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In Montauk (Movie Review)
Karen Posada
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2012/10/10 at 12:00am

Reviews

In Montauk (Movie Review)

10.10.2012 | By |

I got invited to see ‘In Montauk’ an independent film by Kim Cummings in one of the coolest screening rooms I’ve ever been to, at the ReRun Theater in Brooklyn. Once you walk past the restaurant/bar area you walk down the hallway leading up to the theater, which is decorated with art by local artists and the movie theater itself is painted with wonderful colors and images, it has a bar inside the theater that offers popcorn and any alcoholic or non alcoholic drinks to enjoy while watching the movie, what tops it all are the seats, which are comfortable car backseats. This place is full of originality and a perfect place for a very original film.

The director greeted everyone at the door with a smile and excitedly introduced her film to the audience. The 68 minute long drama explores the life of an artist, Julie Wagner (Nina Kaczorowski) who goes to Montauk to take shots for her upcoming solo photography show, while struggling to manage a family life with Josh Cohen (George Katt). In Montauk she meets Christian Nygaard (Lukas Hassel) who unexpectedly ends up helping her to accomplish the task she sets out to do, while also helping her realize her life isn’t what she thought it was.

My favorite thing about the film is the artistic shots of the beach, my very favorite among these is one where the main characters are at the beach and put sky lanterns up in the air, also the photos that Julie takes are beautiful. The film has a very artistic atmosphere without being pretentious; it stays very true to itself as well as to the story. The director mentioned that she wanted to make a film for women, because she feels there’s not a lot and I think she accomplished that, as her story explores the life of a woman who’s trying to balance a life between work and family and that’s a story many people and women in special can identify with. The music is beautiful and goes perfectly well with the melancholy set throughout the film.

There’s not a lot of dialogue in the film, especially towards the beginning even when Julie and Christian are getting to know each other we don’t really hear them speak much about their lives or feel a connection until later. This worked on some levels but on some others it gave some scenes too much of a dramatic feel, specially when the characters are staring into space looking melancholic. There are some obvious mistakes that happen in some scenes, but considering the fact that such a low budget film was shot in just 10 days during a bitter winter; you can easily oversee them.

I loved Kaczorowski, she has so much spunkiness and is so independent in her own way, that she beautifully shows a woman who pretends to have a bulletproof exterior, but in reality has this sad aura which shows her real self. Hassel is such a perfect muse; he is able to adjust to the main character’s needs without seeming unnatural and we clearly can see why he’s able to provide her with everything she needs. Katt rounds off the cast wonderfully with his poise and the reality he brings to the story of a man that tries to do the right thing, even if it hurts him.

The short length of the film limits the story to a certain extent, since it seems to leave certain things unexplained, creating some distance between the audience and the film. Obviously the director chose to try not to steer far away from the main character, but perhaps that takes potential from the story since we don’t get a well-rounded tale but pieces of a incomplete puzzle that not even the main character is able to explain. I still enjoyed the film and the sad reality women face even today, the struggle between family and work and the fact that unlike men women can’t have it all.

Taken 2
Karen Posada
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By

2012/10/04 at 12:00am

Reviews

Taken 2

10.4.2012 | By |

Taken 2

Some movies are able to better their material with a sequel, but most of the time they are unnecessary and are just a result of the studio’s greed; as is the case with ‘Taken 2’. I won’t deny that I was curious to see how this movie would turn out; I enjoyed the first one despite some of its obvious flaws, but in that one the action was on point and that helped carry it along and keep the audience entertained with an interesting storyline. This second part has an empty script, too much repetitiveness and too many flaws to consider it an upgrade from the previous one. In my opinion they should have just left the project alone instead of trying to make a couple of extra bucks with a second one.

 

In this part of the story retired CIA operative Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) is finishing up a job in Istanbul, where his ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) and daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) come to join him. They don’t get to enjoy much of their time away from home when a gang of Albanians led by Murad (Rade Serbedzija) comes after them to avenge the deaths of all the men Mill killed when his daughter was kidnapped in Paris.

 

In our interview Neeson told me that being 60 he wanted to portray a man who is getting too old for all this havoc and it shows as some of the fight sequences seemed too programed and even when he’s running he barely seems like a threat. Although Grace has shown potential as an action star in ‘Lock-out’, here she reverts to the weak girl from the previous film; where although she’s able to do more to help the situation she still is completely lost in this world her father knows so well. There’s not much to say about Janssen’s character or her acting, as it is disappointing all around.

 

The biggest problem with this film is the storyline; it feels empty because it tries to base itself on the previous film and there’s just not enough material to do that. I did enjoy the humor this one had which lacked on the first one, even though at points it’s almost mocking itself as well as the first one. Although we finally see a break where the retired CIA agent is human and is exhausted, he’s still treated too much like a hero and the scenarios are no longer believable. The action becomes too repetitive to the point where it gets dull and you know there’s nothing more that the movie will provide to wake you up.

 

 My biggest advice to the Mills family is…stay on American soil! There’s actually a hint to perhaps a third part to the franchise and I beg the studio to please leave it alone. We go to the movies to visit worlds where unbelievable things happen and even though a lot of the things here are farfetched it’s no longer new, innovative, or captivating. This has a different director from the first one; French director Olivier Megaton who recently did ‘Colombiana’ says he doesn’t consider himself an action director and took on this project despite of agreeing that there was no need for a sequel. He tried to make a movie that would stand on its own, but he certainly didn’t achieve it. For me it’s hard too see talent like the one the cast has specially Neeson be wasted in projects like this one. You would do yourself a favor by watching ‘Looper’ a second time before going to spend 91 minutes on this one.    

Looper
Karen Posada
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By

2012/09/28 at 12:00am

Reviews

Looper

09.28.2012 | By |

Looper

I was completely blown away by ‘Looper’ although time travel is not an original concept the way it’s used here it’s jaw droppingly good, creative and entertaining. There’s nothing better than a good sci-fi action thriller that twists your mind without losing you, while keeping you completely alert and at the edge of your seat. There’s no doubt that this is one of the best movies I’ve seen all year, it has all the elements for a blockbuster starting with a mind-blowing storyline that even has a moral to it. 

 

In 2044 Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) works as a “looper” for a futuristic mob that exist 30 years into the future and when they want to get rid of someone they send them into Joe’s present, where he shoots them and gets rid of the bodies. He follows the same work/play routine everyday until he learns the mob has started to close its loops and Joe’s future self (Bruce Willis) shows up at the end of his gun and decides to run away from his killer while changing future events.

 

Joseph Gordon-Levitt has already shown what a quality actor he is and despite the hiccup he had with ‘Premium Rush’, he completely redeems himself once more here. His character was made to look like a younger version of Willis, which is a bit disturbing, but despite his freaky transformation it’s easy to see how much effort he’s put into it as he even speaks in the same tone Willis does while still being himself. He gives an amazing performance here over and over again; his character has so many layers that he surprises us countless times. 

 

Willis doesn’t stay far behind, he also delivers and even goes ‘Die Hard’ at some point in the movie; a moment that everyone will enjoy without a doubt. He’s able to give us some of the most touching, violent and action packed moments in the film. The main lady of the film, Emily Blunt has shown how easily she can jump from genre to genre, because that’s how good she is. Her character here has a strong shell that’s hard to penetrate and she’s able to stand her ground providing a very important second layer to the story.

 

Everyone in the film just gives one hundred percent no matter how long their screen time is. Paul Dano’s character shows a more human side to the story, which is needed. Abe (Jeff Daniels) is one of the evil bosses and his appearance goes perfectly well with his actions and lines. I won’t say much about Cid (Pierce Gagnon) who almost steals the movie this kid is unbelievably good!

 

You will leave the movie theater talking and thinking about this movie, which is not completely perfect; when you begin to analyze it you will find holes in the story, some unanswered questions and some discrepancies. There is a slow part in the middle that if it would have been any longer it could have damaged some of the movie. The second part of the film almost seems like an entirely different movie and this is one of the things I enjoyed the most as we are shown the premise of the movie is bigger than itself.    

 

This movie has it all and some: drama, comedy, action, sci-fi and an astounding storyline that will leave you completely dumbfounded. This is certainly a movie you have to go see this fall, because these experiences are hard to come by nowadays as very few movies are able to reach and capture what director and writer Rian Johnson created here.

Hotel Transylvania (Movie Review)
Hotel Transylvania
Karen Posada
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By

2012/09/26 at 12:00am

Reviews

Hotel Transylvania (Movie Review)

09.26.2012 | By |

Hotel Transylvania

‘Hotel Transylvania’ is like a kid that’s had too much sugar, since most of the beginning is all over the place, but when it finally settles down it’s somewhat enjoyable. The movie comes just in time before Halloween; giving us a comical glimpse as to what these famous monsters lives would be like in a real world if they existed. There are not many laugh out loud moments, but the story of an overprotective parent that needs to learn to let go along with goofy family members as monsters help keep you interested. If you are able to get past the hyper information overload beginning, then you can sit back and explore the world of Dracula and his monstrous family.

Dracula (Adam Sandler) has created a five star resort where monsters can go relax safely away from humans. All his friends and family such as Frankenstein (Kevin James) his wife Eunice (Fran Drescher), the invisible Man (David Spade), Murray the mummy (CeeLo Green) and Wayne the werewolf (Steve Buscemi);come together for his daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez) 118th birthday. Dracula knows how to handle a full house but when a human named Jonathan (Andy Samberg) stumbles into the hotel and gets Mavis’ attention, this is a crisis that will be hard for overbearing Dracula to handle.

I saw the movie in 3D, which offered very few scenes that would make the extra bucks worth it. The film has a lot of moments when it really goes out of context and it seems to have lost concentration in the storyline, such as a moment where the main two characters are playing a game of table surfing, which becomes like a video game. Unfortunately, Mavis is really just a secondary character although Gomez is the one that connects the two worlds in the story.

Russian director Genndy Tartakovsky has been involved in kids shows such as ‘The Powerpuff Girls’, ‘Dexter’ and ‘Star Wars Clone Wars’, this versatility is shown here, but not to its full potential. The kids will surely enjoy the array of colorful characters to choose from, funnily enough Samberg’s character is the coolest as he’s able to get monsters interested in the human world and his endless travels and curiosity. Sandler’s character is a puzzle that comes together as the film progresses and he offers the most sensitivity by delivering the film’s most valuable lesson: learning to let go.

This film has a lot of creativity, which gives it a lot of potential that perhaps wasn’t used entirely. The focus of the movie falls in between the cracks more than once, it is only at the end where it all comes into focus in a dramatic way. This definitely isn’t one of the best family films of the year, but if you’ve already seen the latest like ‘Finding Nemo 3D’ and ‘ParaNorman’ and still want to go to the movies this isn’t a terrible choice.

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Dredd 3D
Jack Rico
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By

2012/09/21 at 12:00am

Reviews

Dredd 3D

09.21.2012 | By |

Dredd 3D

Con muchas de nuestras mentes aun manchadas con el fracaso desastroso de “Judge Dredd” del director Danny Cannon y protagonizado por Sylvester Stallone en 1995, Hollywood ha decidido hacer una nueva versión del film como si el original nunca hubiese existido. El resultado es “Dredd”, un éxtasis sensorial que deleitará a cualquier fanático de los cómics y del genero de la acción. El 3D es de lo mejor que va del año al igual que su banda sonora y sonido técnico. 

 

A pesar de obvias similitudes con la película Indonesia “The Raid: Redemption”, “Dredd” es mucho más cercano al cómic de los 1970’s que la cinta original de 1995, por eso no se califica como un “remake” por si. 

 

En esta ocasión, el juez Dredd es interpretado por Karl Urban, y toma lugar en un futuro cercano donde existe un Norteamérica páramo asolado por la radiación con una única y gran megalópolis que se extiende a lo largo de su costa este: Mega City 1. Esta inmensa y violenta urbe cuenta con una población de más de 400 millones de personas, cada uno de los cuales es un infractor en potencia. Los únicos que intentan imponer el orden entre semejante caos urbano son los jueces, a la vez agentes de la ley, jueces, jurados y verdugos. Y la perfecta personificación de estos jueces es Dredd (Karl Urban), una leyenda viva de justicia blindada dedicado por entero a hacer cumplir la ley. En una misión aparentemente rutinaria junto a Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thrilby), una juez novata dotada de grandes habilidades psíquicas, se disponen a investigar de homicidio en un peligroso mega-rascacielos de la ciudad, un suburbio vertical de 200 pisos de altura controlado por el clan de la despiadada Ma-Ma (Lena Headley). Pero al intentar arrestar a uno de los principales secuaces de Ma-Ma, ella decide cerrar a cal y canto todo el edificio y ordena a su clan que dé caza a los jueces. Atrapados en una brutal e implacable lucha por la supervivencia, Dredd y Cassandra se verán obligados a impartir una justicia extrema con violencia y sangre al final de su travesía.

 

Lo que distingue a “Dredd” de muchas de las películas de acción que uno ve es la acción incesante que ofrece el film. Esto se logra porque el director Pete Travis recorta el desarrollo de los personajes y los reduce a sujetos unidimensionales. Esto permite en que el filme solo gire alrededor de la acción y no la historias de los protagonistas. Travis entiende que este tipo de cine es diseñado para entregarle al espectador una gran dosis de escapismo y nada más. Él lo logra exitosamente. 

 

La calidad de las actuaciones aquí se deben de ignorar. Lo único que uno le pide a los protagonistas es que no traten de convertirse en Al Pacino o Tom Hanks en estos papeles. La meta aquí es que ellos nos hagan creer que son estos personajes de los cómics y que nos ayuden a adentrarnos más al universo de Mega City One. Al igual que en los cómics, Dredd aquí nunca se quita la máscara. Además, habla en un gruñido gutural que suena muy parecido al Batman de Christian Bale. Dredd es implacable, no muestra ninguna emoción y, aunque él parezca un asesino en traje de policía, el posee una conciencia admirable.  

 

 

“Dredd” posee, en mi opinión, el mejor 3D del año. Fue filmado en 3D con espectaculares efectos especiales cargados de escenas en cámara lenta que poco a poco se está usando a pleno por muchos directores. El sonido también es fantástico y asombrosamente es parte protagónico de la película, no solo un acompañante. Yo predigo que la cinta será nominada a varios premios Oscar en las categorías técnicas y visuales. 

 

Si hay una decepción en “Dredd”, es el villano, en este caso, la villana. ‘Ma-Ma’, como se le llama al personaje que interpreta la actriz Lena Headey, no es temible o merecedora de ser una magno contrincante a Dredd. Incluso, la confrontación final es casi irrelevante. De todos modos, es refrescante ver una mujer en estos papeles ya que  se le agrega un elemento de impredecibilidad que se genera a la experiencia del público. 

 

En fin, “Dredd 3D” es discutiblemente la mejor película de pura acción del año junto a la película Indonesia “The Raid: Redemption” que quizás sea mejor. No incluyo necesariamente a “Los Vengadores” o “The Dark Knight Rises” en esta conversación porque las susodichas poseen elementos de acción, pero cinematográficamente hablando, son más filmes de ciencia ficción que acción. Los largometrajes clásicos de “Die Hard” o “Lethal Weapon” son más comparables y mejores representaciones del genero de la acción. “Dredd” es la mejor inversión que usted puede hacer con su dinero este fin de semana. No se decepcionará.

Trouble with the Curve
Karen Posada
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By

2012/09/20 at 12:00am

Reviews

Trouble with the Curve

09.20.2012 | By |

Trouble with the Curve

‘Trouble with the Curve’, Robert Lorenz directorial debut film is an entertaining drama that’s better enjoyed at home. The film offers a middle ground for baseball fans as well as those that don’t care for the sport, which I was very happy about. The biggest quality of the film is that although it is surrounded by baseball, it manages to be a story that’s beyond the sport; it’s about human connections and change with some obvious outcomes. There’s nothing extraordinary about the film, but it’s worth a watch to contemplate our own relationships and lives.

 

Gus (Clint Eastwood) is a baseball scout that has been in the business long enough that even with his fading eyesight, he’s still able to spot talent. Throughout his whole life he’s pushed his only daughter, Mickey (Amy Adams) away; despite that she still decides to join him in a scouting trip, when she finds out about his health condition and how this could affect his career. One of the few things that help them survive this trip is Johnny (Justin Timberlake) an ex-baseball player who Gus had scouted and is there as friendly competition as a scouter himself; his interest in Mickey spark discoveries about Gus and Mickey’s past and present that will change their relationship completely.  

 

The best acting comes from Adams, as she’s able to hold herself up on the screen against a legend like Eastwood and she even steals the spotlight away from him in some scenes. She also gives her character depth and is the glue to the story as she provides and reveals different aspects of her story without overwhelming the audience. I believe there’s a lot of Eastwood himself in the character he plays, a cranky old man who makes us laugh with his tantrums and ways of saying the truth, yet he does show some of the acting he’s known for in two major scenes where he easily put a knot in my throat.

 

Timberlake just provides us with a lighter aspect the story needs to not get too dramatic, as he reliefs some of the tension between the father and daughter. Phillip (Matthew Lillard) is the bad guy of the movie, as he portrays the new blood coming into the scouting world where computers do most of the scouting; it was interesting to see Lillard in this kind of role, although he has already shown some versatility in his role in ‘The Descendants’.

 

Making any sort of transition or change is tough and this film portrays that well, it takes us on a journey where we see how theses characters respond to what life sends their way, but most importantly it shows us that they won’t go down without a fight. Lorenz chose a very safe film as his debut, since this isn’t neither here nor there; but, I think the story can resonate with different members of the audience. It’s not life changing but it might make you ponder and evaluate some of the priorities in your life.

Arbitrage
Jack Rico
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By

2012/09/14 at 12:00am

Reviews

Arbitrage

09.14.2012 | By |

Arbitrage

 

Part telenovela, part B Hollywood camp, part Jekyll and Hyde, ‘Arbitrage’ is one of the great surprises of the year. Just like ‘The Grey’ earlier on, ‘Arbitrage’ is one satisfying guilty pleasure you just can’t get enough out of. What unfolds in this sinful motion picture are moments of corruption, murder, infidelity, betrayal, greed, deceit and duplicity. Making it even more intriguing and absolutely engrossing is the acting, led by Richard Gere and a veteran adept cast, that makes every moment just juicier. 

 

Before we get to the detailed synopsis, it is important to tell you what the title of the film means. ‘Arbitrage’ is an economic term that means the simultaneous buying and selling of securities, currency, or commodities in different markets or in derivative forms in order to take advantage of differing prices for the same asset. In other words, the practice of taking advantage of a price difference between two or more markets.

 

Now that you know that, this summary will make a lot more sense. The feature-directing debut of writer Nicholas Jarecki, revolves around New York hedge-fund magnate Robert Miller (Richard Gere) who on the eve of his 60th birthday, appears  to be the very portrait of success in American business and family life. But behind the gilded walls of his mansion, Miller is in over his head, desperately trying to complete the sale of his trading empire to a major bank before the depths of his fraud are revealed. Struggling to conceal his duplicity from loyal wife Ellen (Susan Sarandon) and brilliant daughter and heir-apparent Brooke (Brit Marling), Miller’s also balancing an affair with French art-dealer Julie Cote (Laetetia Casta). Just as he’s about to unload his troubled empire, an unexpected bloody error forces him to juggle family, business, and crime with the aid of Jimmy Grant (Nate Parker), a face from Miller’s past. One wrong turn ignites the suspicions of NYPD Detective Michael Bryer (Tim Roth), who will stop at nothing in his pursuits.  Running on borrowed time, Miller is forced to confront the limits of even his own moral duplicity. Will he make it out before the bubble bursts?

 

It is hard to find a movie today where all the elements are working in unison. The story here is thrilling, gripping, engaging, and fun. The acting is really icing on the cake. The direction is serviceable and manages to bring everything together seamlessly.

 

Richard Gere for the most part is and has been what Liam Neeson and Nicolas Cage are now – a B actor who does B movies, but not every B movie is bad, just watch most of Jason Statham’s movies to understand that. He is so good here. You love him and you hate him. So which one do you choose to like? He digs deep into his acting arsenal to give us one hell of a memorable performance. His role of Miller is that of a man who lives a double life with moral issues at the end of it. Susan Sarandon also is compelling as his savvy and victimized wife. 

 

But we can’t forget the story. The same way a telenovela from Telemundo has it’s constant twists and turns, Arbitrage offers that and more. The film is never boring and the ride is enjoyable. This movie has the kind of story that keeos you guessing whether Gere will get caught or not or whether he’ll win or lose. However, don’t be fooled. The movie is never given the opportunity to rise above the level of a guilty pleasure B movie. Go have a blast.

 

The Master
Jack Rico
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By

2012/09/12 at 12:00am

Reviews

The Master

09.12.2012 | By |

The Master

 

‘The Master,’ Paul Thomas Anderson’s brand new film about the emergence of a new religious cult, is an artistically, stylish film with a mildly interesting plot that is mainly carried on the masterful performance of Puerto Rican star Joaquin Phoenix. If it weren’t for him, the film’s overall plot would be bland and prosaic. The two time Oscar nominated Phoenix gives, in my mind, the performance of his life as Freddie Quell. Even though the rest of the film possesses strengths in the acting and directing department, it is Phoenix who singlehandedly makes it memorable. 

 

‘The Master’ takes place in the atmosphere of spiritual yearning on the cusp of 1950. The film follows the shifting fortunes of Freddie, portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, a volatile former Naval officer unable to settle down into everyday life, and the unpredictable journey he takes when he stumbles upon a fledgling movement known as The Cause. Coming to The Cause as an itinerant and outsider, Freddie will ultimately become a surrogate heir to its flamboyant leader: Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Lancaster Dodd. And yet, even as The Cause probes the mastery of human emotions, the camaraderie between Freddie and Dodd will mount into a fierce and intimate struggle of wills.

 

In order to appreciate Phoenix’s performance, we need to look at PTA’s (Paul Thomas Anderson) involvement in the writing and casting. Anderson drew up the character of Freddie Quell with Phoenix in mind from the outset. According to Anderson, he’s been asking him for 12 years to be in his films and Phoenix finally accepted. For this reason alone, the actor’s job is tailor-made to fit his strengths and none of his weaknesses. To say that Phoenix sank his teeth into the role and took it to the nth degree would be an understatement. His performance can only be described as raw and animalistic. Phoenix’s portrayal of Freddie Quell is visceral. He plays him as a grown man with serious emotional issues. In addition to being a drunk, socially inept and sexually perverse, he is subject to frequent emotional outbursts that can alternately result in an explosion of anger. His best scenes are those of him being violent and uncontrollable, cockily offbeat yet vulnerable and juvenile but reasonable. He truly shines above anyone in the film and arguably of anyone else this year.

 

In a film with obvious strengths, nothing ranks higher in “The Master” than the quality of the acting. Philip Seymour Hoffman, arguably PTA’s frequent favorite actor, is once again in fine form as Lancaster Dodd, the leader of the “Cause” who is friend and antagonist to Phoenix’s character. Hoffman’s performance here is a mix of many of his previous roles fused into one. We see a side of pure charisma and pure ire. The role fits him like a glove, and if it weren’t for Phoenix’s imposing rendition, we’d be talking about Hoffman. Amy Adams is angelic yet tough, but irrelevant within the scope of her two colossal giant colleagues. When it comes to Oscars, the movie will most likely be nominated for acting and directing awards with Phoenix leading the charge. My prediction is that he will win in the Best Actor category with only Daniel Day Lewis in “Lincoln” posing a serious threat.

 

In regards to Anderson, he shoots the film masterfully with panache, flair and sentiment.  The script, which he wrote, is unapologetic in digging deep into the fractures of the human experience and highlighting those susceptible feelings in his actors. But perhaps in its only flaw, and a critical one at that, there is some excess fat that needed to be cut for sake of pacing and flow. At times, the movie is bogged down on an inordinate amount of dialogue that can lead to some restlessness. With that said, the movie doesn’t reach the depths of hardship which it could have. The acting conceals whatever scant pacing issues the film may suffer from. In the film’s finale, the sequences arrive at a clear decision, but by no means is it satisfying, at least to me.

 

In the end, ‘The Master’ is not a film for everyone. It offers a lot to those who appreciate dramas and acting prowess. The story itself has interesting tones, but in and of itself, it is not the main driver for one to purchase a movie ticket. If you see it for the acting, you’ll walk away pleased with the time and money invested.

 

Jack Rico
0

By

2012/09/11 at 12:00am

DVD ReviewsReviews

Snow White and The Huntsman

09.11.2012 | By |

The movie that destroyed two real-life realtionships

Finding Nemo 3D
Karen Posada
0

By

2012/09/10 at 12:00am

Reviews

Finding Nemo 3D

09.10.2012 | By |

Finding Nemo 3D

Pixar’s ‘Finding Nemo 3D’ directed by Andrew Staton comes to us nine years after it was released in May 30th, 2003. Obviously technology has advanced so much in this amount of time, that Pixar chose the right time to put one of their most successful films in a 3D format. I felt honored to have been a part of a very small group of people that got to see the film in 3D in Pixar Studios’ very own movie theater, before anyone else in the world. We received a presentation before the film by Bob Whitehill Pixar’s stereoscopic supervisor and Joshua Hollander Pixar’s director of 3D production. They explained to us how time staking the process of converting an old film to 3D is. Starting by the fact that they had to convert the files careful not to harm the original, fix colors and mistakes from the previous one, they also had to do a lot of rendering to give it depth. The team wanted to get it just the same but with a higher resolution, to give it about 144% more detail, to bring it to a level of comfortable viewing.  It took them about a year and a half to convert the film. Knowing all of this before the film really made me and helped me appreciate it even more.

 

I felt like this was the very first time I saw the film, it already is so full of color that seeing it in 3D and high definition really takes you into the environment of the movie. A whole new generation of children that haven’t been introduced to this story will get to view it as never before, with its crisp clear colors, depth and beauty. If you loved the movie when it came out in 2003, you will love it even more now; it will feel like you are swimming in the ocean right along the characters. Pixar made a very wise decision to re-release this film in 3D and high definition in theaters September 14th as well as in Blu-ray 2D and 3D December 4th, 2012.   

 

For those that don’t know the story, ‘Finding Nemo’ follows the adventurous journey of Marlin (Albert Brooks) a clownfish who gets separated from his beloved son Nemo (Alexander Gould) from their home in the Great Barrier Reef, where a dentist decides to capture him and give him a home in the tank in his office. In his search Marlin befriends Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), a forgetful fish that accompanies him throughout the ocean to rescue his son. Both clownfish find out things about themselves in their journeys and become heroes in their efforts to reunite and get back home.

 

The reason why ‘Finding Nemo’ was so successful when it premiered wasn’t only because of the beautiful animated images, but most of all because of the amazing journey the story takes us through. Despite of the fact that I’ve seen the film a number of times, I was still fully entertained for the duration of it, it gave me chills of joy and I relieved the whole story as if it were my first time experiencing it. I can certainly say I left Pixar Studios completely satisfied and excited to share with all of you the amazing experience.

 

‘Fidning Nemo’ was already such a success: having wan the Oscar in 2003 for Best Animated Feature, named among the top 10 greatest animated films ever made by the American Film Institute, being the highest grossing G-rated movie of all time and remaining the fifth highest grossing animated film worldwide.  So, why bother converting it to 3D and why even spend money on watching a film your children have probably made you watch countless times? Well they made something that was already close to perfection, completely perfect, this is a whole new way of experiencing the sea voyague. Everyone that worked on this movie to convert it to 3D did such an amazing job and made it’s worth relieving this masterpiece that is completely at home in 3D format. The extra bonus you get from watching ‘Finding Nemo 3D’ in theaters is Mark Walsh‘s amazing short 3D film ‘Partysaurus Rex‘ right before the film, it definitely gets the party started (Click on the link below for a full review of the short film).What’s even better? Pixar is making ‘Monsters Inc.’ into 3D and it will be re-released in December 19th, 2012. There are rumors that more of Pixar’s beloved films will be re-released in 3D, so we have a lot to look forward to!     

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