2010 — 21 January: Thursday

A mere placeholder. Yawn. I am being strongly urged to go here and see this. Brian has even offered to pay for my ticket if I don't agree on the merits1 of the movie! We shall see.

I must admit, Christa and I never got to see a 3D movie together. (We did play on Peter's 3D Sega console though. Does that count?) G'night.

Not quite sure...

... which excites me less: yet another security patch from Microsoft, or yet another web site from our guvmint. It's somewhat misty, but not enough to keep me from Dr Fang's tooth-cleaning assistant in a while. I cunningly avoided the majority of the programme about the Glencoe massacre (next week, George Eliot) and have just enjoyed my first cuppa. Ever onward. How about a portable electropulse cannon? (Source.) Or robotic vasectomy reversals? ("Cutting-edge stuff", apparently — Source.) Though I think my favourite so far is the one about fattening yourself up in order to become eligible for weight-loss surgery. (Source.)

The avatars have it

We've long had a tradition in my family. When I go to the dentist I get a reward afterwards. So, forsaking lunch (I'm now starving) I drove down into Eastleigh, eventually found the entrance to the carpark (the one I used to use is now exit only), managed to pick up the one remaining copy of The Word in WH Smith and then toddled over to the new multi-screen cinema which (it seems) has been open2 since last April.

I even got an OAP discount. When I was asked, oh so politely, if I was over 60 I told the truth (I tend to do that, it saves having to remember what you said last time). Mind you, the £3-60 parking fee in the Swan Centre wiped out said discount. Still, that's another first (another thirst, too, I'm in dire need of a cuppa) — a solo trip to the cinema in daylight. Didn't much care for the vinyl "VIP" seat, but the 3D effect worked well in combination with what is obviously a pretty advanced digital projection system. I may just have to drag Mike there. Nor was the sound at painful levels — perhaps they tone/turn it down for the mad rush of pensioners. There were less than a dozen people in the audience.

3D does nothing to improve the ads. It's 16:15. Time for food and drink.

Right. 18:57 and the calories etc are back on track. What's next? Need to free up some lebensraum3 for Peter, I guess. No rest for the wicked.

It's only a movie, dammit!

There was a good review of "Avatar" in the New York Times last month, by the way. And here's a more recent look at some of the people it seems to have upset (including that strange church based somewhere near Rome, apparently). And, yes, I too noticed the font chosen for the subtitles! (Amusing rant here.)

Spot the difference.

Did I mention?

Nearly forgot to say (for Lis in NZ, who wanted my "honest comments" [and whose friend Richard Taylor is head of WETA digital], and for Brian, who feared [wrongly] that his email sounded pompous) I thought the film was almost ridiculously enjoyable, looked absolutely stunning, makes superbly well-integrated use of 3D, and I'd give it at least 9/10. Well done, Mr Cameron.

Diderot still rocks!

  

Footnotes

1  To be precise (and while I was out watching it this afternoon) he emailed to correct me (so rare, that!): It was not so much the merit of the movie per se but the combination of the movie and its use of state-of-the-art 3D technology to provide an interesting cinematic experience. The movie itself is pretty good but the somewhat stereotypical plotline denies it greatness (IMHO). So now I know.
2  Planning permission was originally rejected on the grounds (spurious, clearly) that it was too close to the flight path from the airport.
3  How come this house — which was self-evidently big enough for three of us at one time — seems barely big enough for just little ol' me these days? Riddle me that.