Gotta agree with Greg Egan:
Sometime in the next twenty years or so, the technology that enabled Avatar will become cheap enough to risk employing alongside a moderately intelligent script.
It is mighty pretty, though. Among the details, I particularly liked the hemispheric virtual displays in the control room: that sort of thing has been done before, of course, but stereoscopy makes it much more effective.
For objects very near to the viewpoint, the frame rate seemed to me to suffer; though (from what I read of the process) each eye gets 24 frames per second, same as standard movies. So I wonder what caused that effect.
Meanwhile, I continue to use Netflix.
Rebecca (1940, dir. Alfred Hitchcock) recently became available; fortunately needs no introduction from me.
Love Crazy (1941, dir. Jack Conway) — When Susan (Myrna Loy) tries to divorce him over a misunderstanding, Steve (William Powell) feigns lunacy, because if he’s crazy the divorce must be delayed for five years; but he succeeds too well. Good fun. — The same director made Libeled Lady (1936), which I also recommend.
Charley’s Aunt (1941, dir. Archie Mayo) — A familiar farce of impersonations. Jack Benny (who by this time had been 39 for about eight years) is not plausible as a student at Oxford, but who cares? — Speaking of age anomalies, James Ellison was three years older than Laird Cregar who played his father here.
Suspicion (1941, dir. Alfred Hitchcock) is grossly marred by the happy ending grafted on.
The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942, dir. William Keighley).
Woman of the Year (1942, dir. George Stevens) — Two mismatched reporters for the same paper meet and marry; he covers sports, she covers wars. He’s frustrated that she has no time for married life. The story is poignant at times; the resolution is unsatisfying. — Katharine Hepburn speaks French, Russian, German, Spanish and Greek. Presumably she had plenty of coaching, but I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if she spoke three languages already; oddly, IMDb says nothing on this point. Her Spanish had what sounded to me like an Italian accent; that is, had I not been warned to expect Spanish nor listened closely, the rhythm would suggest Italian to my ear.
To Be Or Not To Be (1942, dir. Ernst Lubitsch) — In occupied Poland, a theater company finds itself stuck with the task of killing a double agent before he can report to the Gestapo. Suspense and comedy (Jack Benny has a leading role) are neatly blended. One may get a bit queasy seeing these Jewish characters triumph and knowing what comes next for them.
Larceny, Inc. (1942, dir. Lloyd Bacon) — Have I mentioned that I like crime comedies? In this one, two felons buy a luggage store, planning to tunnel into the adjacent bank; but the front business does so well that they’re on the brink of abandoning the bank job when …. [2016: Didn’t enjoy it nearly as much the second time.]
Up (2009, dir. Pete Docter) — Pixar does not disappoint, though I would not rate it quite as high as Finding Nemo or WALL·E.