The latest Christopher Nolan cinematc mindbender will keep you riveted throughout the 2 1/2-hour running time, not only due to the fast pace, high energy, and frequent innovative action scenes, but also because of the challenge in deciphering the plot and setting that is literally working on multiple levels — of the dream-state and subconscious minds of the characters.

The elaborate visual elements and dynamic chases, including the eye-popping sight of a full-scale train plowing through rush-hour automobile traffic on a downtown city street, is all quite enveloping when it encompasses your entire horizontal and vertical field of view in a full-scale IMAX theater, as was the case at Universal CityWalk’s IMAX theater Thursday night. (The digitally remastered film for IMAX theaters opened on 22 international IMAX screens Thursday and will follow in 44 others internationally in the coming weeks.)

Nolan, whose “Dark Knight,” also from Warner Bros., grossed more than $65 million at IMAX theaters, said audiences will get the best immersive experience when watching it in IMAX. ”We have done all kinds of things to re-format the film for The IMAX Experience, and as a result, you get enhanced clarity, sound and a closer relationship with the action.”

“…Nolan and IMAX have once again proven to be ideally suited to each other,” said Warner Bros. Pictures’ president of domestic distribution Dan Fellman. He also noted that with the number of IMAX theaters doubling since the release of “Dark Knight,” more moviegoers will be able to “experience ‘Inception’  in this exceptional format.”

“With a visionary director that knows and understands the power of the IMAX medium, …this film has all the key ingredients for an anchor 2010 IMAX release,” said Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment.

M.C. Escher 1960 lithograph Ascending and Descending

I am not the first to make the comparison to “The Matrix” or even Nolan’s “Memento” when referencing the cryptic challenges of “Inception,” but the movie is also filled with fun homages or maybe even Nolan’s own subconscious references to other movies such as the gun-toting skiers and even the accompanying score during what I’ll call the Level 3 setting that is very reminiscent of a couple of James Bond movies. Nolan also borrows from M.C. Escher, using CGI to bring to cinematic life the artist’s famous visual puzzles drawings of continuous up/down staircases.

Ever since “Catch Me If You Can” in 2002, Leonardo DiCacprio’s performances have been noticeably stronger with each new challenging role he chooses to tackle as opposed to settling for an obvious or easy character in a simple, one-dimensional  film.

That trend continues here as DiCaprio delivers a convincing character of sufficient depth that amidst all the action and the brain-testing labyrinth of story-lines and the real and imagined characters and settings, he is able to repeatedly engage and capture our deep sympathy and emotion in gripping scenes depicting his struggle to reconnect with his two young children and come to terms about an unresolved traumatic confrontation with his wife.

DiCaprio is supported by a strong cast including Joseph Gordon-Levitt (”500 Days of Summer”), Ellen Page (”Juno”), Ken Watanabe (”The Last Samurai”), Marion Cotillard (”La vie en rose”), Tom Hardy (”RocknRolla”), Cillian Murphy (”Batman Begins”), Tom Berenger (”Platoon”) and even Michael Caine in a small but important role. But, as always, this is Christopher Nolan’s movie with his stamp on the concept, writing, and directing.

– By Scott Hettrick

Sony’s new HiDef Blu-ray edition of Harryhausen’s 1963 classic “Jason and the Argonauts” ($24.95) — the story of a fearless sailor who returns to his kingdom to recover the Golden Fleece and claim his place on the throne with the help of the Queen of the Gods Hera (Honour Blackman, who was then co-star on TV’s “The Avengers” and would portray Pussy Galore in the James Bond movie “Goldfinger” a year later) not only showcases the film in its best light ever, it also offers several bonus features in which filmmakers pay tribute to the impact Harryhausen had on their careers.

This is the movie best remembered for Jason’s fight against the seven-headed Hydra snake-like creature and the groundbreaking battle between the title characters and sword-wielding skeletons, the latter of which doesn’t happen until the final six minutes of the movie. (What’s not remembered as often is that the score is by legendary composer Bernard Herrmann — “North by Northwest,” “Psycho,” “Citizen Kane,” etc.)

The new HiDef transfer offers a very clean and vivid image and colors, though, as with all movies of the era, there is no way to completely mask the obvious superimposed effects shots, the affected color of some models and sets, or the cheesey shots of the gods looking down on their human puppets through a smoke-rimmed reflecting pool. Of course the techniques employed and perfected by Harryhausen — stop-motion animation and rear-screen projection — appear very primitive to audiences raised on CGI and green screen photography, as do all pre-CGI movies. And many of the relatively low-budget productions of everything from “20 Million Miles to Earth” in 1957 and “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad” in 1958 to “Clash of the Titans” in 1981, even featured obvious stock footage in some scenes as a cost-saving strategy.

Nonetheless, these films were often the introduction to the wonderous potential of moviemaking as well as Greek mythology to imaginative young boys such as John Landis and Peter Jackson, who made repeated visits to their local movie complexes in Los Angeles and New Zealand to wallow in these cinematic presentations of magic.

In an interview from some years ago, Landis (”Animal House,” “Thriller,” “The Blues Brothers,” “An American Werewolf in London”) spends aout 10-minutes talking to Harryhausen, who turned 90 last month, about “Jason,” his craft and career. Although the production seems somewhat clunky and amateurish, what comes through is the awe of Landis for Harryhausen, who heaps praise on the legend not only for the effects but also for the casting and acting in “Jason,” including what he feels was the best portrayal of Hercules (it’s not clear just how much control Harryhausen had on any of these decisions as compared with director Don Chaffey).

In his audio commentary with visual effects artists Randall William Cook (”The Thing,” “Lord of the Rings”), Peter Jackson (”King Kong,” “Lord of the Rings”) points out intricate techniques Harryhausen used to accomplish tasks such as the wires and frame-by-frame matching coordination needed to pull off scenes such as animated flying creatures attacking and unrolling the cloak of a live actor as he rolled on the ground.

Harryhausen offers his own description of such scenes on a separate audio track with film historian Tony Dalton, the latter of whom points out Harryhausen going the extra step in scenes such as as the skeleton battle when he took pains to show a skeleton jumping over a fallen human body rather than taking the easier route in having the skeleton walk around the body. Harryhausen offers fascinating anecdotes such as noting a scene that was deleted in which the beheaded skeleton was shown looking for his head (it interrupted the flow of the scene).

Between the commentaries and the bonus interviews, there are many more revelations, such as the reason an actor was used to play Neptune instead of a model (water is too difficult to use with tiny models since the drops seem enormous, in addition to the lack of control) and the reason that actor was chosen as Neptune — his arms were long enough to reach over the model of the argonauts’ boat. Harryhausen also defends criticism of the jerky movements of the giant bronze statue with the vulnerable heel, which he says was by design because the statue was supposed to have difficulty moving his creaky metal body parts.

As is mentioned in tributes, one of Harryhausen’s gifts and skills was in bringing a real sense of emotion to these animated characters who had limited or non-existent facial expressions — his careful and specific movements of their appendages and bodies amazingly conveyed pain, anger, sorrow, and much more.

Another new featurette, “The Harryhausen Legacy,” and a terrific 1997 Richard Schickel hourlong TV profile marrated by Leonard Nimoy,” offer more interviews with the likes of George Lucas and in-depth summaries of the work and influence of Harryhausen.

– By Scott Hettrick

After an 11-year absence, it’s great fun to welcome back Woody, Buzz, and their toy friends.

Paralleling the storyline of the movie, “Toy Story 3” will no doubt enjoy the welcome and warm embrace of a whole new generation of loving and laughing kids.

TS3 showcases more than a decade of improved computer animation and digital effects. It may also be the most ambitious entry in the franchise with the first-time addition of 3D on initial release and the world premiere of the new Dolby Surround 7.1 (where available), but also in terms of the scale of the story, the numerous new characters, and the lengthiest running time yet of 1-hour 43-minutes.

Perhaps it is by design but none of the technical advancements are obvious. Sadly, that includes the 3D, which is almost imperceptible, as was the case with the first two Toy Story movies that were converted to 3D last year and, really, all of the Pixar movies and many others.

As always, any degree of 3D is considerably improved when viewed at an IMAX 3D theater, especially the original largest-screen venues like the one at Universal CityWalk theater where I saw an advance screening Wednesday night. The much bigger picture that encompasses most of your field of view, and perhaps the IMAX 3D process itself, combine to create a far more immersive experience than a traditional theater for any movie, but especially 3D movies from “Avatar” to “Alice in Wonderland” and now “Toy Story 3.”

Four days earlier I saw “Toy Story 3″ at a 10 a.m. screening at Disney’s El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, which uses the RealD 3D system.

As often happens, the family audience with many kids were giddy with delight at the pre-movie Disney Digital 3D branding logo that popped out of the screen. But nothing that followed ever approached that type of visual impact or audience response, prompting one patron to say afterwards that she would never pay the higher ticket price to see the movie in 3D. Similarly, the IMAX branding trailer with the giant 10-9-8-7-6… countdown reaches into the audience far more dynamically than anything in the movie itself.

Similarly, there were no moments that the improved Dolby surround system was apparent — I don’t recall noticing any sounds from the sides or behind me. (Disney’s El Capitan is equipped with Dolby 7.1.)

Once again this Pixar movie is preceded by a very clever animated short, this one called “Day & Night.” The innovative concept features a couple of competing blob-ish cartoons whose bodies are windows into opposite worlds of landscapes and activities in the daytime and the same scenes after dark. The 3D provides a nice, if not dramatic enhancement.

Once again in this chapter of the Toy Story the adventure is driven by the toys’ fear (warranted) that they are about to be abandoned by their aging owner Andy (now heading off to college). And once again the toys are mistakenly picked up and taken away from Andy’s house, forcing them to escape danger and find their way back. Only this time their fate is so sealed that their focus is set on avoiding the incinerator and creating a new future for themselves.

And once again, many new toy characters are introduced (fewer humans this time), most notably a duplicitous fashion-focused Ken doll voiced by Michael Keaton, a toy dedicated to improving his thespian skills voiced by one-time 007 actor Timothy Dalton, and a dictatorial stuffed bear voiced by Ned Beatty.

There is no show-stopping melancholy montage set to a memorable song this time as with Jesse’s “When Somebody Loved Me” in “Toy Story 2.” And the toys and audience are taken to some of the darkest and scariest places yet, including a toy world version of prison (with an homage to the warden of “Cool Hand Luke” reading rules that each end with the threat of “a night in the box”), several tension-filled moments inside the compacting mechanism of a trash truck, and a lengthy frightening ride to an actual incinerator.

But there are plenty of laugh-out loud lines and visual scripted gags, and some moments of genuine emotion, especially the poignant and mostly happy ending.

– By Scott Hettrick

Scott Hettrick

Although I have seen a handful of live sporting events broadcast in 3D, mostly in theaters, I saw for the first time what a significant difference there is when watching a sports event on TV in 3D side-by-side next to the same program in standard 2D.

Just one example was when Mexico took a shot on goal and the camera was high and to the side. On a Samsung LED TV showing the ESPN HD broadcast I was unable to determine initially whether the ball was heading into the goal or not. When I quickly glanced over to the TV right next to it, a Panasonic plasma showing the same play on ESPN 3D it was immediately clear that there was a significant distance between the ball and the goal posts — the ball was very wide right of the goal. That wasn’t obvious on the 2D TV until the ball went past the goal, and, of course, in the replays.

As with all things 3D, the camera angles lowest to the ground with something or someone in the foreground near the camera offered the best sense of depth but even the full shots of the field were noticeably superior to the 2D version.

The 3D telecast viewed through Panasonic’s companion active-shutter 3D glasses were clear and vivid and provided a much more enticing, enhanced experience compared to the 2D broadcast. That feeling was shared by multiple DirecTV executives wandering in and out of the room in their corporate headquarters in El Segundo, Ca., where I was viewing the event. (Required technical upgrades to view programming in 3D was automatically and seamlessly downloaded a couple weeks ago to the HD receivers of customers but I have not purchased a 3DTV yet.)

One of those DirecTV executives was Romuto Pontual, executive VP and chief technology officer, who pointed out the unique 3D features of the DirecTV HD DVR, which will record any 3D programming as it would 2D programs. Replaying 3D and using the slow-motion is pretty nifty. But he noted that the image automatically shifts to 2D during fast scanning forward or back to make it easier on the eyes. The same goes for when a DirecTV menu is on the screen; the image is automatically converted to 2D until the menu display disappears, to avoid eye strain.

Speaking of eye discomfort, I had none at all despite watching the 3D broadcast for 2 1/2-hours, which was a pleasant discovery after so many people have expressed concern about long-term viewing in 3D (BTW, “Avatar” was longer than many sporting events and no one complained about that).

The inaugural 3D telecast was not flawless; there were periodic moments when the image went gray-ish for a second and then went out of convergence for two or three seconds (the separate images split apart so they became two overlapping blurry images). DirecTV engineers in the broadcast center in Santa Monica reported that this was a glitch coming from the transmission site (ESPN 3D is picking up the coverage from a 3D world feed provided by and produced by FIFA for all 25 matches being broadcast in 3D — complete list below).

And there are other more subtle differences that viewers will notice. For instance, the broadcast, which features its own smaller number of cameras (and its own announcing team), features fewer cutaway shots to close-ups and field level angles. Although this may seem counter-intuitive since close-ups and lower angles are more effective for 3D, too many cuts can be a little more jarring to the eye in 3D, so they say. I didn’t notice any problem with the still significant number of camera shot changes. In fact, comparing to the 2D broadcast, I found I was enjoying the less frantic approach that showed more of the field and players more often, at least for this sport.

I also enjoyed the four 3D commercials from three different sponsors more than those in the 2D telecast, particularly the dynamic and humorous soccer-related ad from Sony showing balls being kicked at the camera. Gillette’s Fusion ad with the floating razor also made good use of the 3D. ESPN’s “This is SportsCenter” ad was amusing but did not use the 3D as effectively as the others. Luckily, since soccer goes without a commercial break during each 45-minute half (plus stoppage time), the same package of commercials being repeated over and over did not get old, as was the case during the NCAA Final Four telecasts.

Perhaps the most effective 3D ads are those Sony banners in the South African soccer stadium itself — “Make believe: 3D” and “Imagine Football in 3D.” Those look just as good in 2D, and anyone watching the games in the stadium or any any type of TV in the world are getting the 3D message.

ESPN 3D is showing one game almost every day of the month-long World Cup and two on July 3. The complete ESPN 3D schedule:

Date                Time (all PT)    Match
Fri, June 11    7 a.m.     South Africa vs. Mexico
Sat, June 12    7 a.m.     Argentina vs. Nigeria
Sun, June 13    11:30 a.m.     Germany vs. Australia
Mon, June 14    4:30 a.m.     Netherlands vs. Denmark
Tues, June 15    11:30 a.m.     Brazil vs. North Korea
Wed, June 16    7 a.m.     Spain vs. Switzerland
Thurs, June 17    4:30 a.m.     Argentina vs. South Korea
Fri, June 18    4:30 a.m.    Slovenia vs. United States
Sat, June 19    4:30 a.m.     Netherlands vs. Japan
Sun, June 20    11:30 a.m.     Brazil vs. Ivory Coast
Mon, June 21    11:30 a.m.     Spain vs. Honduras
Tues, June 22    11:30 a.m.     Nigeria vs. South Korea
Wed, June 23    11:30 a.m.     Ghana vs. Germany
Thurs, June 24    7 a.m.     Slovakia vs. Italy
Fri, June 25    7 a.m.     Portugal vs. Brazil
Sun, June 27    11:30 a.m.     Round of 16 match
Mon, June 28    7 a.m.     Round of 16 match
11:30 a.m.   Round of 16 match
Fri, July 2    11:30 a.m. Quarterfinals
Sat, July 3    7 a.m.     Quarterfinals
Sat, July 3    11:30 a.m.     Quarterfinals
Tues, July 6    11:30 a.m.     Semifinals
Wed, July 7    11:30 a.m.     Semifinals
Sat, July 10    11:30 a.m.     3rd place match
Sun, July 11    11:30 a.m.     Finals

– By Scott Hettrick

Scott Hettrick

(Story continues below following 3-minute video interview with Lalas and highlights from the event.)

Unbeknownst to Lalas and most others, as the team prepared for the match several players and the coach were hit with death threats from their countrymen over allegations involving Pablo Escobar.
Playing under stress and without a key player specifically targeted by the threats, Andres Escobar compounded the problem on the field when he made a shocking mistake during the game, accidentally deflecting a kick by U.S. midfielder John Harkes into his own goal.

A week later the soccer star Escobar was gunned down in a parking lot back in his home country.

Lalas was watching the movie for the first time. Immediately afterwards he told HollywoodInHiDef.com/3DHollywood.net that learning about the murder immediately cast a different perspective on the otherwise triumphant feeling by the U.S. team for their historic victory that propelled them to the second round. It was odd waking up feeling like somehow the U.S. played a small role in the murder of a global star soccer player, he said. But, as the film points out, there is reason for Alexi and his teammates not to feel any sense of responsibility.

In fact, the film by brothers Jeff and Michael Zimbalist provides an abundance of important details and context as it expertly interweaves the stories of these two men and their home country that most of us remember from the 1980s as nothing more than the drug and murder capital of the world.

HiDef images certainly heightens the impact but it is the exhaustive number of new interviews blended with a remarkable amount of archival audio and film and news footage, including some with Pablo playing soccer with the team while in prison, amongst other personal movies of the drug kingpin, that creates the biggest and most lasting impression.

“The Two Escobars” is one of the strongest entries in the “30 for 30″ series that has already set the bar high with programs such as Mike Tollin’s look at the first pro football network covered by ESPN, “Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL?”

Lalas, who later became general manager of the Los Angeles Galaxy, joined ESPN in 2009 and will be the network’s studio analyst for the entire 64-match World Cup schedule being televised live in HiDef by ESPN from June 11 – July 11.

“The Two Escobars” is one of two terrific new World Cup movies that will inspire great interest in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and the other movie even features a World Cup based in South Africa, but it’s not soccer/futbol but about the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Click here to read my review of the new Blu-ray release of Clint Eastwood’s “Invictus,” the inspirational docu-drama of the team that helped Nelson Mandela restore pride to South Africa.

– By Scott Hettrick

Before you even push “play,” the 60-second highlight promo loop on the opening menu screen will knock your socks off. A fun new branding logo after the closing credits of the movie assures us that the Blu-ray transfer won the important THX seal of quality approval. (A seemingly inadvertent disclaimer for audio commentaries and interviews that follows the THX logo suggests those may be elements on a special edition that producer Jon Landau says is coming in November).

This edition is as stripped down as you can get — a menu for scenes is all you get; not even a trailer or promo of any kind.

But for many of the fans that helped the movie become the top-grossing film of all-time, the movie will be plenty, especially when it looks this good. The inherent brightness of your video display counters the image seen in theaters through dark polarized glasses. It’s particularly dazzling in the luminescent flora of the Pandora planet of blue people called Na’vi, as well as the flights atop the giant flying creatures.

And while you may miss the extra depth provided by the 3D in a few scenes, for the most part the lack of 3D is not noticeable since the 3D effect in the movie was kept to such a minimum that it was often not even perceptible.

Also improving on the theatrical presentation in many theaters, the Blu-ray is presented in a 1.78:1 (16×9) aspect ratio, which adds more height to the 2.35:1 image seen in most theaters other than IMAX. This also really adds more impact to the flying scenes, especially when they fly vertically down the mountains, and is the screen size dimension that Cameron said he came to love in IMAX and on Blu-ray.

I didn’t love “Avatar” in terms of story and especially in terms of the characters — even in a 3D movie these are as one-dimensional as you can get — neither did I dislike it as much as others. I was disappointed in the subtlety of the 3D and bored with the half-hour final battle that seemed as though it came to an ending about three times before finally wrapping up after 2-hours and 40-minutes.

Having said that, I was blown away by the seamless blend of CGI, motion-capture and live-action like never before. Unlike almost every other movie where I am immediately taken out of the film as soon as there is a CGI character or effect that is obviously CGI, this was the first movie — a milestone in filmmaking — where I felt like the CGI/Mo-cap characters felt as real as the live-action characters.

Because of the unprecedented visuals (discounting the 3D) and the impeccable transfer in this full 1080p Blu-ray version that uses the top quality AVC MPEG-4 codec on the maximum 50 gigabyte dual-layered Blu-ray Disc, this “Avatar” edition has instantly become my new demonstration disc to show off Hi-Def Blu-ray to visitors.

– By Scott Hettrick

Criterion’s long-awaited Blu-ray release of Terrence Malick’s stunning 90-minute cinematic painting about an early 1900s Chicago steel worker who accidentally kills his supervisor and then flees with his young sister and his girlfriend to become a field worker in Texas, where they devise a dangerous con against the wealthy young owner of the ranch, comes two years after the company’s 2007 DVD version. It features all the same terrific bonus features which are worth revisiting (see below).

Never has a film had such impact and told such a powerful story of a bygone era with such a scarcity of dialogue. You are drawn in immediately and deeply by the rendition of Camille Saint-Saëns’ ethereal and strangely simultaneously haunting “Carnival of the Animals – The Aquarium” under the opening title sequence. From there, the matter-of-fact observations heard in a raspy and innocent voice-over of the young actress played by Linda Manz, clearly already impacted by the rough challenges of her few years of life, captivates and engages the viewer and never lets go.

But the real treat here are the images that are more vivid and impeccable than ever before. And that is most rewarding since there is nary a frame of film that could not be removed and displayed in an art gallery, particularly the early scenes of migrant workers riding atop a freight train, amongst dozens of others.

The bonus features produced for the 2007 DVD that are re-produced here:

* An audio interview with star Richard Gere and video interview with co-star Sam Shepard during which they describe how the movie was written and shot with a typical amount of dialogue, most of which was later cut during a two-year editing process.

* A fascinating anecdote-filled audio commentary includes a note by casting director Dianne Crittenden that Mallick’s first choice for Gere’s role was John Travolta, then starring in the TV series “Welcome Back, Kotter.”

* A video interview with then-camera operator John Bailey offers fascinating background on the filming process, such as the need to move production from the Texas panhandle to Canada, Malick’s penchant for being distracted from a set-up with actors to turn the cameras towards birds flying by or to catch a pretty sunset, and including fun tidbits such as how a scene showing hundreds of thousands of locusts flying up from the wheat fields was filmed by reversing film of peanuts being dropped from an airplane.

* A 42-page color booklet featuring a five-page recent essay by Adrian Martin and a 17-page reprint from the 1984 autobiography of cinematographer Nestor Alemendros’s engaging description of his experience on “Days of Heaven,” for which he won an Academy Award, including details about being forced to hand his job over to Oscar-winning cinematographer Haskell Wexler for the final 19 days of the 72-day shoot.

By the way, that other visually astounding film ranked alongside “Days of Heaven?” Stanley Kubrick’s 1975 masterpiece “Barry Lyndon,” for which I am patiently waiting for a Blu-ray edition from Warner Home Video. (Interestingly, “Barry Lyndon” also starred a young pretty boy actor — Ryan O’Neal — who, like Richard Gere, would not have been cast by another director to carry such a heavy drama.)

– By Scott Hettrick

The Blu-ray of “Under the Sea” has something IMAX did not, five featurettes that explore even deeper the production at the Great Barrier Reef, Indonesia, South Australia, and Milne Bay and New Britain in Indonesia. A mini-documentary on the challenges and breathtaking rewards of shooting with a giant IMAX camera is enormously fascinating.

And thank you for demonstrating once again how a good filmmaker can bring 3D images way off the screen and keep it in the viewer’s face almost continually for maximum dynamic effect without using a single gimmick of poking anything at the camera, without making us feel like we are in a theme park attraction, and without giving us eye or brain fatigue.
(Story continues below the following video from the March 11 premiere at the California Science Center, including interviews with Myers and astronaut Mike Massimino.)

Myers told 3DHollywood.net (in video above) that she and her filmmaking partners approach 3D the exact opposite of their Hollywood brethren who, so far, use what she characterizes as a more cautious approach, or at least prefer to take the image depth behind the screen rather than in front.

For 43 minutes you’ll swear you are right inside the cramped shuttle cabin with the astronauts who appear only inches away. You’ll feel like you are one of the lucky ones on the bleachers at Cape Canaveral cheering the spectacular launch of the shuttle; that is, until you feel like you’re one of the birds almost too close to the lift-off and dangerously close to the torrent of water below the soon-to-be-massive flames from the black rocket cones moments before ignition. You sense the tedium and nervous tension as astronauts work exhaustively in the silent dark vacuum of space to remove dozens of screws — a task they liken to performing brain surgery while wearing boxing gloves — all the while aware that the tiniest rip in their own gloves could be fatal.

Astronaut Mike Massimino says Myers’ IMAX 3D production is so realistic that for the first time he doesn’t feel frustrated at not being able to convey to his family and friends the grandeur and exhilaration he felt on previous missions.

And finally you’ll feel a very different kind of star-struck and humbled by the 3D computer-generated fly-bys of star Sirius and Orion’s Belt and beyond our Milky Way to neighboring galaxy Andromeda and the Virgo Cluster of two thousand galaxies, just one of which is ten times bigger than the Milky Way.

You can practically turn your head left and right to see the celestial bodies sail past. You have never felt so surrounded by stars or simultaneously awestruck and insignificant.

In addition to the primary behemoth 700-pound IMAX 3D camera fixed in the cargo bay loaded with nearly 1-mile of film that yields only 8-minutes of footage and which therefore had to be judiciously turned on and off and affixed with the proper lenses and correct exposure settings each time by astronauts who were trained for months by Myers, the flight also included several HD cameras that were manipulated back home so the images filled the seven-story tall IMAX film frame and were converted to 3D.

For the space flight simulation, Myers, in cooperation with NASA, used actual data and images from the Hubble and created by the imaging team at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, and the computing facilities at the Advanced Visualization Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne. One can imagine that the resulting visualization could look very close to an actual inter-galaxy flight light-years in the future.

Warner Bros., which is distributing the film, will expand the release to newer and smaller digital IMAX screens in multiplexes such as AMC in August. Here’s hoping that Hollywood filmmakers embarking on their maiden 3D voyage take 43-minutes to learn just how dynamic and potentially powerful 3D is when used properly with restrained aggression.

As good as it was in theaters, especially on IMAX screens, the total experience is notably enhanced on Blu-ray disc with even more insightful behind-the-scenes footage, including a powerful 10-minute dancer audition bonus feature, a riveting two-part 40-minute “Staging the Show” that serves as a quite gratifying extension of the movie itself, and an inspirational and exhilarating 16-minute “Memories of Michael” piece that offers illuminating and heart-tugging comments about Jackson from those involved with the planned theater production. There are several other bonus features as well, including a look at the costuming for the show, a making of “Smooth Criminal” featurette, and Blu-ray exclusive full presentations of the dynamic filmed vignettes for “Smooth Criminal” and “Thriller,” both newly produced for the stage production and shown extensively in “This is It.”

Sheets of cardboard 3D glasses being given away free at Target stores Jan. 24 -31 to view "Earth Song" segment during the Grammy Awards.

The only thing missing from the theatrical and Blu-ray versions is the 3D film footage shot for the stage show. One of those — the 3D footage shot for a dramatic interpretation of the protection of the environment called “Earth Song” — will be featured during Sunday’s (Jan. 31) Grammy Awards program. Alas, it’s a few months too early for the new-and-improved 3D TV format but here’s hoping Sony will add that and the other 3D footage to a subsequent Blu-ray edition of this movie later this year.

What might have been perhaps the most jaw-dropping 3D element of this show or any show that we will never see is described in detail in “Staging the Show” with some visual references: a 100-foot wide by 30-foot tall screen (it was actually set up at Staples Center in Los Angeles during rehearsals) that would have shown a giant jet — “MJ Air,” of course — appearing to taxi onto the stage with a long wing seeming to extend out over the audience. A door and ramp would unfold from the screen/jet and Micheal would ascend the ramp into the jet, which would then taxi away from the audience, turn 180-degrees and take off a few feet over the heads of the audience for possibly the most dramatic exit ever staged.

Now, when I say this was the best movie of 2009, I’m not just talking about a documentary or a concert movie; I mean the best movie of any category. It’s extraordinary but “This is It” has all the elements you expect in a scripted film:

• Fantastic soundtrack, of course — including a wonderful original new soulful and “simmering” intro to “The Way You Make Me Feel.”
• Courageous and engaging lead performance by Jackson – it’s stunning to watch him perform and interact/give direction to his crew, even moreseo in light of his death that we now know was just days after these scenes in the film.
• 

  Australian guitarist extraordinaire Orianthi was hand-picked by Michael Jackson to handle live on-stage versions of famous guitar riffs in his songs such as "Beat It" and "Black or White."

  Terrific characters and supporting performances by show producer Kenny Ortega and pleasantly surprising charismatic and unlikely on-camera newcomers including Travis Payne (choreographer, associate producer), Michael Beardon (musical director), among others, and a scene-stealing performance by smokin’ good young Aussie female guitarist Orianthi.

• Emotion-evoking scenes — to the filmmakers’ credit, not related to Jackson’s death — in which dancers are genuinely overcome with the realization of being chosen to perform by and with someone who has had such a life-altering impact on their lives. All of which is all the more revealing to the viewer to see that level of adoration, respect, and emotion even before Jackson’s death, and all the more melancholy knowing that the lives of those dancers are about to be shattered just days before the first public performance was scheduled in London.

All of this, including the dancer interviews, was captured informally by various camera people thinking they were simply taping random stuff for Michael’s personal collection. In fact, the rehearsal performance footage expertly woven together by director Kenny Ortega is a hodgepodge of widescreen HiDef and standard frame format of varying degrees of quality. And yet, the raw and unpolished appearance somehow only adds to the power of the experience.

It’s hard to imagine that even if Michael Jackson had lived, that a pre-conceived and completely planned-out official concert movie of “This is It,” even if directed by the likes of Martin Scorsese or Jonathan Demme, would have turned out any better or more impactful than what Ortega delivered to theaters in just a few months time last year.

While this may all sound like a gushing review, it’s important to know that although I really liked a handful of Jackon’s hits and usually enjoyed his music videos, I was never a diehard fan – I only have one of his greatest hits albums.

And therein lies the brilliance and uniqueness of this film. Without offering any sort of filmed retrospective or documentary footage of his life or even showing any of the masses of mourners and hoopla surrounding his death, the movie provides such a flattering and inspirational portrait of Jackson that it’s difficult to imagine even the most jaded or uninformed viewers coming away with anything less than a tremendous new respect for Jackson’s artistry, and the global and yet personal impact he had and continues to have on music, dance, videos, and several generations of admirers.

– By Scott Hettrick