ScottMcC's Comments

Big Hollywood : Trailer Talk: 'The Woman in Black' - Radcliffe Takes Post-'Potter' Plunge

Mon, 5 Dec 2011 19:25:40 +0000

I haven't seen the guy's Broadway gigs, but in all of those Harry Potter movies, he's the weakest of the leads--especially once they became teenagers. Radcliffe was lucky that his parents had movie industry connections and had the right look for the part. Neither he nor Emma Watson are anything other than "okay" in those roles. If we're being honest, Rupert Grint is the one of those three leads that's shown any measurable range of acting in those movies (comedic, dramatic, romantic, etc.). Then again, he had to be better than the other two in acting because he couldn't coast on his looks or his connections.

Big Hollywood : HomeVideodrome: 'Star Wars,' 'Citizen Kane,' and a Podcast!

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 23:03:29 +0000

In a column about the "Star Wars" Blu-ray release, an entertainment blogger claimed that George Lucas' friends describe his "personal humor is one of 'getting your goat'; teasing meant to elicit outrage and vocal dissent." That means if you're someone that bought those re-re-re-edits every time they came out on a new media format and then were outrageously outraged about how cheated you felt, George Lucas just laughed because the joke's on you.

Big Hollywood : Trailer Talk: 'John Carter of Mars' Is No 'Prince of Persia'

Fri, 2 Sep 2011 00:05:16 +0000

The Tharks look... puny. I imagined them as powerful four-armed giants with elephantine tusks and green skin. These things look like every other CGI alien developed since 2007.

Big Hollywood : 'Columbiana' Review: Bold, Undiluted Trash

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 23:52:43 +0000

Dear Hollywood, Please stop trying to force Zoe Saldana and Rashida Jones on us. They are neither exotic nor memorable in any of their roles. Thanks, Everyone Over the Age of Fourteen (or, if you are privately schooled, age nine)

Big Hollywood : The 'Truth' About Jane Fonda's Trip to Hanoi is Bad Enough

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 21:48:42 +0000

"...in the September of her years..." You should look for a more recent photo. It's more like "late November."

Big Hollywood : Watch: Two 'Captain America' TV Spots

Thu, 2 Jun 2011 18:23:29 +0000

My take: They will screw this up... The real question is: "How badly will they screw this up?"

Big Hollywood : BH Interview: 'Everybody Loves Raymond' Co-creator Phil Rosenthal on 'Exporting Raymond'

Wed, 4 May 2011 21:53:33 +0000

Great interview, Carl. I was going wait until the Blu-ray came out to see Exporting Raymond, but now I'll make the extra effort to see it at the cineplex when Sony gives it a wider release.

Big Hollywood : Jeff Wells: Is the Classic-Film Blu-ray Market Drawing to a Close?

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 19:56:03 +0000

Exactly right.

Big Hollywood : Bi-Sexual Jesus: 'Money-Driven' Hollywood Eager to Offend the Faithful

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 23:36:53 +0000

That "Carrier" series was fantastic.

Big Hollywood : Jeff Wells: Is the Classic-Film Blu-ray Market Drawing to a Close?

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 23:30:57 +0000

I've seen Casablanca and Gone with the Wind on Blu-ray but never considered buying them for my collection for one simple reason: No matter how much a studio spends on a frame-by-frame restoration of the original classic film print from the 1930s or 1940s, it's going to have two huge black bars on either side of my widescreen LCD HDTV. You can clean up all the dirt scratches on the acetate, separate the mono sound for a Dolby 7.1 mix, but can't fix a 4:3 source picture. If I was the CFO of a big movie studio, I'd be loath to sign the checks for a company to perform a new transfer for our catalogue of pre-widescreen classics to sell on Blu-ray when 1) the DVD transfer from a few years ago--which was probably done in HD quality--is good enough and 2) home cinephiles are more interested in movies that were filmed in widescreen that will look great on a HDTV. Discs are going to be the de facto standard for high quality movie viewing in your home for 20 years because IP-based delivery technologies like fiber to the home (FTTH) can only be available at a high cost in densely-populated areas. I admit if we all were crammed on top of each other in 600 sq ft South Korean high-rise urban apartments then we'd all get the 100 Mb synchronous FTTH speeds needed to make 1080p streaming video look good enough to replace Blu-ray for less than 200 bucks a month, but in America that's not an option. Blu-ray is the best option to watch movies as the filmmaker intended in your home. Period. If you can't tell the difference between the Sound of Music DVD and the Sound of Music Blu-ray picture quality on your HDTV then you either have something wrong with your home theater setup or your vision is physically impaired. I know that statement reads harshly to a lot of people, but it is a fact. If I offended you, then I'm sorry you feel that way... but it is an emotional rather than reasoned response.

Big Hollywood : 'Arthur' Review: Russell Brand Scores In Witty, Warm Remake

Fri, 8 Apr 2011 20:51:56 +0000

Thanks for the review and welcome, Mr. Loder!

Big Hollywood : 'Ten Commandments' Review:' Cecil B. DeMille's Masterpiece Arrives on Blu-ray Today

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 04:48:27 +0000

Interesting. I do not doubt your analysis of the picture quality (and I'll buy this on Blu-ray to replace my DVD version) but picture quality is somewhat relative based on each person's home theater setup. You don't have to go into a bunch of details if you don't want to, but I own a 47" Samsung 1080p LCD (levels tuned for THX) and a Samsung BD-Live capable Blu-ray player that all run via HDMI v1.3 through a 7.1 Yamaha AV receiver. None of these components are quite four years old now and wonder how my setup compares to yours?

Big Hollywood : Why Hollywood Can't Find Americans to Portray American Superheroes (Not That There's Anything Wrong

Sat, 5 Feb 2011 05:05:16 +0000

This whole thread is made of glittering magic.

Big Hollywood : Why Hollywood Can't Find Americans to Portray American Superheroes (Not That There's Anything Wrong

Fri, 4 Feb 2011 22:12:24 +0000

What every actor (and I mean EVERY one) has failed to understand is that Bruce Wayne is Batman's secret identity; not the other way around. Look at it this way: Michael Keaton – His Bruce Wayne is a slightly toned down version of the same character he played in Night Shift while his Batman was a gravel-voiced ghost from an old horror movie. Val Kilmer – His Batman was the same gravel-voiced ghost, but his Bruce Wayne was a whiny girl; tortured about his crime fighting secret identity. George Clooney and Adam West – These guys played themselves as Batman and Bruce Wayne. Both suck. Christian Bale – This guy played Bruce Wayne as the same character he played in Spike Lee's Shaft remake. Bale's growling animal voice for Batman was as f--king distracting as playing with the lights on the set while I'm trying to do a scene! WHAT THE F--CK IS YOUR PROBLEM!? What? Nobody remembers that blowup from Terminator? Too inside baseball? All I'm saying is that the stoic, methodical, detective/vigilante is the real man but the billionaire playboy is all an act. In 50 years of Batman TV and movies, no SAG actor has figure that out yet. I'm sure they all will now... Leave it to a scab like me to do the heavy lifting.

Big Hollywood : Jon Stewart Should Get History Lessons From Sarah Palin

Tue, 1 Feb 2011 22:25:52 +0000

Excellent points. Now, let's walk this back to the criticism of Palin is that she's somehow dumb for disagreeing with Obama's speechwriter. Here's what Obama's speechwriter wrote for the teleprompter: "Half a century ago, when the Soviets beat us into space with the launch of a satellite called Sputnik, we had no idea how we would beat them to the moon... But after investing in better research and education, we didn't just surpass the Soviets; we unleashed a wave of innovation that created new industries and millions of new jobs. This is our generation's Sputnik moment... And in a few weeks, I will be sending a budget to Congress that helps us meet that goal." Palin didn't get why Obama's speechwriter would use the analogy of Sputnik in a call for additional billions in government spending on the focus group-determined applause line list of "infrastructure" "education" and "research" in the speech. Cast aside any personal political partisan's lens and look at it objectively: What are the "Sputniks" exposing an unknown American technological, infrastructral, or educational weakness right now?

Big Hollywood : 2010 in Music and Movies: Not the Worst Year Ever

Tue, 28 Dec 2010 16:06:55 +0000

"It’s like a Leigh Scott movie not made by Leigh Scott" Dude, I can't remember if I already told you this, but you're my hero. Also, when is Witches of Oz coming out?

Big Hollywood : James Franco, Anne Hathaway to Host 2011 Oscars

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 01:54:31 +0000

Alternate headline: Producers Promise 2011 Oscars Will Be More Boring than 2010 Gee, what a shock that Hollywood's forcing these two bean sprouts on us again. "Eat up, proles! We know you don't like 'em but we promise these bland and tasteless non-entities are good and good for you!" What other talentless incongruities have you planned for us, O Mighty Media Gatekeepers? Demi Lovato and Justin Bieber hosting the only American stop of the Metallica/Megadeth/Anthrax/Slayer tour?

Big Hollywood : Today's Open Thread

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:55:33 +0000

If you want your children to grow up tall and proud, tell them to only watch even-numbered Indiana Jones/Star Trek movies and odd-numbered Planet of the Apes movies. This is the cinematic equivalent to telling the difference between what's excrement and what's Shineola.

Big Hollywood : George Bailey's Younger Brother is the Real Villain in 'It's A Wonderful Life'

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:48:40 +0000

C'mon Schaeffer, don't be so disingenuous: you know darn well that Wal-Mart is NOT selling the Xbox 360 for 20% off the retail price and that the Kinect is nigh on impossible to find at any store. You're setting us up for failure with this Wal-Mart ruse which means that you're no better than Harry Bailey.

Big Hollywood : 'CD For the Troops IV': Featuring Matchbox 20, Wynona, Five For Fighting Available Now

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 06:44:10 +0000

True... and Tool is so not metal.