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SCAR 3D

February 6th 2009 09:01
The title... obviously.


A few days ago I caught a screening of Scar 3D, the first ever digital 3D live action feature film, never released in theaters in the US. Fortunately I'm in Croatia at the moment so I could get a glimpse of a rare screening.

Well it's a bit unfortunate as well, since the no-theatre-release-in-the-US term is not an anomaly, but a just reason: the movie is bleeding from many wounds (pun IS intended). I would call it trying and failing, mainly because of low budget and amateurish photography. B or more like Z list actors, a not too original story, and sub par makeup effects hinder the movie depicting Saw or Hostel like serial murders and tortures. Plus the stereo photography has it's flaws as well, with reflecting surfaces in just one shot of the video pair resulting nasty ghosting, and some poor camera position choices. I must admit though that the filmmakers were trying, and they went for depth of 3D instead of gimmicks, which I appreciate, considering that it would have been so easy to try boosting up the film with cheap shots of things poking and thrown at the camera. There are very few of them, most shots are simply to build atmosphere, which is great. What's not so great is the overall amateur feel in all areas of the production, that results more like in an experimentary movie made by some college students.

Nooo!!! All that ketchup ruined!


Jed Weintrob's movie is about Joan, a survivor of a sick sadist, that was amused by playing torture games with people close to each other. This traumatic experience scarred Joan for life, and her nightmares seem to rise again from the grave years later as strange murders happen in her native town , but this time her nice gets in the fray.

There are plenty of gore throughout, but as the budget and the expertise were both low in the makeup department, most of it is loads of fake blood and cheap looking wounds, with just a few real nasty bits. However the tension and the brutality is portrayed quite effectively acting more on the psychological side and the cringe value. Gorehounds will be bored, but the squeamish should avoid.

The 3D projection was unique in the Broadway Kina in Split. It was presented as Dolbty Digital, but used a less common shutter glass technology instead of the colorwheel of DOLBY 3D.

This Xpand technology was unfortunately too dark and had some serious ghosting problems, that made the 3D experience very uneven. I don't have in depth experience with the technology so I don't know what part did the actual screening room, the screen or the glasses itself have in this though. What I liked about the screening room were the huge screen and IMAX like arrangement of the seats with steep rows and such. That made the experience (where it was good) more immersive.

Overall it was more like a good stereo education for a 3D fan like me, but moviewise, skip it with ease. If you want to check out a 3D horror, go for My Bloody Valentine 3D instead, which I'll cover later this month.
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Wild Safari 3D

January 26th 2009 08:35
Wild Safari 3D


I got the chance, if somewhat late, to check out Wild Safari 3D thanks to the IMAX theatre in Budapest run by CCI, so read on if you're trying to decide which IMAX to see next.

Ben Stassen's 2005 IMAX docu about the five african big games (water buffaloo, white rhinoceros, african elephant, lion and leopard) feels like an appetizer. It's like a mouth watering glimpse upon a feast, just before the curtains fall, and you're left with your stomach rumbling.

Unfortunately the IMAX child friendly politics form a barrier in front of a true wildlife documentary. You won't see lions on the hunt here, nor more intimate family moments, and certainly you won't be educated more than by any Nat Geo flick. As the target audience is more like approaching 10 than leaving it, the material is aligned to them, only the very little may be educated from it.

But as we know IMAX is more about the experience than the content. On this front this is certainly not in the top 10, although it's good to see the african savannah and bushland as palpable surroundings, with the oh-so-exotic animals as integral participants in them, thanks to the 3D. And thanks to the high resolution of IMAX, I ,as an avid wildlife fan, saw with my own eyes for the first time how ripped a lion is, with every musclefiber visible under it's skin. Sure you can see them at the zoo, but one: you rarely see them that close, and two: they are not in their wild surroundings, so they can afford to be flabby compared to their home-grown relatives.



To sum it up, enjoy the vista, admire the wild animals, admire nature, but if you want to understand them a bit better, read a book and check out Animal Planet or some similar channel. As for the experience value, all I can say is I have seen much better in other topics (Space Station 3D, U23D). If your expectations aren't too high, I guess you'll have a good time, and for the very little ones it will be a great adventure, so keep that in mind next time you're checking out the local IMAX programme.
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Doubt (2008)

January 12th 2009 09:35
First of all: Happy New Year to everyone! (A wish coming a bit late, but honestly)

No comment necessary.


Doubt

John Patrick Shanley's movie version of the stageplay is one of the best movies I saw recently, and I mean in at least the last six months. As I'm very much into the technical stuff, love 3D cinema, sci-fi and fantasy, it is especially strong that this film, without all the above mentioned, is still my best recent movie experience.

What makes it such an event are simply two names: Meryl Streep and Philipp Seymour Hoffman. It's no big mistery that these two are magnificent actors. But it's allways nice to see them shine in a worthy material, and the catching story of a religious school in the `60s America, is worthy. Sister Beauvier (Streep) runs the school with rigorous order setting her up as the repulsive, not to be liked character. Meanwhile Father Flynn (Hoffman) is the progressive and likeable priest who has good sense of humor and radiates kindness.

Soon doubt pops up its sinister head. The movie title briliantly sums up the core of the movie. There will be doubt not just in the relationship between Father Flynn and the alter-boy Donald Miller, but in the audience as well. Is the accusation of impairment reasonable suspicion? Is Sister Beauvier right? What's truly magnificent is that it leaves you with it even after the end. Depending on the viewer the scale can tilt to either side, but there's no certainty.

Given such a fine story, the coronation of it is definitely the acting. The dominant presence is Streep's character with Hoffman in her very footsteps. Both deliver the nuances of acting, while bringing strong and distinct characters to life seemingly without effort. When they are clashing heads it's mesmerizing, it literally grabs you. I'd place Viola Davis in the third place with a much smaller role but with a very serious thoughtline acted very well.

The movie is drama at it's finest, with a charming sense of humor but also with some serious thoughts. Recommended for all who like movies, regardless of preferation, this one will either soulpunch you, or will just leave you in awe.
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The Day My Mind Stood Still

December 9th 2008 15:07
World premiere! Epic fail?


Sweet Neo, what were they thinking?! I caught this at a press screening just a few hours ago, and man it saved me a night! (I intended to see it with friends later


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Pride and Glory

December 5th 2008 15:14
Plain poster, plain story


Gavin O'Connors dirty cop drama Pride and Glory is like an old record, but one that wasn't the best even back in its day. Backdraft infused in L.A. Confidential. It has it's values, but somehow still lacking. Not enough memorable moments, and an obviously predictable storyline


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Santa vs Snowman 3D (re-released?)

November 28th 2008 00:01
Different title, but same sillyness


Christmas is up ahead (well, sort of) and it's a typical holiday for re-runs and re-releases. This silly but fun little movie of Steve Oedekerk about basically the battle of Hoth reimagined on the North Pole, just debuted in Hungary, although it's not especially fresh (released in 2002 and had a re-release in 2003 in Australia


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Lost in translation?

September 30th 2008 07:24
Review

Hungarian director, Attila Gigor's movie: A Nyomozo (The Detective) about a pathologist who becomes both the detective and the perpetrator in a murder could have been a decent crime movie of black humor


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In Bruges

June 2nd 2008 18:27
Review

In Bruges (2008)
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Review

Need to show more on a poster? I don't think so...

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U2 can be there!

March 29th 2008 17:08
10th of April, 2008. Remember that date. On that day U2 will start it's tour in Australia. Good news, eh? Not only that but they will hold multiple concerts around the country in different places, all at the same time. Oh yes and there will be a couple hundred of them.

You might ask what am I smoking here in the northern hemisphere in the city of Budapest? Well, I don't smoke, but my hair was nearly scorched down a few days ago when I had the wonderful opportunity to witness the magic of these four men: Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. Oh, let's not forget Catherine Owens and Mark Pellington the directors, and also the wonderful technology of 3D cinema, a big plus also goes to IMAX as it was meant for this kind of entertainment


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