Disney) and I hope there will be. I'm even looking forward to Iron Man 3 a bit, Thor 2 not so much.

No plot spoilers in here, it's not even out over in North America yet (lol) but it's a really good film I'm immensely looking forward to owning the Blu-Ray of (crimbo maybe?).

I'd still rather a justice League film, yes their name is awful, but they have Batman!

Go watch!

Sequels

Having a scan through wikipedia this morning, as you do, and I came across the distressing news that the sequel to the masterpiece "Dr Horrible's Sing Along Blog" has all but been cancelled! It's officially been put to the back burner while Joss Whedon works on the 2012 Avengers 3D film. Avengers?? Seriously?? I know what I'd rather he makes, but money talks I suppose even for geeks like Joss. I've always thought the vast majority of marvel/dc/general superhero films have been pants and this wont be any different, and unless Fillion/Day/Harris are going to Dennis Waterman the theme tune, I'm just not interested.

Usually I'm dead against sequels/remakes/reissues etc, they have their place and on occasion can be great (Back to the Future, Aliens) but so much of the time are rushed cheap pieces of cash in crap (Starship Troopers 2, The Ring 2, Caddyshack 2, Scary Movie anything). The only thing worse is hopeless cash ins on the same material, this brings me to one of the biggest culprits and the person who made think up all this rubbish, George "I love jar jar" Lucas.

Now the reason I didn't mention Star Wars in either of the above lists is simple, it's both! The 'first' 3 films amazing, the 'second' lot of shit was an insult to my eyes (apart from the last hour of episode 3). The news broke yesterday that he must need some new UPVC windows put in on Skywalker (seriously get over it) ranch so guess what's coming out again... Star Wars, all the way from 1-6 starting with the crap and fighting it's way through to the good, only this time...wait for it... I'm building up pointless tension as everyone has no doubt already read it... in 3D. Ever wanted to really get a good look at Mark Hamills scarring? Ever wanted to get so close to Wedge you'd be the one telling him to cut the chatter? Ever wanted to get so close to Binks you it feels like you could destroy him? No? Me neither. Well maybe the last one. It's another hopeless cash in and I don't like it!

Over the years I've bought the Videos, the widescreen videos, the special anniversary edition remastered DVDs, I've paid money to watch in the cinema (eps 1-3, how old do you think I am??). Now good old George wants me to pay the cinema cash plus 3D supplement again, then no doubt buy the special edition DVDs. The only 3D Star Wars I ever want to see is the 3 minute segment from the Family Guy episode, and I already have that on DVD too! FFS.

It's not just him, only a few weeks ago a friend emailed me to ask if I wanted to go see Avatar that night in the cinema. Now I saw Avatar when it was in first, yes Pocahontas in space it was, but it was a damn good Pocahontas in space, and the 3D element really helped it along, overall well done, enjoyed it. But this was the special edition, sit through all 2+ hours again, but this time with about 9 mins of extra CG shagging added. Ummm no thanks. A perfect example of cashing in.

Tomorrow Back to the Future is out in cinemas again. Back to the firigging Future FFS,  a remastered special anniversary edition too. Will the slightly tarted up graphics help the film, did the film even need any help, it's a work of art, a masterpiece. Will I go see it... yeah probably.... Well it's only it's first reissue, and I don't have them all on DVD...

God I'm such a hypocrite on times.