It is time to write about the wondrous experience of 3D TV which provides a new dimension to the home view but which for some such as me will have the negative effect of reducing any lingering enthusiasm for attending live sport and other cultural entertainments unless in the position to afford the best seats and transport arrangements and can watch in warmth and general comfort.
I used to argue as I took a coach to watch a football game arriving back in the middle night or paid a fortune for the best seats at Wembley to watch my Cup final team lose twice in quick succession that there was nothing to beat participation with others in a live event. This changed over time because of the drunken behaviour of supporters at International Cricket matches although I can say I was there when Ian Botham won the Ashes and back in my youth when plain Christopher Chattaway broke the world three mile record at the White City. I have also seen Bruce Springsteen live three times but top of the list by along long way I can say I was there at Live Aid Wembley 13th July 1985.
I have also wanted to see the great opera singers of the my generations sing in the great Opera House of the World Convent Garden, The Metropolitan, Madrid and Milan and then came the HD relay from the Metropolitan with Madam Butterfly, Aida, Turandot, La Boheme, Il Trovatore and La Traviata also enjoying Satyagraha, and being tempted by Don Carlos, Simon Boccanegra, Hamlet with several others on the Met Payer then there was Carmen first enjoyed at the Met but then the amazing and brilliant 3D version of Carmen from Covent Garden where now have the DVD.
But it was the World Cup Final which did it. I had watched the disappointing England’s game in big screen 2D for free at the Odeon Metrocentre in an atmosphere of an enthusiastic audience but in comfort and with the nest seats in the house, but the Final was something else where one felt part of the live audience, standing over the shoulder of the referee or remonstrating alongside the manager. The development of 3D 20 20 games of cricket, the Wimbledon final and the prospect of 3D Olympic games.
As previously explained I had watched in theatre three feature films in 3D: Journey to the Centre of the Earth to judge the latest experience (02 Cineworld in London) then Alice in Wonderland in a packed Saturday evening crowd in Mansfield and then Avatar locally to see what all the fuss was about in relation to the particular film. I may have seen decades ago such films as the House of Wax and the Rue Morgue murders and I still have somewhere the cardboard frame red and green hand held glasses.
The present 3D formats are a comparative new with Wikipedia differentiating between 3D feature films released between 1952 and 2004 and those since which in the English Language have numbered about 120 with over 20 so far scheduled for release during the present year. About a sixth of the post 2004 films I have seen in theatre or on TV in 2D: Clash of the Titans and Avatar on TV such as Bolt, Chicken Little, Clash of the Titans, Coraline, Despicable Me, Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and Harry Potter and he Deathly Hallows Part 2 (a portion of the films is available in 3D Imax theatres), How to Train your Dragon, Shrek Ever After, Superman Returns, Toy Story 1 and 2, The Lion King and Tron Legacy and Up. I have seen on TV 3D: TV Cats and Dogs the Revenge of Kitty Galore(not yet reviewed); The Last Air Bender; The Tron Legacy; Battle for Terra; Legend of the Guardians The Owls of Ga Hoole; Jackass 3D; The Chronicles of Narnia The Voyage of the Dawn Trader; Gulliver’s Travels (to be reviewed); The Green Hornet; Priest (reviewed below); and Pirates of the Caribbean Strange Tides(11) with coming up Clash of the Titans (recorded on Sunday) now) and Avatar later this week. Of those that can be expected to appear for free on the Channel, I look forward to Beowulf, How to Train your Dragon, Shrek forever After, The Toy Story films, Sanctum, Rio (already pay view), Thor (already pay view) Conan the Barbarian (already pay view), Hugo and Arthur Christmas and Alice in Wonderland which already has been freeview (13) a comparatively small addition to those so far released
Looking ahead to releases during the next 15 months that have been announced one will attract me to a theatre: The first of Hobbit films- An Unexpected Journey. But in time presumably at least a year from release I am hoping to see on TV Titanic, Men in Black, 3 Journey to Mysterious Island (2), Wrath of the Titans, Ice Age Continental Drift, and Rise of the Guardians.
It is however a mistake to regard 3D in film as something new as between 1952 and 2004 about 150 full feature films were released in the English Language. However a flip through the titles reveals that few were seen in 2D: Bugs, Dial M for Murder, Jaws, Kiss Me Kate, Miss Sadie Thompson, and The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth, Shrek (9).
It is also known that about 60 3D feature films have been released in Russia and about another 60 in the rest of the world.
I watched Priest 3D this evening in preference to Chelsea’s Game against Manchester United having thoroughly enjoyed Newcastle’s 2.1 win against Aston who proved worthy opponents at St James’s Park. Mr Ba is back from his country’s early exit from the Africa Cup and scored the opening goal which the Villa equalised in the first half extra time. £10 million January purchase Cisse scored a brilliant second to take the match during the second half. Newcastle is now 5th two points ahead of Arsenal and one point behind Chelsea who were only able to draw at home against Manchester United after being 3.0. Sunderland who had an important win against Stoke in game which just about survived a blizzard have move well into the top half of the table in eighth behind Liverpool although there is a gap of 5 points between them.
I was interested in the title Priest not having learned much about the content other than it involved creatures described as vampires although these are animal like creatures and someone called Priest as well as Priests, of a kind.
The film takes place in a parallel universe in which human beings live in a city without sunlight are subject of a Catholic type order who require obedience and regular confessions using visual Internet communication.
In the prologue a group of specialist “priests” trained to kill the creatures are deployed to finish off those remaining creatures by removing the last known Queen. The so called priests are in effect an elite order of fighters trained in martial arts of both sexes who are sworn to the service and celibacy. In this Mission Paul Bettany as the “Priest” fails to held onto a comrade who slips down into chasm below and is presumed dead after the team have been caught in trap but part from the one death they are successful in their mission. For some reason they do not have ropes with them or others to check their colleague is dead and to retrieve his body.
In fact I do not understand why the Mission was ended at this point and they and their superiors believe the creatures had been eliminated. However the elite corps were not just disbanded on return to the City but sidelined because the impression is given that the leader of the Council of Monsignors Christopher (South of Music) Plummer feared they would become a threat to the established order and their power continuing.
Some distance outside the city as in all similar stories there is the waste land with prisons containing outcasts being infected by the vampires but not killed or eaten as well as other developments, civilian outposts including Sheriff administrators/lawmen.
Here we find a family comprising husband wife and daughter, the latter a rebel with a tendency to make visits on her into town (where she has established a relationship with the local Sheriff who has a resemblance to Brad Pitt (Cam Gigandet as Sheriff Hicks, although we only learn this after a scene where suddenly a tribe of vampire animals appear and in a scene reminiscent of Somewhere over the Rainbow and a number of other films there is a storm/defence cellar. The woman is killed and husband survives in a bed ridden condition and the daughter has been taken which suggest there is a purpose to the raid as yet to be revealed as well as someone who would know or knew about the panic room cellar.
In the City Sheriff Hicks arrives to advise Priest of the attack on his brother and the taking of the daughter, a young woman he loves. Priest appears to reject the request to help but in fact he needs permission which he seeks from the Council of Monsignors but although he has a supporter Plummer is adamant that there are no more vampires and it was an attack by renegade outlanders.
Priest decides to become an outlaw and a team of former priests are brought together to follow and arrest him including a former admirer of his Maggie Q as Priestess.
Checks out the home of his brother and meets up with Sheriff Hicks and they join forces and we have another familiar situation where the night is used to prepare doctored bullets with the Holy Crosses. They enter a prison of affected and renegades where the guards appear to have abandoned their duties. The explanation is that the community is now controlled by vampires working with the former inmates who are allowed to live their lives as they now wish.
At some point we learn that the girl has been captured by the former Priest comrade who was believed to have fallen to his death who later we learn was recovered by the Queen vampire who turned him into a human vampire with combined powers which makes him invincible against humans and he has a master plan to take over and “cleanse“ the known world. As is the case with this type f films the known worlds is a small one restricted to an area conveniently in the United States.
There are various conflicts before the duo is joined by the Priestess, work out that a minor army of creatures has been formed and broken out of the hive under the cover of darkness towards an outland town where they kill everyone in sight and also crucify on a trio of crosses the priests who had stationed themselves in the town in the search for their outlawed former comrade. The vampires had disappeared and the trio after marking the loss of their colleagues work out that they have hijacked a mining train with metal container wagons to protect from the daylight which means the army is next heading for the capital city which because it is undercover from sunlight offers no protection from the Vampires.
They devise a plan for priestess to blow up the train while Priest and Sheriff attempt to rescue the daughter. It has been revealed that she is Priest’s daughter and he had been taken to be trained in his role when she was a baby. There is still potential conflict between Priest and Sheriff if the girl has become infected. Priestess is chased by a posse of affected motorcycle riders on space age vehicles which can travel at 250k an hour. Unfortunately in the following battle the detonator is destroyed so Priestess attaches the explosives to her machine and heads for the train. Sheriff confronts some of the hive who are able to function within the storage cars and eventually there is a confrontation between the former colleagues who argues the Vampire are creatures of truth and beauty and this is why he is using them to cleanse the city(ies) of their corruption.
In the climax the train blows up in spectacular fashion killing the human vampire but all four of the others miraculously survive. The girl and Sheriff ride off into sunset and Priest attends a service of the Monsignors to report he was right and they need to prepare for further attacks as the Queen remains alive. He continues to be disowned and goes for to campaign with Priestess and those they can persuade to act with them, thus heralding a sequel. It is there a below standard film reshoot in 3D but not in a distracting way. I rated it only 5 out of 10
I have included the review at this point to demonstrate that a C class cannot become a B or Class film through the inclusion of 3D. Where in fact the new medium triumphs is with sport with other media and with documentaries, although the same principle applies.
A boring game of football or one which has little appeal remains a boring game of football or a match with little appear whether it is 2D HD or 3D. To-date there have been no live S D games which do not concern Sunderland or Newcastle which are outstanding as games, until Sunday after when Manchester United fought from three goals down at Chelsea to tie the match 3.3. Different considerations apply for games involving Sunderland and Newcastle where 3 D is a great bonus but as with other games and indeed other sporting events if the game goes badly or fails to live up to expectations one has the ability to switch channels or switch off. One is not faced with walking out of a stadium having invested in a season ticket and made the journey to walk out, although I did note that there were far many more empty seats at matches broadcast over the weekends, I suspect because of the weather conditions than the televising. I have also watched some golf, darts and the Horse of the Year Show at Earls Court but only to confirm the superior quality of the transmission rather than through interest in the event.
Last summer I marvelled at the cost and the scale of the production behind the European Tour of the reformed Take That concert at Sunderland where my seat was at the far end of the stadium from the stage but where the performance area was extended to over midway along the length of the arena. Earlier on I commenced what proved to be a two hour complete recording of Kylie Minogue’s Aphrodite Les Follies show at the 02 arena I have not been a fan of the music although I have followed the career from the days when she appeared in the Australian Soap Neighbours with Jason Donovan as young people through to her courageous successful fight against cancer. Her show at the O2 was a remarkably well staged production in which she showed herself exceptionally talented and willing to undertake aerial acquabatics which are sensational 3D considerable enhanced the experience and I am keeping the show recorded until such time I come across one better which hopefully will be the U2 concert in the future along with some operas, other music features and several documentaries. On the other hand Imelda May who impressed with her performance on the end of the year show by you know who name suddenly escaped disappointed to some extent with her Isle of Wight concert appearance. She is a made up to look forties big band swingtime singer who lacked the diva commanding x factor, She is good and B Class but not top ranking as the late Amy Winehouse who is broadly in the same genre.
The unexpected revelation has been the number of documentary programmes which have now been added.
The first is a series of 8 short programmes providing a bird’s eye view of the UK. It has long been an ambition to visit as many towns and cities, country houses, lakes, the rivers and the mountains of my birth land having in the past toured extensive Scotland with annual visits for over a decade in past times and extensive visits to North Wales when based in Cheshire as well as holiday visits to Devon and Cornwall as well as visiting areas around where I have lived in London, Oxfordshire, Cheshire, Yorkshire ( Wakefield-Loftus or made short stays to Hull, Beverely, Leeds, Bradford Scarborough, Skipton and Harrogate) and here in the North East as well as a year In Birmingham at the University professional and managerial visits to, and stays of four months in total in Manchester and three in, Norfolk, two weeks in Cambridge, Isle of Wight, Isle of Sheppy; a week in Suffolk and less than a week in places such as. Bristol, Bournmouth, Coventry, Nottinghamshire, Worcester, Sussex, Hampshire Lancashire(Oldham) Liverpool come to mind and dozens of football towns mostly on day trips but sometimes with overnight or longer stays and similarly en route to London where an overnight stop enabled a visit to a Country or market town. I have visited more parts of London since not living there than when I did. There are places I have not visited and he birds eye view reminded of what I would like to do but may not have time to visit.
I am unlikely to travel to beloved France again where I have toured extensively as well as holiday stays or with stopovers en route to Spain so I was delighted to see what appeared to be a series of Bird Eye views of France commencing with the coastline and then of Paris. Alas the Paris edition never materialised despite being heralded.
I would appreciate programmes on Italy, Venice and various sites in Greece. There has one programme devoted to London and Venice but this was limited unlike Fiona Bruce programmes on Chatsworth and Blenheim where I had a picnic in the grounds shortly before they were opened to the public in splendid isolation with a group of Ruskin students before the property had got itself organised as a world wide tourist attraction. I was interested to see the present Duke who presided over an Adult Court when Marquess of Blandford at Burford when I was a court officer for the local authority in the 1960’s and his wife was at chaired the juvenile court bench. The Devonshire’s in contrast have regarded Charsworth as a public use for generations In both instances 3D provided an intimate and private experience which one does not get as part of the hoi purlloi.
I had anticipated there would something on the roller coaster with a programme on a facility in the USA which boasts he biggest thrill experiences and indeed the reality is only for the brave and foolish. I remember there was a similar attempt at creating reality with the first Cinerama experiences which I saw in the West End taking my birth and care mothers on one occasion and also How the West was won where the joins to create the attempted wrap around screen were all too evident.
I am unlikely to visit he Western costal resorts of the USA where various sports from hang gliding’ and water surfing skateboarding, roller skating, beach volley ball, horse riding and jogging take place on a massive scale with some reaching international competitiveness. There has been an air show also in the USA with a party expiring Grand Canyon a true awe inspiring experience which is included in the main list of feature films by Wikipedia.
A visit to the tropical gardens and beaches and natural habitat of the Hawaiian Islands was revelatory as the tour of Washington. A visit to the Great Barrier Reef had impact. I was not attracted to the life the Penguin despite being narrated by David Attenborough although with the use of CGI the film about prehistoric flying creature was impressive. Perhaps the most wondrous is the Universe.
I was surprised to see a short film on the Royal Wedding which alas did not cover the service and which should herald what is to come as Queen Elizabeth celebrates 50 years as the monarch. However the most extraordinary is another short film of selected 3D film taken by the Third Reich. One fears their may be more film taken of the horrors of their war in addition to shots of guns, rallies and close up still of Hitler and his associates. I say this because of the excellent full length feature on the history of the 3D by Dr Brian May, the former member of Queen who has made a lifelong study of the subject and has a major collection of 3D stills from the earliest times. Sir David Attenborough
My conclusion is that it is good medium to watch programmes which interests but I cannot see it becoming the standard until the effects can be achieve without the use of glasses. Knowing human abilities and capacities this will come but I suspect not in my life time unless I am able to live far longer than presently anticipated.
I used to argue as I took a coach to watch a football game arriving back in the middle night or paid a fortune for the best seats at Wembley to watch my Cup final team lose twice in quick succession that there was nothing to beat participation with others in a live event. This changed over time because of the drunken behaviour of supporters at International Cricket matches although I can say I was there when Ian Botham won the Ashes and back in my youth when plain Christopher Chattaway broke the world three mile record at the White City. I have also seen Bruce Springsteen live three times but top of the list by along long way I can say I was there at Live Aid Wembley 13th July 1985.
I have also wanted to see the great opera singers of the my generations sing in the great Opera House of the World Convent Garden, The Metropolitan, Madrid and Milan and then came the HD relay from the Metropolitan with Madam Butterfly, Aida, Turandot, La Boheme, Il Trovatore and La Traviata also enjoying Satyagraha, and being tempted by Don Carlos, Simon Boccanegra, Hamlet with several others on the Met Payer then there was Carmen first enjoyed at the Met but then the amazing and brilliant 3D version of Carmen from Covent Garden where now have the DVD.
But it was the World Cup Final which did it. I had watched the disappointing England’s game in big screen 2D for free at the Odeon Metrocentre in an atmosphere of an enthusiastic audience but in comfort and with the nest seats in the house, but the Final was something else where one felt part of the live audience, standing over the shoulder of the referee or remonstrating alongside the manager. The development of 3D 20 20 games of cricket, the Wimbledon final and the prospect of 3D Olympic games.
As previously explained I had watched in theatre three feature films in 3D: Journey to the Centre of the Earth to judge the latest experience (02 Cineworld in London) then Alice in Wonderland in a packed Saturday evening crowd in Mansfield and then Avatar locally to see what all the fuss was about in relation to the particular film. I may have seen decades ago such films as the House of Wax and the Rue Morgue murders and I still have somewhere the cardboard frame red and green hand held glasses.
The present 3D formats are a comparative new with Wikipedia differentiating between 3D feature films released between 1952 and 2004 and those since which in the English Language have numbered about 120 with over 20 so far scheduled for release during the present year. About a sixth of the post 2004 films I have seen in theatre or on TV in 2D: Clash of the Titans and Avatar on TV such as Bolt, Chicken Little, Clash of the Titans, Coraline, Despicable Me, Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and Harry Potter and he Deathly Hallows Part 2 (a portion of the films is available in 3D Imax theatres), How to Train your Dragon, Shrek Ever After, Superman Returns, Toy Story 1 and 2, The Lion King and Tron Legacy and Up. I have seen on TV 3D: TV Cats and Dogs the Revenge of Kitty Galore(not yet reviewed); The Last Air Bender; The Tron Legacy; Battle for Terra; Legend of the Guardians The Owls of Ga Hoole; Jackass 3D; The Chronicles of Narnia The Voyage of the Dawn Trader; Gulliver’s Travels (to be reviewed); The Green Hornet; Priest (reviewed below); and Pirates of the Caribbean Strange Tides(11) with coming up Clash of the Titans (recorded on Sunday) now) and Avatar later this week. Of those that can be expected to appear for free on the Channel, I look forward to Beowulf, How to Train your Dragon, Shrek forever After, The Toy Story films, Sanctum, Rio (already pay view), Thor (already pay view) Conan the Barbarian (already pay view), Hugo and Arthur Christmas and Alice in Wonderland which already has been freeview (13) a comparatively small addition to those so far released
Looking ahead to releases during the next 15 months that have been announced one will attract me to a theatre: The first of Hobbit films- An Unexpected Journey. But in time presumably at least a year from release I am hoping to see on TV Titanic, Men in Black, 3 Journey to Mysterious Island (2), Wrath of the Titans, Ice Age Continental Drift, and Rise of the Guardians.
It is however a mistake to regard 3D in film as something new as between 1952 and 2004 about 150 full feature films were released in the English Language. However a flip through the titles reveals that few were seen in 2D: Bugs, Dial M for Murder, Jaws, Kiss Me Kate, Miss Sadie Thompson, and The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth, Shrek (9).
It is also known that about 60 3D feature films have been released in Russia and about another 60 in the rest of the world.
I watched Priest 3D this evening in preference to Chelsea’s Game against Manchester United having thoroughly enjoyed Newcastle’s 2.1 win against Aston who proved worthy opponents at St James’s Park. Mr Ba is back from his country’s early exit from the Africa Cup and scored the opening goal which the Villa equalised in the first half extra time. £10 million January purchase Cisse scored a brilliant second to take the match during the second half. Newcastle is now 5th two points ahead of Arsenal and one point behind Chelsea who were only able to draw at home against Manchester United after being 3.0. Sunderland who had an important win against Stoke in game which just about survived a blizzard have move well into the top half of the table in eighth behind Liverpool although there is a gap of 5 points between them.
I was interested in the title Priest not having learned much about the content other than it involved creatures described as vampires although these are animal like creatures and someone called Priest as well as Priests, of a kind.
The film takes place in a parallel universe in which human beings live in a city without sunlight are subject of a Catholic type order who require obedience and regular confessions using visual Internet communication.
In the prologue a group of specialist “priests” trained to kill the creatures are deployed to finish off those remaining creatures by removing the last known Queen. The so called priests are in effect an elite order of fighters trained in martial arts of both sexes who are sworn to the service and celibacy. In this Mission Paul Bettany as the “Priest” fails to held onto a comrade who slips down into chasm below and is presumed dead after the team have been caught in trap but part from the one death they are successful in their mission. For some reason they do not have ropes with them or others to check their colleague is dead and to retrieve his body.
In fact I do not understand why the Mission was ended at this point and they and their superiors believe the creatures had been eliminated. However the elite corps were not just disbanded on return to the City but sidelined because the impression is given that the leader of the Council of Monsignors Christopher (South of Music) Plummer feared they would become a threat to the established order and their power continuing.
Some distance outside the city as in all similar stories there is the waste land with prisons containing outcasts being infected by the vampires but not killed or eaten as well as other developments, civilian outposts including Sheriff administrators/lawmen.
Here we find a family comprising husband wife and daughter, the latter a rebel with a tendency to make visits on her into town (where she has established a relationship with the local Sheriff who has a resemblance to Brad Pitt (Cam Gigandet as Sheriff Hicks, although we only learn this after a scene where suddenly a tribe of vampire animals appear and in a scene reminiscent of Somewhere over the Rainbow and a number of other films there is a storm/defence cellar. The woman is killed and husband survives in a bed ridden condition and the daughter has been taken which suggest there is a purpose to the raid as yet to be revealed as well as someone who would know or knew about the panic room cellar.
In the City Sheriff Hicks arrives to advise Priest of the attack on his brother and the taking of the daughter, a young woman he loves. Priest appears to reject the request to help but in fact he needs permission which he seeks from the Council of Monsignors but although he has a supporter Plummer is adamant that there are no more vampires and it was an attack by renegade outlanders.
Priest decides to become an outlaw and a team of former priests are brought together to follow and arrest him including a former admirer of his Maggie Q as Priestess.
Checks out the home of his brother and meets up with Sheriff Hicks and they join forces and we have another familiar situation where the night is used to prepare doctored bullets with the Holy Crosses. They enter a prison of affected and renegades where the guards appear to have abandoned their duties. The explanation is that the community is now controlled by vampires working with the former inmates who are allowed to live their lives as they now wish.
At some point we learn that the girl has been captured by the former Priest comrade who was believed to have fallen to his death who later we learn was recovered by the Queen vampire who turned him into a human vampire with combined powers which makes him invincible against humans and he has a master plan to take over and “cleanse“ the known world. As is the case with this type f films the known worlds is a small one restricted to an area conveniently in the United States.
There are various conflicts before the duo is joined by the Priestess, work out that a minor army of creatures has been formed and broken out of the hive under the cover of darkness towards an outland town where they kill everyone in sight and also crucify on a trio of crosses the priests who had stationed themselves in the town in the search for their outlawed former comrade. The vampires had disappeared and the trio after marking the loss of their colleagues work out that they have hijacked a mining train with metal container wagons to protect from the daylight which means the army is next heading for the capital city which because it is undercover from sunlight offers no protection from the Vampires.
They devise a plan for priestess to blow up the train while Priest and Sheriff attempt to rescue the daughter. It has been revealed that she is Priest’s daughter and he had been taken to be trained in his role when she was a baby. There is still potential conflict between Priest and Sheriff if the girl has become infected. Priestess is chased by a posse of affected motorcycle riders on space age vehicles which can travel at 250k an hour. Unfortunately in the following battle the detonator is destroyed so Priestess attaches the explosives to her machine and heads for the train. Sheriff confronts some of the hive who are able to function within the storage cars and eventually there is a confrontation between the former colleagues who argues the Vampire are creatures of truth and beauty and this is why he is using them to cleanse the city(ies) of their corruption.
In the climax the train blows up in spectacular fashion killing the human vampire but all four of the others miraculously survive. The girl and Sheriff ride off into sunset and Priest attends a service of the Monsignors to report he was right and they need to prepare for further attacks as the Queen remains alive. He continues to be disowned and goes for to campaign with Priestess and those they can persuade to act with them, thus heralding a sequel. It is there a below standard film reshoot in 3D but not in a distracting way. I rated it only 5 out of 10
I have included the review at this point to demonstrate that a C class cannot become a B or Class film through the inclusion of 3D. Where in fact the new medium triumphs is with sport with other media and with documentaries, although the same principle applies.
A boring game of football or one which has little appeal remains a boring game of football or a match with little appear whether it is 2D HD or 3D. To-date there have been no live S D games which do not concern Sunderland or Newcastle which are outstanding as games, until Sunday after when Manchester United fought from three goals down at Chelsea to tie the match 3.3. Different considerations apply for games involving Sunderland and Newcastle where 3 D is a great bonus but as with other games and indeed other sporting events if the game goes badly or fails to live up to expectations one has the ability to switch channels or switch off. One is not faced with walking out of a stadium having invested in a season ticket and made the journey to walk out, although I did note that there were far many more empty seats at matches broadcast over the weekends, I suspect because of the weather conditions than the televising. I have also watched some golf, darts and the Horse of the Year Show at Earls Court but only to confirm the superior quality of the transmission rather than through interest in the event.
Last summer I marvelled at the cost and the scale of the production behind the European Tour of the reformed Take That concert at Sunderland where my seat was at the far end of the stadium from the stage but where the performance area was extended to over midway along the length of the arena. Earlier on I commenced what proved to be a two hour complete recording of Kylie Minogue’s Aphrodite Les Follies show at the 02 arena I have not been a fan of the music although I have followed the career from the days when she appeared in the Australian Soap Neighbours with Jason Donovan as young people through to her courageous successful fight against cancer. Her show at the O2 was a remarkably well staged production in which she showed herself exceptionally talented and willing to undertake aerial acquabatics which are sensational 3D considerable enhanced the experience and I am keeping the show recorded until such time I come across one better which hopefully will be the U2 concert in the future along with some operas, other music features and several documentaries. On the other hand Imelda May who impressed with her performance on the end of the year show by you know who name suddenly escaped disappointed to some extent with her Isle of Wight concert appearance. She is a made up to look forties big band swingtime singer who lacked the diva commanding x factor, She is good and B Class but not top ranking as the late Amy Winehouse who is broadly in the same genre.
The unexpected revelation has been the number of documentary programmes which have now been added.
The first is a series of 8 short programmes providing a bird’s eye view of the UK. It has long been an ambition to visit as many towns and cities, country houses, lakes, the rivers and the mountains of my birth land having in the past toured extensive Scotland with annual visits for over a decade in past times and extensive visits to North Wales when based in Cheshire as well as holiday visits to Devon and Cornwall as well as visiting areas around where I have lived in London, Oxfordshire, Cheshire, Yorkshire ( Wakefield-Loftus or made short stays to Hull, Beverely, Leeds, Bradford Scarborough, Skipton and Harrogate) and here in the North East as well as a year In Birmingham at the University professional and managerial visits to, and stays of four months in total in Manchester and three in, Norfolk, two weeks in Cambridge, Isle of Wight, Isle of Sheppy; a week in Suffolk and less than a week in places such as. Bristol, Bournmouth, Coventry, Nottinghamshire, Worcester, Sussex, Hampshire Lancashire(Oldham) Liverpool come to mind and dozens of football towns mostly on day trips but sometimes with overnight or longer stays and similarly en route to London where an overnight stop enabled a visit to a Country or market town. I have visited more parts of London since not living there than when I did. There are places I have not visited and he birds eye view reminded of what I would like to do but may not have time to visit.
I am unlikely to travel to beloved France again where I have toured extensively as well as holiday stays or with stopovers en route to Spain so I was delighted to see what appeared to be a series of Bird Eye views of France commencing with the coastline and then of Paris. Alas the Paris edition never materialised despite being heralded.
I would appreciate programmes on Italy, Venice and various sites in Greece. There has one programme devoted to London and Venice but this was limited unlike Fiona Bruce programmes on Chatsworth and Blenheim where I had a picnic in the grounds shortly before they were opened to the public in splendid isolation with a group of Ruskin students before the property had got itself organised as a world wide tourist attraction. I was interested to see the present Duke who presided over an Adult Court when Marquess of Blandford at Burford when I was a court officer for the local authority in the 1960’s and his wife was at chaired the juvenile court bench. The Devonshire’s in contrast have regarded Charsworth as a public use for generations In both instances 3D provided an intimate and private experience which one does not get as part of the hoi purlloi.
I had anticipated there would something on the roller coaster with a programme on a facility in the USA which boasts he biggest thrill experiences and indeed the reality is only for the brave and foolish. I remember there was a similar attempt at creating reality with the first Cinerama experiences which I saw in the West End taking my birth and care mothers on one occasion and also How the West was won where the joins to create the attempted wrap around screen were all too evident.
I am unlikely to visit he Western costal resorts of the USA where various sports from hang gliding’ and water surfing skateboarding, roller skating, beach volley ball, horse riding and jogging take place on a massive scale with some reaching international competitiveness. There has been an air show also in the USA with a party expiring Grand Canyon a true awe inspiring experience which is included in the main list of feature films by Wikipedia.
A visit to the tropical gardens and beaches and natural habitat of the Hawaiian Islands was revelatory as the tour of Washington. A visit to the Great Barrier Reef had impact. I was not attracted to the life the Penguin despite being narrated by David Attenborough although with the use of CGI the film about prehistoric flying creature was impressive. Perhaps the most wondrous is the Universe.
I was surprised to see a short film on the Royal Wedding which alas did not cover the service and which should herald what is to come as Queen Elizabeth celebrates 50 years as the monarch. However the most extraordinary is another short film of selected 3D film taken by the Third Reich. One fears their may be more film taken of the horrors of their war in addition to shots of guns, rallies and close up still of Hitler and his associates. I say this because of the excellent full length feature on the history of the 3D by Dr Brian May, the former member of Queen who has made a lifelong study of the subject and has a major collection of 3D stills from the earliest times. Sir David Attenborough
My conclusion is that it is good medium to watch programmes which interests but I cannot see it becoming the standard until the effects can be achieve without the use of glasses. Knowing human abilities and capacities this will come but I suspect not in my life time unless I am able to live far longer than presently anticipated.
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