Cinephilic Ramblings

I’ve debated whether or not to write about “Captain EO” since I revisited it last Sunday while at Disneyland. However, I enjoyed the hell out of it and it features some pretty prominent figures in film history, so why not?

“Captain EO” is a 3D short film at Disneyland theme parks. It was produced by George Lucas, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and stars the late Michael Jackson, as well as Anjelica Huston. After running at the park for about ten years, it was taken out and replaced by “Honey, I Shrunk the Audience.” Since the death of Jackson, fans have been clamoring for its return and Disney finally rereleased it in February of this year.

The movie is pure spectacle entertainment, I mean, it’s a theme park ride. But it’s 70mm, 3D projection, and sensory special effects are pretty damn cool looking even today. I also have an affectionate for Muppet looking alien creatures.

I think what I enjoyed the most about the movie was the way it showcased several big names when they were at, or around the peak of their careers. This was a few years after “Return of the Jedi” for Lucas, between the albums “Thriller” and “Bad” for Jackson and the same year Coppola released “Peggy Sue Got Married.” “Captain EO” is a time capsule for the few things I actually enjoyed about 80s pop culture.

It’s also just an absurd amount of fun. Did I mention that the voice of Snowmiser is credited in the film? Awesome.

Shot in 3D, Herzog’s meditative documentary on 30,000 year old cave paintings is full of musings on art, humanity and nature. Since he is an unusual filmmaker in any traditional sense, Herzog himself is often as a big of an element in the film as the paintings. That’s always fine by me.

One of the most striking moments in the film is when Herzog discovers that two paintings, though appearing side by side and drawn with a similar visual aesthetic, are actually separated by a couple thousand years. Today, an artist can’t have a song out for a couple days without a cover or a remix being released.

Check out this audio interview with Herzog at Studio 350 for more information on the documentary and Herzog’s unique philosophy on filmmaking. 

Sorry, I’m still not really sold on 3D.