Entries Tagged as 'movies'

Avatar in 3D at the IMAX Theater

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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Logan Theatre

January 6th, 2010 · 3 Comments

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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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Brunch at Cookshop

November 18th, 2009 · No Comments

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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.

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Fresh ricotta beignets with apricot compote

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Buttermilk Fried Baby Chicken with baby lettuce, shaved radish, ranch dressing & honey

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Semolina-Raisin French Toast with vanilla-mascarpone cream, toasted almonds & dried apricots

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Cookshop Scramble with 3 eggs, carmelized onions, creme fraiche, chives, buttermilk biscuit, & applewood smoked bacon

water_street_waterAfter 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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Michael Jackson’s This Is It

November 3rd, 2009 · No Comments

michael_jackson_this_is_itWhen Michael Jackson died and I heard that they were planning on making a movie with all of his final rehearsal footage, I really was not interested. I figured it’d only be those crazy uber-MJ fans who would go. Then some time passed, Michael Jackson’s This Is It was made, and a friend who was buying some advance tickets to the show asked if I wanted to go. I said sure. I’m glad I did.

This Is It is not narrated or anything. It really is just clips from the rehearsals, from dance auditions to the final rehearsal. The movie starts out with silence and text on the screen explaining how the footage was recorded and that Michael Jackson’s estate has released it for the following movie. And then there he is. Michael Jackson performing. I felt really uncomfortable for some reason. Too soon? I was so tense and breathing so shallow. I don’t know why! It was just so intense. After about 20 minutes we got to a rehearsal of Human Nature and it was so genuine and touching, such a beautiful song, I finally found myself leaning back a relaxing.

Over the next 92 minutes it’s such a range of emotions. You know, amazement at the talent, both Michael Jackson’s and all of the other dancers and musicians. At times I found myself smiling. Michael Jackson’s singing and dancing brings me back to my childhood and seeing him perform songs from back then is just a joy. There are times that he jokes with the crew that just crack you up. Other times are very poignant. Some of the times when I was feeling so awed by the talent.. I would start to feel a little sick, because.. you know… what a waste.

It’s clear that Michael Jackson wasn’t the product of some production company. And it wasn’t just the singing and dancing. He was involved in every detail of the show. What a perfectionist. There was one clip where he was working with the musical director on a very small portion of a song. The director was playing a very simple melody on the keyboard and going back and forth with MJ on its intricacies. He must have played the melody over and over about 10 times and I could not hear anything different, but obviously Michael could.

In hindsight, in light of what’s come to be known about his death and drug use, it’s amazing to see Michael not only functioning, but performing top notch. I really cannot understand it. In my mind, Michael Jackson, with the crazy personal life, and Michael Jackson, the genius musician and performer, have almost been two different people. This confusion remains after seeing this movie.

I think if you grew up with Michael Jackson, like I did, if you’re a fan of his songs, heck, even if you just like dancing, you’ll like this movie. But don’t take my word for it. Roger Ebert reviewed This Is It last week and gave it 4 starts, the most stars he awards.

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What Are You Looking At Dicknose

July 14th, 2009 · 5 Comments

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After spending all day drinking at Tour de Fat, we came back to our house and rested for a while. We were watching Teen Wolf when we noticed that Stiles’s shirt said “What Are You Looking At Dicknose.” Never noticed that before. Cracked us up!

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