Oh Bugger
Superman Returns was indeed a good movie. Good enough to be seen twice.
In less than a week.
Yeah, so I liked it. I appreciated Bryan Singer's work (of X-men movie fame) and his reuse of some of the scenes from the original Superman movie. Not blatant copies mind you, but enough that the fanboys (and girls) in the audience giggled.
I didn't realize what had been used from the original Superman (other than Brando as "Dad") until I caught the movie on cable this past weekend. That was enough to bring me back to the theatres (a bigger venue, less guests this time) to watch for whatever gags I might have missed the first time around.
I won't spoil the movie (other than the Brando bit), but can say everyone did a great job, and fit their parts well (almost too well, in some scenes). I can't wait to get this on dvd, and I look forward to the sequel(s).
---------------------->^oO^<---------------------------------------------
On to pirates; more specifically, the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, and the latest movie, Dead Man's Chest.
The attractions have had their updates (apparently 3 or 4 years in the making by WDI), and the parks now have their Jack Sparrow (even live - see the links below). My perception so far is mixed. I enjoyed the live entertainment (supposedly just for the summer) at WDW's Magic Kingdom that features Jack and a pirate sidekick. I was excited to be in the first crowd of guests to ride the attraction on Saturday, July 1st (a semi hush-hush preview). But did I enjoy everything that had been updated?
Unfortunately not as much as I thought I would. But, I am impressed with what was added to the attraction. Disney spared no expense in the effects an animatronics. Alas, it was what was lost, or not updated to induce an "ooh" factor that got to me later. What disappointed me most:
- Losing the original music (X Atencio's "Yo Ho, A Pirates Life for Me") on the attraction itself at the beginning. After riding a second time, I caught a musak version, but it didn't evoke the same feeling. I doubt folks will be singing along to the music anymore.
- The skull and crossbones is no more. I know this piece provided pivotal information to the guests as to what was happening next, but perhaps it could have been used elsewhere, or maybe the Davey Jones effect could have been installed elsewhere. In any case, it's a shame the piece is now gone.
- The "burning town" near the end didn't quite wow me like I thought it would (that is my sore spot with WDW's attraction). But, then again WDI probably did everything short of literally burning it down to come up with better effects. I give them brownie points for trying.
There were many other changes to the ride that resulted in AA's or effects being altered or done away with here and there, but what I noted above is what bothered me most. I didn't quite let it hit me until yesterday morning, when my cd player alarm clock went off with a whir to get me up for work, and played my favorite Pirates tune. I never thought that would leave me teary eyed.
Anyhow, my more recent opinion of the attraction has given me just a little more to fuel my ambivalence towards the latest movie. But, I'll still be seeing it. I'm hoping I can view it without thinking what it affected in terms of the attraction. That, and I don't want to sit there during the latest swashbuckling adventure, thinking "Johnny Depp...as Jack Sparrow", and so on. The amount of publicity the movie franchise is now getting makes it a bit difficult for the average movie fans to not get overdosed on merchandise, fan news about the actors, and everything else that comes with media overexposure.
It's times like this that I'm glad other movies I've enjoyed haven't had this much press and fan fare. Even Harry Potter wasn't like this.
Moving back to the Disney parks, here's a few clips for folks to enjoy (Jack at the Magic Kingdom):
Jack Clip 1
Jack Clip 2
Jack Clip 3
In less than a week.
Yeah, so I liked it. I appreciated Bryan Singer's work (of X-men movie fame) and his reuse of some of the scenes from the original Superman movie. Not blatant copies mind you, but enough that the fanboys (and girls) in the audience giggled.
I didn't realize what had been used from the original Superman (other than Brando as "Dad") until I caught the movie on cable this past weekend. That was enough to bring me back to the theatres (a bigger venue, less guests this time) to watch for whatever gags I might have missed the first time around.
I won't spoil the movie (other than the Brando bit), but can say everyone did a great job, and fit their parts well (almost too well, in some scenes). I can't wait to get this on dvd, and I look forward to the sequel(s).
---------------------->^oO^<---------------------------------------------
On to pirates; more specifically, the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, and the latest movie, Dead Man's Chest.
The attractions have had their updates (apparently 3 or 4 years in the making by WDI), and the parks now have their Jack Sparrow (even live - see the links below). My perception so far is mixed. I enjoyed the live entertainment (supposedly just for the summer) at WDW's Magic Kingdom that features Jack and a pirate sidekick. I was excited to be in the first crowd of guests to ride the attraction on Saturday, July 1st (a semi hush-hush preview). But did I enjoy everything that had been updated?
Unfortunately not as much as I thought I would. But, I am impressed with what was added to the attraction. Disney spared no expense in the effects an animatronics. Alas, it was what was lost, or not updated to induce an "ooh" factor that got to me later. What disappointed me most:
- Losing the original music (X Atencio's "Yo Ho, A Pirates Life for Me") on the attraction itself at the beginning. After riding a second time, I caught a musak version, but it didn't evoke the same feeling. I doubt folks will be singing along to the music anymore.
- The skull and crossbones is no more. I know this piece provided pivotal information to the guests as to what was happening next, but perhaps it could have been used elsewhere, or maybe the Davey Jones effect could have been installed elsewhere. In any case, it's a shame the piece is now gone.
- The "burning town" near the end didn't quite wow me like I thought it would (that is my sore spot with WDW's attraction). But, then again WDI probably did everything short of literally burning it down to come up with better effects. I give them brownie points for trying.
There were many other changes to the ride that resulted in AA's or effects being altered or done away with here and there, but what I noted above is what bothered me most. I didn't quite let it hit me until yesterday morning, when my cd player alarm clock went off with a whir to get me up for work, and played my favorite Pirates tune. I never thought that would leave me teary eyed.
Anyhow, my more recent opinion of the attraction has given me just a little more to fuel my ambivalence towards the latest movie. But, I'll still be seeing it. I'm hoping I can view it without thinking what it affected in terms of the attraction. That, and I don't want to sit there during the latest swashbuckling adventure, thinking "Johnny Depp...as Jack Sparrow", and so on. The amount of publicity the movie franchise is now getting makes it a bit difficult for the average movie fans to not get overdosed on merchandise, fan news about the actors, and everything else that comes with media overexposure.
It's times like this that I'm glad other movies I've enjoyed haven't had this much press and fan fare. Even Harry Potter wasn't like this.
Moving back to the Disney parks, here's a few clips for folks to enjoy (Jack at the Magic Kingdom):
Jack Clip 1
Jack Clip 2
Jack Clip 3
posted by Jennifer Lynn at Thursday, July 06, 2006
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