3D: Inevitable Disguised Pain?

Marnin'!
Today marks Avatar's 7th week atop the box office. This got me thinking-are all movie producers going to follow this inevitable trend that leads to millions upon millions of dollars? Yes, I saw Avatar, and although I liked it, I am not a full believer that 3D is worth the trouble. With an amazing list of movies that will be released in 2010, it seems that all people can look forward to is Alice in Wonderland, 3D nonetheless.
Sure, Tim Burton is a genius to some, Johnny Depp is one of the greatest actors of our generation, and the story is timeless. However, I do not believe that 3D is worth the hype; follow along...
1. The "Stiffy"- when I saw Avatar, I unfortunately got there a whole 3 minutes late. I was then excommunicated by the engulfed crowd for making a peep, and then forced to sit in the very front row, all the way on the right side-the 2 last remaining seats. I was so excited to keep up with the jones' that I didn't even mind. That is, until about 10 minutes into the movie. My neck was completely sore from having to look up and far left. Also, 3D films are designed to be most effective when viewed from a front and center position. There were many times throughout the film when I couldn't make out what Jake Sully was doing because of how sketchy the lines were. Next time Ill be sure to camp out to get that prime location.
2. People puke. I do not have a weak stomach, so I was fairly OK. However, I heard from various people that they either had to leave the film, stop watching at parts, or felt sick afterwards. 3D is a commitment, and sometimes people over commit themselves. There are no warnings beforehand, so bring your Scopolamine!
3. Prices. Yes, I am sure James Cameron and his producers spent a buttload of money on Avatar, but are the 3D glasses really worth an additional $3.50 on the ticket prices? Some theaters do not even have the option to view Avatar in a 2D setting. I paid $14 for my ticket in Chicago, but...got to keep my 3D glasses! Hope they have more 3d 20 second Super Bowl ads this year! Inflated prices=Loews making bank=no after movie beers for me.
4. Inflated Numbers!!!! This just dawned on me. Avatar is becoming the number 1 movie of all time for gross income. At $14, of course it has the edge on Edge of Darkness(in 2D) which goes for $10. Why have a movie that only makes $400 million at the box office when you can add 3D and bump that to $600 million?


Avatar was a great movie, I dont take anything away from the production, cast, or story. However, if this is going to be a regular trend, I hope the price drops. No one is going to pay $14 to see Precious in 3D, I'll tell you that much.

BOA=bank of america, basterds operating atrocity

Today began wonderfully. My flu-like symptoms were minimal, free breakfast, and a light work load. I receive a text, A TEXT, from Bank of America telling me that they were skeptical of recent charges. I race online to see what these "unusual charges" were. 45$ from a McDonalds in California, 201$ from Target.com, 56$ from a Super Savor (I am assuming it is a grocery store) in California, and another 200$ from Amazon.com.
A.) Who can eat 45$ worth of McDonalds?
B.) I live in Chicago, 2,018 miles away from Burbank, CA
C.) IT TAKES 515$ IN CHARGES FOR THEM TO REALIZE???

I am not too mad, I was assured that I would be reimbursed for these charges once they "post" which may take 2-3 days. I get a temporary ATM card in the meantime. I did nothing wrong; no purchases from odd websites, no losing my card, no flashing of the numbers. So, if your day sucks as much as mine, or might in the near future, take a look at a few of these pictures I found that helped make my situation OK. And, for future reference, keep up on your online banking. It seems as if any fraudulent charges under 500$ might go unnoticed. And pay attention to your texts, some may be more informative than others!

Pay to Play-or to advertise while they play

You would think that in the age of online advertising a company's interest in commercial television ads would not be atop their list. The Super Bowl draws more viewers than does the Pope's inaugural ceremony. Some people like to watch a man lead a Bronco's team to a last second victory more than they like to watch a man lead Catholicism to the butt of every late-night television joke.
Lets look at the numbers:
The 2008 game between the New York Giants and New England Patriots drew a 43.1 rating-meaning just over 43% of household televisions in the United States had the game on. Poor Brady! The game also had a record 97.4 million viewers. Both statistics are still records-slightly beating last year's numbers in the Steeler/Cardinal matchup.

The average television ad is 30 seconds.

The cost of a 30 second advertisement in 1967-Superbowl I-was $37,500. Coulda bought a Jeep!

20 years later- Superbowl XXI- the cost skyrocketed to $600,000.

Fast forward to 2002. The Bucs beat the Raiders 48-21. "Terry Tate, Office Linebacker" was introduced and soon after became an online phenomenon. Cost? $2.2 million.

The Associated Press reported that the average cost of an ad for this Super Bowl (Jets 41-Vikings 9) is roughly $2.6 Million!
In a "down" economy, it is mind numbing to think that some smaller companies-especially those with frozen credit lines from major banks- can even stand a chance to compete with the big wigs, i.e. Budweiser, Coke, Ford, and BP.
Hope you readers have some Sodoku, because unless you are willing to watch 16 different versions of "Ford:Drive One!" you're going to need something else to look forward to...

Go Gang Green!

P-D-G

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GprriwKhQw