It is the way of things

[gurdymonkey]

1. I did not win a trip to Japan.  My "love letter" failed to move the judges. At least one of the grand prize winners appreciates poetry....

2. I went to see Sherlock Holmes this weekend. I spent the entire duration of the ads and previews with my hands clamped over my ears. Seriously, I already have hearing damage in one ear and it was too loud for me. It got marginally better once the film began to roll, but only marginally. If this is what the future of moviegoing is, maybe I should wait until Avatar shows up on cable and I can screen it at the volume I choose.

Did I like it? Yes, mostly. Won't spoil it as folks may not have seen it. It's very definitely a Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes.

3. As for The Watchmen, which I caught on cable, that's three hours of my life I'd like back, particularly as at least an hour of it was probably taken up by unnecessary slo-mo shots. Sherlock Holmes was somewhat guilty of this as well, but nowhere near the excesses of Watchmen, a group of characters I just could not bring myself to care about.

Comments

[allison-is.livejournal.com]

Japan could be like the ring I want, and while you may need to put away more than pocket change, I bet it is totally possible.

[tgrcats-tail.livejournal.com]

Avatar in 3D on a big screen was jawdropping and breathtaking. Put in earplugs and brave the theatre.

[timted.livejournal.com]

*shudder* I felt exactly the same way about The Watchmen. Shana & I watched it until the bitter end, though, convincing ourselves that there just _had_ to be a plot in there somewhere! Yeah. There wasn't...

[matsujo9.livejournal.com]

I found the volume at Avatar 3D uncomfortably loud.

[reynardine.livejournal.com]

Watchmen was a lot better in the comic-book format. I remember reading it when it first came out in the mid-1980's and it was interesting and edgy and unlike anything else that had come out in that format at the time. I reread it (in graphic novel format) when the movie came out and it seems so dated now. Strange how much the world has changed since the Cold War ended.

The movie left out a lot of the complex background narratives and what was left was sorta meh (except the guy who played Rorshach--he was intense!) Although to be truthful, I was surprised they made it at all.

[karisu-sama.livejournal.com]

So sorry about Japan. My phone won't show me any winners, just a blank white space on their page.

I have been bringing earplugs to movie theaters for years. The volume issue is not a new problem.

Watchmen the movie is best appreciated by those who read Watchmen the graphic novel. The novel was all about the story, the way it was told, and the artistic style of plot point revelations, irony and symbolism, not about the not-so-sympathetic characters. For the movie, the story got quite chopped, and the unique and often brilliant panel drawing style to convey symbolism and meaning was discarded. The one thing the movie had over the novel was some improved costume design.

(on a real computer now)

[karisu-sama.livejournal.com]

Hmm... looks like the writing winners were all chosen for specific goals of study in Japan, with intent to pass on the knowledge to others.

Good goals, pedestrian writing...

#2 photo winner is a total otaku. :p

ETA: I still like your "love letter" loads. :) Now that it looks like we know what sort of response they are looking for, in case of future attempts, as they say with college essays: tailor accordingly... :/

[helblonde.livejournal.com]

I have had that problem with the volume in theaters for some time. I guess that they think it adds to the "experience". I find it to be yet another reason to wait for Netflix for most everything.

[crimsongriffin.livejournal.com]

The things that kills me with those entries that won... "Oh I want to share my knowledge with the Japanese about organic farming!" "I wants to talk with people about DIET!" Or whatever. Snark follows.
You think they can speak Japanese? How will they communicate their high-brow Western ideas, or learn Japanese views?

Do the Japanese WANT to know more about American farms? They are ra-ther different...

Do these people have contacts they will meet?

Liberal Humanitarian Ain't I Spe-shul crap designed to appeal to a 'global audience'.

I just know, once they land, they will go to Kyoto, Tokyo and just see the sights. Be honest, people. Your letter was. You could have done all you said (money providing).

The only one that seemed decent to me was the sincere one about the woman wanting to meet her pen pal. I know she'll do as her entry promises.

[layla-lilah.livejournal.com]

1. Sorry about Japan :(

2. Movie theaters have generally been way too loud for quite a few years. I spend parts of many films plugging my sound holes with my hands.

Avatar in 3D, yesssss! Heck, we even spent a few extra bucks for the IMAX version. Probably not necessary. But 3D IS necessary, since that is how the film was conceived. It will not be the same immersive experience in 2D and even less so on TV. Ear plugs will be necessary for many scenes, but there are some that are quiet.

3. The actor who played Rorschach in "Watchmen", Jackie Earle Haley, is now a regular in a brand new broadcast TV show "Human Target", based on a DC comic from the early 1970s. Plus Chi McBride, who played Emerson Cod in the much lamented "Pushing Daisies", is also a regular. The star is square jawed Mark Valley who was in "Fringe" for a year. It's an action-adventure-thriller-ass kicking show. Not much character development, a few good lines, but i'm enjoying it. It has a lot of filmic values, rather unlike standard TV shows. It has been on three nights this week, but i think its regular slot is Wednesdays at 9PM. It's on Fox broadcast channel (channel 2 in the SF Bay Area), not the scurrilous Fox Cable.