Is 3-D finally dying? The signs increasingly say yes

Change never comes easy.

And, I suppose, there are certainly more pressing issues today than the soul-sapping power of 3-D in movies, but if you're a fan of them (like me, of course), it's at least a real problem, especially during the height of the movie summer.

For movie fans, though, this summer's developments may actually be key in bringing about the insidious gimmick's demise, and for that Hollywood would have no one to blame but itself.

Quick, think, when was the last time that the addition of 3-D to a movie really dazzled, much less even mattered? For me, you have to go all the way back to Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland," and there have been a whole lot of 3-D movies released since then (for which many I refused to put on those silly glasses on top of the ones I need simply to see what's in front of me.)

And beyond the sheer glut of 3-D movies (16 of them between May and September of this year, with two big, upcoming titles being "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" and "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"), there's the fact that (for me at least) it just adds nothing to the movie-watching experience, instead just draining the screen of color and often energy, too.

The problem is particularly galling with animated movies, which are now almost universally released in 3-D. In this, if I can exaggerate what I really think is only slightly, movie studios reveal themselves to be little more than pusher men, getting kids hooked on this shiny trick before they can figure out just how little they really get out of it. Luckily, however, unlike drug addicts who are truly too far gone, moviegoers do still have a choice, and the signs, according to numbers from the New York Times (and pointed out to me by always-welcome reader Jeremy Jirik), are finally starting to point to us just saying no to unnecessary 3-D.

One 3-D flop this summer was "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," which made just 47 percent of its domestic box office take from 3-D ticket sales in week one (as a rule, successful 3-D blockbusters are expected to make about 60 percent of their first-week take from 3-D sales). Add to that last week's debut of "Kung Fu Panda 2," which made only 43 percent of its long Memorial Day weekend, $53 million take from 3-D ticket sales, and got absolutely trounced by "The Hangover: Part II," which pulled in about $118 million from Thursday-Monday.

But nothing this well entrenched will die easily, and the 3-D pushers have to take heart in its overseas performance, where fans flocked to the latest "Pirates" movie in 3-D in huge numbers. Is it, to be blunt, because they're simply dumber than we are? Of course not. It's just because 3-D hasn't been around as long or been as prevalent in some parts of the world as it has here, so there's still the thrill of the new. Eventually (I hope), everyone will see this emperor's clothing of movie gimmicks for exactly what it is.

Do I want movies to die? Certainly not. I just want them to stop leaning on this crutch which has by now much more than worn out its welcome. But what can we do aid in its demise? Well, when they're good, go see genuine, old-fashioned 2-D movies, be they big (like this week's "X-Men: First Class") or small (if you're here in Macon, check out the simply sublime "Of Gods and Men" with the Macon Film Guild on June 12.)

And in the meantime, just keep hope alive that 3-D will soon be something we can look back on with disgust. Peace out.

Michael Mann revving up something that could be really fun

Actually, though I wish it were something more solid (like when exactly we might get to see it again), any news about "Mad Men" in motion is welcome in this little corner of the world, so let's start there.

When we finally do get to see the great show again, which will apparently be some time in march (nards!), Jon Hamm will be directing the season five premiere, following in the footsteps of John Slattery, who directed two episodes from season four. Why? Because he's Jon Hamm, and if he asked to do this, do you really think anyone at "Mad Men" was going to say no?

Still a long time to wait, but at least there is a deal in place now to keep showrunner Matthew Weiner around through a seventh season, when the show is set to end.

And in movie news, one of Michael Mann's great strengths is giving his movies a strong, sometimes suffocating sense of time and place (see "Public Enemies," which I liked a whole lot more than just about anyone I've talked to about it), so he should really have a lot of fun with what Variety says he's about to sign on for.

The director is eyeing "Go Like Hell," which will be based on the book "Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari and their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans" by A.J. Baimes (sounds like what might be next on my reading list, since I'm finishing up Patrick DeWitt's sublimely funny "The Sisters Brothers").

As the book title makes fairly clear, it's about, according to the book's rather minimal official site:

The remarkable story of how Henry Ford II, with the help of a young visionary named Lee Iacocca and a former racing champion turned engineer, Carroll Shelby, concocted a scheme to reinvent the Ford company. They would enter the high-stakes world of European car racing, where an adventurous few threw safety and sanity to the wind. They would design, build, and race a car that could beat Ferrari at his own game at the most prestigious and brutal race in the world, something no American car had ever done.

Sounds like a perfect match for Mann, who hasn't directed a feature film since "Public Enemies," and I love movies about American ingenuity (see "Tucker"), so here's hoping it happens. Stay tuned ...

After that today, I just have a couple of videos, but the first one has Muppets, so bully. There's not much new here at all, but just in case you're planning to skip "The Hangover: Part II," consider me sharing this second teaser for "The Muppets" that both spoofs and will precede it as a public service. Enjoy.

To close today, Zach Galifianakis' "Between Two Ferns" segments for Funny or Die often tend toward to the latter, but he does bring some of the funny in this clip featuring Will Ferrell. And just to bring the "Mad Men" vibe full circle, keep an eye out for Jon Hamm near the end. And with that, I'm off to do some laundry, go swimming, and then probably see "Kung Fu Panda 2" in glorious 2-D. Peace out.

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Will Ferrell from Will Ferrell