The popularity and quality of DVDs, the rise of home theaters, the general unpleasantness of the modern cineplex experience -- when pinpointing blame for declining interest in going to the movies, all of these reasons (and a few more as well) likely play a part. Nonetheless, for studios and theater chains, the "why" isn't quite as important as the "how do we turn this awful trend around?" And if the past couple of years are any indication, their prime solution seems to involve trotting out a technology that's more than half a century old, slightly improving its quality, and touting it as some sort of revolutionary step forward. That's right, we're talking about 3D, which began its comeback in exclusive IMAX-only presentations of random major theatrical releases (like 2006's Open Season), and has now begun its full infiltration of the mainstream, most notably with last November's Beowulf, a CG spectacle that -- in nearly a third of all the theaters it was projected -- required the use of advanced red-and-blue glasses to get the full, eye-popping experience.

Now the next phase of the technique's attempted resurrection arrives in the form of U2 3D, the first live-action film to ever be shot completely in 3D. And as with Beowulf, the same inherent positives and negatives persist. Directed by Catherine Owens and Mark Pellington using a wide array of 3D cameras, this document of U2's 2006 stop in Argentina on their Vertigo tour -- including footage from seven different performances -- is a striking up-close-and-personal view of the iconic band running through a greatest hits set list to a raucous outdoor stadium audience. What Owens and Pellington's film provides is an immersive front row seat at a U2 show, which -- with its elongated stage platforms that stretch into the crowd, and an immense, multifaceted screen presenting all manner of graphics and text -- seems to have been custom-designed to be transposed into three dimensions. Attuned to the bass of Adam Clayton in "Where the Streets Have No Name" and the crooning of Bono during a fantastic rendition of "One," the spectators rock, sway and bounce with rhythmic exhilaration, feeding into the titanic ego of U2's frontman and washing over the band's calmly cool guitar god The Edge.

• Keira Knightly Online really must like the spiffy red coat Keira's wearing around Sundance (right), because they have a whole gallery of pics of her wearing it.
• Our friends over at GreenCine Daily have a great comprehensive list up of all the Sundance film reviews out there.
• Flavorpill Sundance scored a video interview with Destricted director Larry Clark. Wonder if he waxed eloquent on that whole sex with a bulldozer thing that had people walking out of his film?
• Perez Hilton has the scoop on how N'syncer Lance Bass caught his coat on fire because he got all excited about getting a glass sex toy at the Booty Parlor gifting suite. Sounds like a Sundance urban legend to me, but Perez swears it happened.
• Stella Daily, one of the crossword geeks featured in Wordplay, has a blog entry up about an up-close-and-personal meeting with Glenn Close at a screening of the film.
• U2s The Edge looks, well, very Edgy; the Police reunite at Sundance, but Stewart and Andy fail to get Sting drunk enough to agree to a real reunion of the band; and Chicago Tribune's Mark Caro gets screwed out of an exclusive interview with Jennifer Aniston and Catherine Keener and takes the high road, passing on the "5 reporters on 2 celebs" backup offer. Way to go, Mark!
• Latina Lista has an excellent run-down of the numerous films at Sundance and Slamdance dealing with illegal immigrants and border crossings.