January 15th, 2010 · 1 Comment
On Wednesday night I went to see Avatar in 3D at the IMAX theater with Dallas, Brian, Chad and Limey. These were the awesome glasses we got to wear! They were huge! And it was funny to turn to my friends during the movie and see them wearing them!!
So.. the movie. You know, there’s been so much hype about Avatar. Even before it premiered. And I remember hearing interviews with James Cameron going on about how this is his passion and his life’s work and how it was going to be bigger than his other movie Titanic and it was going to push the boundries technically and be better than Star Wars in its day or LOTR in its day. And I was kind of like “er. ok. whatever, dude!” But, I must say. I really liked it.
At its core it’s a story we’ve all heard a million times before. You know.. outsider infiltrates group and has an alterior motive. Group accepts him and he learns all about them and becomes one of them. Group finds out about alterior motives. Outsider must explain that those were the motives in the beginning but not any more. And there’s a romantic plot. And there’s a lot of action scenes with the big bad commander who will stop at nothing. This is nothing new. But the movie itself is gorgeous and fast paced. It’s something like 3 hours long, but doesn’t feel like it is. And the way that Cameron brings you into this new world, called Pandora, is really interesting.
As far as technology? Yes, some of the best CGI I’ve ever seen. .. and then add 3D. But, not your normal cheesy 3D, like the movies in the past that were just made for 3D and for messing with the technology. You know, things coming out at the audience on purpose just to make you jump. This is not like that. It’s more like you just feel like you’re a part of the movie. Of course, that huge IMAX screen didn’t hurt either.
So, overall, I think the story was weak, but the graphics were strong and it was still really fun to watch. Definitely worth the time and money.
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Tags:3d·avatar·brian·chad·Chicago·dallas·imax·limey·movies·navy pier
The Logan Theatre in Logan Square shows movies for only $4. Sometimes the movies are a little older than the new releases at the fancy theaters, but not that much older. For example, right now they’re showing Planet 51, 2012, Twilight, Disney’s A Christmas Carol, and Old Dogs. I just checked and all of these movies are still playing at the big multiplex nearby, but probably at the tail-end of their run.
The Logan Theatre theater is pretty old school. Very small concession stand, no stadium seating, only a couple theaters. In the bathrooms there’s a weird sitting room. In the bathroom stalls the toilet paper is dispensed in tiny little sheets, stacked up like napkins, instead of having a roll. It’s a mix of charm and a run down feeling, but we’re not complaining. Having a theater we can walk to in the neighborhood that charges only half price is awesome.
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Tags:Chicago·logan square·logan theatre·movies
Cookshop, Chelsea, Manhattan
On Sunday Jess and I met up with Jeannette at Cookshop in Chelsea for brunch. We’d read on line that it was good and wanted to try it out. We had to wait 30-45 minutes to get in, which was ok because Jess and I were a little late anyway. Jeannette put our names on the list.
All three of us shared three brunch entrees plus the beignets for an appetizer.
Fresh ricotta beignets with apricot compote
Buttermilk Fried Baby Chicken with baby lettuce, shaved radish, ranch dressing & honey
Semolina-Raisin French Toast with vanilla-mascarpone cream, toasted almonds & dried apricots
Cookshop Scramble with 3 eggs, carmelized onions, creme fraiche, chives, buttermilk biscuit, & applewood smoked bacon
After brunch we went up to the AMC in Lincoln Square and saw the move Precious. Really brutal. Rough topics. But there is dark humor mixed in to break it up a bit. The movie is definitely draining though. You might experience an irrational need to cry when talking about something completely unrelated hours later. Or maybe that just happened to me. ha
Jeannette and I were at the Food Emporium before the movie I bought this water. We got snacks for the movie, but then no one ate them. Not that kind of movie.
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Tags:brunch·chelsea·cookshop·jeannette·jessica·lincoln center·lincoln square·movies·New York·prescious
