Ken: 7/10
Dana: 7/10
Viewing entries in
Movies
Ken: 4/10
Dana: 4/10
Ken: 6/10
Dana: 6/10
Ken: 7/10
Dana: 8/10
Ken: 7/10
Dana: 7/10
Quick movie recommendation: go see King of Kong. It's in limited release, but Dana and and saw it last week, and it was really, really good. It's a documentary about the world record holder in the classic arcade game of Donkey Kong, and the challenger who would unseat him.
You don't have to know anything about Donkey Kong to really enjoy this movie. It's light hearted fun. Go see it. Or, at the very least, put it on your Netflix queue so you can see it when it's released on DVD.
Ken: 8/10
Dana: 7/10
The fate of "Cinderella III" is uncertain.
I'll admit that I've only actually watched one (maybe two) of the direct-to-DVD sequels (one of the Aladdin sequels, when I think it was a new-ish idea). It was clear to me then that the quality level just wasn't there. I'm sure for the budget and timeline they were given, the people responsible did an admirable job, but it didn't compare with most of the theatrically released animated movies (at least not the ones for which these sequels were being made).
Here's the story on CNN Money. What's interesting is that in every version of the story I read, the move is said to have been influenced largely by Steve Jobs and John Lasseter, both having come to Disney via Pixar. I guess it makes sense, in a way: I love Pixar, and think they know a thing or two about storytelling via animated movies. Jobs is on the board of directors of Disney, and is the largest individual shareholder in Disney. Lasseter is Chief Creative Officer at Pixar and Disney Animation Studios. So they have some pull. But it can't have been an easy sell to shut down what is, I believe, a money-making product line.
Does this endanger the franchise quality of characters from Disney animated movies? I don't think so, but it might change things some. Kids at Disneyland get excited to see Belle and the Beast; I think they would even if they haven't watched Beauty and the Beast - Belle's Magical World or Beauty and the Beast - The Enchanted Christmas at home. As a kid I got to know some of my favorite characters well by repeated viewings of the original. (I know, beware the argument that is based on "it was good enough for me.")
I say, if there is another story worth telling with the characters and world of an animated film, let it be told in another theatrical release (or as a Disneyland attraction, of course). Toy Story 2 was a great movie.
That's right. You may remember I wrote about the Google puzzle contest tie-in with the Da Vinci Code movie. Well, I'm a finalist. Me and a scant 9,999 others.
I was fairly optimistic that I could make it to be a finalist. I think I'm probably faster than some when it comes to many kinds of puzzles, and I guessed that from the pool of people out there who would bother solving 24 heavily movie and Google promoting puzzles to enter a long shot contest (you see what I'm getting at; I don't think we're talking millions of contestants, here), I stood a good shot of being one of the first 10,000 to finish.
Now, however, the pond is smaller and the average fish size has gone up. Only one will win. I don't know what to expect of the puzzles, but I'm thinking it'll come down to some luck: either I'll solve the final puzzles quickly, or I won't. Fastest out of 10,000 puzzle solvers? Only if I'm lucky.
I've had fun playing, though. Can't argue with that.
A shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man who does not exist....
Check out the trailer for "An Inconvenient Truth", a film about the life and environmental message of Al Gore (who "used to be the next President of the United States of America").
I've read and heard from people who have heard Gore give recent talks featured in the film, and the consensus is something like "expected a dry speech, but found it captivating and motivating." Seems hearing this message can get you fired up.
Judging from the trailer, it's definitely something I'll try to see.
Google, in what I think may be their first promotional partnership of this kind, is hosting a puzzle challenge related to the upcoming release of The Da Vinci Code movie.
A new puzzle is released every day for 24 days (this is day 2). They say the puzzles will get progressively more challenging. Once those 24 puzzles are out, the first 10,000 people to submit answers get a 'replica' (I'm guessing cheap and plastic) of a codex from the book/movie. Those 10,000 people are finalists, and they have to solve 5 more puzzles. The winner gets a bounty of Sony goodies, and a trip to the major cities from the story: New York, Paris, Rome, and London.
I'm playing along for now; I like puzzles anyway, and a short daily puzzle never hurt anyone. I do hope they get a little tougher as time goes by, though.
If you're wondering "how they get you", it's this: to play, you have to have or establish a Google ID (free), and to play the puzzles you have to visit Google's Personalized home page. That's what's in it for Google; anyone playing will have to visit the personalized home page, possibly every day. If Google can convince new users to stick around and try the home page, that's eventually good news for them; they could someday have AdWords ads based on your home page content. Google's Personalized home page has some nice features, but I haven't made it my home page, and I've known about it for a while.
Anyway, if you are interested in the Google/Da Vinci puzzle challenge, you start here: http://www.google.com/davincicode.