Chick 1 says:
A slew of interesting trailers came out last week. It looks like the fall will be exciting!
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy: Based on the 1974 novel, this film is packed with British acting heavyweights. The movie looks tense and tightly put together but I’ll be going mostly because of the amazing cast. Opens November 18th.
Chick 1 says:
Is JJ Abrams the new Steven Spielberg? Possibly. He is certainly an outstanding storyteller. He can come up with fantastic concepts (Lost, Alias). He can take us on heart-pounding adventures (Mission Impossible 3) that still resonate emotionally (Star Trek). And in the tradition of Spielberg, all his great characters have daddy issues. (He even used that as an episode title.) So Super 8 is poised to be this generations E.T. Did it succeed? The jury’s still out.
The Basics: In 1979, a group of young teens accidentally capture the crash of a U.S. Air Force train on film while shooting a zombie flick. In the aftermath of the crash, bizarre events and missing person cases spread like a plague around the small town while the military takes over without offering any answers or help. Read more
Chick 1 says:
I’ve occasionally stumbled across Ted Talks on MentalFloss.com but I’ve never really had the time to explore them. Yesterday I discovered this 20 minute manic and somewhat scattered speech by Lost & Alias creater, JJ Abrams. While I do wish he had gone a little deeper into the topics, I appreciate his perspective on mystery & what good “action” movies are really about. His thoughts reveal why he is such a successful writer and director. Enjoy.
Chick 1 says:
Chick 2 can explain this better than I but for our loyal readers who are wondering, “What is lens flare and why should I care?” I will attempt to explain.
Flare is what happens when light reflects within the lens. This happens when a light source (other than the light that is bouncing off your image) enters the camera and refracts off the glass. That’s one reason you don’t normally shoot directly toward a light.
For those of you wondering flare looks like, here are some helpful examples:
Notice something about these pictures. Yes, they are both from Star Trek. And they’re just the tip of the iceburg.
In the last decade or so, it’s become more and more popular to use lens flare on purpose. It can be used for a variety of reasons; like making a film feel “real” or documentary-like or emphasizing how hot or bright a light source is in the story. (You often see this technique in a “lost in the desert” scene when someone looks up at the sun.) And when creating a fake environment (like a computer generated scene in space) details like flare can make that CG environment more believable.
Now I loved Star Trek. I thought it was the best summer movie of 2009. But the flare in that movie was waaay over the top. Early in the movie, I did like it. I thought that having a lot of flare did help set the mood, make the space scenes cool, and even give the film its own style. But it made it very hard to see the action. Check out those photos again. See how fuzzy it looks. During the movie, I found myself squinting to try and see what was going on. (Didn’t work.)
I get it. I get it. There are a lot of bright lights on the ship and a lot of shooting into suns & stars (yes, I realize they are the same things) so naturally there will be some flare but if I can’t actually see the film, there’s a problem.
So what is lens flare? – light refracting through a lens
And why should I care? – Lens flare can be used purposefully to either enhance a story or obscure that story.
Discuss.
PS. I still love you, JJ Abrams, and I would like to carry your briefcase and follow you around for a couple of years.
Chick 1 says:
Star Trek, it’s not just for geeks anymore. Well, actually, that’s a little difficult for me to say since I am a geek. But, Oh My Gosh!
What I Liked: Pretty much everything! I was initially drawn to this movie by the cast and they did not disappoint. Read more
Chick 1 says
:
I wanted to post this a week ago so I could kick off the summer. I know summer is supposed to start Memorial Day weekend or, if you’re a stickler, June 21st, but I’m talking about the summer according to Hollywood. This may not be quite as big a movie summer as last year but there’s still some great stuff on the way. For this post, let’s just take a look at May. Read more
Chick 1 says:
2008 was a great year for movies, especially if you like popcorn entertainment like I do. Superheros continued to rise to new levels. There were some great animated pictures, and a variety of smaller smart films. But 2009 is poised to be the year that my geekiness reaches new levels of its own.
It’s already difficult for me to deny my geekdom. I love almost anything in the fantasy/scifi genre. I’m a huge Harry Potter & Lord of the Rings fan. I’ve even read Lord of the Rings fanfiction. (Shut up! and give me back my bookbag!) But look at the geek line up of huge tentpole movies coming out in 2009: Read more
