Posts Tagged ‘National Treasure’

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NATIONAL TREAUSRE 2-DISC DVD GIVEAWAY

by Tom on December 17, 2007 at 8:47 pm
Posted In: Blog
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Hey, guys. I know this is extraordinarily short notice, but it was one of those happy accidents that just cropped up at the last minute and I wanted to let you know about it.

In celebration of National Treasure: Book of Secrets being released in theaters this Friday, Disney has also released a brand new 2-disc collectors edition of National Treasure on DVD this Tuesday, December 18.

National Treasure

This thing is loaded to the hilt with features. Four brand new documentary shorts, deleted scenes, an alternate ending and a slew of featurettes that go further behind the scenes!

You'll have a chance to win a copy of your very own by listening to The Triple Feature talkcast tonight at 9:00 PM CST.

The last few weeks we've been doing call-in trivia contests. I didn't have enough time to prep any questions this week, so that means we'll probably do our old standby routine - I drop one half a clue in the broadcast and you come back here on Wednesday for the second half of the clue. Send the completed clue along with your name and e-mail address to theaterhopper@hotmail.com and one winner will be chosen at random!

Be sure to dial in and listen to the show live tonight. We'll be talking about I Am Legend, Atonement, The Kite Runner and the brand new trailer for The Dark Knight!

Be there!

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A WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS

by Tom on November 22, 2004 at 12:00 am
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(7 votes, average: 8.57 out of 10)
National Treasure, product placement, Verizon, Motorola, Doritos, Pepsi, Taco Bell, Visa, Wilson's Leather, Lousiville Slugger, Band-Aid, Neosporin

Cami and I were able to catch an early matinee of National Treasure this weekend. An enjoyable ride, but very much a by-the-book action adventure film. Rouge hero? Check. A villain who betrays his confidence? Check. Mousy techno-geek who interjects glib one-liners for comedic effect? Check. Hot girl who tags along mid-way through the action? Check.

There isn't anything in National Treasure that you haven't seen a million times before. The "clues imbedded in American history" approach was an interesting device, but they're so transparently lifting their inspiration from The Da Vinci Code, you keep thinking the film version of THAT script would be so much better to watch.

Something else that was very transparent to me was the several awkward product placements crammed into this movie. A lot of them appear after the film's main set piece - The abduction of The Declaration of Independence.

While on the run, Nicholas Cage's character stops to see his father Jon Voight. With the FBI hot on their tail, they tie up Voight to make it look like there were there to steal something from him and protect him from any guilt-by-association. As the Feds are questioning him, they inform him that his car has been stolen. Voight laments "My Cadillac STS!" Cut to the next scene and a big close up of the Cadillac emblem on the hood of the car. "You're Dad has a sweet ride," says the mousy techno-geek.

Dressed in formal wear - gowns and tuxes - Cage's character suggests they go buy some less conspicuous clothes. Cut to an external shot of an Urban Outfitters! Ooo! Look at all those cool clothes they're trying on! Don't forget to pay with your Visa card (which gets another prominent close-up.)

Later in the movie when Cage is caught by the authorities, he's called by the villainous treasure hunter Sean Bean to arrange a transfer of a valuable artifact. Of course he attempts to reach him on his Motorola cell phone. Before handing it to him, make sure the logo is PLAINLY VISIBLE!

I don't know if I'm off my rocker and I'm the only person who notices this, but these kinds of product placements were screamingly obvious to me at several points in the movie. It distracted me from what little story there was.

I'm not saying anything that hasn't been addressed by more competent essayists, but the amount of advertising we're subjected to at the movies is becoming increasingly alarming. If there aren't commercials in front of the trailers before the movie, they're on the packaging of the popcorn and soda we buy. Now they're inserting sponsorship into the plots of the VERY FILM you're watching! This kind of cross-promotion is what advertising executives call "penetration". This is ironic since I get the distinct impression that someone on Madison Avenue is trying to bend me over and have their way with me.

Hey, I understand it must be difficult being an advertising executive. Audiences are savvier to your techniques now than they have ever been in history. You have to CONSTANTLY find new and interesting ways to get your message out there and cut through the clutter. Heck, if you could tattoo the inside of our eyelids while we were sleeping, I'm sure you'd give it a shot.

But to paraphrase the late comedian Bill Hicks... "If you're in advertising, do me a favor. Just... kill yourself. Get it over with right now. Kill yourself." Because I don't think I can tolerate any more commercials when I'm paying to be entertained and to be transported to a realm where these kinds of daily annoyances shouldn't exist.

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NATIONAL PLAUSIBILITY

by Tom on November 19, 2004 at 12:00 am
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(8 votes, average: 8.13 out of 10)
National Treasure, Nic Cage, ancient Egypt, The Crusades, Columbus, Revolutionary War, Free Masons, Declaration of Independence, secret map, treasure hunters, aliens, realm of possibility

For those of you wondering if I've replaced Tom and Jared with two new guys, don't worry. They're just another set of characters I like to dust off every once in a while. Let's call them "The Slacker Screenwriters". They've actually appeared in a couple of comics before.

National Treasure comes out today and every fiber of my being is telling me it's gonna be an early Thanksgiving turkey. First, it's a Jerry Bruckheimer production, so you have to go into it knowing it'll contain high levels of Hollywood cheese.

Second, the director - Jon Turteltaub - directed While You Were Sleeping, Cool Runnings AND 3 Ninjas. Not a confidence boosting resume.

Third, his screenwriters don't fare much better. Jim Kouf wrote Operation Dumbo Drop. Partners Cormac and Marianne Wibberley had a hand in Bad Boys II, Charlie's Angles: Full Throttle and I Spy. None of these films prose inspires confidence.

Basically, it's the homogenized effort of a handful of filmmakers with questionable box office history. I mean, the whole thing smacks of this lazy attitude like, "We couldn't get the rights to The DaVinci Code, but let's make a movie just like it and just sub out Renaissance painters with American history."

Don't even get me started about Nic Cage's very obvious and very bad wig or his character's laughable name of Benjamin Franklin Gates. I mean, why not just go full tilt with it and call him "Dash Charming" or friggin' "Dudley Do-Right", or something? My eyes are rolling out of my head over here.

But yet how can a film that co-stars Harvey Kietel, Sean Bean, Jon Voight and Christopher Plummer be ALL bad? All of these actors I respect and admire, so surely they're bringing something of worth to the table.

That's probably why, despite the film's outlandish plot, I still plan on seeing it tonight. I don't know. I'm just really in the mood for a dumb action/adventure movie right about now. I know I'll be dumber for it later, but it'll be a good time at the movies and I can just turn my brain off for a while.

I'll make up for it later when Mike Nichols' Closer comes out the week after Thanksgiving.

Switching gears for a moment, I wanted to address some business relating to the site. Theater Hopper is hosted by a very nice fellow (and THorum Moderator) Brian Arnold. Brian is in a bit of a pinch right now and asked me to share with you a message regarding his ability to service this site. It is as follows:

Currently, the server we have is pretty rock solid. The problems we've had have been minimal, but the company has been less and less reliable in certain areas, and so it's time to move. Moving will also be an upgrade, including more disk space on the server, as well as literally a processor that is twice as fast, and a connection that is 10 times faster, meaning you'll get more funny at ever greater speeds! However, moving isn't exactly cheap.

If every single visitor to TH gave one penny, we'd have the money to move. Seriously, we don't need tons of money. Technically, we don't need any money. If you don't give anything, the site will still be here for your enjoyment. Donating helps us to make the move to the better server. Any amount of money over and above the needed initial cost will go into future hosting costs.

That said, giving just a penny through Paypal, while thoughtful, doesn't really work. Paypal takes 30 cents no matter what, so when you donate, please give at least 32 cents, so that a penny does reach us

You don't have to give money, but every dollar is appreciated. To donate, click here. Thanks! - Brian

So basically this isn't a "have to" situation. If you guys aren't able to donate to help Brian's cause, it's not a big deal. But Brian offers excellent service and I wanted to return the favor. If you're interested in the long term viability of Theater Hopper - faster performance, more reliable connections - then feel free to donate. Or maybe you're just feeling generous and want to help a fellow tech guy in need. We're not asking for much. A dollar will do. Heck, even fifty cents will do. Whatever sounds fair. We appreciate the opportunity to bring this to your attention.

With that out of the way, I hope everyone has a great weekend. I know I will. I'm typing this from home right now. I'm taking a personal day off from work today and I have a WHOLE LIST of improvements I'm going to make to the site on my day off. Really bring things up to speed. If you visit the site over the weekend, you'll probably see them start popping up here and there. But expect a full breakdown of site additions and revisions on Monday.

Oh, and if you feel up to it, sign up in The THorum and participate in our little weekly ritual - The Friday Five. We ask you five questions, you answer them. Couldn't be easier! If you were looking for a window of opportunity to join the community, it's a great way to introduce yourself and learn more about the other people online! Check it out!

Later!

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