OK, here's a new thread to discuss all the big mega-movies (and those nifty independents) coming out for summer. Superman, Pirates of the Caribbean, DaVinci Code, X-Men, MI3, Cars, you name it, let's discuss it. Anything we should avoid? Run like hell to see immediately? Will this summer continue the Hollwood doldrums and see declining box office for a fourth consecutive year? Post your thoughts, critiques, picks and pans.

I know I can't WAIT to see "Superman" and will try to take our son asap. I loved the first two with Christopher Reeves and this new guy seems to fit the bill pretty good. I also am really excited about "Pirates of the Caribbean," as I dug the campy drag queen act of Johnny Depp in the first one. "Fast and the Furious" looks kinda cool, as does "Nacho Libre." Adam Sandler doesn't do much for me, so "Click" is not something I'll pay to see. James Bond seems to be played out, but maybe the new 007 will breathe fresh air into the franchise. Alicia loves Owen Wilson, so I'll probably have to endure "You, Me, and Dupree," which looks awful.

So let's get to the movies!

I'm dreading Fast and Furious as the second installment had none of the fun and interest of the first one. Granted both are very stereotypical, but the first at least had some interesting things (I can't quite call them plots) going on besides the cars.

I really want to go see cars as even my car guy friends have said it's a pretty good movie.

Freddy, the new superman actually grew up about 5 miles from where we live in one of the suburbs. They had his mom on the news the other night and she's a local elementary teacher.

Heard from a friend today that Fast and Furious is amazing!

I'm so incredibly excited about Pirates! I loved the first one and love Johnny even more! Still haven't seen Da Vinci yet cause I heard so many bad reports. Want to go see Over the Hedge too just cause I love Dreamworks!

Anyway that's my must see list at the min

I am going to see superman.. but I hate goign to the theatre.. Crappy picture, expensive, crowded crappy food.. Id rather rent/buy a DVD and watch it at home

You are SO right, Dirt. We bought a 42" plasma screen almost 3 years ago and haven't been to the movie theater more than two or three times since. We pop our own popcorn, I can grab a beer, sit on our plush leather couch, and the picture quality is kick ass (not to mention my little Bose 3-2-1 sound system). Throw in a friend's Netflix account that we share and it's a wonder why we'd ever go to the multiplex ever again. High def screens are now sold at places like Costco and Best Buy for less than half of what we paid back then and the picture quality is simply unbelievable (high def kills!).

That said, we WILL be going out to see "Pirates" and "Superman" when they hit in a couple weeks. "Cars" will wait for DVD, though, as will "Poseidon, Lady in the Water, You, Me, and Dupree," and "X-Men 3." I'd rather drink sewage than see "Click."

Interesting note; we took 4 kids to see "Fantastic Four" last summer after day camp. The price tag? Parking $5.00, $10.00 per person for myself and Alicia, $8.00 per kid, 1.50 fee from Fandango.com - total $53.50 just to walk in. $10.00 per person for "Fantastic Four Power Snack Pack (popcorn, candy, drink, and 3D game)," total $60.00. $113.50!!! This doesn't include pizza for dinner afterward - $35.00 - nor the ice cream cones from the Gelato place across the street - $22.00 - which brought the grand total for a night out with four kids to...

$175.50 for a night out with us and four kids. Fucking outrageous.

Now, let's contrast that to a family movie night we hold at our house frequently.

Movie - $5.00 from Hollywood Video
Popcorn - $1.50 microwave 2-for-3 bucks special at Alberstons.
Drinks - .99 cents for 2 liter bottle of soda or punch of choice at Albertsons.
Candy - $5.00 for package red vines and assorted other goodies.
Dinner - $8.00 for gigantic Costco cheese and pepperoni pizza.
Dessert - $5.00 for half gallon ice cream from supermarket.

Grand total for us and SIX kids to watch movie in comfy home?

$25.49 - MORE THAN $150.00 LESS than going out, hassling with parking, dealing with crowded theater (oh, by the way, "Fantastic Four" sucked ass, adding insult to injury).

We have a nice TV for everyday use (Loewe 36"), so moving to a 42" plasma didn't seem worth it to us. Instead, we went for projection. We have a Panasonic home theatre projector and a 106" wide-screen format projection screen.

The picture is simply stunning, and fills roughly the same field of view as if we were at the movies. All we lack is the annoying twit making noise in the next row, and the inability to pause for pee breaks. We're not missing either.

We, too, will go to the cinema for Pirates. Not because it's any better, but because it's sooner, and because we want to "vote with our feet" and let Hollywood know what kind of entertainment we like to see.

We have a kidlet, so getting out to the movies is inconvenient at best. With the home theatre, we get to watch movies the way they were intended to be seen.

The quality of the projector is what makes it. It's just beautiful. The picture looks like film, even from close up. No black lines in between pixels, and none of the
"raimbow effect" that can happen with DLP projectors. I highly recommend it for anyone wanting this option.

Kiwi doesn't mention the additional benefit of watching our favourite sports events on the large screen too.

Trust me, we could see all the suckful calls the refs made in the Superbowl.

And in 40 minutes we get to see the All Blacks hand out a caning to Argentina. Life is good.

Very true.

The only thing I would do differently is I would have purchased a motorized, pre-tensioned screen, even though they are 3x the price. The pull-down screen we have is good, but it's not as flat as it could be. It's a bit like buying great stereo components and then skimping a bit on the speakers. It's very very good - excellent, really - , but knowing it could be better does gnaw away at me just a teeny bit.

The fault is mine, of course - Kiwichick would have been on board with whatever I decided. And she's not a hard sell when it comes to buying quality - it almost always is the better choice in the end. Certainly our audio system is top notch and well worth it. To paraphrase Buddy Ackerman, you can feel your balls tremble.

Anyone get that reference?

Okay, back on topic. Went to see Garfield blockbuster today. Noted film critic, my son Alex said, "Cool, awesome, let's see it again, pass the popcorn" Need I say more?

Garfield came out? Didn't even know and our son hasn't expressed any interest. He did get to see "Cars" with some friends and liked it. He didn't rave about it like "Finding Nemo" or "The Incredibles," but enjoyed it just the same.

I'm with the Kiwis on "Pirates..." Gotta show what we like with our dollars or they'll never get a clue. Of course, we're totally setting ourselves up for a disappointment, but heck, it can't be that bad can it?

Oh, a movie called "Who Killed the Electric Car" looks really good, so I'll probably go see that one.

I hope everybody understood "Garfield blockbuster" was tongue in cheek

I always like your tongue in my cheek, Silkie!

Tomorrow is the "Superman" opening and we're going to try to get out to see it in the early afternoon. I have my fingers crossed that it'll be good (though how can one top Gene Hackman as Lex Luther?).

We just got theater information for "Who Killed the Electric Car," which appeals to my pinko liberal philosophy. We actually had our money all lined up, the papers signed, and were awaiting our own EV1 when it suddenly got pulled. We were bummed out beyond belief to say the least as the car was simply fantastic when we test drove it.

We still haven't seen X-Men, so the window may have passed and we'll probably wait until DVD.

I always like your tongue in my cheek, Silkie!

Dream on, Pinko. Now Eddy is another story

Freddy and Dirt you forgot to mention the almost irresistable urge to injure the persons talking about what is going to happen or shouting at the screen so loud you miss important dialogue.

quote:

Originally posted by Heroic:
Freddy and Dirt you forgot to mention the almost irresistable urge to injure the persons talking about what is going to happen or shouting at the screen so loud you miss important dialogue.

True.. I NEVER EVER EVER go to a movie opening.. and always go on cheap tuesdays (I dunno if you get that down there) about 3 weeks AFTER the movie opened so few if any people are there..

I hate large groups of people.. walking through a mall during Xmas time is like being sent straight to hell.. and waiting in line makes me feel like im in USSR waiting for bread..