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Universal Studios Hollywood (USH) Discussion Thread


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If they don't, throw a freaking party for an empty shell of a house that stands for an outdated movie that doesn't do anything worthwhile for its audiences anymore.

 

Yeah and all that art is museums...get rid of it! It's OLD and stupid. History museums, we can get rid of those too, who wants to look at ancient junk? LAME. I can just watch a show about it on TV! Same thing! Hey what about those pyramids, they don't do anything. Pretty dumb, get rid of it.

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^I was thinking more along the lines of, "It's just a film that isn't very great, so why care?" I mean, you can like it or you can hate it, but in the end it is just a building. Art is meant to invoke emotion, and, while I'm sure it freaked the hell out of tons of people in its day, its day has passed. Then, there is art that is timeless, like DaVinci or Van Gough. There's a HUGE difference, as a painting cannout be improved graphically, there can't be better sound, there has always been color, there is a lack of actors, and they still compare to modern art. Films, however, don't really (not that films are very old anyway, but there is so much room for improvement in film, and not so much in art). History, well, personally I don't care for history, because I would hope that I'm not stupid enough to do some of the things people have done in the past. But if I am, do you think I'd listen to history anyway??

 

 

Wes, I sad an outdated movie which does nothing for its audiences (in otherwords, it was a generational thing). Some art is timeless, and does not have a fixed generation.

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There's a HUGE difference, as a painting cannout be improved graphically, there can't be better sound, there has always been color, there is a lack of actors, and they still compare to modern art. Films, however, don't really (not that films are very old anyway, but there is so much room for improvement in film, and not so much in art).

 

lol

 

Just because you can't appreciate older films doesn't make them inferior to newer crap (a word which sums up modern horror films perfectly.) I bet you're one of the people who thought Lucas fiddling with the original Star Wars trilogy was a good thing.

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Wes, I sad an outdated movie which does nothing for its audiences (in otherwords, it was a generational thing). Some art is timeless, and does not have a fixed generation.

 

Film is art. Art is timeless. Should we stop showing important movies because they're dated? Throw out Citizen Kane and Casablanca because they have old clothes and antiquated dialogue?

 

Psycho was a very important film in cinematic history, from numerous perspectives. It's also Hitchcock's most know work (though it's probably not his absolute best). It served as a template for many modern horror movies, and I guarantee you any good horror/suspense/thriller director will cite Hitchcock and Psycho as inspiration.

 

I think you're letting your personal opinion of the movie cloud your judgment on this one. I usually try to say that an opinion isn't necessarily bad, but I can honestly say you're view on this is shit.

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^^^Psycho isn't a world famous movie from a world famous director that defined the horror genre for ages or anything like that. Nope, it's just an old movie that is boring by today's standards because there isn't enough death or effects.

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Wes, I sad an outdated movie which does nothing for its audiences (in otherwords, it was a generational thing). Some art is timeless, and does not have a fixed generation.

 

First off, without a doubt, that house should remain somewhere on the lot....as long as humanly possible.

 

Generational thing? As in, the generation dating from the movie's premier until present day? I'm sure that's what you really mean, right? I'm sorry bro, but your argument on this one, like Wes said, is simply craptastic.

 

There are two "horror" movies that will stand the test of time for generations to come. One being Psycho. The other is Jaws. Why? Because of the simplicity in which they portrayed the simplest of human fears. To this day, if even in just the slightest capacity, there's a part of my brain that remembers that shower scene whenever I'm showering somewhere away from home.....and especially if I'm alone wherever I may be at the time. In the same way, there's not a human alive that can honestly admit that they don't even think about what's below them in the ocean after watching Jaws.

 

Of course the two films are more than just those scenes alone. Psycho remains relevant for many reasons.....camera angles, and killing off the films biggest star early in the story are just a couple. Heck, even though it was a stupid idea, it wasn't long ago that the film was "remade" starring one of today's biggest stars (Vince Vaughn). Oh, and yeah, it was so well respected, that the "remake" used the same production notes, camera angles, etc. from what I understand (sorry, I wasn't interested in seeing it).

 

By your reasoning, we should find Paul and Ringo, and kill 'em off since their music is no longer ruling the Billboard charts....thus, evidently irrelevant. I mean, God knows, the musicians of today couldn't have been inspired by that garbage, huh?

 

 

 

Scott "counting down the days until Little Miss Sunshine becomes an outdated movie that doesn't do anything worthwhile for its audiences anymore" B.

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Sorry, I was being stupid yesterday. I was just having a crappy day, and I just thought it was a little annoying that people were getting worked up about a house. Of course, I then got worked up about it, destroying any of the measly points I had. It's an alright movie, it really is. And from a filmmaker's standpoint, it was genius. I looked at what I wrote again, and I have to say that I agree with you guys. Sorry I spread my stupidity around...

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^^ You're correct about the remake. It's shot by shot, line for line an exact copy of the original...Gus Van Sant (the director) just updated the effects (ie. no chocolate syrup for blood, and the opening sequence was CG instead of a matte shot).

 

I know I am in the extreme minority, but I actually liked the remake. I think it was absolutely amazing how exact it was. I just wish it didn't have Ann Heche playing Marion Crane.

 

Oh yeah, and the house "makeover" in the remake sucked worse than a $0.05 hooker. Same with the motel.

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I have a question, if they sell that land, then in guessing how much land will remain undeveloped? Seems like they are land locking themselves pretty good?

 

Knowing Universal properties are pretty good penny pinchers I also wouldn't of expected the money to go into new rides and or shows, which sucks.

 

Also don't forget GE does own them so it's really of no surprise, honest I still can't believe they have #1. The parks open, and #2. not sold or tried too, for the least we know. After all GE is a here and now company who runs on the principle of one word, margins. They make lots of money buying and selling broken up company's and equipment.

 

Eventually I figure GE will unload those properties, or "which is a long shot but hopefully" they actually become interested in the potential of the property's and dump loads of money into new quality rides and park make overs.

 

All in all their is always a method to madness, either for a balance sheet here and now or other motives which become clear later.

 

 

Cheers!

 

PS. I never thought Psycho was the good either, (I always thought it would make for a good Mystery Science Theater) but you have to have the house, it's a signature landmark sort of speak, you know.

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looks like they plan on building a bunch of parking structures up in the front of the park where there is currently ground parking.

 

And I wonder if that building where WaterWorld is will become Spiderman? One can only hope cuz its one of the best rides in the worlds.

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  • 5 months later...

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., May 16 /PRNewswire/ -- With a record-breaking heat wave on Southern California's horizon, Universal Studios Hollywood has transformed its two most popular rides and is making significant enhancements to many of its park attractions to make The Entertainment Capital of L.A. the coolest place to be in Southern California this summer.

 

The world-famous Jurassic Park ride has been transformed into a water ride, becoming wetter than ever with the addition of thousands of gallons of water, new "soak-to-the-bone," 60'-high water blasting geysers, drenching special effects and additional water-gushing Dilophosaurus dinosaurs.

 

A major enhancement will also transform "Revenge of the Mummy -- The Ride," America's top indoor roller coaster, which will accentuate the cool quotient by lowering the mercury to a bracing 60 degrees within the Mummy's tomb, then enveloping guests in a liquid nitrogen blanket that will drop thermometers to a frigid 45-degrees. The ride's new finale will also assail guests with an explosion of thousands of flashing strobes and special effects lighting, a hair-raising new finish that will contribute to a truly chilling new experience.

 

Other areas of the park are also being re-fitted for the warm weather. Newly added water-misters and shaded queue lines will add to guests' comfort. "Nickelodeon Blast Zone" will continue to keep kids of all ages cool. At ground level, the towering 30' tall Nickelodeon rocket will unleash more than 10,000 gallons of recycled water per hour from several water-blasting engines. A deluge of water, poured from two 500-gallon over-headwater buckets, will shower bystanders with over 12,000 gallons of water per hour. (If guests prefer to enjoy the splash from afar, they can opt to watch from a conveniently located "dry zone.")

 

Guests can also beat the heat at the popular "WaterWorld: A Sea War Spectacular," where the quest for "dry land" is typically a water-logged experience. "Coke Soak" offers another water-logged experience and temperatures at "Terminator 2: 3D," and "Special Effects Stages" never rise above a comfortable 65-degrees.

 

Universal Studios Hollywood, The Entertainment Capital of L.A., includes a full-day, movie-based theme park and Studio Tour, the CityWalk entertainment, shopping and dining complex, the Universal Cinemas and the Gibson Amphitheatre concert and special event venue. The theme park features such groundbreaking attractions as "Revenge of the Mummy -- The Ride," "Shrek 4-D," "Jurassic Park -- The Ride" and the world-renowned Studio Tour, which takes guests behind-the-scenes of such landmark TV and movie locations and sets as Steven Spielberg's "War of the Worlds." CityWalk features 65 entertainment-themed restaurants, nightclubs, shops and dynamic entertainment options. The Universal Cinemas, which includes California's largest IMAX venue, features the best movie-going experience in Los Angeles.

 

Universal Studios Hollywood

 

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,107092.shtml

 

Sounds neat! I think the gushers on Jurassic Park remind me of the ones atop of WDW Animal Kingdom's raft ride. The new 'chilling' ending to ROTM sounds like it will be great! Any news Joey?

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See, when I was at USH and rode Jurassic park (2 hour wait, no joke) the front you got absolutely soaked head to toe, not 1 dry spot. In the back though, you barely felt a splash.

 

I always felt they needed to fix that.

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Could be cool. Although i like water rides where you can choose to get soaked by sitting in a certain spot, or not "soaked-to-the-bone". Especially rides that require you to wear shoes on them. Nothings worse than having wet socks in your shoes and getting wrinkly feet that hurt the rest of the day. Cedar Point even sells dry socks at the end of their Rapids ride, at least they did the last time I rode it.

 

-James Dillaman

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  • 11 months later...

USH opened the Simpson's Ride this afternoon for a "technical rehersal"from about 2:30pm-5:30pm. Construction was still going on in the surrounding area(concession stand) and parts of the que. Some flatscreen TVs had not been installed yet and touch notes on masking tape were all around the ride. Only the left dome was open and was running about 3/4 capacity. The line was about 20 minutes and the ride was very smooth, fun, and lots of the great Simpson's humor. They really did a first class job converting the ride from BTTF. The Krustyland employees were friendly and efficient. The local Fox station is giving away tickets to be the "first to ride" this Friday before park opening.

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They were running 11/12 cars. The rest of the week they are media events, so don't be 100% sure it will be open. The official opening day is now May 19th.

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Hey everyone!

 

This morning I got the opportunity to head down to Universal Studios Hollywood to check out the new Simpsons Ride.

 

There's been a LOT of talk and coverage about this ride already on Theme Park Review so I'll just get right to the point -

 

The Good!

Overall Ride Package - As an overall ride package The Simpsons Ride really delivers a great experience! The themed area is great, the building looks fantastic, and the queue, pre-shows, and safety videos steal the show! The ride itself is "fun" but also your standard simulator fare. (I'll get to that part in a moment)

 

Family Friendly - This ride will absolutely be a hit with families and other park goers. It's only carries a 40" height restriction so young kids will be able to ride.

 

Attention to Simpsons Detail - If you're a Simpsons fan, you're going to love that you are surrounded by nearly two decades of Simpsons memories. It's all there - the main characters are represented, and plenty of secondaries like Mole Man, Willie, Barney, and even lots of memorable moments like Radioactive Man, The Tooth Chipper, etc. And if you like Itchy & Scratchy, the "safety video" may be the best part of the entire ride!

 

The Not-As-Good

The Simulator - While the simulator ride is "fun" it really is obvious that this is re-dressed technology from 17 years ago. (Yes, Back to the Future was that old!) It doesn't even feel as though they have updated the ride much. When you are on the "boat ride" if feels just like the old "lava ride" from Back to the Future. You still crash through just as many signs and when you fly through Springfield, it's just like flying through Hill Valley. There is even the clock tower courtyard still present in The Simpsons.

 

There are parts of the ride that are fun, like the roller coaster, the corkscrew, and the "drop ride." But I was really hoping for a "memorable moment" that takes an old ride and gives it something fresh. (See "The Chicken Dance" sequence in the Jimmy Neutron simulator at Universal Orlando.)

 

3D Simpsons - I have to say that the "3D Animated Look" of the Simpsons just didn't really work for me. Especially after walking through some of the most incredible displays of the Simpsons franchise from over the years, you are presented with this awkward looking version of something so familiar. It makes you think "What IS that?"

 

I think had either the simulator been more updated OR the animation had been done in 2D I could be more forgiving of the actual ride part of this attraction.

 

Overall, it's a fun experience. I think most people who come to the park will walk away LOVING the ride. I still think that a franchise with so much history and years worth of material to pull from deserves more than a re-dress of an old attraction (heck you could build an entire Simpsons PARK) and maybe this will be just the start of many more Simpsons rides to come. I sure hope so!

 

On to some photos....

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Thank you Simpsons & Universal Hollywood. Now please come here and ride the darn thing!

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The big-head Simpsons were going to take a ride.

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It's not coming soon...it's happening NOW!!! =)

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There was even a shirt for Derek & Matt!

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Simpsons merchandise was everywhere.

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I'll take this one too!

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Please build this ride next? Thank you!

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Go ahead...PUSH IT! I DARE YOU!!!!

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Mmm.....PIE!!!

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More Simpsons randomness.

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There's the Gate A and baby swap entrance.

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With only a 40" height restriction, it's very family friendly.

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Although I thought it was funny that Doc Brown's Chicken is next to the Kwik-E-Mart!

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The area and the building looked really good! I was surprised how well they pulled off the re-dress.

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So overall, the ride is fun. As a complete "ride package" The Simpsons really delivers.

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It has a clown coming out of it's butt!

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Another look at the ride vehicle. This should make Ryan cry! :D

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Photo from the ride itself - you can see the 3D version of Homer! (The Yellow one, not the TPR Member!)

(Photo by Universal Studios)

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As you can see, they've done a very good job of re-dressing the vehicles, but they still feel VERY "Delorian-ish"

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Here we are! On the ride ready to follow the Simpsons...to their DOOM?!?!

(Photo by Universal Studios)

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Thumbs up and we are ready to ride!

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"I'm having Deja Vu!!!"

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"Hmmm...why do those doors look like they should be on a Delorean?"

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I won't give too much away, but it's awesome!

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Ahhh, the safety video!

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"NO KELSEY!!! DON'T FORCE US TO WATCH! NOOOOOOO!!!!"

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Oh no! Kelsey Grammer is here! "Watch my new show or ELSE!!!"

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"Hey, this ride vehicle looks really familiar...."

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Hmm...who could THAT be? =)

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Elissa's favorite part of the ride!

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We are led into the pre-show room where we are told more story bits and pieces.... "Radiation....BAD!!!"

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The pre-show starts! The Simpsons are there to check out Krusty's newest ride!

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Someone seriously needs to MAKE all these rides into a Simpsons park!

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This one was probably my favorite! =)

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On the overhead monitors you get to see ads for other "Krustyland" rides and attractions.

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Yes, there are some "anti-Dan" moments on the ride!

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I'm sure you know who this guy is.

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Mole Man's booth steals the show!!!

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All around the room is "midway booths" staffed by some of your favorite Simpsons characters.

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The pre-show areas were amazing looking. You are surround by years worth of Simpsons memories.

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"The Krusty-est Place on Earth!" They haven't seen my pants lately!

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The re-dress of the building and queue area looked FANTASTIC!

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Any ride where you enter through an insane clown's mouth instantly gets thumbs up!

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Oh, they put me to work cleaning signs. This whole "crew" thing isn't cracked up to what I though it would be! =)

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Today I am part of the "Crew!"

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Thanks for the report, Robb. I need to figure out what type of jobs you, and folks like Big Mike, have that allow for all of these spur of the moment AND big trips.

 

Besides the chicken joint, any trace of Back To The Future around (in or out of the building)?

 

Great pictures.

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^I dunno--sometimes getting across LA can take as long as flying to Florida.

 

I still watch the Simpsons every Sunday night, so I'm looking forward to checking this attraction out.

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