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Earlier this week I went and saw the movie Avatar in 3D.  Now 3D movies are nothing new and they seem to go in and out of style faster than tie-dye shirts.  I think they first popped up in the 50's, right?  The 3D experience has never been one of those things that have been able to get a foothold for many reasons, but this time around it felt like the technology has finally come of age. 

I'm not saying that Avatar was the greatest movie of all time.  I'll still continue to give that title to Forrest Gump.  It was also an extremely predictable title following all the "required" plot structure that we enjoy in our movies.  Now this doesn't make it a bad movie, it was an absolutely amazing movie.

Where I want to be so bold is comparing Avatar to Star Wars in revolutionizing the movie experience.  Not only were the computer graphic imagery top notch, but the technology displayed in the movie was simply out of this world.  As we credit Star Wars and Star Trek in defining what looks "sci-fi" let's be honest our understanding of technology has advanced to the point where surely they must have more advanced technology than what those franchises use, right? 

Watch the movie trailer here, but be warned even this in HD doesn't do the experience justice.

Let me come back and talk about the computer imagery for a moment.  This isn't the first movie to bridge the gap between a Pixar animation and human live action but it felt like it brought the two together in such a way where you really couldn't tell them apart.  Movies like Sin City, 300 and Speed Racer paved the way for blockbuster big world experiences that can be created in a single warehouse without building gigantic sets.  The difference between those movies and this one is the budget size of this movie.  Avatar is one of the most expensive movies ever created.  With all that extra bread to spend they can go the extra mile to throw more excitement into the movie.  This brings me into where I really want to talk about.

The 3D Movie Experience

Movie theaters are looking for that next new boost to give them an experience that you can't have watching a movie in your home.   With all the new HDTVs that have flooded the market and surround sound systems I've been making the argument for a few years now about why do I need to go to the movie theater when I can just wait and watch the movie when it comes out on DVD (downloadable content, Blu-Ray or whatever other way that you like)?  Heather doesn't always like that excuse to not go to the movies for a date night though, but the practicality and expense of the experience usually helps me win the debate.

Movie theaters latest trump card looks to be the 3D experience that is coming back in full force.  In the previews for Avatar I saw quite a few upcoming movies that will incorporate 3D technology.  Why this is a big deal for the theaters is they can charge a premium to watch a movie in 3D.  As if going to a movie wasn't already expensive enough! 

Yes, watching a movie in 3D still requires you to put on those glasses.  Even that technology has come a long way as these are decent plastic glasses that you recycle after the movie and I'm assuming they sterilize and reuse. Surprisingly watching Avatar in 3D wasn't a painful experience and if I could last through a marathon movie that was two hours and forty minutes then it's probably a sign that this technology will last this time around. 

So bottom line, GO SEE AVATAR IN 3D and let me know what you think?  If it doesn't blow you away I want to hear why.  This is the future beyond HD TV and I think it's safe to say in five years we will probably go see every movie in the theater in 3D! 

We all remember those lazy Sunday's on TBS where they have the "Movies for Guys Who Like Movies" and all the movies seem to include one of three actors, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, or Jean-Claude Van Damme.  Ok so maybe only I remember those days.  Jean-Claude Van Damme was just that guy who could put a hurting on anyone and in boxing terms "pound for pound the baddest man in Hollywood"!  Sorry Arnold, but JCVD could probably run circles around your tree truck sized legs and you wouldn't even know what hit you. 

I watched JCVD over the weekend and was really impressed by this movie.  Here is a movie star older and openly knowing that his best days are behind him, sorry Stallone but you just aren't the same hulk that you were the first time around in Rocky or Rambo just admit it.  In the movie Jean-Claude plays himself and his life is a mess.  How powerful that we can see a washed-up and broke movie star at the end of their career with nothing left.  He poored everything into this role. 

Though some really interesting and unexpected chain of events he's in the middle of a bank robbery and doesn't know how to handle the situation.  There is one part where the movie pans out and Jean-Claude pleads his soul to the camera talking about his life and how he just wants to live in peace and make it through this final conflict without anyone getting hurt.  It doesn't matter if the part is scripted or him actually telling his real story it pullss you in and he shows a character depth worthy of an Oscar.  Keep in mind that here is a character who hasn't ever really played a character that required any acting besides just kicking butt!

Amazing movie and absolutely nothing like I expected.  We all know Jean-Claude from his action and kung-fu days but here he pulls off a masterpiece of a drama that will suck you in and keep you guessing to the very end.  Oh and yes there is some amazing action sequences in it just for those action guys out there.  The intro sequence is an amazing single camera masterpiece that has to be seen to be believed. 

Watch the trailer below and see what you think!

Very rarely do I actually ever review movies. Ok this is actually the first time I've formally written a movie review. Enron: The Smarest Guys in the Room simply struck some cords as being extremely relevant and hitting on my deep engrained moral and ethical principles. It was simply appalling to see the level of deceit and corruption that was going on in this company for an extended period of time. What was most troubling was the fact that these people honestly believed from the bottom of their soul that what they were doing was ok and that they were smart enough to make everything work at the end of the day.

I'm sure pretty much everyone has heard the Enron epic story of collapse? This movie does a fantastic job of documenting the process from the beginning to the end. The stories of the California energy crisis struck me as specifically malicious and just evil! I was sucked in wanting to know what else lead to this collapse, what other steps down this road lead to destruction. What lessons can I learn from their mistakes? One obvious question that we can always be asking is something that most five year olds are notorious for... "Ask why?" Don't be afraid to ask the tough questions and tackle the right problems because it is the right thing to do.

Maybe what ties me up is the proclaimed intent that the guys at Enron were a bunch of brainiacs attempting to change the way that the world does business and do it in such a way that helps them make a little money off the top. In many ways the work that we are doing at HubSpot is trying to change the way that people market and do business in the 21st century. I absolutely love what I do and the difference that I make in my clients business. When I get on the phone with a client and see their progress and see it is obviously going in the right direction with leads coming in and web traffic reporting month over month increases it makes the long hours all worth it. Looking at the Enron story I'm that much sure that what we are doing is the right thing because instead of wrapping our company up in vales of mystery our whole process is to teach small to medium sized business to be more transparent and build relationships with clients and potential clients through the power of the social web and blogging. This unheard of level of transparency allows potential clients to see that we are all in fact real people with real problems and that most of all we really care.

At the end of the day making a quick buck doesn't provide happiness, it is the meaningful relationships that you make with people that are the road to happiness. Money doesn't buy happiness, money buys pleasure. There is a very important distinction to make there. So if you enjoy documentaries and business than I would highly encourage that you watch this movie. Hey it's on the Netflix instant watch list if that helps! In this tough economic environment it's not too far of a stretch to blame a lot of these issues on the same sort of people that were behind Enron. So after watching ask yourself. What sort of positive difference can you make today? We are after all only given one day at a time.