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[needforswede]

'"Monsters vs. Aliens" is possibly the most commercial title of the year. How can you resist such a premise, especially if it's in 3-D animation? Very readily, in my case. I will say this first and get it out of the way: 3-D is a distraction and an annoyance. Younger moviegoers may think they like it because they've been told to, and picture

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[needforswede]

I'm not sure if Ebert was referring to the 3d modeling used in movies, or the 3D in theatres as in 3d glasses...a lot of animated movies now are playing in 3d in certain theatres, including Monsters vs Aliens. I think he may have been talking about both types of 3d though.

I've just been tired of all the Disney/Pixar 3d movies for a long long time now...they all look exactly the same to me, I think 3d animation just makes everything feel so watered down. It seems like I should be tired though, considering my age...yet most of the people I hear praising these movies are at least my age if not older.

But I think the most underused feature of film is also the most visible and readily available one. Since it's a visual medium, you think directors would utilize the visual aspect over the verbal. I think 90% of movies nowadays are way too wordy. You don't have to fucking spell everything out, there are visuals right in front of us. That's what I liked about No Country For Old Men. Benny didn't like it, I loved it. It doesn't have dialogue where it doesn't need it, and it doesn't follow the conventional thriller formula. And I think Benny was expecting a conventional thriller. He was looking at the movie in terms of a story, where I see it as just a thorough case study of "incomprehensible evil." People just go to the movies to be talked at it seems. I may have a short attention span, but I feel like it's way longer than average when it comes to entertainment. People are too used to comedies and horror movies where characters talk way too fucking much, vocalizing the events that are already happening in front of our eyes. If people want an interesting story, they can just stay home and read a book for that.

Also, directors cut from shots way too often these days. Spike Lee says we have music videos to thank for that. I agree with him, a good way to make scenes more dramatic or poignant is to use long, delayed shots, few cutaways. I think Denzel Washington said something about that too.

I'm just rambling now, I need to sleep