Twas the blog before Xmas
Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol. The Review.
Lets just get to it. This movie absolutely rocks. Its that rare perfect blend of action and humor. This movie was produced by JJ Abrams and Directed by The Incredibles director Brad Bird. This is Bird’s first stab at live action movie-making and boy did he hit the mark. He not only mastered that near perfect pacing needed to make a thriller work, but he also perfectly employed the IMAX cameras to greatly amp up the action sequences and literally find ways to pull the audience into those skillfully crafted action sequences.
I know I tell my readers to see movies in IMAX all the time. In my honest personal and professional opinion, its the best way to experience ANY movie. But MI was shot in large part with actual IMAX film cameras. Its literally shot from the ground up to be shown on the giant IMAX screens. If you live near a real IMAX theater with a real giant IMAX screen, you owe it to yourself to buy your ticket at that theater. MI absolutely comes alive on the giant IMAX screen.
Whats so great about IMAX? Well there is more to it than the big screen. Other theaters boast about mega screens and ultra screens. But they are not IMAX systems. They are just common movie projectors lensed up a bit to fill a bigger screen. What they offer is often a big dim blown out image and unbalanced under powered sound systems . A real IMAX theater features a six story tall screen treated for optimum light and picture quality. Paired with a multi-million dollar projection system that uses the world’s best optics and 15,000 watt lamps to push ample light onto those giant screens. IMAX theaters have specially designed six channel spacial directional audio systems. Plus IMAX auditoriums are treated to optimize the acoustic performance of the presentations. And if that were not enough, IMAX theaters are “tuned” regularly so that picture and sound are always at their best.
About two decades ago IMAX set out to be the best possible movie experience but because of the nature of IMAX films (four times larger than standard cinema films) it was difficult to show more than 45 minutes of film at a time. But only a few short years back modifications were made in many projection booths that allow these mammoth projectors to run Hollywood length films. Quite literally six and seven foot metal platters spooling out nearly a half ton of film. Its quite an operation behind the scenes that provides this awesome movie experience.
When you marry the IMAX system with an exciting film its like mixing fire and gasoline. Its explosive. More specifically, since the screens typically are bigger than your natural field of vision, its immersive. Much more immersive than 3D. And since no glasses are required it feels more natural to your eye to experience the high resolution IMAX images.
Brad Bird and JJ Abrams has matched up this amazing presentation technology with a story thats worthy of it all. MI is big in scope but somehow manages to stay character driven. This movie works so well because we, the audience, are allowed to almost feel like were part of the team of spies. We learn their human sides. And we learn their sense of humor.
Lets face it. Past Mission Impossible movies just took themselves way too seriously. Where is the fun in that? This new MI gets it just right. There is plenty... and I mean PLENTY... of fingernail-biting edge of your seat tension.
Its not a flawless movie. It has a few “spies would not do that” moments and a few leaps of faith you need to take to keep the plot moving along. But who cares? This movie is so much fun that its like complaining about a scuff on a tire of a BMW sports car (featured in the movie). Who cares? The ride is still amazing!
Mission Impossible is NOW PLAYING in select giant screen IMAX theaters along with the Dark Knight Rises prologue. It opens everywhere on Wednesday.
Are You Ready For The Holidays?
I am a procrastinator of epic proportions. No where is that made more clear to the world than the week before Christmas. I have not completed all my shopping yet and I honestly dont know what I am going to get everyone. My travel plans are not completely figured out. And this week ahead at work is bound to be non-stop craziness because I work for one of the busiest retail operations in the world. Through all the logistics of preparing for the holidays its sometimes easy to forget what the holidays are supposed to be all about.
For that reason I am very pleased with the annual appearance of Yule Bog. The Bogworld Christmas story. I think it tackles the topic of holidays being lost in the rush and rediscovering the meaning of Christmas just in time. I think thats how it works for many of us these days. Its really not until were in the moment of Christmas itself. Amongst family. Exchanging gifts. Watching the kids take in whatever Santa Claus brought them. If you take a breath and take in the small moments. Appreciate them for the snap shots of all that is good in the world. It sort of brings it all back. It reminds us of why we put ourselves through so much for months before the day arrives.
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukah to you all.
Lets just get to it. This movie absolutely rocks. Its that rare perfect blend of action and humor. This movie was produced by JJ Abrams and Directed by The Incredibles director Brad Bird. This is Bird’s first stab at live action movie-making and boy did he hit the mark. He not only mastered that near perfect pacing needed to make a thriller work, but he also perfectly employed the IMAX cameras to greatly amp up the action sequences and literally find ways to pull the audience into those skillfully crafted action sequences.
I know I tell my readers to see movies in IMAX all the time. In my honest personal and professional opinion, its the best way to experience ANY movie. But MI was shot in large part with actual IMAX film cameras. Its literally shot from the ground up to be shown on the giant IMAX screens. If you live near a real IMAX theater with a real giant IMAX screen, you owe it to yourself to buy your ticket at that theater. MI absolutely comes alive on the giant IMAX screen.
Whats so great about IMAX? Well there is more to it than the big screen. Other theaters boast about mega screens and ultra screens. But they are not IMAX systems. They are just common movie projectors lensed up a bit to fill a bigger screen. What they offer is often a big dim blown out image and unbalanced under powered sound systems . A real IMAX theater features a six story tall screen treated for optimum light and picture quality. Paired with a multi-million dollar projection system that uses the world’s best optics and 15,000 watt lamps to push ample light onto those giant screens. IMAX theaters have specially designed six channel spacial directional audio systems. Plus IMAX auditoriums are treated to optimize the acoustic performance of the presentations. And if that were not enough, IMAX theaters are “tuned” regularly so that picture and sound are always at their best.
About two decades ago IMAX set out to be the best possible movie experience but because of the nature of IMAX films (four times larger than standard cinema films) it was difficult to show more than 45 minutes of film at a time. But only a few short years back modifications were made in many projection booths that allow these mammoth projectors to run Hollywood length films. Quite literally six and seven foot metal platters spooling out nearly a half ton of film. Its quite an operation behind the scenes that provides this awesome movie experience.
When you marry the IMAX system with an exciting film its like mixing fire and gasoline. Its explosive. More specifically, since the screens typically are bigger than your natural field of vision, its immersive. Much more immersive than 3D. And since no glasses are required it feels more natural to your eye to experience the high resolution IMAX images.
Brad Bird and JJ Abrams has matched up this amazing presentation technology with a story thats worthy of it all. MI is big in scope but somehow manages to stay character driven. This movie works so well because we, the audience, are allowed to almost feel like were part of the team of spies. We learn their human sides. And we learn their sense of humor.
Lets face it. Past Mission Impossible movies just took themselves way too seriously. Where is the fun in that? This new MI gets it just right. There is plenty... and I mean PLENTY... of fingernail-biting edge of your seat tension.
Its not a flawless movie. It has a few “spies would not do that” moments and a few leaps of faith you need to take to keep the plot moving along. But who cares? This movie is so much fun that its like complaining about a scuff on a tire of a BMW sports car (featured in the movie). Who cares? The ride is still amazing!
Mission Impossible is NOW PLAYING in select giant screen IMAX theaters along with the Dark Knight Rises prologue. It opens everywhere on Wednesday.
Are You Ready For The Holidays?
I am a procrastinator of epic proportions. No where is that made more clear to the world than the week before Christmas. I have not completed all my shopping yet and I honestly dont know what I am going to get everyone. My travel plans are not completely figured out. And this week ahead at work is bound to be non-stop craziness because I work for one of the busiest retail operations in the world. Through all the logistics of preparing for the holidays its sometimes easy to forget what the holidays are supposed to be all about.
For that reason I am very pleased with the annual appearance of Yule Bog. The Bogworld Christmas story. I think it tackles the topic of holidays being lost in the rush and rediscovering the meaning of Christmas just in time. I think thats how it works for many of us these days. Its really not until were in the moment of Christmas itself. Amongst family. Exchanging gifts. Watching the kids take in whatever Santa Claus brought them. If you take a breath and take in the small moments. Appreciate them for the snap shots of all that is good in the world. It sort of brings it all back. It reminds us of why we put ourselves through so much for months before the day arrives.
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukah to you all.