Spent the last few hours watching the two new 3D Blu-Ray releases that came out today. First up was Journey To The Center Of The Earth, which is a movie I consider more fun that most people likely do. It has little basis in reality, but it’s well made and quite a lot of adventure fun. Since I now have a nice, new HD front projection system, I was interested to see how well a Blu-Ray release of a 3D film would be on the projector (and 110″ horizontal screen which should give it enough size to help the 3D). So, I popped in the Journey BD, put on the cardboard 3D anaglyph glasses that came with it (4 pairs are included), turned down all the lights and sat in the prime viewing spot. Having seen the film a couple times in RealD digital projection theatrically this summer, I was prepared for this anaglyph presentation to pail in comparison. The RealD technology used theatrically is really quite impressive. But as I watched it, I was moderately impressed with the BD presentation. That is to say that the 3D aspects of it come through pretty well. Of course, it suffers quite a bit from the color problems that go hand in hand with anaglyph 3D presentation (which use two alternating color lenses to filter each eye - in other words, the same stuff they’ve been using since the 50’s). The 3D in this form works with varying degrees of success, but I kinda liked it. At the very least, it’s good that they include both the 2D and 3D versions on the disc. 3D may not be the format I’ll watch it in most of the time, but it’s kinda cool to watch it in 3D for the gimmick. So after the moderately successful experience of watching the Journey BD, I then moved on to The Polar Express 3D BD that was also released today. Rather than opening another pack of glasses, I put on the ones I was using for Journey. As soon as the movie started, I was shocked to find that it was in no way right. I took off the glasses and looked at the ones included with the Polar Express disc, and they were quite different. Not only did the colors look reversed, but they were actually different colors. So, I unpacked the Polar Express glasses and put on a pair. I watched through some of my favorite sequences in Polar Express (a great movie), but was FAR less impressed with the 3D experience. After a brief amount of research, it turns out that the Polar Express glasses are more traditional red/blue anaglyph glasses, and they resulted in the terrible quality 3D viewing experience I was expecting before watching the 2 discs today. Seems that they used a different set of colors for the glasses included with Journey, and I was rather startled at the difference it makes. For one thing, the magenta color isn’t nearly as opaque as the red used in the older style, which seems to make a world of difference in the 3D ghosting issues I’d been used to with this sort of thing. With both lenses able to be a lighter color shade (green on the other side, I believe - and they are reversed from the older ones where red was over the left eye), the 3D doesn’t seem to do that 3D ghosting much at all. Granted, it still has the color troubles with bright colors in the background or foreground taking on horrible shades of the lenses. However, objects in the middle of field have a pretty good color fidelity, and remarkably good skin tones. Of course, it makes me sad that Polar Express wasn’t done with the same combination as Journey, because the Polar Express disc is darn near unwatchable in it’s 3D form. At least I don’t think I’d wanna suffer through the presentation quality for the entire run of the film. I did, on the other hand, watch the entirety of Journey. With that one, you get pretty used to the coloration issues (though it is jarring in some scenes still). I know they are hard at work in coming up with home 3D display technology, but it’s still pretty expensive and a ways off. Even with the improved technique used with Journey, I don’t see this becoming much of a standard thing in the home video market. I guess the theaters have found their niche for the next few years. One thing is for darned sure, I can’t wait to see James Cameron’s upcoming Avatar. Cameron is looking to do his usual thing of pushing the movie industry another 10 years into the future with one of his films, and Avatar will be the big 3D push of the decade. And hey, the film score geek in me can’t wait for a huge budget, sci-fi film directed by Cameron with James Horner as the composer.

• OK, the Ponderings postings are gonna have to be split up for the rest of the week. After the long down time, things have built up to the point where I don’t wanna overwhelm you with too much at once. So, let’s see if I can sufficiently whelm you. And I’m hoping to catch up on a number of movie reviews throughout the rest of the week.
• RIP: Isaac Hayes & Bernie Mac
• Check out this fantastic Willy Wonka recut trailer perfectly titled “Wonka” - it’s so awesome, I wish I had thought to do it first.
• Happy 100th birthday to animated film
• I can’t wait to see James Cameron’s new, technology-pushing, state-of-the-art, 3D extravaganza Avatar. Here’s an interesting article on it.
• Speaking of 3D, The Polar Express is coming to Blu-Ray in 3D! Now I’d like to see Monster House and Beowulf get 3D releases on BD.
• Holy cow! 9/11 really was a conspiracy…
• Now this is one very impressive obituary
• The crazy Burj Dubai skyscraper is nearly finished. This thing is insane. Check out these photos.
• Here’s some very cool lightning photos from the massive lightning storm that rolled through here in the Chicago area a couple weeks ago.
• Speaking of lightning, you’ve gotta check out this awesome slo-mo footage of a lightning strike
• Still speaking of lightning, here’s one crazy video of a CLOSE strike (warning: strong language)
• And if you think that lightning strike was close, how bout being on a bus as it’s hit by a tornado (or grazed pretty darn close, at the very least)
• Google Insights is a pretty cool new service
• Now here’s some awesome chess set design
• Too cool - Yoda The Cat
• Warp Drive: yet another Star Trek technology that scientists are determined to actually make possible
• In the market for a new car?
• Here’s a vantage point that I bet you’ve never seen a shuttle launch from before
• Slightly older news that somehow got past me, which I had to learn about in print form in Doctor Who Magazine. Anwyay, something I’ve been wanting since Doctor Who returned to the airwaves is to have Nicholas Courtney return as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. I’m finally getting my wish. Well, almost - he’s appearing on spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures. Frankly, that’s almost a better show for him to appear on, as he has a direct history with actress Elizabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane.
• Speaking of Doctor Who, congratulations are due for the brilliant Steven Moffat for winning his third consecutive Hugo Award for Doctor Who. This time for the episode titled Blink, which is possbily my all-time favorite episode of the series (new or old). I’ve watched it dozens and dozens of times.
• Composer Bear McCreary hasn’t done as much posting to his blog over the summer, what with Battlestar between episode runs and him being busy on multiple other shows. However, he just popped in with this amusing bit of trivia that was brought to his attention. As always, the stuff he posts is fascinating in its detail. Not only does he point out and provide clips of the two versions of the sequence, but he even provides the clip with the rejected original cue. This is what us film score nut-jobs geek out on (and BSG fans). Yeah, I’m a dork. A dork who’s anxiously awaiting the new CD release of Bear’s score for Eureka, which I’ve ordered, and will be winging its way to my door very soon.

• I’m writing this as I sit here listening to the new 3 CD set of the Blade Runner soundtrack. I scrounged up an early copy online to check out. Don’t worry, I’ll be buying the set when it comes out next Tuesday. The Blade Runner/Vangelis/film score nerd in me just couldn’t resist hunting it down early to check out. It’s a great set, btw. The first CD is a repackaging of the existing soundtrack CD from the early 90’s. The second CD is a bunch of unreleased material from the original score. It’s a very cool disc for us fans. It has a style and flow of its own, surprisingly well rounded away from both the film and the first CD material. It’s mostly the lower key, moody material. A cool CD to play in a dark room during the late hours while you’re typing away at the keyboard. Disc 3 is odd but cool. It’s assembled kinda like the first disc, as primarily music with some dialog thrown in as atmosphere. This material, however, is newly created and not from the film itself. Much of it is a reworking of material from the film, both musically and in terms of dialog (moody and atmospheric). Yet it’s also kind of an album in and of itself. It’s easily as cool to us Vangelis fanatics like myself as it is to us Blade Runner fanatics (guilty as well). It could do with less saxophone, though (but that’s just me and my dislike for that instrument). It’s like having the Vangelis of old back again.
• As you’ve likely noticed, more movie reviews are starting to finally appear. I aim to have all remaining reviews posted by the end of this weekend.
• NYC cops are taking entrapment to the next level. Good grief.
• A nice collection of photos from the recent Mutant Enemy Day on the picket lines for the WGA. If you’re looking for more video and photos of the day, there’s tons and tons of it online. Just do some searching.
• Johnny Depp as Pee-Wee? Hmmm. That’ll surely be interesting.
• Journeyman has apparently bitten the proverbial dust
• Avatar has been pushed from summer of 2009 to winter of 2009. Hmmm, a James Cameron movie getting bumped from summer to winter? How unusual.
• The overzealous RIAA continues their shenanigans
• OK, I’m off to the midnight preview screening for I Am Legend. I might get my review posted when I get back. If not, I promise to get it posted tomorrow.

• Yeah, about a week and a half after my most recent posting, activity finally returns. I continued to suffer Comcast connectivity issues (which as of yesterday seem to finally be fixed), among other reasons for my lack of postings. I have also continued to fall farther behind on movie reviews. I swear I’ll get a bunch of those kicked out this week…
• Hurrah! Pushing Daisies has received the order for a full season. Have I mentioned how much I love this show?
• Check out this hilarious video from the always-great The Onion. Classic stuff.
• Those of you with a Facebook account should join in the Colbert fun (it’s a slightly older article, which I only post now cause I haven’t posted in a while - the member count has already gone well past a million)
  
• GMail has finally added IMAP functionality.
• So, Daniel Craig is to play James Bond for at least 5 movies. Great news, as far as I’m concerned. I think he’s fantastic in the role.
• Sony releases yet another cool ad for their Bravia TV’s.
• So, not only are the Battlestar season 3 DVD’s delayed until a rumored April 2008 release, but so is the fourth season of the show. Set to debut in April, it will also feature the directorial debut of Ron Moore (hurray!).
• Speaking of Battlestar, Galactica.TV has a nice interview with VFX master Gary Hutzel about the original series styled Cylons in the upcoming Razor special. It’s spoilery, so be warned.
• Speaking even more of Battlestar, I’ll be at the 9:00 (or 10:00 if I’m to believe the confirmation e-mail) showing of Razor at the Cinemark theaters in Evanston, IL. All you fellow Battlestar fans should join in on the fun. Hey, it’s even free.
• Oh, and don’t forget that Blade Runner: The Final Cut hits The Music Box Theatre (in Chicago) on Friday.
• To borrow a couple comments from others about this video. “Ow, my sanity!” and “Monty Python would be proud.”
• Here’s a small collection of impressive California fire photos
• Could Apple really be pulling in $18 per iPhone per month? Is there any wonder there’s so much bad blood between everyone involved when numbers like that are on the line?
• This just in from the “good grief department” - Lynne Spears (Britney’s mom) is set to have a book on parenting published.
• Bionic Woman gets yet another show runner in play. This time it’s Jason Cahill, who I know nothing about other than the fact that the article points out he previously worked on The Sopranos - which is reason enough for me to think it’s a bad move.
• And a slightly older piece of news. James Cameron’s new 3D sci-fi film has set up shop shooting in New Zealand. Can’t wait to see it. I’m sure he’ll push the VFX word forward yet another 10 years in production technology.

• Oooh, Nana Visitor is going to be guest starring in the sixth episode of Battlestar’s upcoming fourth and final season. Great to see a DS9 alumni appearing. Like the writer of the linked story says, DS9 is also my favorite of the Trek shows. Visitor will be a welcome guest star.
• I watched the second episode of Sci-Fi Channel’s Flash Gordon out of morbid curiosity. I’m impressed. Impressed that it could actually be worse than the horrible pilot. Bonnie Hammer needs to employ some programming execs at that network who aren’t smoking crack.
• Looks like GMail is FINALLY getting some work done. A new version 2.0 of the e-mail service is on the horizon. The article mentions my #1 desire, SORTING. I mean, come on, how could it possibly take this long to be able to sort columns in the thing? Anyway, any enhancement will come as a welcome overhaul. I look forward to checking out the new relaunch.
• Speaking of Google, there are hints that some social networking aspects are pending for Google Earth. Should be interesting.
• Too funny: The world’s laziest mother
• A funny list of the 10 most traumatizing kids movies. (language warning)
• Giovanni Ribisi has joined the cast of James Cameron’s Avatar. Can’t wait for that movie to open…
• If you use multiple computers, particularly at different locations, Windows Live FolderShare is a nice little toy.
• So EchoStar (Dish Network, etc) is buying Sling. Interesting. Doesn’t matter to me either way, but interesting.
• A funny comparison of Simpsons parody scenes with their source material. Speaking of The Simpsons, check out the first episode opening of this new season, which has some funny references to their great feature film from this summer.