10
Aug
10

Up the Yangtze

By trisha1986 Leave a Comment
Categories: Reviews
Tags: , , ,

What is the first thing you think of when you think of China? Be honest.

Orange chicken?
Knockoff Rolex watches and Louis Vuitton?
Cute little pandas?

As someone who is of part Chinese heritage, I admit, this isn’t quite right. But due to the capitalistic nature of today’s society, all we think about is what we can get for cheap. Where can we get things for cheap? China. We don’t stop to think about how day to day life goes for people who actually have to live it.

The movie focuses on one region in particular, the Yangtze river delta near Hubei, and how the residents of the area are affected by the Three Gorges Dam. It’s pretty painful, watching as farmers & their families of an extremely rural area are pretty much forced to accept the new developments. We meet two young people, “Cindy” (Yu Shui) & “Jerry” (Chen Bo Yu), who are adjusting to this new way of life.

Yu Shui comes from a very poor family living on the banks of the river. They’re basically a farming family, and her parents do not know how to read or write. They send Yu Shui off to work on a cruise ship that caters to wealthy western tourists. She must learn to introduce herself properly in English, as well as know basic service phrases, such as “Enjoy your meal,” and “Have a nice day.” She also must learn the ins and outs of the dishroom, and how to provide backup support to the kitchen staff. She finds her tasks to be daunting and even breaks down at the dishwashing machine one day. She’s definitely out of her element. But her family needs money. They can no longer afford meat and are having trouble coming up with enough money for other basic things. Before Yu Shui heads out for her job on the ship, her mother tells her to not to shy away from buying herself decent meals and clothes, but also to not forget to send money back to them. When Yu Shui innocently asks her mother & father to see her off, her mother replies “No. We can’t read, we might direct you to the wrong ship.” Ouch.

Chen Bo Yu is a different story. He’s a lot more outspoken than the emotional, shy Yu Shui. He’s the only son, and he’s a typical show-off. His main objective: make money. After receiving a $30 tip from the tourists after the cruise, Jerry is exuberant. “F*ck!,” he proclaims. “This is 30 American dollars!!!” He’s on top of the world. Eventually, his outgoingness/overexcitedness comes to bite him in the ass, as a complaint letter is received, accusing Jerry in particular of asking for tips, which he denies. It was all a culture clash/misunderstanding, but it was probably one of many on this trip.

Okay, so, it’s sad enough that we have to watch these two uncomfortable young adults deal with western tourists, right? Well, here’s something else. The water is rising. The cruiseship is apocalyptically called “The Farewell Tour,” one last chance for tourists to see the livelihood of the river delta before it disappears. In unsettling time-lapse imagery, director Yung Chang shows us the rising waters of the river, and how many of the inhabitants, including Yu Shui’s family, must load their few possessions onto their backs and move it to higher ground. In a short time, the river takes over the family home and everything surrounding it. It’s long gone. Soon, I’m sure neon lights will take its place, just another reminder of China’s foray into the uncertain future.

09
Aug
10

Restrepo: Film and Q&A

By yoda808 2 Comments
Categories: Now Playing and Reviews
Tags: , , , , , ,

Soldiers in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley were fighting in what has been called "the most dangerous place on Earth," sometimes engaging in up to seven firefights a day.

I’m not one to usually go for documentaries. Hell, the last one within recent memory was Art & Copy, a documentary about advertising (and to some extent graphic design). Usually though, the topic of the film really has to interest me in order for me to want to see any particular film. So was the case with Restrepo, a documentary about US soldiers fighting in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley. Also buoyed by several blogs and critics that have been showering praise on the doc, I was very excited to find out that Consolidated Theatres was bringing it in for a release on Oahu.

The Film

What I liked or found interesting:

  • Politics were not involved. The entire film is shot on the ground with our troops in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley. There are no interviews with politicians, high ranking officials,  generals, or anyone back home. All we get to see are the conditions that these men have to face everyday, the emotions they feel under this high pressure assignment, and their fight for survival in our mission to get rid of the Taliban.
  • The filmmakers show the right footage. Usually in war films the filmmakers like to make things look as realistic as possible, depicting the battlefield as a brutal place where wartime injuries can lead to some pretty gruesome scenes. That is not the case with Restrepo. With the war in Afghanistan still going on, it is currently a war that is fresh in the hearts and minds of Americans. As such, the filmmakers are sensitive to this fact and go out of their way to show us the right footage. Are there scenes of soldiers engaging the Taliban? Are there scenes of soldiers doing crazy things in their downtime? Are emotional scenes between soldiers shown? Is death depicted in the film? The answer to all these questions is ‘yes.’ However they are depicted in a way that is appropriate to the film and respectful to the content that is being presented.
  • The name of the film fits the person and outpost that it is based on. If you watched the trailer (please make sure to watch the trailer) you’ll know that Restrepo was a soldier from the platoon in the film who died while in combat and is also the name of the forward outpost that the soldiers created in the aftermath of his death as a way to honor and remember him. This tenacity and unrelentingness of Restrepo (the man) is carried on throughout the film, in both the nature of the outpost as well as the theme of the film.
  • There was a Hawaii connection. Halfway through the film the soldiers are shown relaxing while they have some downtime and one of them begins to play a song on Restrepo’s guitar. There’s a long intro, but eventually the soldier starts singing and all of a sudden I realize that he’s singing I’ll Never Forget Where I’m From by Justin Young. It definitely was a moment from the film I’ll never forget. All the way in the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan a little piece of Hawaii finds its way there. The song is sung for a good minute and it definitely hammered home the reality of the film for me.

The Q&A

What made the film extra special is that Consolidated Theatres setup a special question and answer session after our screening of the film with two of the soldiers that were stationed with the platoon from the film. Both Sgt Mitchell Raeon and Sgt John Clinard spent about 30 minutes after our film answering questions from the audience. It’s one thing to see a film and think that you understand it, it’s quite another to have people that experienced what happened in the film who were also there, here to tell you that ‘yes, it’s as bad as it looks in the film.’ Hearing they’re personal stories and insight into how things were really made this movie experience special. I can’t begin to imagine what they went through–even though I’ve seen the film.

Several highlights from the Q&A:

  • Both of them thought that the film was an accurate representation of what they went through and would urge anyone to watch the film.
  • This was Sgt Clinard’s first time seeing the film and while he enjoyed it, he was blown away by the number of people that turned out to see the film.
  • Both had respect for the filmmakers Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington both of whom went through the same experience as the soldiers did as well as for the portrayal of the men from second platoon.

If you read this blog post, I highly recommend you watch the trailer and both parts of the Q&A that we recorded (link to part 2 below).

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Further Review

Mililani Restrepo Q&A – Part 2

RestrepoTheMovie.com – The official movie website.

Into the Valley of Death – Filmmaker Sebastian Junger’s article in the Jan 2008 Vanity Fair that talked about the struggles of soldiers in the Korengal Valley.

War – Sebastian Junger’s book about his time spent with the soldiers depicted in his film Restrepo.

Film details soldiers’ pain – William Cole’s Honolulu Star-Advertiser article about the film & special screening.

08
Jul
10

The Bridge

By trisha1986 Leave a Comment
Categories: Reviews
Tags: , ,

A haunting image.

The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most photographed monuments in the world. Built in 1937, it’s man’s gigantic feat against the harsh elements of the Bay. Two things come to my mind when I think about the Golden Gate: San Francisco, one of the most beautiful cities on Earth, and the beloved sitcom “Full House.” Two very happy thoughts. Some people look at the bridge and see nothing happy; merely a way out.

This poignant 2006 documentary follows the life and death of some of the 24 souls that decided to end it all on the bridge over the course of one year (2004). Filmmaker Eric Steel naturally released this documentary to much controversy, not only because of the disturbing images, but also because he revealed that he had tricked the Golden Gate bridge committee into allowing him to film the bridge by saying he wanted to “capture the powerful, spectacular intersection of monument and nature that takes place every day at the Golden Gate Bridge.” During the months of filming on the bridge, they had captured 23 of the 24 suicides that took place, hauntingly intertwined with interviews from the family members of the deceased.

But why The Bridge? Maybe they thought, “Hey, if I’m gonna go, I’m gonna go in style.” The Golden Gate bridge seems perfect for those with a flair for the dramatic. But as we learn about these people, it’s really just sad. No big surprises in the types of people featured. Mentally ill, depressed, penniless, self-deprecating and misguided souls. They all left behind mothers, fathers, children, cousins, roomates, and friends who had a whole world of hurt and questions to deal with. Many of them saw it coming already. They had heard it all, the never-ending loop of “I’m just going to end it all.” But like any optimistic human being, they never truly saw it coming. You could feel the helplessness they felt through the screen and the whys & the hows that they’ll never quite understand.

Steel also tracked down bystanders affected by the suicides, which presented an interesting angle to the whole story. He interviewed a family on holiday taking pictures on the bridge near a jumper, and kite surfers in the bay who saw a body plunge near them. I can’t even imagine what that’s like. I personally need a moment to recover from seeing a minor fender bender on the road, so I just can’t wrap my head around that. We see footage of interrupted suicide attempts, where total strangers risk their own safety in order to pull the would-be jumper from the ledge. He also features a first-hand account of the jump from a rare survivor of the 4-second fall. Like many suicide committers, he realized as soon as he let go of the ledge that he wanted to live. He prevented death by falling into the water feet first, but still fractured some of his spine. He recounted the painful cracking of tiny bone fragments that lodged themselves into his internal organs. That’s right, kids. Gross.

I wish more movies affected me the way this did. I love indie documentaries about the mundane and the unpopular, but they often try too hard and don’t always keep my interest. This one, I just couldn’t turn away from. When it finished, I was simply sad. That’s it. Even though they couldn’t have made a film about a more depressing topic, I always love feeling the way I did after it, for lack of a better term, ended.

29
Jun
10

Total Eclipse Of The Heart

By lchunhori Leave a Comment
Categories: Now Playing, Summit Entertainment and Warner Brothers
Tags: , , , , , ,

Turn around….

Every now and then I get a little bit nervous about big pop culture phenomena that creates masses of crazy fans. In my tween years it was boy bands, but of course these days it’s vampires and werewolves and wizards. Today movie theaters around the country are losing their minds trying to deal with females of every age who are dying to see the 3rd installment of The Twilight Saga. I haven’t  had the privilage to see Twilight Eclipse yet (8pm tonight I will have the honor; it is my favorite book in the series and the guy who directed 30 Days of Night is attached to this installment so I have my fingers crossed), but let’s talk about what I have seen… The latest Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows trailer via Film School Rejects which is supposed to be attached to today’s release of Twilight.

I was stunned into silence by this trailer. David Yates and Warner Brothers are sending Harry Potter out with a huge bang and you can feel how enormously epic this ending is in just these brief two and a half minutes. To be completely honest with you, the release of this trailer on MSN before Twilight’s opening has reshuffled my excitement. My immediate thoughts following the trailer was “screw Eclipse, I want Deathly Hallows”  which can only make me wonder how many other Twilight moviegoers may feel the same? Obviously the Twihards won’t care, but what about the rest of us? Could this trailer outshine Twilight Eclipse? Ok maybe I’m getting too excited. Honestly the Twilight fandom is so intense and rabid, I doubt this would be the case nationwide… But for some people (boyfriends and husbands being dragged to see Twilight), it may just be the highlight of the evening… along with Taylor Lautner being shirtless… yummy.

Whatever team or franchise you support its a great day for all. New epic film and new epic trailer… another great day at the movies.

23
Jun
10

Brisk Titan XC Ticket Sales for Midnight Showing of Eclipse

By yoda808 Leave a Comment
Categories: Coming Soon
Tags: , , , , ,

Long lines at Ward for the midnight showings of The Twilight Saga: New Moon. We will have a repeat next week?

Remember back in November when New Moon came out and a ton of fans turned out for midnight screenings? With only a week to go till the release of the The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (Wednesday, June 30), it’s only a matter of time before Twilight mania re-enters the public consciousness. As curiosity got the best of me I kinda wanted to gauge local TwiHard fandom as well as the new ticket ordering for Consolidated’s Titan XC so I ventured online to Fandango to check it out.

Ticket Sales

I got about what I expected when I clicked on the link for the Tuesday night (aka midnight) screening for Eclipse (all images and information referenced are current as of 10AM Wednesday, June 23):

Theater map for the midnight showing of Eclipse in the Titan XC.

As you can see from the image, a little over half the theater is sold out for the midnight show. Keep in mind now that we are still a week away so there is still A LOT of time for people to fill up the theater. As I mentioned, I wasn’t too surprised by how full the theater is, but it does show that a select group of people are being smart about their Eclipse viewing and are taking advantage of the Titan XC’s reservation system. Truth be told there are still a number of good seats to be had in Ward’s theater 8.

Can’t make it to the midnight screening of Eclipse or just not that big of a fan, but you still want to see it on opening day? Don’t fret, the 7:45pm screening on Wednesday is still wide open (current as of 10AM, Wednesday, June 23):

Theater map for the Wednesday 7:45pm screening of Eclipse in the Titan XC.

Or if you’re a morning person, the first showing in the TItan on Wednesday morning at 11AM only has 22 out of it’s 450+ seats sold.

Reservation System

I have to say, reserving your seat in the Titan XC theater is pretty easy. Just log on to Fandango, search for theaters in Honolulu and click on Titan screening times at Ward and a map of the theater (like the ones pictured above) pops up prompting you to select your seat. It’s pretty similar to selecting your seats on airlines or for sporting events. As you can see, it shows you which seats are taken, and which ones aren’t. Just click on the ones you want that are still available and off you go. Luckily Eclipse is a non 3D movie so you pay the cheaper Titan XC ticket price of $14.25 for adults and $11.00 for children or seniors.

Are you seeing The Twilight Saga: Eclipse on opening day? You might want to get your tickets for the Titan XC soon or wait in line like everyone else.

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Addtional Reading:

THR’s Risky Business Blog – Total ‘Eclipse’: Twi-hards take over the L.A. Live courtyard

MTV.com – ‘Eclipse’ Fans Camp Out For Days Before L.A. Premiere

17
Jun
10

First Look: Consolidated’s Titan XC

By yoda808 Leave a Comment
Categories: Reviews
Tags: , , ,

The entrance to Consolidated Ward's theater 8, the Titan XC.

This post is going to consist of two parts. The first part will be a relatively quick “first thoughts, reaction, and feeling” of the new Titan XC theater at Consolidated Ward for those who just want a quick read. Following that, the second portion of this post will go into greater detail of my experience in the newly renovated theater.

Quick Review ::

If you want a good movie experience, then Consolidated Ward’s new Titan XC will have one to offer. However, moviegoers should be informed about the moviegoing experience that they can expect to have. First up, so we can get it out the way really quick, this IS NOT an Imax theater. The image quality on screen simply cannot match that of the Imax format. Is the image quality bad? Hardly, this is a relatively brand new projector (installed in about April) and it does a nice job of showing bright and crisp images–it just doesn’t show the high “HD like” quality that Imax does.

Second, the sound. Consolidated amped up the volume by installing a bunch of new speakers, most noticeably on the sides and ceiling of the theater. This did make for a much louder experience, but it was hard to gauge the effectiveness with a movie like Toy Story 3. Was the sound louder? Yes. Was it loud enough to drown out the crying child in the row behind me and three seats over? No.

Third, the screen–while it is wall to wall and does make for a more dramatic presentation, I personally didn’t think it added that much to the viewing experience.

Fourth, the seats–while they are nice and new, I overheard an employee mention that they are pleather seats. Still they are comfortable just the same as the old ones. Although, one plus is that all of these seats recline a little (like the ones in the first few rows). Also all rows and seats are now numbered so you can properly find your reserved seat.

Fifth and finally, the glasses. These are the bulkiest of the 3D glasses I have ever worn and if you wear regular glasses, I hope you have a small pair as I fear larger frames may not fit under the XpanD 3D glasses. Also, for some reason, the on screen images are darkened when wearing the glasses so expect a slightly muted presentation for 3D showings.

Overall, I think you’ll get a decent experience with Consolidated’s new Titan XC. I just don’t think it will be as “world class” as is being advertised. I still say that the biggest selling point of this new theater will be the reserved seating. Want to see Eclipse on opening night AND be able to show up just 20 minutes before the movie starts? This will be the way to do it!

Detailed Review ::

Consolidated Ward’s Titan XC in theater 8 definitely had the “new theater smell” like when you get a new car. Here’s more of what you can expect from each of some of the new theater’s features and an introduction from theater management.

SEATING

The new seats showing the row and numbering system.

As mentioned previously, all the seats are brand spanking new (hence the new theater smell). As far as comfort levels go, I really couldn’t tell the different between the old seats and the new ones. What I do like though is all of the seats recline a little (about 3-4 inches backward). As noted in the images above, all seats are are now numbered. The numbering starts at #1 on the left side of a row (if you’re facing the row) and works it’s way up as you move to the right across the row. Rows are numbered by letters. I know that the upper portion of rows in theater 8 are double lettered (AA, BB, CC, etc) and increase as they work they’re way up. I forgot to check while we were there, but I’m not sure if the rows in the lower level are double lettered or single lettered. Though I suspect they are single lettered to differentiate themselves from the top portion of seats. The row numbers are illuminated so you will have an easier time finding your row in the theater if the lights are off. I only hope they have new cleaning supplies as well because once food or drinks start falling on seats, it will definitely be more noticeable than with the old ones.

SCREEN

You can make out the slight curvature of the screen from this vantage point.

One aspect of the Titan XC experience that delivers as advertised is the wall-to-wall screen that now fills the entire 66 feet width of the theater. At first glance it doesn’t seem too big of a difference. After all, Ward’s big theaters (#7-10) already had bigger screens when compared to Dole, so what do a few more feet add? Well, you know the saying, “bigger is better,” it still applies. Those few feet do make a difference and make the theater that much more new and different. One noticeable improvement though is that now the screen is concave or curved away from the audience. This is done to negate the effects of distortion from the projector. One thing to remember though is that with bigger screens you need to sit farther back to enjoy the experience. I would recommend sitting in the upper portion of the theater if possible for the optimal experience.

SOUND

Huge JBL speakers line the walls of the theater giving it 7.1 audio channels.

One of the first things you notice when you walk into the Titan theater is that there are a lot more speakers than there were before. JBL speakers line both sides of the theater and the ceiling. I’m sure there were speakers on the wall before the renovation, but they have been since upgraded to the more noticeable JBL ones now installed (9 on each wall, 14 on the ceiling). Also part of the upgrade included doubling the subwoofer power behind the screen. All this leads to an extra 2 channels of audio in the theater. Theater standard is 5.1 surround. Consolidated went above and beyond to upgrade the theater to 7.1. Now does this translate to a better movie experience? The jury is still out on the audio with Titan. The sound was noticeably louder in the Titan theater, but I’m not sure if I was really that much more immersed in the seven channels of audio. Probably a better measuring stick would be a movie like Saving Private Ryan or some other action movie. As it stands right now, Titan’s roar is louder, but not necessarily more intense.

PICTURE QUALITY

As I opened up with in the quick review section of this post, picture quality in the Titan theater is marginally better than other theaters. The image is clean, clear, and crisp, but it’s no Imax. As mentioned in their press release, the theater is operating an NEC digital projector. A quick web search of NEC’s offerings for digital projectors show industry standard projectors, a standard that is below that of Imax. However, Titan is a digital theater so it does have a leg up on other film theaters. If you have an option of seeing a movie in a digital theater or a film theater, opt for the digital one. With digital projection, the film print does not degrade from multiple viewings (this results in faded images and lots of artifacts, or spots, seen when viewing). Since Titan is indeed digital, the picture will look as good from the first viewing to the 100th. A positive note about this NEC technology is that their website states that later this year, their models will be able to upgrade to higher resolutions–hopefully Consolidated can implement this.

GLASSES

This is probably one aspect of the Titan XC experience that affected me the most–their 3D glasses. I’ve used 3D glasses for Imax, Dolby 3D, RealD, and now XpanD. Out of all of them, the XpanD’s have been the bulkiest. Now I usually don’t mind the glasses. This time though, I had to wear my glasses underneath the 3D glasses and while it wasn’t irritating, I definitely “felt” the weight of the glasses on my head over my own glasses. Another moviegoer in my party mentioned that they didn’t like the XpanD glasses and that the Imax one’s are better since they are lighter and easier to fit over your glasses. Another somewhat negative aspect of the glasses were that they really darkened the picture image on screen. Without them on, the picture was bright and the colors vibrant. When put on, there was a significant change in picture brightness. Don’t know exactly what the story is with that, but it’s another reason why I probably wouldn’t see another 3D film in this theater.

PRICE

Adult – $14.25 :: Child/Senior – $11.00 :: Adult 3D – $16.25 :: Child/Senior 3D – $13.00
I still believe that the biggest selling point of this theater will be the fact that you can reserve your seat. For an extra $3.50 (regular Ward ticket prices start at $10.75 for adults) you can see a movie on opening weekend without having to worry about coming early, standing in lines, and then fight the crowd to get a good seat. And I like how there are two prices for films in the theater, one for 2D and another for 3D (Dole’s Imax has a single price for both 2D and 3D movies). In the end, Consolidated was smart my making their Titan XC price points lower than those of Dole’s Imax.

IN SUMMARY

As I theorized in my previous blog post, a lot of the “experience” of the Titan XC theater at Ward can be chalked up to marketing by Consolidated. It’s not a bad experience, in fact it’s a pretty decent one–it’s just not as great as an experience as advertised. However, this shouldn’t stop people from going to check out the Titan XC experience for themselves. We’re all different so you might come up with your own assessment of the theater. As with all things, be informed about your movie viewing choices.

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Additional Reading:

Hawaii News Now Feature on Titan XC

Urban Mix Plate at the Titan XC debut

Hawaii Blog – Consolidated Theatres’ Big Play

Star Advertiser – Audiences prepare for splash of this Titan

15
Jun
10

Clash of the Titan XC

By yoda808 1 Comment
Categories: Coming Soon
Tags: , , , , ,

This week Friday (June 18, 2010) Consolidated Theatres will debut a new moviegoing experience with the opening of their new Titan XC (extreme cinema) screen at their Ward location. They have taken one screen (theater 8) and have renovated the entire theater and will feature (from Consolidated Theatre’s press release):

  • A wall-to-wall screen 66 feet wide and 35 feet tall
  • Pristine digital images with “the most advanced 3D”
    • a new “state-of-art,” NEC digital projection system
    • XpanD 3D system
  • Unsurpassed Sound
    • Dolby Surround, 7.1 audio channels
    • 75,000 watt digital sound system
    • 18 speakers on the walls, 14 in the ceiling, doubled the number of subwoofers
  • Leather Seating
  • Reserved Seating

While it all sounds nice and fancy, I’m going to hold judgement till after I take in Ward’s Titan XC myself. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for improving the moviegoing experience here in Hawaii and I’m a big fan of Ward Theaters, but let’s face it . . . Ward needed to do something to keep up with the IMAX theater at Regal Cinema’s Dole location.

Since opening last year, Dole’s IMAX has definitely been a money maker for them with a number of films coming out in IMAX (most notably James Cameron’s Avatar). With the only commercial IMAX theater on the island, and tickets for the theater being sold at $17 a pop (compared to a $4 3D surcharge on top of normal ticket prices) it’s easy to see that Ward has been losing out on a niche that only Dole has been capitalizing on.

There are several stumbling blocks that Ward will need to overcome for the Titan experience to be successful. Perhaps the biggest problem is that Titan XC is not something that moviegoers recognize. It’s not a name brand like how IMAX is. Everyone remembers when they were younger and we had a “real” IMAX in Waikiki or having gone to the mainland and seeing big IMAX screens there. We know what it is. IMAX is a name brand, and more importantly it’s a format that Hollywood is formatting their films for (select scenes in Transformers and The Dark Knight were shot in IMAX). Sadly the “Titan XC” brand is something that moviegoers are not familiar with and as far as I can tell, not a format of any sort. Hence the marketing campaign which has been going on for the past two weeks. In order for people to know about something, you have to tell them about it. And if you’re going to tell them about something, make sure you tell them it has all the newest bells and whistles.

The NEC NC3200S digital cinema projector. Is this the driving force behind Ward's new Titan XC?

The second problem I foresee is the technology itself. The digital projectors used in theaters currently conform to Digital Cinema Initiatives specifications as set forth by the Big 6 studios (Warner Bros, Sony, Disney, Universal, Paramount, Fox). Currently these standards seem to be below the resolution presented by digital IMAX. Simply put, unless this new NEC digital projector is indeed “state-of-the-art,” I don’t foresee the projection quality being better than it would be in IMAX (not sure which model Ward is installing, but the newest NEC projectors will be able to upgrade to a higher resolution standard than what is required–possibly at a later time). If this turns out to be the case, Ward could have a tough time selling moviegoers on this technology once word gets out. Again, I’ll need to reserve judgement until I can see the technology in action.

However, Ward’s new Titan experience does have two things going for it:

  1. Reserved Seating–Cavemen had the wheel, Edison had his light blub, Bell had the telephone, and now Hawaii finally has reserved seating for movies. How would you like to not have to hassle with waiting in line on opening night? Just show up 20 minutes before the show starts, buy your food and sit down without having to worry about finding a seat? Sounds so easy right? I mean really, sports and the airline industry have been doing it for decades, why not the theaters as well? This semi new feature (Ward previously did have a concierge service that allowed for reserved seating–as a subscription service) is a great selling point as it will take some antagonism out of the movie going experience. The downside–it’s only for one theater.
  2. Price–For about two weeks after Consolidated announced Titan XC I was very hesitant as no where did they announce the ticket prices for this new “experience.” However last week they finally set the ticket prices and I have to say that they’re really trying to do their best to compete with Dole. Take a look:
  • Adult - $14.25
  • Senior/Child - $11.00
  • 3D Adult - $16.25
  • 3D Senior/Child - $13.00

Compare these prices to Dole’s IMAX where ticket prices are $17 for adults, $14 for kids, and $13.50 for seniors (in either 2D or 3D) and Ward is definitely undercutting Dole. This will definitely turn the tide in Ward’s favor if the technology is as good or better than Dole’s IMAX. If not, you still have the consolation of paying about $4 more than a regular Ward ticket price for the amenity of reserving your seat–still, not a bad deal.

After it’s all said and done though, having more viewing options for moviegoers can never be a bad thing. I just hope that Consolidated hasn’t rushed blindly into competing with Dole by giving us window dressing in the form of Titan XC. Hopefully I can check out the new Titan XC experience this weekend. And if I do, expect a follow up post to hash everything out.

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Additional Reading:

The Titan XC webpage on Consolidated’s website, with a link to their press release and ticket prices.

Rachel Gibson of Consolidated Theatres talking about Titan XC on Wake Up 2Day

07
Jun
10

It’s a Poster: Eat Pray Love

By yoda808 Leave a Comment
Categories: Coming Soon and Thought Process
Tags: , ,

It’s a Poster is an infrequent feature discussing movie posters. Using my graphically designed background I’ll be taking a look at posters that I like or find interesting, talk about why I like them and what I think makes them interesting.

I’m not going to lie, more often than not I see far more uninteresting movie posters than I do interesting ones. However, every once and a while a few come down the pike that actually make me want to go out and buy them. Such is the case with the first movie poster for Eat Pray Love from Columbia Pictures and starring Julia Roberts.

Why do I like it? Well, first let’s start off with a few basics. 1) Movie posters should catch your attention. What will make you stop in the theater and get you take a second look at a poster? Maybe it’s a picture of a hot actress or maybe it’s the layout of the poster. Whatever it maybe, if a poster can hook you, then it’s already done it’s job. 2) A good movie poster will also tell you a story or a little bit about what the movie is about (without literally saying what it’s about from wording on the poster). Sometimes you can tell what a movie is about from looking at a poster and sometimes you may not. Now I’m not talking about looking at a Toy Story 3 poster and know that “oh, it’s an animated movie about toys!” No, I’m talking about what the actual plot of the movie might be.

With the poster for Eat Pray Love we seem to get both of these. First of all what hooked me was that it was a single photo of Julia Roberts really enjoying gelato or something in that cup. Being a single shot overlaid with the star’s name and title of the movie the poster really wants to you focus on this one moment. What’s so special about this moment that it’s the focus of the movie poster? It’s this intrigue that stops you. In fact this could very well be a scene from the movie. Which brings me to our second reason for this being a good movie poster . . .

Just from looking at the poster and asking a few basic questions, an idea of the movie starts to form in your head. What is she eating? Where is she eating it? It must be good if she has that look on her face. What is she looking at off to the side? This poster tells me that the movie is about good food. What makes me say this? The look on Julia Roberts face. It almost makes me want to have what she’s having. When you combine this image with two of the words in the title, “Eat” and “Love” it’s almost certain that this movie is going to be a culinary adventure. This poster also tells me that this movie might occur in Europe. Look at the background, it doesn’t seem like she’s in an American city (although she could be). From the iron fence in the background to the cobbled stones at her feet seem to hint at old European city tones.

I think what impresses me most about this poster is how uncommon a poster like this is. Usually movie posters like to clutter up the canvas with pictures of all the stars in the movie as a way to draw an audience. Not the case here. Granted Julia Roberts is the star of the movie, but this photo shows none of the other actors in the movie. An uncommon poster for an uncommon movie? We’ll have to wait and see.

Eat Pray Love hits theaters August 13.

07
May
10

Barbarian at the Gates

By yoda808 Leave a Comment
Categories: Coming Soon
Tags: , , , , ,

The movie poster for Princess Kaiulani on display at the Consolidated's Kahala & Ward Theaters in anticipation of it's May 14 release here in the islands.

It might not be Iron Man 2, but the local release of Princess Kaiulani next week Friday, May 14 is nearly upon us. Back in October there was a lot of attention being drawn towards the film, particularly because: 1) it was a depiction of a historical Hawaiian figure shot here in Hawaii, 2) it was going to get it’s first on screen, real audience appearance at the Hawaii International Film Festival, and 3) it’s former name, ‘Barbarian Princess,’ was not sitting well with many locals and those in the Hawaiian community. As such it debuted at HIFF to record crowds, so much so that additional screenings were added to fill the demand.

With such an enormous amount of hype and hoopla surrounding the film’s debut at HIFF, I’m actually kind of surprised there’s not more attention being drawn to the film now that distributor Roadside Attractions is going to give the film a limited release here in the islands and in select theaters across the country (Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Diego, San Francisco, Phoenix, New York–with the possibility of wider expansion to follow).

At the time of HIFF in October, I was a little skeptical that anyone would be able to see this picture outside of the film festival circuit. To my knowledge no other feature film about Hawaiian history had ever been shown in theaters (Michael Bay’s Pearl Harbor doesn’t count). I mean, what kind of market is out there for a movie like this? Obviously this is going to play to the indie film niche, but would people outside of Hawaii be interested in seeing this? Never the less, I’m still rather excited that this film is going to get an honest to God theatrical release. I wouldn’t be surprised if it even gets reviewed on At The Movies.

One noticeable difference between the film then and now is the obvious title change. As I mentioned earlier, during production and at HIFF the film went by it’s original title, ‘Barbarian Princess.” After being picked up by Roadside Attractions I guess they felt that the title needed to be changed. During HIFF I crafted this post which advocated for keeping the title as is because I believed (and still do) that the juxtaposition of the title with what is shown on screen will make people think and ultimately realize that she wasn’t wasn’t the title, or her critics during that time, labeled her as.

However, I’m fine with the name change now because I can see how the title would make it difficult to market the film to a large audience. I think the mentality is that by making the title more straightforward, it won’t confuse potential moviegoers. Say what you will, but I can see how Barbarian Princess might confuse some people into thinking that this is some kind of 10,000 BC sequel. In any case, check out the trailer for Princess Kaiulani below:

Biased or not, I think the trailer sells the movie. All that’s left is for everyone to go see it!

26
Apr
10

Toy Story 3 Goes Viral

By yoda808 Leave a Comment
Categories: Promos
Tags: , , ,

The bulletin board in Keller Hall on the UH Manoa campus had some interesting notices posted.

About two weeks ago some very interesting and usual advertisements started appearing on bulletin boards across the UH Manoa campus. At first glance you could have missed them as they tended to blend in with the other myriad of postings that these community bulletin boards tend to attract. Upon closer examination though you might have picked out these ads:

If you notice, all the fliers direct you to BuzzCampusHawaii.com. Upon typing in that link you are then redirected to the Toy Story 3 preview screening for Hawaii. A few clicks and you can sign up to see the first 65 minutes of Toy Story 3 this Thursday, April 29 at the Consolidated Kahala 8 Theaters. The only catch? You have to have a college ID in order to attend.

While viral marketing is nothing new, I don’t think I’ve ever seen it tried out in Hawaii. Three years ago, the viral marketing campaign for Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight took geeks of the fan base by storm and asked them to decipher a number of different clues and tasks–each step of the way giving them access to information about the movie as well as creating a massive nationwide/worldwide alternate reality game (ARG). Since then a number of different companies and movies have tried replicating that success in trying to generate positive pre-release word of mouth.

The bulletin board fronting Hamilton Library at UH Manoa with Toy Story 3 ads.

While it was cool to see a studio try this out in Hawaii, I think it’s kind of a waste as all these advertisements do is direct you to the Facebook page that allows you sign up to come to the screening. I have to say though, whoever created the fliers definitely knew what they were doing as all of them blend in with the similar fare of other ads posted on the bulletin boards. From the handwritten text to the hand drawn artwork, it definitely looks like it could be legitimate. However inspired these fliers are, the age old saying is true: go BIG or go home. This campaign probably could have been something bigger and better with a little more help.

In any case, college students on Oahu will get a chance to see a preview of Toy Story 3 six weeks before it hits theaters. If you’re a starving college student, it might be worth checking out.

*UPDATE* The Red Band Project has learned that the the Honolulu Toy Story 3 “Cliffhanger” screening is now open to HIGH SCHOOL juniors and seniors (also needing to show school ID as proof). Spread the word.

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