Ahira's Hangar

Just got back from Clone Wars with Mr. Sunshine. We are in complete agreement that we likes it better than Episodes One and Two, but not as much as Episode Three (yes, I realize that given how bad Attack of the Clones was, this could be considered faint praise. ) Thankfully, it was Jar Jar free - and almost Padme free as well (her scenes come at nearly the end of the movie and feel very tacked on - and true to form, she is too stupid to live in them). There was plenty of favorite old characters such as Yoda and R2D2, along with one new character whom I really liked. The main plotline follows Jedi attempts to rescue the kidnapped son of Jabba of Hutt. Hutt reproduction habits are, thankfully, not a subject ever broached in the film.

I should add that is was not amazing or jaw droppingly good or anything. But I would actually be willing to watch it again on DVD someday, which is a lot more than I would say for Attack of the Clones.

I was afraid it would be Attack of the Clones bad, or even worse. I was relieved when it turned out to actually be watchable.

I saw CloneWarsas free preview showing the week before it opened, and I liked it as much as anything from the Star Wars franchise and more than lots of the things. I'll be back with more.

The main plotline doesn't exactly thrill me - why should I care about the son of Jabba the Hutt? But I'm glad to hear there's no Jar-Jar. I might still go see it.

And I'm going to be one of the few who will say 'I liked Tano Ashok"!

OK, I was Iron Man last night and was very pleasantly surprised. Very character driven. Chessy, one dimensional stereotypes of central and south asians are troubling. Some glaring continuity flubs are just plain stupid in this day and age. Consider Tony's tie and jacket between . Next consider after Tony

We went to see Mummy 3 tonight at the dollar show and it was a hoot! Lot of fun - action, adventure, a bit of romance, and some kicking of mummy ass. Lots of cheesy good fun.

I think it was Moonwatcher who asked about the dollar shows? They are in what used to be a first run theater at the big mall in Ann Arbor (Briarwood Mall). The first run movies there got put out of business when they opened up two big cinema 1-20 things with stadium seating, cup holders, huge screens, and state of the art digital sound (one to the southeast of Ann Abor just a few miles up the road from my house, which even has an IMAX; one to the due west of Ann Arbor between Ann Arbor and Dexter).

Anyway, someone leased part of the space of the first run theater (it went from seven screens to four) and started showing second run films there. During the day and on most weeknights they charge 99 cents - 50 cents on Tuesdays. On Friday and Saturday nights they charge $1.75.

So while it is not the total immersion experience up the road at the Showcase, it is still a decent place to see a movie. There is not as much slope, the seats are smaller and do not (literally) rock or have cup holders, the screen is not as large but still plenty big, and the sound is not top of the line tech but not too bad.

They were showing first run movies there as recently as ten years ago I think. When I first came to Ann Arbor in 1982 it was the place to see first run films.

While not state of the art anymore, it is well worth $1.75.

Glad you liked the movie, duchess!

The last of the old-style grand movie theatres here closed in the mid-80's. I think The Living Daylights was the last movie it played.

There was one theatre that, while it was a four-screen cineplex, it had been around for years so I had a lot of fondness attached to it. It had two large screens and two smaller ones. I had seen the original Star Wars films there as a kid. Anyway, the theatre held on as a first-run moviehouse until about 2002. Fellowship of the Ring was the last movie I saw there, so at least I ended my time there on a high note. The theatre is still there, but nowadays it's rented out for various functions.

Hey, that was the last Bond movie I saw in the cinema.

--A

The KIngdom, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper. Saw it the other night through my cable's On Demand. Not an exceptionnal movie. But good; however, I think the filmmaker's choice of closing scene was especially gutsy and maybe a little courageous. (FYI, it makes me understand why some critics might have really panned this movie.)

The unhearalded Elizabethtown with Orlando Bloom, Kristen Dunst & Susan Saradon wonderful, very moving film about a millionaire hotshot who loses everything and is about to kill himself when his father suddenly dies-the way he copes will amaze you and Saradon is hilarious in her small role. This is a magical film and has already helped me face the impending loss of my Dad-I will buy this film.

Saw Watchmen today. I give it at least a 7 out of 10.

Overall I was pleased with it. There were minor deviations from the graphic novel, plus a major one involving the climax of the story. I'm a long-time fan of the book, but I wasn't particularly upset about that big change, though I'm sure there must be a lot of grumbling from other Watchmen fans. (Don't worry, there's still time for me to grow upset. )

Me, I went into the movie with the attitude of being just happy that there was a Watchmen movie at all. It had already faithfully captured the look of the characters, so anything beyond that was a bonus in my mind. I was indeed surprised and impressed by how much of the book made it to the screen intact, scene-for-scene, word-for-word. Also, the movie's look was flat-out stunning, which was to be expected from Zack Snyder, the guy who made 300.

People who've never read Watchmen could just see the movie as a well-made "comic book" action flick. If it inspires people to read the graphic novel, that's even better. Because while I applaud the movie for being as faithful to the source as it is, it still only hints at the depth and sophistication of the original work.

Watched Prince Caspian last night-very true to the book, like LW&W, Sir Richacheep rules!!! Well done, well done, can't wait for the next installment.