Toy Story 3

[estefan]

So, they're going to be harsher? Wonderful.

I personally feel "G" was the right rating for Toy Story 3. Despite the general darkness of the incinerator scene, it was still appropriate for all ages.

[EricJ]

Exactly: Despite "Some scary images", the ratings aren't about "scariness", they're about suitability--
A human facing peril, is, unfortunately, much less suitable for a G rating than a plastic toy facing peril, hence the irony of the scene...However, since no peril happened anyway, those parents are just going to have to live with it.

(But when the grownups start jumping on every issue as a personal cause...that's when you know it's the "button" movie this year.)

[Gligarman]

Actually, the 3-D on TS3 was barely noticable. Which seems to be the Pixar standard, for better or worse.

I know that some people like that about them, but if I'm paying the extra money, I want for the 3-D to actually be cool. What's the pont in having it if you're not going to notice it?

Couldn't agree more. I saw it on film and then in 3D. The only major difference I noticed was that in the 3D versions simply out of focus without the glasses. Nothing more, nothing less. The best way to watch a pixar movie in theaters is through non-3D digital projection. I wish the El Capitan theater would do this more often for Pixar films.

[Ben]

Lee Unkrich was actually on record as saying that he's not a 3D fan and didn't want to push that aspect too much. As such, TS3 uses the third dimension to stretch "backwards" into a scene as opposed to throwing things out. Quite a few times during the film I took off the specs, and the foreground characters were almost always "flat", with mostly the backgrounds being the things with the dimensionality on them.

I can't wait for the 3D fad to be over...why present a film in 3D if the filmmaker isn't even fully behind it?

[Whitney]

3-D will fade away, then it will come back, fade away, then come back, fade away, then come back. It comes back at least once every decade.

By the time it comes around next decade, we'll all have 3-D TVs and movie theaters may be obsolete. Scary thought.

[Ben]

It's actually usually every two decades (late 50s into the 60s, the late 70s into the 80s, now the 2000s).

This has been the longest run, due mainly to technological improvements and the overall quality of most of the content, but I don't think 3D will really take hold until the next cycle, around 2020, when it can be reproduced specs-free.

[estefan]

I personally think 3-D is here to stay. Especially when not only do you have filmmakers like Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, Tim Burton and even Werner Herzog being completely supportive of the technology, but when you have something like Jack-Ass 3D making $50 million at the box-office, I think executives are looking at those grosses and realising it's not just the series' fanbase that caused those numbers.

[GeorgeC]

I think it's still a fad.

The economy IS hurting Hollywood.

A few more 3-D bombs and the realization that the added $20 million cost for 3-D production isn't worth it will cause studios to yank the cord on 3-D again.

Jack-Ass cost next to nothing to make.

It's the films with $200 million budgets that will suffer. Frankly, that type of money doesn't need to be spent in most cases but you never know exactly where it's going because of the criminal accounting at studios.

Again, $20 million extra for technology that looks as fake as it has for 50+ years is not worth it...

[EricJ]

It's actually usually every two decades (late 50s into the 60s, the late 70s into the 80s, now the 2000s).
This has been the longest run, due mainly to technological improvements and the overall quality of most of the content, but I don't think 3D will really take hold until the next cycle, around 2020, when it can be reproduced specs-free.

The 60's and 70's were just for fringe/cult value (Andy Warhol, The Stewardesses)--
The "real" 80's craze didn't officially begin until one of those cheap fringe/cult Italian producers gave us "Comin' At Ya", and an entire generation who'd been too young to see Warhol or porno got their very first look at stuff, well, comin' at ya. (I remember when I was a kid sitting in a first-night local audience who was likely seeing "Treasure of the Four Crowns" for their first 3D ever, and...it was an experience.

Of course, back then, theaters only had two or three screens and could keep their movie on them all week, so it was possible to start showing Polarized 3-D again...Which they couldn't do for most of the 90's, so we got "Spy Kids" and Elm Street in red/blue 3-D, and it never worked. The only place you could see "real" 3-D was in the big-city IMAX theaters, and there were barely half as many as we have today.

00's 3-D finally got its act together with digital projection that can be moved from one plex screen to another, non-color based glasses, and real directors working on the movies (Why did 83's Amityville and Jaws 3-D have to be so hideously cheap??? )
Now there's only one last frontier left to conquer--Nobody ever does "gimmicks" anymore, which keeps bringing up the whole "Pointless" argument: Apart from a few "carpet rolls" in Alice and Dawn Treader, nothing's comin' at us anymore--We get some nice backgrounds in Up and Avatar going back into infinity, but I almost miss Brendan Fraser throwing a glass of water at the audience in "Journey to the Center of the Earth".

but when you have something like Jack-Ass 3D making $50 million at the box-office, I think executives are looking at those grosses and realising it's not just the series' fanbase that caused those numbers.

However, the fact that the studio is still putting it in as October "cannon fodder" two weeks before the November starting pistol (so it can be quickly evacuated afterwards), they're starting to realize it's more of an "event"--
It gets people into theaters rather than wait for the Blu, but as Warner keeps finding out (and then runs crying to the headlines), it doesn't KEEP them there.

[Whitney]

I think there was a small resurgence in the 1990s. I remember seeing a lot of it on cereal boxes, comic books, and Nickelodeon had some NIck Toons in 3D for awhile. It was a marketing gimmick.

Most of the these movies are not worth the price to see them in 3D. Coraline was a great example. There is only one point where something actually comes at the audience: the giant sewing needle in the opening credits. The rest of the 3D is backgrounds with more depth.

[Daniel]

Hard to believe this is coming out tomorrow! I was going to pass and get it down the road, but Best Buy is making me reconsider. It's not the cheapest price and it doesn't come with a freebie, but they do have an exclusive plush set that if you buy it with the BD, you get at a discount price. ($12.99 with BD purchase, $17.99 without) Comes with Lotso, Dolly and Peas in a Pod. Hard to tell from the tiny pic, but they sure look cute! Dolly's forehead looks a little big, though. I already have plushies of all three, so I'm hoping they're different enough to warrant a double dipping. Would be neat if they're tiny, like 5" or under. Whether I like them or not, will be the deciding factor. Have to watch my money!

Hope my BB still has it when I go tomorrow. The ad states "Min. 4 per store" and I certainly hope that's not true! Something this cute won't last on the shelves, especially with Peas in a Pod. That character is ultra popular.

[Otis8]

Well I went to my Best Buy and they were all sold out of the plush pack. An employee told me there was a line for it when they opened up. Darn it! I really just wanted it for the peas. I might go for Targets deal instead.

[droosan]

FWIW .. the Burbank Best Buy had way more than four of the plush sets on the shelves, when the store opened this morning. I've no doubt those were gone well before noon, however.

I was just there seeking the 10-disc Toy Story: Ultimate Toy Box, myself (of which they only had 20 or so in-stock) .. gotta act fast to find that sorta stuff, here in Disney Town.

[Daniel]

When I went to my Best Buy in the afternoon, they only had four plush sets. They probably did have more earlier. You can check the availability status on the website and even see if another BB nearby has it in stock. You can buy it online, too!

Did I end up buying it? Heck yeah! They are so adorable! That micro pic did not do them justice. These are so much better then the Disney Store versions. Much more accurate. Very happy with my purchase!

[Otis8]

Says unavailable for my Best Buy. I'm thinking of ordering from the site but waiting to see if they get more. How big are they? I don't have the peas from Disney, (ALWAYS sold out when i go) but I do have Dolly. How is this one better? Also has anyone bought the Target exclusive? The Buzz toy? I can't find any reviews and I want to know if its worth it- if I can't get the plush pack.