Are You Ready for 3-D Everything?

 Are You Ready for 3-D Everything?

If those monsters pissing off Sam Worthington this weekend have anything to say about it, we'd better prepare for Snooki, Scorsese, and those damn teenage vampires¹ jumping straight out at a depraved American curiosity — and our wallets

Thrilled as I always am for a new Tyler Perry movie, Mr. Post-Post-Racial chose the wrong weekend to try and uncork another No. 1 opening at the box office. If only he'd expanded Why Did I Get Married Too? into the third dimension — that juggernaut we haven't been able to get enough of over the last month, and which on Friday thrusts Clash of the Titans in our faces. This time with more dragon!

Thing is, 3-D Tyler Perry isn't that far off. Hell, if Harold and Kumar now make the cut, 3-D everything isn't that far off. I wouldn't be entirely² shocked — surprised maybe, but definitely not shocked — to hear that MTV was negotiating a Jersey³ Shore adaptation wherein a free pair of Oakleys sent you spiraling into some sort of bronzed Na'vi frontier. Nor to find ladies and geeks alike succumbing⁴ to aneurysms when someone gets the bright idea to convert Julia Roberts's Eat Pray Love to 3-D, adding a pseudo-sumptuous layer of texture⁵ to the story of a woman globe-trotting her way to middle age. Film snobs⁶ might shrug⁷ it all off ... until word comes that Werner Herzog has planned his next fringe-y drama in 3-D, because, well, why not?

Indeed, many of 3-D's critics and/or latecomers will attribute its surge to some Hollywood alchemy of novelty and greed. And they would be half-right. A more honest read would acknowledge the ways that 3-D reflects the increasingly complex sophistication of its audience. It's not just higher ticket prices that will have given us, by this Sunday, the unprecedented⁸ blockbuster trifecta of Alice in Wonderland, How to Train Your Dragon, and Titans. Instead, the slow march of culture is leaving behind 2-D the same way it did silent films, black-and-white, and Cinemascope: hungry for a visual ambition — or any ambition, for that matter — that overrides⁹ the outmoded past and counteracts¹⁰ the economic wasteland around us. Much as we did during the Great Depression, we have, perhaps without even knowing it, colluded with Hollywood to redefine what we talk about when we talk about movies.

If that's indeed the case, then we're well overdue¹¹ to move that conversation out into the open. After all, Hollywood will still be Hollywood; I don't exactly want to be caught off-guard when New Line Cinema approves the besunglassed re-release of Valentine's Day in 2011. Don't snicker — at these prices (3-D ticket surcharges experienced a hike of up to 26 percent last weekend), it can and likely will happen to all genres¹² at some point. Horror is the obvious move (the next installment¹³ of the Saw franchise¹⁴ will go 3-D in October), but what would keep romantic comedies from getting the same treatment? Even if it costs a studio $100,000 per minute to convert something like this summer's Tom Cruise/Cameron Diaz pairing Knight¹⁵ & Day, the likely turnout would more than compensate¹⁶ over the first couple weekends. Not just because of the curiosity factor, either, but because it reinforces the comfort of knowing no one is above our new way of watching.

See, what's great about 3-D is that it reminds us how useless rules can be in a scenario¹⁷ where experimentation¹⁸ is the coin of the realm. And how flat-out irrelevant¹⁹ they become when progress comes whether we like it or not. But I think, under the circumstances — in which we feel alienated²⁰ from our leaders, our bosses, our spouses²¹, even our drilling — we do want them. We need new rules, in fact, just as badly as we needed the iPod, Facebook, or, come the next few years, a Blu-ray player and a flat-screen that's not as flat as it used to be. Our trips to see visually affected²² belching²³ dragons are symptomatic of knowing that when you have no choice, you might as well hope for the best. But in the cultural subconscious²⁴, we also have a recent habit of rewarding Hollywood for its most adventurous²⁵ behavior, be it Quentin Tarantino revising history in Inglourious Basterds or the apartheid action-allegory District 9. And the embrace of 3-D — whether by specific artistic²⁶ choice (Avatar), obvious cash-grab (Titans), or both (Alice) — is about as adventurous as it gets. It's as though even the most cynical²⁷ generation in American history can now identify with what it must have been like to experience the first talkie, or the F/X revolution of 2001: A Space Odyssey²⁸. Maybe it should come as no surprise that the more conservative blockbuster kingpin Michael Bay isn't going to compromise his forthcoming masterwork Transformers 3 for any homogenized "fake 3-D." (Probably because he'll be too busy planning fake Rosemary's Baby.)

Nevertheless, even Bay's defiance²⁹ says something about the 3-D future belonging to the artists. Even if studios were to insist (as Warner Brothers recently did) that all their major releases be produced in 3-D, the format³⁰ entitles filmmakers to a certain freedom that they might not have had without it. Avatar aside, there really is no road map or rulebook for what can or can't, should or shouldn't be attempted in the medium. This manifests itself in various ways, from explorations of the physics of falling food in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs to Steven Soderbergh planning a 3-D musical version of Cleopatra (seriously). It cracks open a kind of challenge: Hey, Marty Scorsese, can you get better again with this stuff? Hey, P.T. Anderson and Coen kids, the screen still too small for you? We've already established that Tyler Perry's films routinely open to huge crowds, but if he was really savvy³¹ about the moment we're in, he'd get Madea Goes to 3-D underway one helluva lot faster than For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf. Not just for the money (though that, too), but because more than half his stories develop from hit plays anyway, and it would be kinda fascinating to see him adapt and preserve what he could of that format with the 3-D effect.

For now, though, Perry will be content as the spoiler at this week's 3-D party — a role you'll see diminish as more technology sweeps our multiplexes and 2-D goes the way of 8-millimeter home movies. It could take years, but not if Hollywood has anything to do with it: Based on how well the Titans conversion³² performs, expect studios to seriously consider bolstering³³ this year's 3-D crop (already including Tron Legacy³⁴, Shrek Forever After, Toy Story 3D, Harry³⁵ Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Piranha 3D and, of course, Jackass 3D) with closer looks at converting cash magnets like The Twilight³⁶ Saga³⁷: Eclipse, The Sorcerer's Apprentice³⁸, or even the camp-classic-to-be Burlesque³⁹ — assuming, of course, that audiences can handle both Christina Aguilera and Cher in 3-D all in one place. But, hey, there's only one way to find out.

1 vampires   

n.吸血鬼( vampire的名词复数 )；吸血蝠；高利贷者；（舞台上的）活板门

参考例句：

• The most effective weapon against the vampires is avampire itself. 对付吸血鬼最有效的武器就是吸血鬼自己。 来自电影对白
• If vampires existed, don`t you think we would`ve found them by now? 如果真有吸血鬼，那我们怎么还没有找到他们呢？ 来自电影对白

2 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

3 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

4 succumbing   

不再抵抗（诱惑、疾病、攻击等）( succumb的现在分词 )； 屈从； 被压垮； 死

参考例句：

• Mrs. Smith washed and ironed clothes for him, succumbing to him. 史密斯太太被他迷住了，愿意为他洗衣烫衣。
• They would not in the end abandon their vital interests by succumbing to Soviet blandishment. 他们最终决不会受苏联人的甜言蜜语的诱惑，从而抛弃自己的切身利益。

5 texture   

n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理

参考例句：

• We could feel the smooth texture of silk.我们能感觉出丝绸的光滑质地。
• Her skin has a fine texture.她的皮肤细腻。

6 snobs   

（谄上傲下的）势利小人( snob的名词复数 )； 自高自大者，自命不凡者

参考例句：

• She dislikes snobs intensely. 她极其厌恶势利小人。
• Most of the people who worshipped her, who read every tidbit about her in the gossip press and hung up pictures of her in their rooms, were not social snobs. 崇敬她大多数的人不会放过每一篇报导她的八卦新闻，甚至在他们的房间中悬挂黛妃的画像，这些人并非都是傲慢成性。

7 shrug   

v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等)

参考例句：

• With a shrug,he went out of the room.他耸一下肩，走出了房间。
• I admire the way she is able to shrug off unfair criticism.我很佩服她能对错误的批评意见不予理会。

8 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

9 overrides   

越控( override的第三人称单数 )； （以权力）否决； 优先于； 比…更重要

参考例句：

• The new rule overrides all the previous ones. 新规则使以前的所有规则失效。
• The application configuration file setting overrides the machine configuration file setting. 应用程序配置文件设置重写计算机配置文件设置。

10 counteracts   

对抗，抵消( counteract的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The drug counteracts the effects of the poison. 这种药可抵消毒物的作用。
• Offset Something that balances, counteracts, or compensates the effects of another thing. 弥补用来平衡、抵消或偿还另一财物的东西。

11 overdue   

adj.过期的，到期未付的；早该有的，迟到的

参考例句：

• The plane is overdue and has been delayed by the bad weather.飞机晚点了，被坏天气耽搁了。
• The landlady is angry because the rent is overdue.女房东生气了，因为房租过期未付。

12 genres   

（文学、艺术等的）类型，体裁，风格( genre的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Novel and short story are different genres. 长篇小说和短篇小说是不同的类别。
• But confusions over the two genres have a long history. 但是类型的混淆，古已有之。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译

13 installment   

n.(instalment)分期付款；(连载的)一期

参考例句：

• I shall soon pay the last installment of my debt.不久我将偿付我的最后一期债款。
• He likes to buy things on the installment plan.他喜欢用分期付款法购买货物。

14 franchise   

n.特许，特权，专营权，特许权

参考例句：

• Catering in the schools is run on a franchise basis.学校餐饮服务以特许权经营。
• The United States granted the franchise to women in 1920.美国于1920年给妇女以参政权。

15 knight   

n.骑士，武士；爵士

参考例句：

• He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
• A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。

16 compensate   

vt.补偿，赔偿；酬报 vi.弥补；补偿；抵消

参考例句：

• She used her good looks to compensate her lack of intelligence. 她利用她漂亮的外表来弥补智力的不足。
• Nothing can compensate for the loss of one's health. 一个人失去了键康是不可弥补的。

17 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

18 experimentation   

n.实验，试验，实验法

参考例句：

• Many people object to experimentation on animals.许多人反对用动物做实验。
• Study and analysis are likely to be far cheaper than experimentation.研究和分析的费用可能要比实验少得多。

19 irrelevant   

adj.不恰当的，无关系的，不相干的

参考例句：

• That is completely irrelevant to the subject under discussion.这跟讨论的主题完全不相关。
• A question about arithmetic is irrelevant in a music lesson.在音乐课上，一个数学的问题是风马牛不相及的。

20 alienated   

adj.感到孤独的，不合群的v.使疏远( alienate的过去式和过去分词 )；使不友好；转让；让渡（财产等）

参考例句：

• His comments have alienated a lot of young voters. 他的言论使许多年轻选民离他而去。
• The Prime Minister's policy alienated many of her followers. 首相的政策使很多拥护她的人疏远了她。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 spouses   

n.配偶，夫或妻( spouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Jobs are available for spouses on campus and in the community. 校园里和社区里有配偶可做的工作。 来自辞典例句
• An astonishing number of spouses-most particularly in the upper-income brackets-have no close notion of their husbands'paychecks. 相当大一部分妇女——特别在高收入阶层——并不很了解他们丈夫的薪金。 来自辞典例句

22 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

23 belching   

n. 喷出，打嗝 动词belch的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The Tartars employed another weapon, the so-called Chinese dragon belching fire. 鞑靼人使用了另一种武器，所谓中国龙喷火器。
• Billows of smoke were belching from the chimney. 巨浪似的烟正从烟囱里喷出来。

24 subconscious   

n./adj.潜意识(的)，下意识(的)

参考例句：

• Nail biting is often a subconscious reaction to tension.咬指甲通常是紧张时的下意识反映。
• My answer seemed to come from the subconscious.我的回答似乎出自下意识。

25 adventurous   

adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的　

参考例句：

• I was filled with envy at their adventurous lifestyle.我很羨慕他们敢于冒险的生活方式。
• He was predestined to lead an adventurous life.他注定要过冒险的生活。

26 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

27 cynical   

adj.(对人性或动机)怀疑的，不信世道向善的

参考例句：

• The enormous difficulty makes him cynical about the feasibility of the idea.由于困难很大，他对这个主意是否可行持怀疑态度。
• He was cynical that any good could come of democracy.他不相信民主会带来什么好处。

28 odyssey   

n.长途冒险旅行；一连串的冒险

参考例句：

• The march to Travnik was the final stretch of a 16-hour odyssey.去特拉夫尼克的这段路是长达16小时艰险旅行的最后一程。
• His odyssey of passion, friendship,love,and revenge was now finished.他的热情、友谊、爱情和复仇的漫长历程，到此结束了。

29 defiance   

n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗

参考例句：

• He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。
• He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。

30 format   

n.设计，版式；[计算机]格式，DOS命令:格式化(磁盘)，用于空盘或使用过的磁盘建立新空盘来存储数据；v.使格式化，设计，安排

参考例句：

• Please format this floppy disc.请将这张软盘格式化。
• The format of the figure is very tasteful.该图表的格式很雅致。

31 savvy   

v.知道，了解；n.理解能力，机智，悟性；adj.有见识的，懂实际知识的，通情达理的

参考例句：

• She was a pretty savvy woman.她是个见过世面的漂亮女人。
• Where's your savvy?你的常识到哪里去了？

32 conversion   

n.转化，转换，转变

参考例句：

• He underwent quite a conversion.他彻底变了。
• Waste conversion is a part of the production process.废物处理是生产过程的一个组成部分。

33 bolstering   

v.支持( bolster的现在分词 )；支撑；给予必要的支持；援助

参考例句：

• Why should Donahue's people concern themselves with bolstering your image? 唐纳休的人为什么要费心维护你的形象？ 来自辞典例句
• He needed bolstering and support. 他需要别人助他一臂之力。 来自辞典例句

34 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

35 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

36 twilight   

n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期

参考例句：

• Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。
• Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。

37 saga   

n.(尤指中世纪北欧海盗的)故事，英雄传奇

参考例句：

• The saga of Flight 19 is probably the most repeated story about the Bermuda Triangle.飞行19中队的传说或许是有关百慕大三角最重复的故事。
• The novel depicts the saga of a family.小说描绘了一个家族的传奇故事。

38 apprentice   

n.学徒，徒弟

参考例句：

• My son is an apprentice in a furniture maker's workshop.我的儿子在一家家具厂做学徒。
• The apprentice is not yet out of his time.这徒工还没有出徒。

39 burlesque   

v.嘲弄，戏仿；n.嘲弄，取笑，滑稽模仿

参考例句：

• Our comic play was a burlesque of a Shakespearean tragedy.我们的喜剧是对莎士比亚一出悲剧的讽刺性模仿。
• He shouldn't burlesque the elder.他不应模仿那长者。