Joe Dante’s career has been one of great success tempered by box office failure. Despite this he has retained a loyal and passionate following of fans. It has been seven years since his last feature, the moderately successful Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003). After this long sabbatical from feature filmmaking, Dante has finally returned with The Hole, his first film to be shot in 3D. Given his decision to shoot in the much criticised third dimension it was always going to be Dante’s biggest challenge to justify the 3D’s presence and make it work for the narrative. [click to continue…]
3D
3D is a source of consistent frustration for me. In the vast majority of cases it is simply a money making gimmick which, in the vast majority of cases does not work. The other few instances in which 3D works is if it is used as an extension of depth of field or if a director understands and appreciates the form as a gimmick for cheap audience thrills; and this is exactly what Paul W.S Anderson does with Resident Evil: Afterlife. [click to continue…]
Everybody who is in their early twenties as I am instantly recognises the names Woody and Buzz as the defining characters of their childhood. Toy Story literally changed the face of children’s animated movies. From the opening credits it was clear that then unknown animation studio Pixar had created something that set a new benchmark for every animated movie to follow. In 1999, Woody, Buzz and the gang were reunited in Toy Story 2. A film which, for my money, is one of the greatest sequels ever made, and one which in some ways surpasses even the first film’s almost impossibly high standards. So, after 11 years fans young and (mostly) old have finally gotten the third film that they have been hoping for, and it was well worth the wait. [click to continue…]
After the longest and most unremitting promotional onslaught in film history, James Cameron’s Avatar was finally released in December. In typical style, I only got around to seeing the film a couple of weeks ago. My immediate thoughts on the film were mostly filled with the spectacular imagery and undeniably groundbreaking use of 3D technology. [click to continue…]
