Comments on: Introducing: CaPC’s Summer of Pop-Culture

By: Richard Clark

Richard Clark — Thu, 28 May 2009 16:42:56 +0000

Yeah, I’ve seen a couple reviews like that. I am really excited though.

By: The Dane

The Dane — Wed, 27 May 2009 20:57:12 +0000

James Berardinelli reviews Up, praising it for its awesome introduction and then lamenting that having raised the bar early, it never again reaches for such heights, instead pandering to expectations. Kinda the same complaint I had about WALL-E, which was breathtaking until he got into space. The Danes last blog post..20090417.teaParty

By: The Dane

The Dane — Mon, 11 May 2009 19:10:30 +0000

But Charles. Michael Bay didn't deliver up sacred relics from my childhood. He made a terrible film focused around a terrible story populated by terrible actors that had pretty nice effects. I loved Transformers as a kid and can't help but think that even in the midst of that love, I still would have been jaded enough to think that the Bay movie was tripe. There's a Top 5 for you Rich. Top 5 Nostalgia Properties Reinvented for the Modern Cinema that Actually Better the Original Product. That, I think, is going to be the hardest Top 5 challenge you'll ever run across. The Danes last blog post..20090417.teaParty

By: Charles Jones

Charles Jones — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:46:38 +0000

I can't believe what I'm reading here. Can't we just all bask in the wonder of our pre-preadolescent heroes growing up with us? Transformers and G.I. Joe aren't out for awards, it's about taking one generations icons and delivering them to the next. And I want to know when Voltron's coming. Charles Joness last blog post..Cognitive Dissonance

By: The Dane

The Dane — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:14:19 +0000

@Ben - I think you'd miss me if I were gone. But really, since when has not knowing what something was about meant that I wouldn't comment and maybe say someone was dumb? @Alan - Yeah, I wasn't really bummed on the Harry Potter movies. It's just that apart from Azkaban, I just haven't really thought they were that great. I'm sure I'll see Half-Blood Prince, but I'm not hotly anticipating it. For Harry Potter movies, the primary pleasure has been looking for artistry in the films—since suspense is impossible. And artistry is only going to be possible so far as directors distance themselves from the original works. 1 and 2 were almost cookie-cutter adaptations and so, in many ways, were lifeless and wooden. 3 was great. 4 got the distance pretty right, but went in the wrong direction and made what should have been one of the best movies of the bunch one of the worst. 5 was fine and an improvement on the fifth book, but really, I could be happy watching these all on dvd (or maybe even not at all) and still be fine. I chalk it up, I think, to how much I enjoyed the books. The Danes last blog post..20090417.teaParty

By: Alan Noble

Alan Noble — Mon, 11 May 2009 16:20:54 +0000

Dane,

I’m with you on everything but Harry Potter. I’ve really enjoyed all the movies. Not that they were great, but for a summer adventure flick, they’ve always hit the spot. Also, I think the Pixar movie might surprise us. They have a tendency to do that.

G.I. Joe and Transformers boggle my mind. If we are redoing 80′s saturday morning cartoons, when are the Carebear movies coming out?

E3 is exciting for me too. I’m hoping Microsoft doesn’t let us down. We’ll see!

By: Ben Bartlett

Ben Bartlett — Mon, 11 May 2009 16:16:09 +0000

Does this mean you won't be participating in comment threads on the above topics, Dane? I'm struggling to decide whether that's a blessing or a curse. Ben Bartletts last blog post..People and Sadness

By: The Dane

The Dane — Mon, 11 May 2009 14:35:18 +0000

Wow, absolutely nothing in this summer of pop-culture is tempting me in the least to quote-unquote engage culture. Of the films, G.I. Joe could be interesting but won't be. Transformers is a sequel to the worst movie I saw last year. Any fire I had for the Harry Potter films has long-since dwindled to smouldering wait-for-DVD embers. Terminator strikes me as long since mined. Judd Aptow? Shrug. And another Pixar thing; since they're about ready for exercise in formula (a la A Bug's Life, Little Nemo, or Ratatouille), this'll probably be it. Still, the Pixar thing will probably be the only of these that I might see in theaters. As for the music? Eh. The Danes last blog post..20090417.teaParty

By: Riley

Riley — Mon, 11 May 2009 14:13:57 +0000

Wow! Can’t wait for the summer of pop-culture. Looking forward to keeping up with it all through CAPC.