Hollywood reams the consumer yet again

[LANGUAGE WARNING - Pissed off Badger Alert]

I'm not sure if you've heard by now, but I've been following the latest escalations in the HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray format war. The Digital Bits has had some of the best coverage and it is worth checking out. Basically, Microsoft dropped a chunk of change at Paramount and DreamWorks front door in exchange for them to stop being platform neutral and go HD-DVD exclusive. So, now they going Universal in the HD-DVD camp with the other studios either being Blu-ray exclusive or platform neutral.

What has this done?

Hmmm...how about fucked over the consumer royally? In an idiotic format war that was in no one's best interests, Blu-ray looked to be starting to win and that is when Microsoft acted. Now, it has sown the seeds of confusion within the potential audience and I agree with the prevailing opinion that less people will go with either.

I have been considering my options for some time; cheap MS Xbox HD-DVD drive or stand-alone Blu-ray player (PS3 isn't worth even considering). Now, I can say I have no idea what to do. I think I will likely still with DVD because as usual Hollywood has continued to fuck the consumer and we just continue to bend over and take it...

UPDATE:

So, I have given this more consideration and I've decided they both suck, yet I still want them. Realistically, I will probably not buy either as the waters are just to murky right now :(

I got this of the Digital Bits:

In a poll over at IMDB, fully 63% of the 16,000+ people who responded chose: "I have neither system and this makes [me] want to enter HD media even less. I'll stick with DVD for the time being." The next largest group, 10%, said they had no opinion and another 9% didn't know what HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc were. So that's 82% of people who either just don't care, don't know about the formats or are turned off by the format war.

It's not like we're talking polling people on the street, but this is from a movie junkie website!?!?!? No one (at least in large numbers) wants to go near this mess. That so disappoints me that these two camps our ruining HD optical media for the whole industry...

Review: Hot Fuzz

As Heather and Ben are off at the beach, I had a quiet day at home today. Last night, Matt came down and we grabbed some dinner (stuck to my WW point goals) and then we played Tennis & Golf on the Wii. The Wii definitely shines when paired with other people. It is fully a social game system.

Anywho, back to the review. As it has been a quiet day, I have spent my time, uhm ... sleeping :) In between waking up and napping, I watched Hot Fuzz. I wish I had seen this one at the theater like I had wanted, but life/work conspired against me. It's great, absolutely fun. Not the same movie as Shaun of the Dead, but there are a lot of similarities and you can catch occasional references. It's just a fun movie and Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Timothy Dalton (still my third favorite Bond) are all fun in their roles.

Simon Pegg's Nicholas Angel on the movie Point Break:

Well, I wouldn't argue that it wasn't a no holds barred, adrenaline fueled thrill ride. But, there is no way you can perpetrate that amount of carnage and mayhem and not incur a considerable amount of paperwork.

It's hard to pull out great quotes as much of the movie, like Shaun of the Dead is subtle, dark humor. I definitely recommend both. They can be a bit violent in places, but their great spoofs of their respective mixed up genres.

Just as an aside, I REALLY want the DVD library room shown in this flick :)

The Simpsons Movie - Spider Pig Clip Download

The Simpsons Movie - Spider Pig Clip Download at demp.se/y - Adam Dempseys Blog

Check out this site to get the great "Spider Pig"! song from the Simpsons movie. It makes a great ringtone :)

Review: Harry Potter OOTP/Ratatouille

Well, I think both movies were quite good. First off, Harry Potter...


Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - 4 out of 5 stars

This movie was very dark, but then again, so was the book. This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone familiar with the direction the series is taking. Each of the seven editions grows increasingly dark as the children age. There are some great characters that are seen here for the first time, such as Dolores Umbridge, Luna Lovegood, Nymphadora Tonks, and Bellatrix Lestrange. All of these new comers add something to the Harry Potter universe. It has been a while since I read the book, but it felt rather true based on my memory. There are some rather funny scenes, but overall the mood is consistently dark. This story focuses HEAVILY on death and is getting to the point where younger children simply aren't ready for the material. Roger Ebert's review specifically dinged the movie for lacking the wonder of the previous outings, but that simply isn't there by this point in the story. We're in a whole new world at this point and I'm not sure if the criticism is fair. I believe it is a good choice for any fan of the series, but newcomers would definitely need to see/read the previous books. All in all, a great movie experience.



Ratatouille - 4 1/2 out of 5 stars

Ah, on to the rats ;) I wasn't sure about how good this film would be, but I wasn't sure about Cars either and I can definitely say I am impressed. You know, you wonder if rats can be cute and interesting, but this is a great movie. It IS cute, well written, funny, and the animation ... I can only say that my jaw dropped. The fur, the detail in the fur and all of the little touches just make this an amazing visual spectacle. I couldn't decide what to pay attention to the amazing visuals or the great story. This one is up there with the Incredibles, Monsters, Inc., and Toy Story. Patton Oswalt is great as the lead character and rat, Remy. He makes the movie and adds so much to the characters obsessive, creative nature. There are also lots of positive messages for the kids. There is a bit too much in the way of references to "killing" as that is what people typically due to rats, but I think it is only too much for the real young end of the spectrum. Well worth checking out by pretty much all ages.

Just got out of Harry Potter OOTP

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. It was appropriately dark matching the book's tone. I need to think about a rating, but I am leaning toward 4 out of 5 stars.

I saw this nice standup for the Simpsons and figured I would have to grab a shot. Oh well, I'm off to see Ratatouille as well. It has been years since I did a double feature.

Review: Transformers

4 out of 5 stars

So, I went to go see Transformers on Monday night which was opening night for the flick. Theater was crowded, but not horrible as there were several showings at all at once. I'll cut to the chase and simply say that it was a LOT of fun. It is a great popcorn flick and if you did enjoy the 80's toys and cartoon, you'll definitely find a lot to enjoy here. The robots do look different than they used to and some of the action is too fast and motion blurred, but I can't say I even realized nearly 2 and a 1/2 hours had passed when it ended. There was a good area of action and comedy to hold my attention. Shia LeBeouf was great in his role. He added a strong human element to the movie and was very well cast. I especially enjoyed the scenes with his whole family. I haven't bothered to look them up on IMDB, but I got the best chuckles when they were all at home. John Turturro was honestly a riot as a slightly over zealous government agent. One of the weak areas was Megan Fox's acting. However, it was obvious she was cast as an eye-candy love interest. She is absolutely gorgeous and as I was leaving the theater I heard MANY people discussing the "checking out the engine" scene. I must say, she played her part admirably ;) One note, this movie is NOT for young children. I would absolutely draw the line at 9 or 10 years old. It is a bit too aggressive and violent (albeit without blood) for the younger kids. 

There have been quite a large number of negative reviews and it has finally dipped into a "rotten" state over at Rotten Tomatoes. I think some of the reviewers are being too hard on it explaining that their negative review is due to how they feel non-fans will react, but at the same time, they say anyone who grew up with the show and toys will love it? Seems a bit harsh to hold that stance given how many people know and love those toys, but oh well...

Long trip for 8 TPBs

Took a nice, long walk to the Holly Springs farmer's market and library this morning with the fam. The farmer's market is rather small, like 8 booths, but luckily that wasn't the main reason for the walk. The library, while small, is perfectly acceptable. I was much happier there after I figured out that they have a "Graphic Novels" section. I picked up 8 TPBs (Trade Paperbacks) ranging from Hellblazer to the Hulk to Batman and the Fantastic Four. A nice haul if I do say so myself.

Tomorrow, I need to spend more time on the outdoor patio I've been working on and Monday night, I'm going to get to catch the Transformers opening night show over at Beaver Creek. Everything I've heard or read makes this movie sound amazing. 88% freshness rating over at Rotten Tomatoes.