The 3DS brings the third dimension and other new release picks for this week March 22, 2010 | Show and Tell | Denver | Denver Westword | The Leading Independent News Source in Denver, Colorado
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The 3DS brings the third dimension and other new release picks for this week March 22, 2010

Ever since 3D was initially introduced to cinemas, people have complained about having to wear special glasses in order to enjoy the experience. Well, some people have complained, others just walk out of the theater vomiting all over their shoes. The glasses problem has been an issue for a long...
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Ever since 3D was initially introduced to cinemas, people have complained about having to wear special glasses in order to enjoy the experience. Well, some people have complained, others just walk out of the theater vomiting all over their shoes. The glasses problem has been an issue for a long time and one that Nintendo hopes to fix with their 3DS, a handheld, glasses-free gaming system. Of course, if constant headaches aren't your thing, we've also got new books from Sarah Vowell, Dan Savage and Scott Morse, and a new Roger Corman double-feature release. 5. Jackson County Jail/ Caged Heat Roger Corman is really good at making crappy movies. He's also got an eye for spotting other people's really crappy movies, which happens to be the premise of the Roger Corman Cult Classics double features. This time around we get a couple of prison movies, both supposedly feminist epics, but told in that '70s style that better resembles a porn movie with a plot than any type of prejudice-eschewing masterpiece. Both of these films are terrible for different reasons, but that doesn't make them any less enjoyable for those of us with no standards. 4. Strange Science Fantasy by Scott Morse Scott Morse might be better recognized as an animator and storyboard artist for Pixar these days, but his graphic novels and comics are some of the best to ever grace the walls of books stores. Strange Science Fantasy is no different, taking a sort of '60s-style sci-fi horror from books like Tales from the Crypt and updating it to fit into modern times. The stories in this collection are as ridiculous as you'd imagine, with pop-culture as a religion and bizarre characters leading you through quirky stories that are sure to leave you with a smile on your face. 3. Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell Sarah Vowell, aka "that girl with the high-pitched voice from This American Life," has been kicking out collections of historical essays for some time now, but that doesn't make her trademark nerdiness any less appealing. This time around, she's recounting the history of a unified and independent Hawaii, but in doing so she makes sure to reveal plenty about herself and modern culture with wise-cracking that's pretty much impossible to find in anything deemed educational. 2. It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying and Creating a Life Worth Living edited by Dan Savage and Terry Miller When Dan Savage and his partner Terry Miller started the It Gets Better campaign, it was nothing more than a YouTube clip with them talking about how LGBT teens can deal with bullying. Then, suddenly, it became a worldwide phenomenon. You can look at this like an extended cut from the videos, with celebrities offering up essays in the same way they offered up video. The goal is still the same, though: Teach positivity, coping and acceptance. 1. 3DS Nintendo, for better or worse, is the go-to company when it comes to innovation and out-of-the-box thinking. The 3DS is no different, and although the price point might be a bit high for some people ($250), the thing displays video games in 3D, without glasses -- so there. The generic experience is otherwise relatively unchanged from the DS, which sold something like six bazillion units, so most people will be able to pick it up and play just as easily as they always have been. Look, the 3DS basically boils down like this: it's a fucking 3D system in your hands, it's brand spanking new, and in order to be the coolest kid on the block, you need it now. The 3D, in all honesty, works amazing well, and it will most definitely blow your mind straight out of the back of your head.
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