3-D film in 2009: Mindless Slasher Pics, IMAX Surfing Documentaries and plenty of CGI animation

3-D Releases in 2009:
Mindless Slasher Pics, IMAX Surfing Documentaries and plenty of CGI animation




Amateur Pornstar Killer 3-D. What to expect, hmm

2009 is turning out to be a very good year for 3-D film, with 46 feature titles slated for release. So what kinds of movies are these 21^st Century 3-D flicks going to be? Has the medium grown up since the last 3-D boom of 1983 and shed its horror / slasher / exploitation tag?

Ahhh, no. At least, not entirely.

11 of the upcoming releases next year are documentaries and IMAX pieces, most of them featuring water, waves, surfers and fish. 10 of the 3-D titles of 2009 are (CGI) animation features about a wide variety of zany subjects and crazy characters. All good fun, then. But what is the mainstay of the Stereoscopic live-action releases? You guessed it: mindless slasher horror pics, 9 of them to be precise.

Perhaps the phoenix re-rise of 3-D coincides with the resurgence of slasher horror, which had a peak of its own in the early 1980’s, which would explain why most of the 3-D films coming up are 3-D horror exploitation titles. No intelligent drama, no rom-coms, but some family films (4), science-fiction (3 titles), action (3 of them, two featuring Hulk Hogan), skin flicks (2) and thriller (2), besides the tween-pleasing musical film (2). Or is this just a representation of the types of 2-D movies out there already? Are we that obsessed as a cinema going audience with people being cut into pieces? Cannibalism Holocaust got it right after all (now that would make for a great 3-D remake)…

The upcoming 3-D titles for 2009:
As taken from The 3-D Revolution 3-D Film List
With film comments by Gary Palmer


1.8 DAYS*

USA - 2009 - feature - col
D: Chuck Fallaw
Dual-HD Video
Digital 3-D release print
2.39:1

[Action-horror in which various criminals, all intent on killing each other for a number of reasons, are forced to band together when they find themselves under attack by something which the filmmakers don’t want us to know about just yet... Currently in production]


AMATEUR PORN STAR KILLER 3-D*

USA - 2009 - feature - col

[3-D parody of Shane Ryan’s Amateur Porn Star Killer trilogy (initiated in 2007), mock-documentaries which record the torture and killing of various starlets by a deranged killer, played by Ryan himself. Currently in development]


AROUND THE WORLD IN 50 YEARS*

USA/Belgium - 2009 - feature? - col
D: Ben Stassen
Dimensionalized 3-D
Dual-1570 and Digital 3-D release print
1.44:1 (1570)
1.85:1 (D-Cinema)

[Large Format item which follows the life of a sea turtle from 1959 to the present day, bearing witness to a series of environmental changes wrought by global warming]


AVATAR*

USA - 2009 - feature - col
D: James Cameron
Digital Widescreen
Fusion 3-D
Dual-HD Video
Digital 3-D release print
2.39:1

[Blockbuster science fiction adventure, set in the distant future, in which
humankind attempts to colonize an alien planet, only to face violent
opposition from some of the indigenous population]


BOOTY*

USA - 2009? - feature - col
D: Jim Byrkit
Dual-HD Video
Digital 3-D release print

[Family adventure film in which a group of sexy, sassy women are kidnapped by cutthroat pirates and turn the tables by stealing their captors’ ship, laden with stolen booty. Naturally, the pirates give chase... Currently in development]


CARNAVAL 3-D: THE MAGIC & THE MUSIC*

USA/Brazil - 2009 - feature - col
D: Brett Ratner
Dual-HD Video
Digital 3-D release print

[Documentary feature, co-produced by music maestro Quincy Jones, which explores the sights and sounds of Rio de Janeiro’s annual street party]


A CHRISTMAS CAROL*

USA - 2009 - feature - col
D: Robert Zemeckis
Disney Digital 3-D
Dimensionalized 3-D
Digital 3-D release print

[CGI animated version of the Dickens’ classic, complete with all-star voice cast. Currently in production]


CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS*

USA - 2009 - feature - col
D: Phil Lord, Chris Miller
Dimensionalized 3-D
Digital 3-D release print

[Animated fantasy, based on the bestselling children’s book by Judi Barrett. Whilst attempting to solve the problem of world hunger, a scientist accidentally unleashes a ‘food storm’ which rains all manner of foodstuffs down upon the earth’s populace. Havoc ensues]


DAWN OF THE DEAD*

(aka: Zombies)
USA - 1978/2009 - 126m - col
D: George A. Romero
In-Three Dimensionalization
Digital 3-D release print
1.85:1

[’Dimensionalized’ version of Romero's 2-D shocker (scheduled for 3-D release in 2009), in which a group of disparate characters barricade themselves inside a shopping mall where they’re besieged by hordes of flesh-eating zombies]


DIGGER*

USA - 2009 - feature - col
D: John A. Gallagher
Fusion 3-D
Dual-HD Video
Digital 3-D release print

[Horror-thriller. An emotionally crippled young woman (Heidi Kristoffer) living on an isolated campus during Spring Break finds herself at the mercy of a monstrous killer who lives in the surrounding woodlands]


THE DIVE*

USA - 2009 - feature - col
Fusion 3-D
Dual-HD Video
Digital 3-D release print

[Drama based
on the true story of free-divers Francisco Ferreras and Audrey Mestre,
whose competitive nature resulted in extraordinary feats of underwater
endurance]


FINAL DESTINATION 4*

USA - 2009 - feature - col
D: David R. Ellis
Fusion 3-D
Dual-HD Video
Digital 3-D release print

[Fourth in the supernatural horror franchise (begun in 2000 by the original Final Destination),
in which survivors of a terrible calamity (in this case, a racing car
which ploughs into a grandstand full of spectators!) are stalked and
killed by Death itself. Currently in production]


FLYING THE FRONTIERS*

Canada - 2009 - short - col
Dual-65mm?
Dual-1570 (IMAX) release print
Sonics-DDP
1.44:1

[Large Format documentary which places audiences in the cockpit of a
bush-plane as it flies over some of the most awe-inspiring landscapes
on earth. Currently in production]


THE GATE*

USA - 2009 - feature - col

[Remake of the 1987 horror film, in which a group of teenagers stumble across
the gateway to hell in their back yard (as you do), unleashing a
demonic onslaught. Rumoured to be going into production soon, utilizing
an as-yet-unknown 3-D format]


G-FORCE*

USA - 2009 - feature - col
D: Hoyt Yeatman
Dual-HD Video (live-action)?
Dimensionalized 3-D (animation)
Digital 3-D release print

[Family film, combining live-action and CGI animation, in which a group of
militaristic guinea pigs defend the Earth from a wicked tyrant!]


GINA D’S HAPPINESS-LAND ADVENTURE*

USA - 2009? - feature - col
Dimensionalized 3-D
Digital 3-D release print

[Musical fairy tale spoof, for children]


GODSPEED*

USA - 2009 - feature - col
D: Dustin Voigt
Dual-HD Video
Digital 3-D release print

[Action-drama, currently in production]


GODZILLA: 3-D TO THE MAX

(aka: Godzilla vs. Deathla)
(aka: Gojira 3-D)

Canada/Japan - 2009 - 40m - col
D: Yoshimitsu Banno, Keith Melton
IMAX 3-D
Dual-1570
Dual-1570 (IMAX) and Digital 3-D (D-Cinema) release prints
Sonics-DDP (IMAX version)
1.44:1

[Large Format monster movie, currently in development, though the
on-again/off-again production schedule (and constant changes in key
technical personnel) means the film may not be produced anytime soon,
if at all]


GRAND CANYON: THE HIDDEN SECRETS

USA - 1984/2009 - 36m - col
D: Kieth Merrill
IMAX Digital 3-D
Dimensionalized 3-D
Dual-1570 release print
Sonics-DDP
1.44:1

[’Dimensionalized’ version of a popular Large Format film (originally released in 2-D) which explores the history and geology of the Grand Canyon. Though made available to IMAX theaters worldwide, a copy of the film will be housed on a permanent basis at the Grand Canyon IMAX Theater at the National Geographic Visitors Center in Arizona, USA]


GREAT WHITE 3-D

Canada - 2009 - 40m - col
D: Bob Talbot
IMAX 3-D
Dual-1570
Dual-1570 and -870 release prints
Sonics-DDP
1.44:1 (1570)
1.35:1 (870)

[Large Format documentary which seeks to debunk the prevailing view of great white sharks (propagated by the likes of Jaws, book and film) as little more than man-eating predators]


ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS*

USA - 2009 - feature - col
Dimensionalized 3-D
Digital 3-D release print

[Animated sequel to the original Ice Age (2002), and the first of the series to be produced in 3-D. Currently in production]




JONAS BROTHERS IN 3-D*

USA - 2009 - feature - col
D: Bruce Hendricks
Fusion 3-D
Dual-HD Video
Digital 3-D release print

[Following their guest appearance in Hannah Montana / Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour (qv), this concert movie toplines the Jonas Brothers - a wholesome US pop-rock band, aimed specifically at teenagers - recorded during their 2008 ‘Burning Up’ tour. Currently in production]


KUNG FU U*

USA - 2009 - feature - col
Digital 3-D release print

[Children’s adventure, starring wrestler-turned-actor Hulk Hogan as an instructor
at Brentwood Academy who takes charge of a group of nerdy rich kids and
transforms them into butt-kicking martial artists. Currently in
development]


LITTLE HERCULES*

USA - 2009 - feature - col
D: Mohamed Khashoggi
Dual-HD Video (partly)
Dolby Digital
1.85:1

[Former wrestler Hulk Hogan toplines this children’s fantasy as Zeus, father of the young Hercules (Richard Sandrak) who opts to forego his god-like destiny and live as a mortal in modern-day LA. Various adventures follow, some of which are depicted in 3-D]


THE MAGIC TALE*

Spain - 2009 - 45m - col
D: Jordi Llompart
Dual-HD Video
Digital 3-D and dual-1570 release prints

[Family film, based on the director’s own novel ('El Corazón Sobre la Arena' - The Heart on the Sand), in which a lonely little girl (Eva Gerretsen) takes an imaginary trip to Africa where she experiences a wide range of magical adventures]


MASTER MIND*

USA - 2009 - feature - col
D: Cameron Hood, Kyle Jefferson
Dimensionalized 3-D
Digital 3-D release print

[Animated superhero satire in which a major villain is fired after accidentally
killing his arch-rival Uberman. Currently in production]


MONSTERS VS. ALIENS*

USA - 2009 - feature - col
D: Conrad Vernon, Rob Letterman
Ultimate 3-D
Dimensionalized 3-D
Digital 3-D (D-Cinema) and dual-1570 (IMAX) release prints

[Animated action-comedy, a spoof of 1950’s creature features. Currently in production]


THE MORTICIAN*

UK - 2009 - feature - col
D: Gareth Maxwell Roberts
Dual-HD Video
Digital 3-D release print

[Plot details are somewhat obscure, but Variety describes
this as a combination of ”urban noir, contemporary fairy tale and
psychological thriller... in which kindness triumphs over cruelty”.
Currently in development]




MY BLOODY VALENTINE*

USA - 2009 - feature - col
D: Patrick Lussier
Dual-HD Video
Digital 3-D release print
1.85:1

[Remake of the 1981 Canadian film, in which a group of teenagers fall foul of a mad killer whilst celebrating Valentine’s Day in an ‘abandoned’ mine shaft]


OCEANS 3-D: VOYAGE OF A TURTLE*

USA/France - 2009 - feature - col
D: Jean-Jacques Mantello
Dual-HD Video
Digital 3-D release print

[Semi-documentary feature, in which an inquisitive sea turtle embarks on a journey across the world’s oceans, seeking the origins of a mysterious sound which echoes across the earth]


OWN3D*

USA - 2009 - feature - col
D: James Hergott
Fusion 3-D
Dual-HD Video
Digital 3-D release print

[Martial arts drama, currently in development. The title should actually read as
'Owned', but has cleverly incorporated the '3-D' tag]


PIRANHA*

USA - 2009 - feature - col
D: Alexandre Aja
Digital 3-D release print

[Remake of the 1978 movie, in which shoals of prehistoric piranha fish are
released into Arizona's lakes following a minor earth tremor]


PIRANHAS*

USA - 2009 - feature - col
Fusion 3-D
Dual-HD Video
Digital 3-D release print

[The first in a proposed series of low-budget action epics, in which adventurer Aubrey Blaze leaps to the rescue of a caving party trapped in an isolated cavern overrun by deadly mutant piranhas]


RETURN TO EVEREST

USA/Canada - 2009 - 40m - col
D: Greg Macgillivray
IMAX 3-D
Dual-1570
Sonics-DDP
1.44:1

[3-D sequel to the 2-D Large Format film Everest (1998), which offers dimensional views of the eponymous mountain and the people who live within its shadow]


ROCK THE BOAT*

France - 2009 - feature - col
D: Fabien Suarez, Andre Bessy
Dimensionalized 3-D
Digital 3-D release print

[Animated feature, in which a porcupine and a cheetah disguise themselves as a
brand new species - a ‘porceetah’! - after being refused entry to
Noah’s Ark. The first major non-Hollywood film to test the digital 3-D
waters. About time, too.]


SANCTUM*

USA - 2009 - feature - col
D: Gary Johnstone
Fusion 3-D
Dual-HD Video
Digital 3-D release print

[Underwater adventure, in which a deep-sea diving team encounters various dangers
whilst travelling through uncharted territory. Currently in production]


SHADOW VISION*

USA - 2009 - feature - col
D: Eric Parkinson
Dual-HD Video
Digital 3-D release print

[Thriller, starring Vivian Schilling “as a blind woman who develops the ability to remotely sense and visualize crimes”]


STEP UP 3-D*

USA - 2009 - feature - col
D: Jon Chu
Digital 3-D release print

[Third in the popular teen dance series (initiated by Step Up in 2006), announced as a stereoscopic production utilizing an as-yet unconfirmed 3-D format]


THE STEWARDESSES*

USA - 2009 - feature - col

[Remake of the 1969 film, announced for production in due course, utilizing an as-yet unknown 3-D format]




SURFARI*

Canada - 2009? - short - col

[This IMAX 3-D documentary - following surfer Laird Hamilton across the world
in search of the ‘perfect wave’ - has been ‘in development’ since 2005,
and there’s no sign of a release date yet. Should be pretty spectacular
when - or if - it arrives, though]


TINTIN*

USA - 2009 - feature - col
Dimensionalized 3-D
Digital 3-D release print

[The first of three ‘motion capture’ 3-D films based on the famous Belgian comic-strip character, currently in production]


TOY STORY*

USA - 1995/2009 - 80m - col
D: John Lasseter
Disney Digital 3-D
Dimensionalized 3-D
Digital 3-D release print
1.85:1

[Animated feature, in which a little boy relegates a beloved toy cowboy (voiced
by Tom Hanks) to second place in his affections after buying a
super-duper newfangled robot (Tim Allen). Typical Hollywood fluff,
originally released in 2-D and reworked for stereoscopic presentation
in 2009. Followed by Toy Story 2 (qv)]


TRANSFORMERS 2*

USA - 2009 - feature - col

[Rumoured to be going into production in an as-yet unknown 3-D format]


ULTIMATE WAVE*

USA - 2009 - short? - col
D: Stephen Low
Dual-1570 release print
Sonics-DDP
1.44:1

[Large Format documentary, in which champion surfer Kelly Slater explores the science of giant waves]


UNDER THE SEA*

USA/Canada - 2009 - short - col
D: Howard Hall
IMAX 3-D
Dual-1570
Sonics-DDP
1.44:1

[Large Format sequel to Deep Sea 3-D (qv), which explores the impact of climate change on ocean wildlife]


UP*

USA - 2009 - feature - col
D: Pete Docter
Disney Digital 3-D
Dimensionalized 3-D
Digital 3-D release print

[Sadly, not a 3-D remake of the Russ Meyer film (now that we'd like to see!), but an animated feature, in which a lonely old man is revitalized by his adventures with a young Wilderness Explorer]

Journey 3-D Review

Finally, a new 3-D Stereoscopic Film Review on the 3-D Review page of The 3-D Revolution website! This time it's a review of the Stereoscopic 3-D as used in 'Journey 3-D', or: 'Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D'. Check it out here.

You can still find the Beowulf 3-D review here and if Hollywood keeps its promise, there are plenty more 3-D reviews to come.

There are plenty of reviews of Journey 3-D that talk about how great the digital projection of the picture is, how the story is based on a Jules Verne book and how the 3-D HD camera system and the Real-D projection is amazing and digital.

But none of the reviews out there talk about the use of 3-D, and especially not the cinematic use of 3-D. That is mainly because most reviewers will copy press material released by the studio and distributor but also because film critics don’t necessarily know anything about 3-D and how to analyze and grade it. So here is a review that does just that: look very closely at the 3-D and talk about why it works when the 3-D is great and what makes for poor 3-D...

The 3-D Review

The Reality of 3-D Television

One of the biggest financial elements for any film production is the promise of DVD and broadcasting sales. Some productions even go so far as to part or gap-finance productions with DVD pre-orders; a practise possible with well-established properties enjoying a big fan base. But what of Stereoscopic 3-D productions?




As written before, films playing in Real-D and Dolby 3-D theatres are simply not released in 3-D on any type of DVD or broadcast on television. There may be the odd distributor taking the step of active or passive 3-D plasma screen format versioning, but such a hardware market is not a real consumer fact yet and work on small screen reversioning is currently still close to working from a belief in the existence of a home theatre 3-D market rather than a basing these costs on a commercial reality. Anaglyph 3-D is still the most accessible and cost-effective 3-D release format for the small screen, yet it is quickly acquiring a bad name in the industry.


How not to watch analgpyh 3-D...

For some reason (most likely a financial one), Disney has distributed only 1 million anaglyph glasses and then asks of home viewers to construct their own anaglyph 3-D glasses using felt pens, clear film and cardboard for the Hannah Montana 3-D broadcast and DVD release. No surprise then that the girls doing this will walk away with a justified hate of very poor quality 3-D, but sadly also a distrust of anaglyph 3-D as a whole. Proper filtering using the red and blue of anaglyph is certainly possible and the results can be on par with a polarized projection solution, minus the hardware headaches and investments that polarized projection bring with it. But of course the think-tank at Real-D will advice Disney to distribute Hannah Montanna’s 3-D concert in this DIY way: it will be yet another nail in the coffin of consumer trust in anaglyph 3-D. Journalists are certainly doing a great job helping them with this, bashing anything other than polarized, digital projection on a daily basis – often without ever even having witnessed a proper anaglyph presentation themselves. But that’s the way these cookies crumble.



Practically speaking, what would a saturated, well functioning 3-D television market look like? The daily news in 3-D (rising interest rates – now in 3-D), the weather report in 3-D (tomorrow: more stereoscopic rain), sports broadcasts in 3-D (poor refereeing in and extra time in 3 Dimensions), cooking programs in 3-D (carrots flying left and right out of the screen), talkshows in 3-D (talking to the hand that’s comin’ at ya, coz the 3-D face ain’t listening), soaps in 3-D (pregnant with her husband’s best friend – in stereo, so probably with twins)…



In such a future, 3-D is the standard and 3-D cameras will be simple to operate, locked down to an EBU standard interocular, with SMPTE limited convergence control and, finally, an industry standard handbook on how to work it all. 57 3-D channels and still nothing on! Maybe 3-D TV should stay limited to a 3-D film and special event channel. Hannah Montana 3D, U23D, the NBA and World Cup rugby final in 3-D, followed by a late showing of Hondo (in all of its restored 3-D glory), House of Wax, Chicken Little, Beowulf and a 3-D converted Wizard of Oz. That will work and it will keep 3-D special. Because everyday 3-D will become as dull as 2-D in our present experience.


3-D Converted still from the 2-D version of Hondo -
just to complicate things even further

The Ultimate 3-D Stereo Pair

I am far from being somebody who wants to bore people to death with baby photos, but I thought it would be nice to share my ultimate achievement in 3-D with you: a human stereo pair.

These are my twin boys at 3-Days old, photographed with a plain digital camera in cha-cha fashion. I then did some quick geometric correction in Photoshop to get to this full-colour anaglyph 3-D photo of what may be the first 3-D twins in history!



Aren't they cute? We're still working on the names, but strong contenders are Cyan & Red, Wheatstone & Lumiere and Left and Right. Poor fellows, maybe they don't even like 3-D...

By the way, the twins are also the reason why there has been a bit of a pause in the Blog entries lately :) Because as you know, doing things in 3-D means twice the work!

Alexander