Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway - Disneyland

[PiratesMansion]

First time I heard about Branson was in the movie “She’s out of my League.” Still not quite sure what it is.

A tourist trap town in the Ozark Mountains of Southern Missouri centered around country music (and there was a period starting around the 80s or so when previously big name country acts were dropped by their labels and for whatever reason decided to move their acts to Branson where they opened their own theaters), God, and the good ol' US of A ("and we'd love to take a moment to thank our veterans! **enthusiastic applause**" at every single thing you visit).

If anyone's familiar with Pigeon Forge, TN, it's very similar in feel (Dollywood and Silver Dollar City are even sister parks).

It's quite a fascinating place, really. Everything is centered around a two lane road ("the strip") lined with your typical go karts, etc but also dozens and dozens of theaters mostly showcasing lots of clean, reasonably priced, "throwback" entertainment. In its heyday it was a huge tourist draw, but Branson pinned its focus on a very specific demographic (silent generation older white conservative Christians) that has largely been dying off. Demographics still skew disproportionately older (or Southern Baptist) and it's been difficult for them to branch out and draw in younger and more diverse groups of visitors. There's signs of rebounding as new businesses and new ideas are slowly approved and built, but it will still be a battle for Branson to prove its relevance for a lot of people going forward, and the Strip and area still have a lot of abandoned motels and theaters.

No casinos though! Branson's Powers that Be are too conservative at present for there to be any casinos for the foreseeable future, although it would probably help them drive some revenue.

I hope I don't sound like I'm ragging too much on it, because I do think it's a cool town filled with nice people even if much of what's there isn't really to my taste. I do hope the turnaround they need does come for them even if I'm skeptical that it will actually happen. Based on perception and location alone, it will be quite difficult for them to pull it off.

 

[mickEblu]

A tourist trap town in the Ozark Mountains of Southern Missouri centered around country music (and there was a period starting around the 80s or so when previously big name country acts were dropped by their labels and for whatever reason decided to move their acts to Branson where they opened their own theaters), God, and the good ol' US of A ("and we'd love to take a moment to thank our veterans! **enthusiastic applause**" at every single thing you visit).

If anyone's familiar with Pigeon Forge, TN, it's very similar in feel (Dollywood and Silver Dollar City are even sister parks).

It's quite a fascinating place, really. Everything is centered around a two lane road ("the strip") lined with your typical go karts, etc but also dozens and dozens of theaters mostly showcasing lots of clean, reasonably priced, "throwback" entertainment. In its heyday it was a huge tourist draw, but Branson pinned its focus on a very specific demographic (silent generation older white conservative Christians) that has largely been dying off. Demographics still skew disproportionately older (or Southern Baptist) and it's been difficult for them to branch out and draw in younger and more diverse groups of visitors. There's signs of rebounding as new businesses and new ideas are slowly approved and built, but it will still be a battle for Branson to prove its relevance for a lot of people going forward, and the Strip and area still have a lot of abandoned motels and theaters.

No casinos though! Branson's Powers that Be are too conservative at present for there to be any casinos for the foreseeable future, although it would probably help them drive some revenue.

I hope I don't sound like I'm ragging too much on it, because I do think it's a cool town filled with nice people even if much of what's there isn't really to my taste. I do hope the turnaround they need does come for them even if I'm skeptical that it will actually happen. Based on perception and location alone, it will be an uphill battle for them.

Thanks for the rundown. That was probably better than anything I could find on google.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

My reviews aren't satisfactory?

 

[PiratesMansion]

I'm sure the Titanic museum is cool, but I've always thought it was a little strange that they didn't bother recreating...MORE of it.

 

[Disney Irish]

No casinos though! Branson's Powers that Be are too conservative at present for there to be any casinos for the foreseeable future, although it would probably help them drive some revenue.

Yep you're right, I guess I mixed up what I had heard. However doing a quick search there are various casinos within less than a 2 hour drive if anyone is looking for casino action while in Branson.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I'm sure the Titanic museum is cool, but I've always thought it was a little strange that they didn't bother recreating...MORE of it.
View attachment 472840

Well, the ship did break in two...

 

[PiratesMansion]

Well, the ship did break in two...

Yes, but it's clearly in the process of hitting the iceberg! Any true Titanic historian putting the museum together should know that those events were hours apart!

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

It's charming, okay!

 

[socalifornian]

A tourist trap town in the Ozark Mountains of Southern Missouri centered around country music (and there was a period starting around the 80s or so when previously big name country acts were dropped by their labels and for whatever reason decided to move their acts to Branson where they opened their own theaters), God, and the good ol' US of A ("and we'd love to take a moment to thank our veterans! **enthusiastic applause**" at every single thing you visit).

If anyone's familiar with Pigeon Forge, TN, it's very similar in feel (Dollywood and Silver Dollar City are even sister parks).

It's quite a fascinating place, really. Everything is centered around a two lane road ("the strip") lined with your typical go karts, etc but also dozens and dozens of theaters mostly showcasing lots of clean, reasonably priced, "throwback" entertainment. In its heyday it was a huge tourist draw, but Branson pinned its focus on a very specific demographic (silent generation older white conservative Christians) that has largely been dying off. Demographics still skew disproportionately older (or Southern Baptist) and it's been difficult for them to branch out and draw in younger and more diverse groups of visitors. There's signs of rebounding as new businesses and new ideas are slowly approved and built, but it will still be a battle for Branson to prove its relevance for a lot of people going forward, and the Strip and area still have a lot of abandoned motels and theaters.

No casinos though! Branson's Powers that Be are too conservative at present for there to be any casinos for the foreseeable future, although it would probably help them drive some revenue.

I hope I don't sound like I'm ragging too much on it, because I do think it's a cool town filled with nice people even if much of what's there isn't really to my taste. I do hope the turnaround they need does come for them even if I'm skeptical that it will actually happen. Based on perception and location alone, it will be quite difficult for them to pull it off.

Sounds kind of like I-Drive in Orlando too. I thought I was back in Florida going through Pigeon Forge

 

[Phroobar]

 

[Phroobar]

Well, the ship did break in two...

Current evidence suggest that it didn't until after it sunk. You can't use a James Cameron movie as historical fact.

 

[PiratesMansion]

Current evidence suggest that it didn't until after it sunk. You can't use a James Cameron movie as historical fact.

In fairness, I think that evidence is only a few years old. I hadn't heard it until that Nat Geo special on D+.

Is the world moving on from Titanic fever? I don't feel like there's been as much publicity or new programming about the ship recently, but then I'm not seeking it out most of the time.

 

[Phroobar]

In fairness, I think that evidence is only a few years old. I hadn't heard it until that Nat Geo special on D+.

Is the world moving on from Titanic fever? I don't feel like there's been as much publicity or new programming about the ship recently, but then I'm not seeking it out most of the time.

The current theory it is sunk whole but then broke up due to pressure and weight and air dynamics as it headed towards the bottom. This is shown by the debris field and how certain things are still in tack while others aren't.

Of course none of this changes the fact that Titanic was James Cameron's worst movie.

 

[PiratesMansion]

The current theory it is sunk whole but then broke up due to pressure and weight and air dynamics as it headed towards the bottom. This is shown by the debris field and how certain things are still in tack while others aren't.

Of course none of this changes the fact that Titanic was James Cameron's worst movie.

I actually think Titanic got a bad rap due to overexposure. The dialogue's not world's best, and the characters are maybe a bit thin, but it works. And it's a disaster movie! None of the shortcomings of Titanic are really unique to the genre, IMO.

And the sinking? Holds. Up. Still one of the best sequences ever captured on film.

I haven't seen all of Cameron's films (still haven't watched True Lies even though it's sitting on my DVD shelf), but I'd put Titanic at least above Avatar and The Abyss.

 

[Phroobar]

I actually think Titanic got a bad rap due to overexposure. The dialogue's not world's best, and the characters are maybe a bit thin, but it works. And it's a disaster movie! None of the shortcomings of Titanic are really unique to the genre, IMO.

And the sinking? Holds. Up. Still one of the best sequences ever captured on film.

I haven't seen all of Cameron's films (still haven't watched True Lies even though it's sitting on my DVD shelf), but I'd put Titanic at least above Avatar and The Abyss.

The problem with Titanic is the editing. They show the ship sinking in real time. Our heroes have multiple opportunities to leave the ship and be safe but keep doing stupid things to miss each opportunity. It gets tedious and very melodramatic. By the end of the movie, I really wanted to see Jack live and Rose die!

The Abyss was a lot better with a decent "aliens" type story. It tried to stretch the underwater monster movie with a good twist. Avatar was pretty good for eye candy and the tech reminded me of Aliens. However it was still Pocahontas in Space.

 

[PiratesMansion]

The problem with Titanic is the editing. They show the ship sinking in real time. Our heroes have multiple opportunities to leave the ship and be safe but keep doing stupid things to miss each opportunity. It gets tedious and very melodramatic. By the end of the movie, I really wanted to see Jack live and Rose die!

The Abyss was a lot better with a decent "aliens" type story. It tried to stretch the underwater monster movie with a good twist. Avatar was pretty good for eye candy and the tech reminded me of Aliens. However it was still Pocahontas in Space.

Fair point on Jack and Rose being idiots, although I'd be remiss if I didn't mention they are both teenagers in the movie and teens are hardly bastions of rational decision making during normal circumstances, let alone a genuine crisis, especially if "true love" is involved.

And if we're positing Titanic as a melodrama, which I'd say it is, such drama is a feature of the genre, not a bug.

I need to rewatch The Abyss, or maybe just skip the rewatch and go right to the Director's Cut that it seems like everyone finds superior to the theatrical version.

 

[Phroobar]

Fair point on Jack and Rose being idiots, although I'd be remiss if I didn't mention they are both teenagers in the movie and teens are hardly bastions of rational decision making during normal circumstances, let alone a genuine crisis, especially if "true love" is involved.

And if we're positing Titanic as a melodrama, which I'd say it is, such drama is a feature of the genre, not a bug.

I need to rewatch The Abyss, or maybe just skip the rewatch and go right to the Director's Cut that it seems like everyone finds superior to the theatrical version.

I still have no clue why Titanic was as popular as it was. The Abyss director's cut however is the best version. I like that movie. Avatar was something new and groundbreaking for the time because of the motion capture and 3D. I hope Avatar 2 has something groundbreaking in it too. Maybe they can discover a worm hole to Pandora for submarines. We could then retheme the subs to Avatar and give us a mini Pandora land for Disneyland with the subs and flight of Passage taking over Autopia.

 

[PiratesMansion]

I still have no clue why Titanic was as popular as it was. The Abyss director's cut however is the best version. I like that movie. Avatar was something new and groundbreaking for the time because of the motion capture and 3D. I hope Avatar 2 has something groundbreaking in it too. Maybe they can discover a worm hole to Pandora for submarines. We could then retheme the subs to Avatar and give us a mini Pandora land for Disneyland with the subs and flight of Passage taking over Autopia.

I think what made Titanic so successful was that it was counterprogramming against itself. You had the romance to bring in people who liked that angle of it, but then suddenly it switches gears and becomes this epic, special-effects laden disaster film on a level no one had ever seen before. It's also a movie that benefits greatly from seeing it in a theater on a massive screen.

Same with Avatar in that regard. Seeing Avatar in theaters in 3D was an amazing experience. I couldn't tell you much about the movie now, but even if the movie was so-so, the theatrical experience was spectacular.

It will be interesting to see if the sequels will crash and burn as many of us expect them to or if Cameron, who hasn't really made any flops (unless you want to count Piranha II: The Spawning as fully his), will be able to enthrall the world again and will them into being huge hits.

Certainly the movie theaters would love to have a reason to be relevant again outside of another superhero movie.

 

[Phroobar]

I think what made Titanic so successful was that it was counterprogramming against itself. You had the romance to bring in people who liked that angle of it, but then suddenly it switches gears and becomes this epic, special-effects laden disaster film on a level no one had ever seen before. It's also a movie that benefits greatly from seeing it in a theater on a massive screen.

Same with Avatar in that regard. Seeing Avatar in theaters in 3D was an amazing experience. I couldn't tell you much about the movie now, but even if the movie was so-so, the theatrical experience was spectacular.

It will be interesting to see if the sequels will crash and burn as many of us expect them to or if Cameron, who hasn't really made any flops (unless you want to count Piranha II: The Spawning as fully his), will be able to enthrall the world again and will them into being huge hits.

Certainly the movie theaters would love to have a reason to be relevant again outside of another superhero movie.

Piranha II: The Spawning - they don't make them like that anymore. Piranha 3DD was even better. That could only come from the mind of guy that put on a spaceship.

 

[Rich Brownn]

The problem with Titanic is the editing. They show the ship sinking in real time. Our heroes have multiple opportunities to leave the ship and be safe but keep doing stupid things to miss each opportunity. It gets tedious and very melodramatic. By the end of the movie, I really wanted to see Jack live and Rose die!

The Abyss was a lot better with a decent "aliens" type story. It tried to stretch the underwater monster movie with a good twist. Avatar was pretty good for eye candy and the tech reminded me of Aliens. However it was still Pocahontas in Space.

The Abyss is better with the extended edition, which was the original intent of the movie.