No Bang for Your Buck

“Do you want to see a movie this Friday? It’s in 3D, so your ticket will cost $15.”

“No way! I’m not paying that much!”

I have had many similar conversations with my friends concerning 3D movies. While some see no issue in shelling out five extra dollars, many (myself included) adamantly argue that 3D movies are certainly not worth the extra cash.

Recently, 3D has become the norm at theaters, not only with action movies, but with animated films as well. 3D seems to be the newest fad in filmmaking—3D TVs have even been developed in order to immerse viewers in their entertainment, even in their homes.

However, many movies do not properly utilize this technology. Numerous films are marketed as “3D” and “immersive,” but rarely employ impressive visual effects. While movies such as Tron: Legacy were praised for their outstanding use of 3D technology, many animated films did not live up to their promises.

Animated pictures such as Toy Story 3, Despicable Me and Tangled lacked the necessary 3D “wow” factor to justify their extra costs. The films would be virtually unaltered without the addition of the three dimensional glasses.

The summer flick Piranha 3D is a prime example of a movie in which effects were added after the fact as a marketing gimmick, as opposed to those movies shot in 3D from their inception. Scenes featuring poorly executed 3D piranhas were clearly added only to increase ticket prices.

Still, even some movies with a great attention to 3D detail are severely flawed. Many pictures pay too much attention to their special effects. Oftentimes, a great deal of effort is placed into the 3D effects, while the storyline lacks both flow and relatable characters . These effects are often dizzying and headache-inducing.

Additionally, 3D glasses are an extra annoyance at the theater- we must already deal with walking on sticky floors, finding cup holders in the dark and carrying food from the concession stand to our seats. Now, we must also carry along a large pair of glasses. Those who wear everyday glasses to improve their vision must double up by sporting both their normal glasses and a pair of 3D shades.

Junior Mandy Heiser says of the recent influx of 3D movies, “In most cases, I don’t think 3D is really necessary. Tron: Legacy and Avatar have been the only exceptions. But Justin Bieber in 3D? Seriously?”

Sophomore Natalie Lozano agrees, saying, “I don’t think many 3D movies are worth more money. Movies like Alice in Wonderland are helped by the effects, but others just make you pay more to watch the same thing you could see in 2D.”

Senior Amanda Uyesugi offers a completely different opinion, stating, “3D movies are definitely worth the extra money! I love seeing the visual effects coming towards me!”

3D movies should take cues from attractions such as Mickey’s Phillharmagic, a film at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. The picture incorporates sight, sound, smell and touch, using a balance of visual effects to impress the audience without making them dizzy.

Instead of applying Disney’s technique of carefully using new technologies to enhance the viewer’s experience, studios are gouging their customers, using technology for technology’s sake.

Until 3D movies are well-balanced in both effects and plot, they are simply not worth the extra money.

Princess and the Frog Hops Into Theaters

A handsome prince, endless riches, and a huge castle. What more could a young girl hope for? In the past, many Disney princesses have given the impression that the answer is nothing. But with their first animated heroine since Mulan, The Princess and the Frog defies many Disney stereotypes and gives young girls a proper role model.

Set in New Orleans before World War I, the movie’s heroine is a young woman named Tiana. Hard-working and kind to all, Tiana, voiced by actress Anika Noni Rose. has grown up with the ambition of opening her own restaurant. With the memory of her father to guide her, Tiana works hard all day to save up for a building in which to set up shop. Meanwhile, the spoiled Prince Naveen of Maldonia, cleverly voiced by Bruno Campos, comes to New Orleans in search of a rich bride to support his expensive tastes. During his visit, Prince Naveen runs into the sorcerer Dr. Facilier, voiced by Keith David, who turns him into a frog and puts royal assistant Lawrence in his place.

In an attempt to return to his human state, Prince Naveen convinces Tiana, who is dressed up as a princess for a party, to kiss him. She is turned into a frog herself, and the two new acquaintances are forced to head into the bayou for shelter. There they come across the usual challenges of Disney heroes, but they also meet some new friends. The trumpet-playing alligator Louis, voiced by Michael-Leon Wooley and Ray, a firefly who is in love with a star, voiced in a unique Cajun accent by Jim Cummings make spectacular additions to the cast. The four then set off in search of Mama Odie, priestess of the bayou, hilariously voiced by Jenifer Lewis.

The Princess and the Frog takes its audience on a magical journey. With vibrant color and music that would make even the stiffest want to dance, it doesn’t matter that you’re watching an animated movie. You’ll get pulled into the entrancing story no matter what. The cast of characters is diverse and entertaining, further enhancing the flick. Despite his selfish tendencies, Prince Naveen provides comic relief throughout the movie. Louis and Ray are the type of friends anyone would want, and Mama Odie gives the rest sound advice that eventually leads Tiana and Naveen back to humanity.

Unlike some Disney princesses who sit around waiting for someone to give them what they want, Tiana goes after what she wants. Through all her hard work she manages to keep a smile on her face and a song in her heart. It is women like this that young girls should look up to. She teaches us to be strong and to work for what we believe in, which is truly the best lesson any little girl could learn.

Another important lesson this movie teaches us is that money is not what is most important in life. In the end, Prince Naveen forsakes his dreams of marrying a rich girl because of his love for Tiana. The happy couple then works hard and eventually opens a great restaurant. If we could all follow this example, we could all lead happier lives. And if Disney comes out with more films like this, girls everywhere can grow to their full potential.

Julie and Julia

What’s 6’2, has red curly hair and would do anything for a stick of butter? The answer is no one other than the classic Julia Child.

 

Julia Child is the primary source of Julie Powell’s success in the writing business. Julie Powell, an almost 30-year-old woman working for a government agency in New York City, decides that she needs to inject some meaning into her life. She decides to take on the challenge of cooking all 524 recipes from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking in 365 days and writing a blog about it. The result was the national bestseller Julie and Julia:My Year of Cooking Dangerously and eventually the movie Julie and Julia.

 

This movie creates an intimate portrait of cooking and love through the heartfelt story of a cooking legend (Julia Child played by Meryl Streep) and a woman struggling through her autonomy (Julie Powell played by Amy Adams).  It switches back and forth in time between Julia’s life in post World War II Paris and Julie’s life in Long Island City in 2002. 

 

After viewers got a sense of the gorgeous landscape of Paris and meet Julia Child, the movie transitions to Julie Powell and her high school sweetheart, Eric, who move into their impossibly small apartment in the outer boroughs of Long Island City. It’s hard to believe that she can cook such elaborate meals in a kitchen the size of a phone booth. She dreads going to work in her claustrophobic cubicle where she fields phone calls from families and friends of victims of the Twin Towers collapse of 9/11.  Project Julia “saves her life.” 

 

The movie then flips over to Julia and her diplomat husband Paul moving to their new house in France. While Paul is working, Julia Child has been wondering around looking for “something to doooo.” She takes on hobbies such as hat making and, eventually because of her love of French food, cooking. She enrolls in the famous and very chauvinistic Le Cordon Bleu cooking school.  Here she is told by Madame Brassart, the directrice of the school, that she may not enroll in the professionals’ cooking class and that she must be in the beginners’ class. After lots of practice and the chopping of hundreds of onions, Julia advances to the professionals’ class and out-performs all of the male professionals. 

 

She is eventually introduced to Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck and the threesome form the group Les Trois Gourmandes.  In Julia’s kitchen (which her husband Paul had customized to accommodate her 6’2” height) they teach French cooking to American expatriate women.  The three women decide to write a cook book trying to make the process of French cuisine look so easy that a (servant-less) American could do it. 

 

The end product is Mastering the Art of French Cooking which became a cooking classic and launched the career of Julia Child, who was its primary author. It was such a success that Julia later became the host of several cooking shows, most notably The French Chef.  She was also the subject of a hilarious parody  by Dan Akroyd on SNL.

 

Julie and Julia have several similarities in their lives even though the closest they have ever been to each other is when Julie watches Julia’s cooking shows on television. They both have angst at being childless and in their thirties. Both are intelligent women stuck in meaningless jobs until cooking is introduced into their lives.  They both have wonderful, supportive saints for husbands.  They both love butter.  The movie seems to focus more on the life of Julia rather than Julie’s.  This may be director Nora Ephron’s way of giving credit to Child without whom none of this would have been possible.

 

For being such a good movie with close to perfect acting one has to wonder why the movie only grossed $59.1 million dollars as of August 27, 2009. By the end of the film viewers can feel as though they have known these two extraordinary individuals for years instead of the generous 123 minutes of the movie. You can almost smell the beef bourguignon simmering in the giant gold pot and feel your eyes watering when Julia Child briskly chops up hundreds of onions.  You laugh a lot and maybe even cry a little.

 

As Julia once said, “Life itself is the proper binge.”  Bon Appetit!!!