Saturday, April 28, 2012

Saturday, April 28, 2012 - ,, 6 comments

The Pirates! A Band of Misfits

So, if you saw my Five on Friday from last week, you know that I was anticipating going to this film. One problem.  I thought it opened last week, but no. * sadness-pouting * But the day finally arrived, and got to see The Pirates! Band of Misfits Friday afternoon. Three Cheers!


The question is, was there anything to cheer about?  Anticipating a possible 3-D adventure I wore my contacts today instead of glasses. Right there it proves that this is an event. I'm still working out of a box of disposable contact lenses that I bought in 2005.  As you can probably guess, I save them for very special occasions.  It's such a hassle to wear the 3-D glasses over regular glasses. They never sit right. Always annoying. Definitely an aspect of the technology that has not been perfected yet.

I look up the feature times at my local movie house during the super matinee hours. I mean, who can afford to pay the full price to see a movie these days? Highway robbery, I tell you, but I digress. So anyway, I look up the times, and there is no mention of 3-D showings at all. Oh well, I've never been a huge fan of what I've seen. Hasn't increased my enjoyment of the film, so ...

When I finally get to the theater, I find out that it is a 3-D showing, so I haven't used a set of contact lenses for nothing. lol  First thing I have to say about that is that a number of 3-D previews were shown, and I think that things are getting better in that department (especially as it applies to kids movies), but again I digress.

I really thought it was a fun picture. Was the 3-D important (considering that I've used so much space talking about it)?  I'd say no.  Still a lot better than some I've seen. It seems that there can be a tendency for 3-D films to seem a bit dark. They resolved that here.  But, it's animated. It's not that important that there be depth of field. Nothing comes out of the screen to make you feel that you're part of the story, which I mean really. Isn't that the coolest part of a 3-D film?

I joke a bit here, but I'm also making a serious-ish point. It seems that most of the 3-D films I've seen from Avatar forward have moved away from "gimmicky" effects of throwing things at the audience from the screen.  They've been making it seem like it's happening in front of you, more like a theatrical play.  Personally, that's not enough for me to pay $2-3 more for the film.

However, putting gimmicks aside for a moment, I think that making it appear that things are coming out of the screen in a somewhat subtle way could make the audience feel like they were a part of the story, living in the story. It would be more the fly on the wall experience as opposed to the looking through the window experience. Now, that would be worth a couple of dollars more!  If the previews I saw were anything to go by, we might be headed in that direction.

But back to this film. The Pirates! is a spoof of pirate movies, even ones which were themselves spoofs.  Hugh Grant, as Pirate Captain, even spoofs himself. All kinds of jokes and references to other films and such. Underdogs try to become victorious. Will they succeed?  That is indeed the question.  Another one is, what is the meaning of victory? Visuals are great. Comedy is definitely more of the British variety, swinging from slapstick to subtle. Best film of all time? Ummmm ... no, but it was quite enjoyable. Probably geared more for an adult audience though it seems to be marketed for kids. Good for some weekend fun.

So there you have it. Now, I just have two more weeks to wait until ... Dark Shadows.  :)

6 comments:

Enjoying the film is the point, yes? I'm sure this one is on my folks' agenda. They love these kinds of animated features. So Pam and I are likely to see this one on their giant screen when we head down for vacation this summer.

I'm not a fan of 3D...not even as a kid. Too much distraction.

I think I heard an interview with Peter Jackson (á la Lord of the Rings) where he said that if special effects are distracting or even recognizable as such, the film maker has failed. I think that's what they're trying to do in films such as Avatar, but I think that they're still working out the kinks.

Hope says she wants to be a pirate when she grows up
this is her latest ambition :)

I am really looking forward to Dark Shadows
wish we could go together
the trailers look hilarious
and I love Johnny
and I was addicted to the TV show

I dressed up as a pirate for Halloween on more than one occasion. lol And maybe, we can pretend to watch Dark Shadows together and then share our reviews online. :)

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