EatingPie

SharpShooter Support?

This is a must-have for any shooter now. It's even better thank kbd/mouse. Please please, I would love to see it in this game... and all upcoming shooters!

-Pie

What, no Clockwork Orange? Probably the single greatest religious movie ever made! And yes, I'm dead serious. I also have to second Donny Darko. I found it a pretty obvious Christ story... well, obvious for such an unusual storyline!

On thing that's a bummer about this list is that almost every citation is about Christians who are, for all intents and purposes, total fools. Hollywood has a hard time making movies *directly* about Christianity without making it look stupid. That's why Donny Darko or Clockwork are so important. Hollywood is very good about making Christian *themed* movies, and I like this much better since the heart and soul of any really good movie is its theme.

I hate being banged on the head with obvious themes and characterizations, and stupid Christian characters do just this, and lead to crappy movies. But good movies that have a Christian undercurrent (ala Donny Darko/Clockwork) leave the big stick on the floor and present you with questions rather than spoon feeding you answers. That's art at it's best!

-Pie

PS Yes I know Clockwork wasn't technically "Hollywood" made (Kubrick was in England), but it was still Hollywood financed and marketed.

Plus, given the distinct lack of good action movies this summer, when one FINALLY comes along, you can bet people are going to see that.

Add to that, the movie plain and simple didn't look very good.

And the "Kapow" crap was last used in the campfest known as "Batman" the TV series. I would personally be embarrassed to see a movie with more of that (embarrassed for the director and cast).

I think it's also a "fan" movie. How often does Cinematical ask the question "where did this movie go wrong?" Not very. The fact that it's being asked here illustrates that *Cinematical* expected the movie to do well, but the general public didn't care.

-Pie

While I prefer the theatrical cuts, and think Greedo shooting first is totally bogus, I am also interested in truth.

Lucas has ALWAYS stated that the theatrical versions were not his full vision for the films. The re-releases were an attempt to get closer, AND an excuse to do a much-needed restoration, AND to make money.

Yes, he knew he would make money. And he did. But to say that was his *sole* reason for the re-release is ignoring the truth and rewriting history.

-Pie

Wow, way to turn good news into something terrible. "A collective groan"? Seriously?

Any fan worth their salt knows that Lucas has disowned the theatrical versions, and does not plan to release those again (I love how the quote about "significant restoration" would be required at this point). Yes, he released DVDs, but they were non-anamorphic. Basically equivalent to widescreen Laserdisc, and about 2 years after the SE DVDs, which had the high quality surround and restored film. The originals were pretty-much reviled by DVD afficionados (unless you had a 4:3 TV).

In reality, this is GREAT NEWS. A collective "YAY"! And I'm one who prefers the theatricals at large. Yes, those would have been nice to have, but this is STILL a COLLECTIVE YAY!

Sheesh.

-Pie

The biggest shocker is that somebody knows who actually owns the rights to the Terminator franchise!

I'm actually not for an animated series. Star Wars: The Clone Wars is doing more damage to the the show, even introducing a contradiction in the very first episode (the movie).

And let's face it, Terminator just plain isn't for children, while Star Wars is.

-Pie

@wryker

Incorrect.

That viewing distance chart is about as arbitrary as arbitrary gets. (What does "appear to become equivalent" even mean? If you actually research it, there are huge raging debates about viewing distance. And two major factors are Field of View and Visibility of Lines (now pixels). The chart doesn't even distinguish! This doesn't even take into account other factors such as source material, display color/grey scale, etc. And, for me, the whole thing falls apart when it says that 480i is the same as 1080p at 15' for a 50'' TV. Apparently the chart was made by people who don't even own an HDTV.

I personally can tell the difference between 720p and 1080i (yes, "i"), let alone 1080p. And given that the stated viewing distance in question is actually quite close, if you went purely on resolution, 1080p will prove a definite *visible* advantage over 720p.

That chart really is a joke.

-Pie

Here's WHY 1080p.

- I can easily tell the difference between 720p and 1080p, though I have a relatively high end rig.
- Resolution and proximity are key elements. You're going to be close. Very close at times. A 50'' 1080p will help keep the pixels invisible.
- Standards - Let's face it, 720p is going away. It's really almost gone. The standard for HD is 1080p.
- REGRET! - If you're concerned about regret, then 1080p is imperative. That's where we are headed, and we've almost reached it.
- MORE REGRET. Star Wars will probably be out in 2011 on Blu-ray. Add in some other high profile releases this year (Alien(s(es(es))), BTTF, Disney stuff, Pixar stuff, etc.) I have THREE HD versions of Star Wars, and there is a visible difference in each, even though they are all 1080i/p. The best is *really good*, but I expect the BDs to be better!

Why 720p.

- Cost - 720p is cheaper. You know that. But it should be A LOT cheaper these days.
- Color? - It's *possible* that you will get better color rendition from a lower resolution panel (the logic being that the development cost went to color/grey scale over resolution). NOT A GUARANTEE!
- Games. Most games are 720p. That's just a fact, be you XBox or PS3. Several games actually have a lower native (texture) resolution than 720p (Halo 3 being the most famous).

The biggest question.

- FUTURE. How long are you keeping the TV? If it's just a couple of years, I'd say get the highest quality, lowest priced TV you can find, be it 720p or 1080p. That's because in two years, technology will much better, and 3D will either be a sure bet or a no-go... and you'll be set for an upgrade. If you are looking at 3 years and up, get 1080p. Due to your living environment, proximity of the TV, and standardization on 1080p, you will certainly regret a 720p TV after a few years.

-Pie

@dswatson83

It's simple to answer your question: iPhone 4.

The display on the iPhone 4 is a crazy 200 to 300 dpi. And you can see the difference, though it is more subtle than blatant. I compared my 3GS to the 4, and I could very much tell the 4 had a better screen.

So, in short, the answer is "yes" you can see the difference. If you throw the image onto a 100'' screen with 7.2 THX surround, yeah that's a better experience! But that doesn't eliminate the legitimacy of increased resolution on a portable platform.

-Pie

I found this article cruel and demeaning. So Courtney made some silly, doting comments about her child? Conclusion: welcome to parenthood, where people dote on their kids, a lot.

Sure, it's a little on the sappy side (see above, apply to all parents, for all eternity), but why bag on Francis? She didn't do the interview, and certainly she does NOT deserve the "COURTNEY LOVE'S KID: DO NOT HIRE EVEN IF SHE'S MERYL STREEP PART 2."

If we want children to escape the trials, pain, addictions, problems, etc., of their parents, this kind of thing sure as hell doesn't help. Sheesh.

-Pie