Researchin’ the day away…
Entries tagged with “movies”.
The peculiar experience of seeing/hearing/reading/experiencing something for the first time, and being relatively unimpressed by said thing. Then, when said thing is revisited on multiple successive occasions, it increasingly grows in one’s estimation.
It only took about four viewings for The Big Lebowski to become my favourite film. (Thanks Conor.)
I loved this film! Technically incredible on just about every level, a feast for the eyes and ears, a totally mind-blowing 3D experience. Superbly choreographed action set pieces, a fantastically sexy and stylishly futuristic art and design style, a brilliant fusion of electronic and orchestral music (Daft Punk is an inspired choice and do one hell of a job, easily the stars of the show along with the visuals), and an intriguing, well developed (if slightly confusing at times) story driven by quality actors (Jeff Bridges is excellent in dual roles as are Garett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde and Micheal Sheen who is gold whatever he does), fantastic 3D (love how it kicks into 3 dimensions only when you are transported into The Grid), and all in all an awe-inspiring sequel that continues to revolutionise in the same way the original did.
Much of the movie feels like it takes place at a rave (okay, some of it actually does), and a lot of the costumes look like something out of The Matrix. Ridiculous, yes, but somehow fitting. Although the glowing neon visuals do start to feel a bit repetitive by the end of the film, this actually makes the final scene work in a pretty profound way. It’s worth noting that the 3-D in this film is not as mindblowing as I had hoped it would be, but I did like the fact that they employed it as a subtle difference between the real world and The Grid. The musical contribution from Daft Punk is one of the most inspired creative choices in this film. The French duo’s soundtrack is a mix of traditional score and pounding electronic music that really sets the tone and helps sell the visuals. Without it, the movie would have been significantly less immersive. Thankfully, they don’t overdo it, as there are also long stretches of silence in the film which seems to be keeping in line with the origina
Not just because it needed to speed up, but also because that’s where the movie delivers on its promise. It delivers several breathtaking action sequences and in those moments, everything works. Stunning visuals, a butt-kicking score from Daft Punk and even the charisma of star Garrett Hedlund come bursting out of the screen in brilliant 3D. For those fateful moments, Tron: Legacy becomes an experience. This is what makes Tron: Legacy the beautiful disaster it will long be remembered as. In one moment, it delivers visuals and action unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. Then in the next, it shows us a CGI Jeff Bridges that is barely on par with what The Polar Express did for Tom Hanks half a decade ago. The world of Tron is built beautifully, but it’s also mechanical and uninviting. It’s the bachelor pad of the cinematic landscape – colorless and drab, but full of shiny toys and danger. Daft Punk scores the thing to perfection, delivering a mix of nostalgia and modern beats that may
"Tron: Legacy," a sequel made 28 years after the original but with the same actor, is true to the first film: It also can't be understood, but looks great. Both films, made so many years apart, can fairly lay claim to being state of the art. This time that includes the use of 3-D. Since so much of the action involves quick movement forward and backward in shots, the 3-D effect is useful, and not just a promiscuous use of the ping-pong effect. It is also well-iterated. (A note at the start informs us that parts of the movie were deliberately filmed in 2-D, so of course I removed my glasses to note how much brighter it was. Dimness is the problem 3-D hasn't licked.)
Above is the fruit of a few months of work: various instances of people saying something close to, "We're not in Kansas anymore." Despite the fact that no one gets the original line from the The Wizard of Oz completey right ("Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore"), it nonetheless evokes that film every time it's said. What's interesting to me about that is that it's at cliche status at this point, yet unlike, say, "catch-22" or the also frequently mangled "You're going to need a bigger boat," the saying hasn't superseded its source, no matter how many times it's been said (as evident in the amount of times Toto and Dorothy are brought up alongside it). It's pretty amazing how tenacious a hold Oz still has on pop culture (I find myself referencing it constantly, and not just in the "Kansas" way).