Soarin' Over Pgh
Well-Known Member
I got the artwork of book recently and have been finding it difficult to put down. I'd recommend picking it up if you're into concept art, making-of, and illustration.
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Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts Tres
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I got the artwork of book recently and have been finding it difficult to put down. I'd recommend picking it up if you're into concept art, making-of, and illustration.
I'll quote this to grab your attention.
On the topic of movies teaching lessons and evoking emotions back in the hay day let us take a turn to the Disney Disas....err Channel. With the spinoff of Boy Meets World looming next year as Girl Meets World, how will it go over? BMW was always known for teaching a life lesson to preteens and teens week after week. It relayed childhood awkwardness in a manner that everyone could relate to and always found a way to help troubled or mixed emotioned youths out. How will this spinoff be? Another shoulda been aborted Hannah? Over zealous try to make singing money off the girl too? Tacky?
This show stands a chance to be the largest hit for DC in YEARS. This is not some show that they have created and pushed but a well beloved brand that parents will look forward to watching with their children as they did with their parents. If they stray from the recipe of success BMW had the backlash will be tremendous.
The latest Western - Django Unchained - made just in the UK, France and Germany combined 110 million, in the US 162 million. The thing that might have been different from your typical Western was that Tarantino has lots of fans here in Europe. But so had Depp. I am sure that the Lone Ranger will be marketed as a Johnny Depp film here once it is released (won't be until August), not as a Western.
Texas84
Well-Known Member
Nope, just out west right now. They just moved into Texas. Really good burger but the fries are like boiled tree bark.
unkadug
Follower of "Saget"The Cult
Why is Tallahassee's Whataburger better than Pensacola's Whataburger?
flynnibus
Premium Member
Or more like... the recent Pooh movie was not what the franchise hinged on... it had been established and entrenched for decades through other forms of media. The recent movie was just another blip in the pooh timeline of product.
That's not even a fair comparison to most of the examples here where the film is the vast majority of the exposure for the franchise. The recent Pooh film was insignificant to the establishment and history of it's franchise.
flynnibus
Premium Member
flynnibus
Premium Member
all this burger talk and I'm suprised no one brought up all the boutique burger locations that have been springing up in the last few years.
Very high end burgers.. very narrow menus.. often mixed in with hipster bar/lounge feels.
Heres an example one
http://www.thecounterburger.com/
The fry discussion can be split between those that like the skinny fries.. like McDonalds.. (which is very much what InOut's are like.. but different taste) and those that like thick dirty fry.. like a boardwalk fry (Five Guys, and to a lesser extent Wendys).
Give me seasoned or curly fries
Very high end burgers.. very narrow menus.. often mixed in with hipster bar/lounge feels.
Heres an example one
http://www.thecounterburger.com/
The fry discussion can be split between those that like the skinny fries.. like McDonalds.. (which is very much what InOut's are like.. but different taste) and those that like thick dirty fry.. like a boardwalk fry (Five Guys, and to a lesser extent Wendys).
Give me seasoned or curly fries
danlb_2000
Premium Member
all this burger talk and I'm suprised no one brought up all the boutique burger locations that have been springing up in the last few years.
Very high end burgers.. very narrow menus.. often mixed in with hipster bar/lounge feels.
Heres an example one
http://www.thecounterburger.com/
The fry discussion can be split between those that like the skinny fries.. like McDonalds.. (which is very much what InOut's are like.. but different taste) and those that like thick dirty fry.. like a boardwalk fry (Five Guys, and to a lesser extent Wendys).
Give me seasoned or curly fries
I am also a big fan of http://bobbysburgerpalace.com/.
I saw The Lone Ranger and really enjoyed it (and I'm neither easy to please nor a Disney apologist, as some people here know). Some spoiler-free thoughts:
It's no classic by any means, but it's far from "23% on Rotten Tomatoes"-level bad. It's a solid, well-crafted action movie with moments of humor and drama, and comparable in quality to this year's big action/adventure blockbusters. I did have a couple of small complaints (which I'm not going to get into, as it would involve spoiling plot points), but nothing unusual for this type of movie. It's not quite as good as the first Pirates of the Caribbean, but is pretty close -- the characters aren't quite as well fleshed out as the ones in the Pirates franchise, but the action sequences are substantially better. In particular, I thought the climactic sequence was thrilling and well staged, and wraps up the main story on a satisfying note. The audience in my theatre was very engaged (something relatively rare in these parts), and the reaction was notably positive throughout.
After having actually watched the movie, it seems that most of the bad reviews bashed it because it wasn't what the critic thought it should be. There seems to be the expectation that any Western these days has to have some kind of postmodern or ironic slant, or be a sober, gritty drama, to justify its existence. While The Lone Ranger has moments of drama and even some serious historical commentary, what the movie is, by and large, is an action fantasy that happens to be set in the American West.
As such, it is not meant to be wholly accurate in terms of either history or geography -- a surprising number of reviews complained that the movie is filmed in Utah's iconic Monument Valley, and other recognizable settings in Arizona and Colorado, when it's purportedly set in Texas. While all that is true, it's beside the point: the events in the movie (and there is some overlap with actual historical occurrences) are fictional. The setting is used primarily to give color and context to the story. Complaining that The Lone Ranger is "unrealistic" in this way is akin to complaining that the knights and warriors in a medieval fantasy movie speak perfect American English.
Another complaint is that the movie is too violent. I thought it was the epitome of a PG-13 movie -- yes, there is violence, but it is by no means R-rated violence. Critics who complain that the violence in The Lone Ranger pushes into R-rated territory have apparently forgotten just how violent R-rated movies can be -- with explicit decapitations, impalings, disembowelings, etc. TLR doesn't come close. The "problem" with the violence in TLR is the fact that it's mostly of the gunplay kind... I think gun violence has come to be stigmatized as inherently more realistic (and therefore frightening) than, say, swordplay. But the overall level of violence in TLR is comparable to that in a PG-13 fantasy movie, like those in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, or even Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. And no, I wouldn't take a 5- or 6-year-old to see any of those movies, either.
As an aside, the problem with critic-aggregator sites like Rotten Tomatoes is the fact that all "negative" reviews essentially count the same, whether the reviewer thinks the movie is an irredeemable piece of trash, or just flawed in some areas. The same is true with "positive" reviews -- they are all counted the same, whether the reviewer thinks the movie is the most sublime piece of art ever created, or just a solid but unremarkable effort. As such, a movie where the overwhelming majority of critics think the movie is just shy of being characterizable as "good" (say, a 59 out of 100) might end up with something like a 20% aggregate score, whereas a movie that's perceived as only slightly better by the overwhelming majority of critics (one that just barely passes muster, say a 61 out of 100) can end up with something like a 95% aggregate score. While the aggregation of a large number of ratings is meant generally to produce an overall ranking that "evens out" anomalous critiques, it doesn't take into the account the "pile on" effect when a movie's negative or positive pre-release buzz (based on something entirely unrelated to the quality of the actual movie, such as its original source material, production company's recent track record, or the prevalent pop culture zeitgeist) encourages critics to be harsher or more lenient than they would otherwise be in a vacuum.
Long story short -- The Lone Ranger isn't perfect. It has its flaws, including some attempts at humor that aren't quite appropriate for the setting. But on the whole, the movie is entertaining, with a few truly stand-out action sequences. It won't be everybody's cup of tea, but most people who generally like action and/or fantasy adventures will find it an enjoyable outing, and worth the admission price.
P.S. One other nit: like many recent action/adventure movies, it's 15-20 minutes longer than it should be. Try not to fill up on the Coke Freestyle machine before going into the theater.
It's no classic by any means, but it's far from "23% on Rotten Tomatoes"-level bad. It's a solid, well-crafted action movie with moments of humor and drama, and comparable in quality to this year's big action/adventure blockbusters. I did have a couple of small complaints (which I'm not going to get into, as it would involve spoiling plot points), but nothing unusual for this type of movie. It's not quite as good as the first Pirates of the Caribbean, but is pretty close -- the characters aren't quite as well fleshed out as the ones in the Pirates franchise, but the action sequences are substantially better. In particular, I thought the climactic sequence was thrilling and well staged, and wraps up the main story on a satisfying note. The audience in my theatre was very engaged (something relatively rare in these parts), and the reaction was notably positive throughout.
After having actually watched the movie, it seems that most of the bad reviews bashed it because it wasn't what the critic thought it should be. There seems to be the expectation that any Western these days has to have some kind of postmodern or ironic slant, or be a sober, gritty drama, to justify its existence. While The Lone Ranger has moments of drama and even some serious historical commentary, what the movie is, by and large, is an action fantasy that happens to be set in the American West.
As such, it is not meant to be wholly accurate in terms of either history or geography -- a surprising number of reviews complained that the movie is filmed in Utah's iconic Monument Valley, and other recognizable settings in Arizona and Colorado, when it's purportedly set in Texas. While all that is true, it's beside the point: the events in the movie (and there is some overlap with actual historical occurrences) are fictional. The setting is used primarily to give color and context to the story. Complaining that The Lone Ranger is "unrealistic" in this way is akin to complaining that the knights and warriors in a medieval fantasy movie speak perfect American English.
Another complaint is that the movie is too violent. I thought it was the epitome of a PG-13 movie -- yes, there is violence, but it is by no means R-rated violence. Critics who complain that the violence in The Lone Ranger pushes into R-rated territory have apparently forgotten just how violent R-rated movies can be -- with explicit decapitations, impalings, disembowelings, etc. TLR doesn't come close. The "problem" with the violence in TLR is the fact that it's mostly of the gunplay kind... I think gun violence has come to be stigmatized as inherently more realistic (and therefore frightening) than, say, swordplay. But the overall level of violence in TLR is comparable to that in a PG-13 fantasy movie, like those in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, or even Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. And no, I wouldn't take a 5- or 6-year-old to see any of those movies, either.
As an aside, the problem with critic-aggregator sites like Rotten Tomatoes is the fact that all "negative" reviews essentially count the same, whether the reviewer thinks the movie is an irredeemable piece of trash, or just flawed in some areas. The same is true with "positive" reviews -- they are all counted the same, whether the reviewer thinks the movie is the most sublime piece of art ever created, or just a solid but unremarkable effort. As such, a movie where the overwhelming majority of critics think the movie is just shy of being characterizable as "good" (say, a 59 out of 100) might end up with something like a 20% aggregate score, whereas a movie that's perceived as only slightly better by the overwhelming majority of critics (one that just barely passes muster, say a 61 out of 100) can end up with something like a 95% aggregate score. While the aggregation of a large number of ratings is meant generally to produce an overall ranking that "evens out" anomalous critiques, it doesn't take into the account the "pile on" effect when a movie's negative or positive pre-release buzz (based on something entirely unrelated to the quality of the actual movie, such as its original source material, production company's recent track record, or the prevalent pop culture zeitgeist) encourages critics to be harsher or more lenient than they would otherwise be in a vacuum.
Long story short -- The Lone Ranger isn't perfect. It has its flaws, including some attempts at humor that aren't quite appropriate for the setting. But on the whole, the movie is entertaining, with a few truly stand-out action sequences. It won't be everybody's cup of tea, but most people who generally like action and/or fantasy adventures will find it an enjoyable outing, and worth the admission price.
P.S. One other nit: like many recent action/adventure movies, it's 15-20 minutes longer than it should be. Try not to fill up on the Coke Freestyle machine before going into the theater.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
The hipster high-end burgers are going big in SoCal, too. My favorite is just a few blocks north of Disneyland, in downtown Anaheim.
Umami Burger. It has all the bases covered. Fabulously good burgers using kobe beef and artisanal condiments. A full bar offering hipster cocktails, mostly made with bourbon or rye. Right next door to Anaheim Brewery micro-brewery. All in a converted loft-like space that used to be Anaheim's Packard dealership in the 1920's and 30's. They even found a few hundred old 1920's California license plates under the floorboards during construction and turned them into chandeliers and wall art above the bar. After an afternoon at Disneyland, it's an excellent place to hang out! http://www.umami.com/umami-burger/eats/umami-burger-anaheim/
It's this sort of fast-moving cultural target that corporate Disney can't seem to hit; their restaurants are staid and predictable and several years behind the trends. Can you imagine if they turned Tomorrowland Terrace in either WDW or Disneyland into a trendy 2010's burger bar like Umami? With fresh ingredients (instead of bulk frozen), artisanal condiments (instead of packets), and top-shelf accessories (instead of boxes of Coca-Cola syrup)?
Obviously you'd do a retro-future theme of some sort for Tomorrowland Terrace, instead of this old 1920's Packard dealership in an urban loft vibe. But...
Disney theme parks in their current bloated corporate form could never pull this off. Ever.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Yeah, stabilizing right into a 300+ Million Dollar black hole for Disney Studios.
It's a disaster, with a budget of 250 Million Dollars before marketing expenses. The Lone Ranger will sink into quicksand on Monday, never to be heard from or mentioned again. It will only resurface as an embarrassing line-item expense during Iger's next fiscal quarter investors conference call, and be used as an excuse why profits were down in '13 for the Studios division.
The Lone Ranger is an unmitigated disaster. The train from the movie is still parked out near Harbor Blvd. at Disneyland as a billboard, but will be pulled and scrapped by this week I imagine.
Scrap Metal!
Animaniac93-98
Well-Known Member
While only 24% of critics on RT recommend the movie, 68% of viwers liked it. That and a B+ rating on Cinnemascore indicates that most viewers who see it, like it.
It's also been going up on IMDB, from 6.5/10 on Wednesday to 6.7/10 today. Not much, but it would appear that word is spreading.
It's also been going up on IMDB, from 6.5/10 on Wednesday to 6.7/10 today. Not much, but it would appear that word is spreading.
GiveMeTheMusic
Well-Known Member
Umami Burger changed my life. The umami ketchup? Those onion rings? DAT BURGER. I just never knew. I NEVER KNEW WHAT WAS MISSING FROM MY LIFE.
Until I found Umami Burger.
unkadug
Follower of "Saget"The Cult
Is that anything like Yo Momma?
FigmentJedi
Well-Known Member
Yeah, stabilizing right into a 300+ Million Dollar black hole for Disney Studios.
It's a disaster, with a budget of 250 Million Dollars before marketing expenses. The Lone Ranger will sink into quicksand on Monday, never to be heard from or mentioned again. It will only resurface as an embarrassing line-item expense during Iger's next fiscal quarter investors conference call, and be used as an excuse why profits were down in '13 for the Studios division.
The Lone Ranger is an unmitigated disaster. The train from the movie is still parked out near Harbor Blvd. at Disneyland as a billboard, but will be pulled and scrapped by this week I imagine.
Scrap Metal!
And all that merch choking the shops is going to keep the Character Warehouses stocked for years to come.
Computer Magic
Well-Known Member
Seems the average moviegoer is giving the movie a decent review. It's not a homerun from viewers comments I've seen, but not a strikeout. However the critics hammered the movie so bad, its a steep climb. Maybe word of mouth will save the movie and people will start seeing it next weekend.
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