Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts Tres

[stevehousse]

Not to mention I read about world war z initial cut was deemed as terrible and had to have major reshoots! I still am interested in seeing it, I just don't have the highest expectations.

 

[Longhairbear]

As a quick aside, I watched the Car Masters vid from Disney Park Blog for the upcoming event at DTD WDW. The special merch they tout is all the stuff you can already buy at DCA Carsland....

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I also saved a turtle yesterday from becoming road kill!

Hero status = earned!

 

[coolbeans14]

All this talk of summer movies...

The only movie I've wanted to see is Before Midnight. I love Richard Linklater's films, so I'm looking forward to it.

I'm sure it's just me, but I've really tired of superhero films that build to the perfunctory 40-minute action set piece at the end. I'm very curious to see how the Thor and Captain America sequels do, because they don't have the star power of Iron Man.

The only reason I'm going to see Thor 2 is to find out why on earth a bunch of elf people would bother invading east london. The only reason I can come up with is that they want to go to the Olympic park. There's nothing that... Important there.

EDIT:

Tony was in FL last week.


Brave did not make back its cost (although it earned out on worldwide merch), and there's a good bit of nervousness internally over Monsters too. Pixar's golden days seem to have hit a bit of a bump, although they are still worlds better than most of what gets made.

Really?! Because it looks absolutely fantastic, is getting fairly good reviews and all around looks likely to be a hit.

Saying that, in the UK there hasn't been a whole lot of advertising, but there's still 3 weeks until we get it, so there's time I guess.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Brave did not make back its cost (although it earned out on worldwide merch), and there's a good bit of nervousness internally over Monsters too. Pixar's golden days seem to have hit a bit of a bump, although they are still worlds better than most of what gets made.

Does Pixar have any plans to release a teaser for The Good Dinosaur with MU? We usually get the trailer for the next Pixar film a week before the current film opens.

 

[Lee]

I really thought the ending was genius. You built up this ridiculous tension, build up to this climax, its the final episode of the show and its clearly the end and......





...... Black.


It just ends. Its not a hollywood ending, its not a happy ending, its not a sad ending, its not wrapped up in a tiny little bow - instead it just ends.

I like the Sopranos ending. Simple on the surface, but complex when you look closer at how it was set up and what it meant.

I'm actually glad it got to have an ending.
HBO didn't extend the same courtesy to the AMAZING Deadwood.

Movies...
Saw This Is The End last night.
It was rude, gross, profane, obscene and absolutely hilarious. More laughs in any 10min stretch than the entire Hangover 3.

 

[Lee]

Tony was in FL last week.

Where he visited Uni, I hear.
(Just as a guest, of course.)

 

[GLaDOS]

Saw This Is The End last night.
It was rude, gross, profane, obscene and absolutely hilarious. More laughs in any 10min stretch than the entire Hangover 3.

Possibly the funniest movie in a decade.

 

[Taylor]

Possibly the funniest movie in a decade.

Sadly it doesn't have much competition.

 

[michmousefan]

Ouch, it's 55 on Metacritic and 63% & 6.6 on RT. I think we need to go in with REALLY low expectations.

Interesting. And then you have folks like Harry from AICN calling it "The best superhero movie ever made." Who did Snyder make this movie for, anyway?

I shall find out for myself at 12:01 tonight in IMAX 3D...

 

[lebeau]

Since we seem to be talking about Video Games and Man of Steel right now, I just checked and Man of Steel is 56 on Metacritic. I imagine the DC fanboy reactions should be fun

I have been trying to keep my expectations low. But I am lowering them by the minute. I am very disappointed by the lukewarm response, but what do you expect when you hire Zach Snyder? And for that matter, Nolan’s style is well-suited to Batman. But not Supes.

Speilberg and Lucas discuss the fall of the tentpole and the future of film.

I sure hope they are right. I see what they are talking about. The movie industry has been slowly drifting this way for a long, long time. I first noticed where things were going way back when the first Mission Impossible opened on a then-record number of theaters. You could see the writing on the wall. But now, it’s crazy.

Sadly, I’m not sure that implosion is coming. The good movies will probably turn to TV. The movie industry needs to adapt. Right now, the shift seems to be towards nothing but big spectacle movies that play well overseas. Domestic box office means less and less every year. And smaller movies are slowly disappearing or going straight to video/cable.

What I got from that was that because their individual films didn't do quite as well as they hoped/general public wasn't as interested in their films as say Iron Man, the movie industry is apparently headed for collapse... Seemed just kind of silly to me. Not to say the entertainment industry isn't going thru change, but yeah, their predictions just seem farfetched and dare I say almost wishful thinking on their parts.

Someone missed the point.

Every studio puts out lower budget fluff films, and should, to supplement income.

Two things. 1. Usually the big budget movies are the “fluff films” and the lower budget movies get made because the have some weight to them. 2. The studios don’t make nearly as many low budget movies as they used to. More and more, they are abandoning the mid-range and low-budget movies to deliver a new tentpole every week.

A major shift in Disney's studio has been to load up on the tentpole at the sacrafice of everything else. They've gone to 'a few big movies' a year and reduced their studio output. This is the 'feast or famine' model. It's in stark contrast to the Eisner/Katz model of 'doubles and singles' of the 80s/90s

Disney’s not alone in this strategy. But they are definitely leading the charge. They are more concerned about tentpoles and release dates than a finished script which is why I have almost no hope of Lone Ranger being any good at all.

When his first Marvel bomb (should I use that word with the NSA watching?) happens, which will likely before Pixar's first (although I have friends out west still telling me that Brave didn't make back its cost/marketing).

You can't expect an audience for Thor 4, Captain America 6 and UnknownCharacter X 2 ... there is a point when folks won't want more beyond quality like Dark Knight (and the last one had MANY flaws) and the problem is EVERY one of these films are extremely pricey to make.

Marvel does watch the costs very closely. I am going to be real interested to see how contract negotiations go knowing how Marvel is with money. They are going to have to pay Downey. He is the face of not just one franchisem but two. If they let Downey go out of cheapness, they are done.

But the other guys? I don't expect Chris Hemsorth to be in Thor 4. Chris Evans makes less than anybody, but he'll likely be priced out of Cap 6. There are very serious questions about who will be returning for Avengers 2.

I don't know. I remember a time when gaming was something you gave up when you were done high school. Funny what a business it has become. ... I can't say I'm into it ... my last game system was a Sega Genesis attatched to a giant box we called the TV!

But apparently gaming whores are as big as Disney Lifestylers. Who knew?

It is remarkable. I thought the video game industry died with arcades. I never anticipated it would become mainstream

Just look at Disney. They're all pricey tentpole type films ... this year ... from Oz, which is still not profitable, to Monsters U to Iron Man 3 to Lone Ranger to Thor 2 to Frozen. Go back and compare with their slate from say 1993.

Even when these films don't bomb or appear successful (like Brave or Oz), they aren't successful enough because the costs are too damn high.

Iger is greedy. He thinks he has a printing press for cash with Marvel, Pixar and Lucas and a Disney tentpole or two a year. It will end ...

That's the problem right there. The studios are only interested in playing at the high stakes table now. They make movies that cost so much (both to make and to market) that they have to break records just to break even. It's insanity. Plus, most of them aren't any good anyway. Eventually, audiences will start being more selective about which big budget spectacle gets their money. Especially if Spielberg and Lucas are right and Iron Man 3 starts costing more than Lincoln.

 

[ScoutN]

Since I'm curious to hear what the Spirit (who seems to know a thing or two about the theme park industry beyond Disney) thinks about this, and since the topic of park admission prices has been timely recently...

I'm a SeaWorld/Busch platinum annual passholder -- this is the pass that allows you to visit any SW/Busch park in the U.S., and its cost varies depending on which park is your "home park" (i.e., where you buy it and use it for the first time). I bought my 2-year platinum AP last year at SW San Diego, where it cost $330 (a fantastic deal, as I've since visited five of the company's parks, some multiple times, more than justifying the purchase price).

Because I was bored today, I happened to look at SW San Diego's ticket/annual pass page. Turns out they have gotten rid of the 2-year platinum AP altogether, and jacked up the price of a 1-year platinum AP to $380. So now it would cost me $50 more to get for 1 year what was previously good for twice that much time. Honestly, this is one of the hugest price increases I've ever seen for any theme park admissions media -- I don't think Disney has even come close to having a price hike comparable to the relative extent of this one.

To compare, a 1-year platinum AP currently purchased at either SW Orlando or Busch Tampa is $329, and a 2-year version is $499. This means that it costs significantly more to buy a platinum AP at SW San Diego than at any other SW/Busch park.

The SW park rep I talked to explained that the price hike was due to the fact that they recently opened Aquatica San Diego, so there is ostensibly much more entertainment offered for most of the people who will end up buying platinum APs in San Diego. But consider the fact that, while it's a nice park, SW San Diego arguably has the least to offer of any theme park in the company's stable.

And add in the fact that (1) San Diego's Aquatica is almost half an hour away from SW San Diego, which makes it considerably less convenient to park hop than between, say, SW Orlando and Aquatica Orlando, (2) Aquatica SD is basically the former Knott's Soak City with a fresh coat of paint and new signage -- significantly inferior in offerings to its Florida cousin, and (3) in central Florida, you not only have SW and Aquatica adjacent to each other, but you also have Busch Tampa within driving distance as well, offering Florida platinum APers much more bang for their buck -- and SW San Diego's price hike seems even more stunning (not to mention baffling).

Have you ever seen such a thing before? And do you think it's odd that the different SW/Busch parks would have such significant differences in price with admissions media that provide exactly the same benefits? (Yes, I realize that some of these parks aren't open year-round, so the APs of some parks' locals would tend to get a bit less use, but by definition, these platinum APs provide entry to all of the company's parks nationwide, so presumably these particular passholders are self-selected people who know they will get around to the other parks quite a bit.)

Wouldn't it be odd if Disney sold their premier (all U.S. parks) AP at a different price point in Orlando than in Anaheim? And has there ever been a price hike by Disney (or any other theme park company) that has been so extreme -- not to mention clearly unjustified?

Pricing for the same Plat Pass differs at each SEAS park. If you opt in for the EZPay option then you are locking in at that price. If you locked in EZPay at $180 for two years ten years ago then you are still paying that. EZPay is somewhat their loyalty program that keeps you immune to pass increases.

 

[ScoutN]

Yep, even though I've had friends tell me the film isn't that good. I love the premise, but from what I gather it becomes a typical 'bad guys in the house with us' film ...

The Purge is barely worth a Redbox visit. Cannot remember the last time I could not wait for a movie to end.

 

[lebeau]

They're always reading, even if they aren't posting ... that's part of what makes this place so MAGICal!

I sure hope my pal, Kevin, is reading. I miss that guy.

Well if we get KK, it will end. Kathleen is close to Steven and likely harbors similar if not identical sentiments.

I don't think any one studio can change course. The entire industry has been running on a collision course for a long time now.

I think Captain America was my favorite Marvel film by far ... to be fair, I saw it on a cruise from hell when catching up on films I missed was one of the best things. But I thought it felt right and real and true to the character in a way that no other Marvel release has felt.

I have enjoyed most of them. Wasn't a fan of the Hulk movies or the Iron Man sequels. But Cap really got to the heart of the character. As a Cap fan, I am biased. But I really enjoyed that movie. Probably more than nay super hero movie since the first two Supermen.

I agree that they are milking the marvel cinematic universe quite a bit....

As for Brave? Im still disapointed, I get what they were trying to do but It seems like 1/2 a movie. Wheres the other part of the film? Because this is Pixar.... Why she didnt have to unite the clans to defeat the [whatever] is beyond me. Thats an act 3 that would have made it better.

There was a lot wrong with Brave. It was beautifully made which seemed to be enough for a lot of people to overlook the extremely flawed story structure. But I expected more from Pixar. I was disappointed when it won the Oscar.

On another film point, as I sit here and watch a trailer for World War Z, I realize that one issue with all of these mega-summer-flicks is timing. There aren't enough screens for all these films and when they battle it out in May, June and July, there will be casualties that wouldn't have been had the films been released in January or April or October. Studios are greedy and want the choice dates when school is out and that's fine if you start fast ... but if you don't ... you drop quickly and soon find no way to gain an audience. Even with massive 24-screen theaters, there's only so much time for Hangover 3 and AfterEarth and Oblivion.

Put another way, do you thing if Disney had released Oz this week that it would have been nearly as successful as it was debuting in March.

It’s all about the number of screens (especially 3-D screens for the upcharge) and jockeying for the best release date. The movies themselves almost don’t matter anymore. That’s why movies are going into production with unfinished script. The release date is driving everything these days.

A movie has to open on as many screens as possible. Because next weekend, there will be another front-loaded blockbuster wannabe trying to crowd it out. Opening weekend is sink or swim. There is no opportunity for a movie to build word of mouth. That’s for video now.

 

[ThemeParks4Life]

MOS is still 55 on Metacritic but it's now 61% on RT. Also, I've read on several sites that 3D isn't noticeable so skip 3D.

Possibly the funniest movie in a decade.

Funnier than Anchorman?

 

[lebeau]

MOS is still 55 on Metacritic but it's now 61% on RT. Also, I've read on several sites that 3D isn't noticeable so skip 3D.

I only pay for 3D if it is a far preferable show time. Whenever possible, I avoid the surcharge. The one time it was ever worth paying extra for 3-D was Avatar.

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

I would agree that lone ranger seems iffy about pulling those figures it needs when it opens. As much as I love depp, modern westerns haven't been all too successful as of late, and I can see it not doing well. I am not even a fan of westerns,I think they are boring in general. I think it's a huge risk releasing it this summer! This is one title that should be released during the "slower" months so to speak. But I think more shoulders actually rest on Johnny depp after he pushed and pushed Disney into this project!

Same. I was never a fan of western films (or tv shows, cartoons, etc) as it just doesn't appeal to me.

And to be honest, Im really Depp-ed out. As soon as you see him- no matter what role, what character, what movie- it's Johnny Depp. His signature style has become too signature. And overplayed.

Can I also add that I'm really over the 3-D hype as well? It was interesting, then just expensive, now it's just unneccesary and I'd rather buy overpriced popcorn instead of overpriced 3-D "experience".

Mum and I went to see Oz in theatre we thought it was good. Some parts drug on a bit, but in general, we enjoyed it. I showed her the previews for Monsters Inc Uni and Lone Ranger.... we'll be seeing Monsters next.

edit- autocorrect strikes again

 

[PhotoDave219]

Possibly the funniest movie in a decade.

Is this in the theaters?

 

[Rodan75]

That has more to do with the behind the scenes politics that played out and resulted in the film being different from what it was going to be.

On another film point, as I sit here and watch a trailer for World War Z, I realize that one issue with all of these mega-summer-flicks is timing. There aren't enough screens for all these films and when they battle it out in May, June and July, there will be casualties that wouldn't have been had the films been released in January or April or October. Studios are greedy and want the choice dates when school is out and that's fine if you start fast ... but if you don't ... you drop quickly and soon find no way to gain an audience. Even with massive 24-screen theaters, there's only so much time for Hangover 3 and AfterEarth and Oblivion.

Put another way, do you thing if Disney had released Oz this week that it would have been nearly as successful as it was debuting in March.

Yeah, you can tell the studios are trying to 'extend Summer' as much as possible by releasing bigger tentpoles throughout the year, at least you don't have 3 tentpoles opening in the same weekend like you did in the 90's. I'm surprised how spaced out May and the first half of June have been compared to what is coming over the next 8 weeks.

Theatres will have to drop either the 3-D showing or the 2-D showing on movies pretty quickly for them to keep up.

 

[GLaDOS]

Is this in the theaters?

Yes. It was released yesterday.