HomeVideodrome: ‘Cave’ Gets 3D Right at Last
by Hunter DuesingIn this week’s episode of the HomeVideodrome podcast, Hunter reviews “Hugo“, “Bridesmaids“, and “Horrible Bosses“, and we also dwell on Werner Herzog’s awesome voice, because hey, there weren’t too many releases one could give a damn about this week. So go listen, and enjoy!
I’m not a fan of 3D. It’s not something I hate by default. It’s a tool that has its place and potential but it’s almost always misused. We’re all aware that in most cases, 3D is cynically slapped onto blockbusters in an effort to jack up ticket prices. As a reward for your extra buck, you tend to get a dim picture and muddy presentation. The only places 3D has been used to proper effect until now is in trashy horror movies like Alexandre Aja’s silly “Piranha 3D,” where the unabashed joy of having sex and violence flying everywhere uses it for glorious base pleasure.
Martin Scorsese recently used 3D to an artful effect in “Hugo,” but it’s one of the rare examples of 3D being used well in a narrative feature. Even when 3D is used well, usually it’s the 2D version I prefer watching. This isn’t the case for Werner Herzog’s “Cave of Forgotten Dreams.”
This is the first time I’ve seen a movie that aims to use 3D as an essential tool and succeeds. Filmmakers like James Cameron and Michael Bay claim they’re using it properly, but their movies stand better without it, whereas I can’t imagine seeing this movie in 2D and it being nearly as engaging or absorbing. Herzog explores the Chauvet Cave with his crew, a cavern in France that contains the earliest known cave paintings, making it what Herzog believes to be the “birthplace of the human soul.”
What is striking about the paintings in the Chauvet Cave is that the artists used the natural contours of the walls of the caves to complement their work. Herzog effectively uses 3D as a tool to make this apparent, thus making this journey into art’s primordial ooze all the more interesting to see.
As a musing on the evolution of man, Herzog, a master filmmaker who hasn’t lost his daring edge, is offering up a documentary that explores the sort of grand concepts he is wont to sink his teeth in. Herzog’s past work as a documentarian has contained breathtaking, unforgettable images, such as the spectacular underwater photography in “Encounters at the End of the World” or Timothy Treadwell’s stunning nature footage in “Grizzly Man.” “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” is special in that it has a texture you can reach out and touch, using 3D to give us a rare look into mankind’s earliest work of art.
It’s rare a documentary that seems to be more transportative in its ambitions, and is successful in doing so. This is one of the few instances in which I would say the 3D Blu-ray is the way to go, if you have the means to see it that way.
Available on 3D Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo and DVD
Other Noteworthy Releases
30 Minutes or Less: A lean action/comedy from the director of “Zombieland” that I enjoyed quite a bit. Given Danny McBride almost always plays Kenny Powers, one wonders what took Hollywood so long to put him in a movie as the villain. His character’s ringtone being “Raining Blood” by Slayer was a hilarious little touch.
Available on Blu-ray and DVD
Our Idiot Brother: Maybe if I’m bored, drunk, and browsing through NetFlix Instant …
Available on Blu-ray and DVD
Tucker & Dale vs. Evil: This horror-comedy starring Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine comes highly recommended to me by those who have seen it, in which the conventional stereotypes of the horror genre undergo a role reversal.
One Day: Starring Jim Sturgess and Anne Hathaway, this adaptation of David Nicholls’s popular novel received a lukewarm response. This is another “wait for NetFlix … maybe” title for me.
The Future: Oh-so-precious indie auteur Miranda July’s new film. Everyone I know who has seen this movie has had a very strong love-it-or-hate-it reaction, which means it must be interesting, at the very least.
Available on DVD
Another Earth: A slow, philosophical, independent science fiction film. Given that most mainstream sci-fi films are usually action films that take place in a futuristic setting, the majority of the worthwhile films in the genre are being made outside of Hollywood.
Available on Blu-ray/DVD combo
Flying Guillotine: Not to be confused with “Master of the Flying Guillotine,” though this Shaw Brothers production does feature Jimmy Wang Yu, as well as the great Chen Kuan-tai.
Available on DVD
Horror Express: If it has Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and Telly Savalas, chances are I’m going to watch it.
Available on Blu-ray/DVD combo
Eclipse Series 30 – Sabu!: This box set centered around Indian actor Selar “Sabu” Shaik features movies by great filmmakers like Zoltán Korda and Robert Flaherty, specifically “Elephant Boy,” “Drum” and “Jungle Book.”
Available on DVD
Available on Friday, December 2nd
Friends With Benefits: Not to be confused with “No Strings Attached.” I like what BBC Radio 5 film critic Mark Kermode had to say about this one. He said “When Harry Met Sally” is a film that explores the question of whether or not a guy and gal can just be friends, or does the whole “sex” thing always get in the way? “Friends With Benefits,” on the other hand, asks whether or net men and women can just have sex, or does the whole “friends” thing always get in the way. I think I’ll just watch the one with Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan again instead.
The Smurfs: No thank you.
Available on 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD
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12 Comments
i wish I could see Cave of Forgotten Dreams in a theater in 3D, rather than on the small screen at home (someone else's home, because I'm not investing in home 3d technology for quite some time, if ever). I've read nothing but amazing things about it, but unfortunately I doubt I'll get the opportunity for a 3D theater experience. regardless, I will not allow myself to watch it in 2D, despite how excited I am to see it.
The documentary looks intriguing, the music sounds grating.
I've heard nothing but good things about Tucker & Dale vs Evil. I'll be watching it this week. I did get 30 Minutes or Less from Netflix but I don't have high hopes for it.
Herzog never fails to offer up something fascinating and unique. This one's definitely on my list.
Sounds like "Cave" displays a great use of 3D – for visualization, rather than gimmickry. Get someone with vision like David Lean and Freddie Young to do it well, and it will bring people in droves. The tech still has a way to go for mass consumption. OTOH, my son has an amazing 3D camera phone that needs no glasses.
3D's absolutely worthless if, like me, you're blind in one eye.
An astute reader pointed out an error I made when writing up FLYING GUILLOTINE:
"Jimmy Wang Yu is not in FLYING GUILLOTINE, or any Shaw Bros. movie after 1971. The Amazon listing confuses him with Yung Wang Yu, the Liang Bros. actor that has a supporting role in the film."
My bad!
Not that anyone here keeps score, but I am a booster for 3D done right, and I hope more quality filmmakers learn to use that tool well for story telling.
In general I have found 3-D to be nothing more than a gratuitous special effect searching for a story line, I will check out the Herzog film. I have previously hesitated on the Scorsece 3-D offering, but I may give it a chance as well.
I see 20/100 out of one eye and 20/15 out of the other. I am amazed that the new 3D technology works for me. It gives me a pounding headache, however.
I think I could actually go see this. Of course, I'd rather go to France and see them in person. That's the best 3D.
Tucker & Dale…OUTSTANDING!
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