1) The Earl holds the U.S. Air Guitar Regional Championships.
2) The Robert C. Williams Paper Museum hosts an opening reception for El Papel del Chileno.
3) Patti Callahan Henry discusses her book, Driftwood Summer, at Decatur Library.
4) Pixar’s Up continues in area theaters.
5) Black Tusk plays Lenny’s Bar.
Looking over the films scheduled for 2009 release, the thing that most strikes me (apart from worries that a studio lawsuit could delay the March 6 release of Watchmen) is the omnipresence of 3-D. A theatrical gimmick that has proliferated over the past few years, 3-D exhibition and the funny glasses look to be inescapable in the upcoming year. More theaters will have the capacity to show films in digital 3-D thanks to the increased conversion to digital projection, and Hollywood clearly believe the gimmick to be worth the investment.
3-D can turn a lousy movie into a fun experience: I vividly remember having a blast seeing Friday the 13th Part III when I was in high school. The New York Times suggests that 3-D could revitalize the horror genre. This summer’s bloody thrillers include Piranha 3-D and a sequel with possibly the best title in movie history — Final Destination: Death Trip 3-D. The trailer for next week’s My Bloody Valentine 3-D (a remake of the 1981 slasher flick) makes its “date movie” value its major selling point:
Putting aside the schlock, at least three of the most potentially stunning films of 2009, including the latest from Pixar and the director of the highest-grossing film in history, will employ 3-D effects.
