Random Factoid #285

9 05 2010

“Iron Man 2” missed the opening weekend record that “The Dark Knight” set by $25 million.  Phew.  Batman will “live to fight another day,” as Harvey Dent says.

But AMC MovieWatcher Network’s blog Script to Screen pointed something out about the summer opener that I really wished I knew on Friday: there was an extra scene after the credits!  And I even told the friend I went to that I suspected there might be a supplemental scene.  He hurried me out, telling me his friends had seen it at midnight and said there wasn’t anything.  But there was!

I’m the kind of person that gets up as soon as the credits roll unless there is some sort of scene going.  Unless I had heard that there would be an extra scene at the end of the credits, I would never stay through the credits.  It’s just too much time to spend if you don’t know.  And credits are getting pretty long nowadays – “The Lovely Bones” and its 15 minute credits, anyone?

Anyone out there willing to stick it out without certainty?  I applaud you if you do.


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Random Factoid #284

8 05 2010

Entertainment Weekly’s blog PopWatch asked an interesting question regarding trailers this week: how many is too many? Apparently, studios are paying to play more before the bigger movies.  I can tell you that six of them played before “Iron Man 2” last night.

I don’t mind a few trailers before a movie.  They give me an opportunity to go to the bathroom before the movie starts.  They give me a nice grace period to be tardy to the movie, although I don’t like to be.

But sometimes, they do go a little overboard.  Like the author of the EW post, I think four is a healthy number.  It still grants that grace period and gives you a glimpse at what’s coming up but doesn’t encroach too far past the scheduled start time.


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Random Factoid #283

7 05 2010

PopEater brought up an interesting point: the marketing campaign for “Iron Man 2” has been almost ubiquitous.  Really, Paramount has spent a whopping $100 million marketing a movie that every American is going to see anyways.  (And for the record, my prediction is that it will NOT beat the opening weekend record held by “The Dark Knight.”)

Nonetheless, it looks really cool to put that metallic mask on a Dr. Pepper can.  And who can resist a Whiplash Whopper?  (The answer: anyone who wants to spare a thousand calories from their daily diet.)

But it’s not designed to target the teenage blogger who rejects being bought out by Hollywood executives looking for a quick buck (see: my stance on 3D conversion).  It’s designed for the not-so-consumer-savvy among us.

Mainly, children.  I know this because I was particularly vulnerable as a child to movie promotion pushes.  Whenever a new Disney movie came out, I would go to McDonald’s several times that month just to get the Happy Meal toys.

I also bought plenty of toys and stuffed animals.  I was part of a target demographic they hit the bullseye with me.


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Random Factoid #282

6 05 2010

Don’t know what inspired this factoid, but I’m going with it.

Remember back in Random Factoid #267 when I talked about movies that I couldn’t finish?  Or Random Factoid #266 when I talked about movies I slept through?  I said I could only remember one for each.  Now, however, I think I have found another that falls into both categories.

This is going to shock you.  This is a movie that some people really like.  It was “Once,” the Sundance hit.  I love the music, and I’m really glad it won Best Song.  But the movie itself just could not grab a fraction of my interest.

I’m willing to give it another try, though.  I want to see why it is that people like it.


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Random Factoid #281

5 05 2010

Following a series of linked posts the other day, I wound up at this interesting USA Today article: “What happens to those 3D glasses after Avatar?”

Here’s an excerpt, featuring some pretty astounding statistics:

Laid end-to-end, the 3-D glasses worn by avid Avatar-goers since the blockbuster movie opened 46 days ago would reach from Los Angeles to Angmagssalik, Greenland — about 3,987 miles.

That’s a whole lot of plastic. With about 75% of people who see Avatar seeing it in 3-D, it works out to about 42.1 million pairs of glasses worn, or 935,834 a day.

Four companies provide 3-D systems for showing the wildly popular sci-fi epic in the USA: Dolby Laboratories, IMAX, Real-D and XpanD.

Each has a recycling program in place, for hygiene and to keep what would otherwise be a mountain of plastic out of landfill.

Real-D has the lion’s share of 3-D projection systems in the USA, accounting for at least 700,000 3-D glasses used a day. It distributes cardboard containers so movie-goers can recycle their glasses. According to Real-D’s Rick Heineman, the glasses are shipped to a cleaning facility near Los Angeles, where they’re sanitized, checked for defects, repackaged and shipped out.

Real-D provides the glasses for most of (if not all of) the 3D movies I see.  I must say, their cleaning facility is slacking.  When I went to see “How to Train Your Dragon,” there was a humongous scratch on my lens!  If you know me or have read any factoids, then you can probably guess this did not make me happy.  Eventually, I was able to get past the scratch and enjoy the movie.  But if that scratch had been on the lens during “Clash of the Titans,” I might not have been so kind.

I have a good pair of 3D glasses hanging from the karaoke machine in my room.  Maybe I ought to keep them in my car and take them to all 3D movies I see.  Can’t trust Real-D anymore.


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Random Factoid #280

4 05 2010

I like to give my mind a challenge (why else would I take AP US History and study like crazy), and I love doing riddles and puzzles to bend it.  Sudoku, KenKen, word games – you name it, I love it.

But some of that stuff is HARD.  Ever tried one of those intense difficulty Sudoku puzzles?  You can spend an hour on them and think you are finished, then realize you made a mistake way back at the beginning.  I try my hand at the New York Times crossword puzzles occasionally thanks to my nifty iPhone app.  I can toil away and exhaust all my knowledge and not solve anything more than a Monday.

So sometimes I need something that can stimulate my brain yet also build up my self-esteem.

That’s when I turn to the trusty People crossword puzzles because they are fun to do and simple for anyone with a sizable pop culture knowledge.  I’ve gained such confidence in my abilities that I have begun to do them in pen, even once in a Sharpie.

I even buy there giant, $15 books filled with crossword puzzles at airports and Target.  They are both about half completed and sitting on my bookshelf.


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Random Factoid #279

3 05 2010

Lynn Redgrave died. Don’t know if you heard, but she was the sister of Vanessa Redgrave.  I bring up that news bite because it prompted today’s factoid.

To my knowledge, I have never cried at the death of a celebrity.  I might at the sudden death of someone whose movies have entertained me over my life, but that has yet to happen so far.

The death of Heath Ledger shocked me but didn’t make me cry.  To be fair, the only movie I had seen of his was “The Patriot” at the time.

The celebrity death that most saddened me would have to be Natasha Richardson, mainly because “The Parent Trap” was one of the biggest movies of my childhood.  She just seemed like such a nice person, and she passed so tragically.  (Ironically enough, Richardson’s aunt was Lynn Redgrave.)


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Random Factoid #278

2 05 2010

Gringo at “He Shot Cyrus” posed a question of the week – have you ever been to a drive-in movie theater?

The answer for me is no.  I really want to go to one, but there isn’t within hours of Houston.  I’ve tried to go when visiting family in Oklahoma City several times, and it just has never worked out.

It’s kind of sad to see how obsolete the drive-in has become.  I think it would be so much fun to have large city crowds head to them, but some things just can’t sustain the times.  Hopefully, the video store doesn’t become a novelty (as was often discussed on this site last month).


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Random Factoid #277

1 05 2010

It’s May, which means the beginning of the summer movie season (but it’s not like you could have known that from reading this blog)!

I love going to see that big kick-off movie – this year, it is “Iron Man 2” – with everyone else in America who has been waiting for the season as well.  But upon analyzing my ticket collection, I noticed that I hadn’t been the opening weekend of the season since middle school.  That finals mindset, man …

But this year, I will be taking the AP United States History exam on May 7.  After an intense week of studying (which is going to cause me to go semi-incognito for the next seven days), I think “Iron Man 2” will be just what the doctor ordered.


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Random Factoid #276

30 04 2010

Following hot on the heels of yesterday’s factoid announcing my deliberate ignorance of the “Inception” pre-release frenzy, today’s factoid provides some enlightenment as to why that may be.

I hate having movies spoiled, largely because they take away a level of suspense and intrigue from watching it for the first time.

It’s one of the reasons why I have stopped reading so many books that are adapted into movies; while I’m sure they are better, I can usually only muster up the time for a theatrical experience.

I’ve had plenty of movies ruined, too many to even tell here.  The most notable in recent memory is “The Notebook.”  Thanks to a society that assumes everyone has seen it, people freely talk about the story and the ending.  It’s frustrating to know that when I sit down to watch the movie for the first time (believe it or not, I’m one of those three people who hasn’t), I won’t be able to be as riveted by the ending as the millions of others before me.

Anyone else had this unpleasant feeling?  I sure hope you haven’t.  I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.


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Random Factoid #275

29 04 2010

I am attempting to do the impossible: avoid the media blitz surrounding Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” and walk into the theater on July 16th without knowing anything about the plot.  I am not going to read plot summaries, watch trailers, or read any sort of specific review.

I am prepared to do whatever it takes not to have this movie spoiled.  I will start bringing either headphones or earplugs to tentpole summer movies where previews will most assuredly play.  If I see any feature on the movie, I will shield my eyes and go away.

And if any of you ruin anything about the movie by commenting on the site, I will be quite upset.  Please respect my wishes and don’t mention anything specific about “Inception.”


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Random Factoid #274

28 04 2010

There are few better feelings than sitting in a movie and realizing that you have figured out the plot twist.  I’m not talking about walking into a romantic comedy and knowing that the marquee names are going to wind up together; I’m talking about having a revelation that you have discovered a surprising direction that the movie will take.

I have a few that I am very proud of.  I called the ending of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” within the first five minutes, which is probably the one I take the most pride in.

I called “Gran Torino” within 30 minutes as well as “Get Smart” within the first 20 minutes.  Other than that, I can’t remember anything else in the recent past.

Any twists that you are particularly proud of calling WITHOUT SHARING THE TWIST ITSELF?  Don’t go ruining “The Sixth Sense” for anyone.


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Random Factoid #273

27 04 2010

Scott at “He Shot Cyrus” wants to know when my parents started letting me watch R-rated movies.

Way back in Random Factoid #5, I let you all know the first time I saw PG-13 and R-rated movies, but those were mere exceptions.  Those were individual movies within the ratings, not a blank check to see any movie within the rating.

I can trace back when my parents stopped their discretion with R-rated movies to July 18, 2008, when I was 15.  I really wanted to see “Wanted” (pun fully intended), and my mom just caved in and let me go.  From then on, my parents just didn’t seem to care what I was seeing just as long as I paid for the ticket.


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Random Factoid #272

26 04 2010

I said way back in Random Factoid #10 that I have a … distinct laugh.  When I think something is funny, I don’t hesitate to laugh.  Sometimes, I get a little loud.  To a certain irritable person, they might also add the adjective obnoxious.

I don’t mind glares or being shushed, largely because I dish them out quite often.  But I do it whenever it is a direct violation of standard movie decorum – talking on the phone, loudly talking, and such things that any sane person would never do.

Yesterday, however, at “Date Night,” I received my first sign of outward aggression to my laughter.  The couple sitting directly in front of my friend and I seemed to be annoyed by our constant laughter, particularly my deep chuckles.  It was a funny movie, what was I supposed to do?  I would see them whispering after I let out a laugh with particularly high volume.

But suddenly, halfway through the movie, the couple got up and moved to the end of the row – as far away from me as comfortably possible.  Of course I knew it was because of me.  But with their empty seats, I got a footrest.

Winner: Marshall.


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Random Factoid #271

25 04 2010

Do you ever hear a song in a movie and from then on forever associate it with that movie?

Well, I do.  Last night at prom, I heard Flo-Rida’s “Right Round” for the first time in months.  While the song played, I could not stop thinking about “The Hangover.”  If you are one of the 10 people in the world that haven’t seen the movie, you wouldn’t know that the song played over the hilarious ending credits.  Anyone that has seen the movie does not need me to go into detail.

I knew the song before I saw “The Hangover;” really, anyone who listened to the radio knew it too.  But now, the song will forever me connected with the movie.


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