Toren Atkinson’s Absolute Blog

Here’s what I wrote on the imdb for Deep Sea 3D

If cavemen were thawed out from a block of ice and saw a program on a TV, they would look at eachother and say (in their cavemen tongue) “that’s magic!” If the same cavemen were at a screening of Deep Sea 3D at the IMAX theater they would rip out their own eyes and try to beat eachother to death with them because it is dark dark magic that will grab you by your very soul. I had been waiting a long time to see the sights in this film and I was not disappointed. But the keyword here is “sights.” Although this film definitely merits a 9 out of 10, there were a few small things that kept it from hitting that “10/10″ mark.

I have no problem with Johnny Depp or Kate Winslet, or their voices. However, the back and forth narration with them basically finishing one another’s sentences was distracting.

I can understand why they added their own sound effects to “enhance” the movie, but it got a little over-the-top at times, and I think if one wasn’t particularly perceptive they might not realize that what they were hearing was essentially special effects added to a nature documentary. Now don’t tell me “well 3D is a special effect too but you’re not complaining about that!” The difference is, they are up front about the 3D effect. Simply adding a disclaimer at the beginning of the film to the effect of “some audio effects have been added” would have been a nice gesture.

I know IMAX films are expensive to produce, and I guess it could be interpreted as a compliment when one comes out of a movie saying “I wish there were more,” but it really was too short. As long as you know when you’re shelling out your $11.50 that you’re only getting 45 minutes, you’ll be okay. (Really, for me, the bits with the humboldt squid and the pacific octopus made it money well spent)

So apart from these minor annoyances, Deep Sea 3D is definitely something you should treat yourself to in the theaters while you can! Hopefully in a couple of years they’ll have the expertise to give us a 3D IMAX film about the weird and grotesque sea creatures in the abyss!

I have never owned an umbrella. If I have to go out when it’s raining, I just get wet. Usually, it doesn’t matter. I’m not going anywhere so important that I have to be dry. However yesterday I went for an appointment at Radical Games and I wished I wasn’t soaked when I got there. So when I dropped by The Comicshop afterwards (to drop off tickets to the Con Fu gaming convention) and Ryan asked me how I was doing and I replied “wet,” he offered me an umbrella that someone left at the store. I took it. And I used it on my journey home.

I think that two things in the world should have no monetary value: bikes and umbrellas. I recall a story that in some city in Washington they had a program where there was a communal bike program. Bikes just lay all over town and if you came by one and you needed it, you hopped on. When you arrived at your destination, you left the bike nearby so somebody could use it. Umbrellas should be the same way - there should be no ownership. If you go out and halfway through the day it stops raining, leave your umbrella in that bucket at the closest store. Or they could have umbrella depots on every block, maybe right beside phone booths. I’d be willing to give up my free umbrella to the program - how about you?

I just don’t understand why some people aren’t as interested in deep sea life as I am! Weird!

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Are all my readers gone? It’s been a week since I posted anything of substance. Well my friends, I have been busy drawing. I have 3 art jobs to catch up on and I took 5 days off my day job to work on them. I went from practically never watching TV to watching hour after hour day after day. So I’m caught up on all the dumb commercials. Through an amazing set of circumstances, I haven’t missed an episode of America’s Next Top Model since the new season started. Last night they got rid of my second favourite. I liked her because she wasn’t stupidly skinny. Toren’s top model is, of course, the one with the short, dyed red hair, Molly Sue.

I’ve also been watching a lot of Turner Classic Movies. I love that channel. LOVE IT! And I’ve been taping some science documentaries.

The other night I had a dream that Taylor and I were on a Greyhound to Chilliwack. I sat next to a girl who happened to be incredibly cute and we bonded over a Fugazi song. I missed my stop when we got to Chilliwack (the Greyhound became a city bus) so she invited me to her place. It was a great way to start a dream but then it became an exercise in frustration as I met her crazy grandma and I spent the rest of the dream trying to find my wallet in my backpack.