Fucking wow.
That is all.
Quote from: Werekoala;350204Fucking wow.
That is all.
Really? 'Cause I was thinking more like, "Meh."
Don't get me wrong. It's interesting. I don't think it's a bad movie. But, with the exception of one minor blip, I knew exactly how the money was going to end within the first few minutes of it starting. It had some nice vistas, but the "alien" creatures were all just Earth creatures with the serial numbers filed off - even the good guys!
Seanchai
I read all the negative reviews, knew the story was going to be "evuhl corporate 'merkans trash natives, steal stuff, film at 11" - but even then I still really, really enjoyed it. I didn't EXPECT to enjoy to story, but for some reason I still did. The effects were insane; there were only a couple of times where it seemed like it was CGI, and even that was just fleeting. I think the best way to sum it up is that after about 5 minutes, I rarely even noticed it was in 3d, which to me is high praise and a good sign for future "serious" 3d filmmaking.
As to the aliens being derivative of undersea creatures and whatnot - I thought it was wonderful. The bioluminesence was stunning. The big nasty critters of the forest were "familiar" yet alien enough for my taste. My only "environment" gripe was the floating mountains. We went from relatively hard-sf to "Final Fantasy" in fairly short order.
And the Na'vi were wonderful. You can't make aliens TOO alien in a movie, as opposed to a book, or the audience (especially the non-scifi types) would find it harder to sympathize with them, and Cameron's films are always about manipulating audience emotions. He succeeded again, IMO.
Also, I want on of those fucking shuttles. Now, please.
My aged mother was totally blown away, and if Cameron can win that segment of the population, then he'll do just fine, money-wise. She said it was a very "pretty" movie, and it was, and she already has a raging hate-on for how Native Americans were/are treated, so she was totally on board with it.
Quote from: Werekoala;350210...knew the story was going to be "evuhl corporate 'merkans trash natives, steal stuff, film at 11"...
I think the fact that the straight line was all we got is a problem. At least, it's a bit of a problem for me. I don't need The Sixth Sense type twists, but...damn, every element is not just telegraphed, but taken from the filmmakers playbook. You could have entered the theater with a checklist and checked all the elements/plot developments off as they occurred.
For me, that drained the movie of heart. I think that, for me, that's what it was missing. Since I'd already seen this movie, I didn't warm up to it. I had the echo of warmth.
Quote from: Werekoala;350210The effects were insane; there were only a couple of times where it seemed like it was CGI, and even that was just fleeting. I think the best way to sum it up is that after about 5 minutes, I rarely even noticed it was in 3d, which to me is high praise and a good sign for future "serious" 3d filmmaking.
I think that's the best part of the movie. There were some times that I could tell (such as at the big glowy tree) and other times I wondered, but on the whole, I enjoyed it.
Quote from: Werekoala;350210As to the aliens being derivative of undersea creatures...
Not undersea creature, just Earth type creatures. Let see...you had the dog pack, rhinos, tigers, and fireflies. Just throw me a bone with some alien something that makes me go, "Woah. What the hell is that?!" I think the plants were better at this in that regard.
I, too, like the bioluminesence, especially when they were walking around.
Quote from: Werekoala;350210Also, I want on of those fucking shuttles. Now, please.
I thought the tech was pretty cool. The 270 degree huds were neat.
Seanchai
I liked the film, but agree that it was too linear. Still worth full admission price, though.
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The things that got me about the life forms was that there was no biological reason to have naturally occuring neural interface for the Na'vi and the rest of the animals. Plus all of the large animals were six limbed and had four eyes while the Na'vi were four limbed and had two eyes - didn't seem like they had evolved from a common base stock at all.
I came up with an untold backstory where the Na'vi were actually survivors of a crashed starship of human analogues (humanocentric panspermia again) and the various plant neural networks and animals with interfaces were actually the biological tools of this formerly starfaring race. By thinking that, I was able to keep my suspension of disbelief going through the movie.
The idea of Gaia (used in Avatar) was and is still pretty popular, but it is more of a spiritual concept that lacks integrity when used in sci-fi as an actual ecosystem.
Bumped because I think this is more interesting than Blackthorne's thread necromancy.
One "issue" I keep reading about on other sites that I think is a total non-starter is the whole problem with the "we should repsect mother Earth because all life is connected" message. Normally, yes, I'd say this is an overwrought allagory and typical ham-handed enviro-propaganda - except in the case of Pandora, it is LITERALLY true. There is not tree-huggy feelgoodishness to it - all life on the planet is literally connected. In essence, as my friends agreed, Pandora is "Deathworld", and one thing you don't want to do is have an entire ecosystem intent on wiping you out. After all, it wasn't the peace-loving and spiritual Na'vi who defeated the humans, it was the PLANET ITSELF.
So, yeah. Not really an allegory.
Quote from: Werekoala;350550After all, it wasn't the peace-loving and spiritual Na'vi who defeated the humans, it was the PLANET ITSELF.
I didn't think the Na'vi were that peace-loving, I thought that they were a romanticized version of the Native Americans (which are already heavily romanticized) acting as spokesmodels for the enitire planet.
EDIT: I admit to having a big disagreement with the "noble savage" concept of Native Americans because depending on which tribe and which nation you are talking about, Native Americans were not always noble and not always savages. Yet Hollywood currently likes the image, no matter how inaccurate.
Just got back from it myself.
I was very impressed with the technical aspects of it, and the movie itself was very entertaining. As I understand it, none of the actors you see on screen were ever actually on screen... meaning, if true, that CGI capture is now good enough to fool at least my discerning eye.
The story was, as predicted, a hack job. Every element was broadcast, or handled sloppily enough, very facile and... glib. If not for the impressive work of the (voice?!) actors and the pretty pretty visuals it would have been laughable.
I am assured, however, that blue people and easy to identify good and bad guys are what the female demographic demands.
I personally would have loved to see more scenes with the Na'vi and the humans interacting. The size scaling completely disappears about two seconds after 'Sully' gets off the AV for the first time and never comes back until about 30 seconds until the end of the film.
Excellent movie. Plot was cliché, but it worked very well.
I suspect blue, elfin-like humanoids will be popping up in every sci-fi or fantasy RPG for the next 10 years or so. :p
Quote from: JongWK;351007Excellent movie. Plot was cliché, but it worked very well.
I suspect blue, elfin-like humanoids will be popping up in every sci-fi or fantasy RPG for the next 10 years or so. :p
Black haired Andorians with really interesting thyroid problems?
Cool!
Not a problem.
- Ed C.
I said elfin like, not cheaply done head makeup like.
Avatar, subtitles, and censorship in Egypt. (http://blogs.suntimes.com/foreignc/2009/12/-dear-roger-it-all.html)
By the way, I've read comments about James Cameron saying he had stuff for two more Avatar films. Does anyone have a direct link to that statement?
Here's a cool...well, commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBGDmin_38E&hd=1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBGDmin_38E&hd=1)
Seanchai
It seems the movie is making more money now than a week ago (http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=daily&id=avatar.htm): +18.5% on Monday as compared to the previous one, and +13.7% on Tuesday. Wonder what will happen next weekend... Are US cinemas open on January 1st?
Yup, they're open 24/7.
One of the reasons for the "soft" start that has been bandied about is that several major cities in the US were exepriencing pretty severe snowstorms on opening weekend, so the bounce could be from folks who got out after it cleared up and watched it. Word of mouth probably helps too.
Not that it opeend "soft" by any stretch.
How James Cameron's 3D is filmed (http://www.wired.com/magazine/2009/11/ff_avatar_5steps/).
Like it or not, Avatar is a domestic box-office hit (which is what counts in Hollywood) with legs, like Titanic, and that means that Cameron's goals of forcing yet another major shift in Hollywood movie-making will be accomplished.
It's not just a domestic box office hit. Something like two thirds of the 800 million it's earned in 14 days have come from outside the US.
Being frank, if you take out the visuals and overall production quality, Avatar is almost like a direct to video movie, the plot has absolutely no originality and the dialogues are bland.
However, it's still worth to be seen because the visuals, fight choreographies, etc are just that good.
The plot may not have any originality, but the movie knows how to keep moving. You might criticize the dialogue, but it has one brilliant quality that a lot of "better" dialogue lacks - it is almost entirely free of exposition.
Think back to the movie and try to remember how many times something actually got explained to you via a lengthy scene in which the characters are talking heads narrating the situation. They're just not there - for an example, all we learn about all of human civilization comes from two throwaway lines about how Sully can't afford new legs, "not in this economy" and how there is nothing green left on Earth.
That's it.
And we don't NEED any more! With just those little snippets, we pretty much have enough to construct an entire picture of Avatar!earth. Same goes for the Unobtanium. We aren't treated to a lengthy and action-stopping list of things it's good for, who discovered it, and other boring shit - it's there, it's valuable, and that's all you need to know.
Yes, the dialogue isn't brilliant, but what I consider brilliant about it is how little of it there is.
Of course, the problems of total lack of exposition is:
a) a lot of stuff does not get explained at all and helps enlarging the plot holes.
b) what little is infered from character's comments ("they killed the mother", etc) can only be taken at face value because we are not actualy shown any proof what was said is true.
I do admit that zero exposition makes it easier to the brains of people too dumb to enjoy sci-fi where you are actually encouraged to think and reach your own conclusions.
No, see, being encouraged to think happens when the answers aren't all handed to you on a plate of exposition. Being encouraged to think happens when you're given a couple of hints and allowed to construct a picture of events for yourself.
Quote from: Axiomatic;352622No, see, being encouraged to think happens when the answers aren't all handed to you on a plate of exposition. Being encouraged to think happens when you're given a couple of hints and allowed to construct a picture of events for yourself.
There is a difference between a "plate of exposition" and "starving for lack of information"...that's all I'm saying.
Quote from: Axiomatic;352445but it has one brilliant quality that a lot of "better" dialogue lacks - it is almost entirely free of exposition.
i think we saw totally different movies. The Avatar i saw had this video log bits filled with exposition.
It's over $1 billion: (http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/03/boxoffice.avatar.ew/index.html)
QuoteAccording to estimates from Hollywood.com Box Office, James Cameron's sci-fi opus grossed $68.3 million over New Years weekend, a tiny 10 percent drop from Christmas weekend for a $352.1 million domestic total -- easily the biggest third weekend in the U.S. ever (2002's "Spider-Man" had held the record with $45 million).
Much more impressively, in just 17 days, "Avatar" has surpassed $1 billion in the global box office. To put that in perspective, it took "The Dark Knight" pretty much its entire theatrical run just to make it to that milestone. (Another landmark: $66.4 million of "Avatar's" worldwide total is from IMAX theaters, a record for the mega-screen format.)
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c220/rvilliers/Forum%20pics/96301-9000.jpg)
I just watched the trailer again, and I realized that it has scenes missing from the movie. Right at the start we can see Jake wheeling himself through a bar in Earth.
I wonder how long it will take for the extended edition of Avatar to pop up...
Everything (http://io9.com/5446538/everything-that-was-cut-from-avatar-sex-drugs-and-suicide) that was cut from the now-available Avatar script.
Quote from: Edsan;352469Of course, the problems of total lack of exposition is:
a) a lot of stuff does not get explained at all and helps enlarging the plot holes.
b) what little is infered from character's comments ("they killed the mother", etc) can only be taken at face value because we are not actualy shown any proof what was said is true.
I do admit that zero exposition makes it easier to the brains of people too dumb to enjoy sci-fi where you are actually encouraged to think and reach your own conclusions.
I have to say I thought the dialogue was well done. It was exposition light, but at no point during the film, did I feel like I was missing anything. I was given all the information I needed to enjoy the film. Though I do wish they had offered some about the key card issue during the escape. That needed some explaining.
Okay, here's an amusing criticism I found of the film:
(http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/130283/original.jpg)
See? Complete with anti-civilisationism and race-treason. :)
!i!
Quote from: Ian Absentia;355628Okay, here's an amusing criticism I found of the film:
(http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/130283/original.jpg)
See? Complete with anti-civilisationism and race-treason. :)
!i!
I liked the movie, but that is pretty amusing.
Its amusing because it works. You could remove all the obvious corrections and retype it and most people would allow how it does more or less describe the movie, without realizing that it was a rewrite of the description of pocohontas.
Except it really doesn't, because it skips half the movie, instantly going from Jake and Neytiri meeting to the final battle without anything in between, and just plain lying about the ending - the Na'vi and Weyland-Yutani do not kiss and make up.
It seems to have crossed the $1.6 billion line this weekend.
My son and I were turned away from three sold-out theaters just yesterday afternoon. You have to plan well in advance to buy tickets to a movie that's been out for weeks.
!i!
In other news, it just won Golden Globes for best direction and best movie.
I am also very, very happy that Kevin Bacon took a Globe for Taking Chance.
Quote from: Ian Absentia;355975My son and I were turned away from three sold-out theaters just yesterday afternoon. You have to plan well in advance to buy tickets to a movie that's been out for weeks.
!i!
The first show I tried to see was sold out. Had better luck with an 11 pm showing.
Well, I suppose this was a matter of time: (http://movies.indiatimes.com/news-gossip/international/Avatar-to-be-made-into-a-porn-parody/articleshow/5476884.cms)
Quote'Avatar' to be made into a porn parody
James Cameron's sci-fi epic "Avatar" will be made into a porn parody by Hustler, a leader in exclusive porn content.
Bosses at Hustler, a leader in exclusive porn content, are planning a porn parody of James Cameron's sci-fi epic "Avatar".
"This Ain't Avatar XXX" is among the DVD releases planned by the company this year, following the success of porn parodies of TV shows such as "Star Trek", "Beverly Hills 90210", and "Saved By The Bell".
The news came a day after "Avatar" was voted the best motion picture at the Golden Globe Awards.
Avatar for Haiti (http://avatarforhaiti.com/): donate the cost of a movie ticket to the American Red Cross, UNICEF, or Doctors Without Borders.
Edited.
Regards,
David R
Quote from: David R;357019Edited.
I thought the same thing. Then I read the website. :)
!i!
I saw Avatar a second time on Friday, in 3D this time. Not only was the film better in 3D, but I think knowing that the plot wasn't the reason I was in the theater made the film much, much more enjoyable.
Say, is there anything in the credits besides credits?
Seanchai
We stayed all the way through, no Easter Eggs - at least in our showing.
Quote from: Seanchai;357371I saw Avatar a second time on Friday, in 3D this time. Not only was the film better in 3D...
Okay, I've wanted to ask if anyone else experienced this phenomenon.
When I first put the glasses on and began watching the previews, my eyes and brain required a minute or two to figure out how to focus properly. They did, of course, by the time the film started (thus, the reason they start the 3D effect during the previews), and I was promptly wowed and blown away...for about the first half of the film. Somewhere about halfway through, I began to notice the 3D effects only sporadically, and by the end of the film I found that I really needed to concentrate on noticing anything special. It's as if my mind had normalised the effect, and it
seemed like just watching a normal 2D film. My wife joked that maybe they ran out of budget and simply produced the last half of the film in 2D.
Anyone else notice this?
!i!
Yup, I noticed that too. Actually by that point it "felt" more like being there to me than the obvious 3-D quality for the first little bit.
That's probably a better way of putting it. It never really looked 2D to me, but as I stated above, the 3D nature of the film became "normalised" to my perception. As goofy as this sounds, I'm interested in seeing it in 2D eventually to see if I can notice what I'm missing. :o
!i!
Quote from: Ian Absentia;357380When I first put the glasses on and began watching the previews, my eyes and brain required a minute or two to figure out how to focus properly.
To my understanding, it takes about two to three minutes for your brain to start working with the glasses. I would imagine as you become more and more acclimated toward the effect, you notice it less and less.
Seanchai
One thing I did notice - as good as the effects and such in the movie were, my biggest "holy hell!" moment was during the previews for the IMAX 3-D documentary "Mission to Hubble".
I mean. Wow.
As of January 25: (http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=avatar.htm)
Domestic: $554,981,691 (29.9%)
Foreign: $1,303,885,198 (70.1%)
Worldwide: $1,858,866,889 (All-Time #1)
It will likely pass the $2 billion mark.
Quote from: JongWK;357661Worldwide: $1,858,866,889 (All-Time #1)
Even if the figure is corrected for inflation?
!i!
Watched it this afternoon. :)
The whole thing was a combo of the worst parts of pantheism, the racist and other parts of the "noble savage" concept, tons of white guilt, the hippy tree hugging, and plot points that you totally saw coming. Oh, and the whole Lion King musical gender switch thing/ripping off the iroquis :P
Overall I enjoyed it and was glad that I saw it in 3D, total agreement on the 3D kind of blending in towards the end as my mind got used to seeing it. The friend I saw it with and I spent pretty much the whole time mocking it, but we were quiet and the afternoon show wasn't that crowded so I don't think we annoyed anyone.
Hey, I had to take my mother to see it tonight and watch it a second time. The things a son must do because he cares for his mom...:o
Her reactions where most interesting, comments included:
"Is that Earth?" - commenting on the gas giant on Pandora's sky.
Me - "No mom, this takes place in a different solar system."
"A what?"
Me - "A different solar system."
"Such beautiful landscapes! I want to go live on Pandora."
As Sully was being trained by Neytiri: "Are they going to fall in love?"
As the war was a-brewing: "Oh no, I'm not going to like this if there's going to be a war."
During the attack on Hometree - well, she didn't say anything but she was fidgeting on her seat and elbowing me. I was afraid she would freak out during the final battle.
At the end of the movie: "This is a sad story..." (because of all the people that had died, in particular Dr. Grace.)
The funny was, after the movie ended I had to explain to her why the humans were killing all the nice blue folk. It turns out she had missed the whole Unobtanium business; if fact, she didn't even remember the scene where evil corporate dude speaks with Dr. Grace about it.
I still don't like this film, but I must admit Cameron is a genius in making money out of movies. My mom doesn't like sci-fi, she worries that I enjoy it so much, but she liked Avatar even though she missed the whole point.
I guess Cameron was pressing all her right buttons...
Quote from: Ian Absentia;357677Even if the figure is corrected for inflation?
!i!
Nope. The adjusted all time record belongs to Gone With The Wind, way back in the Golden Age.
Quote from: JongWK;357747Nope. The adjusted all time record belongs to Gone With The Wind, way back in the Golden Age.
By "adjusted" you mean all the money it's made since the 19th century to today, all of it counted in 19th century dollars.
Quote from: Axiomatic;357906By "adjusted" you mean all the money it's made since the 19th century to today, all of it counted in 19th century dollars.
Well hell, maybe if they'd just patented the time machine they used to make the movie in the 19th century, they could have made even more. ;)
Okay, okay...we all understood what Axiomatic meant. To the point, though, my earlier question was referring to box office receipts -- sales of tickets at the theater -- as I believe was Jong's reply. I'm not sure, but I think you can get even more specific and limit the query to box office sales during the first run.
!i!
It seems to have crossed the $2 billion mark (http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=avatar.htm) this weekend (7th in a row as #1). There are reports that the technical crew is getting new, 3-to-5 year contracts (http://www.slashfilm.com/2010/01/26/is-avatar-2-gearing-up-for-pre-production/)... Avatar 2 pre-production, maybe?
Quote from: JongWK;358530It seems to have crossed the $2 billion mark (http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=avatar.htm) this weekend (7th in a row as #1). there are reports that the technical crew is getting new, 3-to-5 year contracts (http://www.slashfilm.com/2010/01/26/is-avatar-2-gearing-up-for-pre-production/)... Avatar 2 pre-production, maybe?
That means it beats out the previous record holder,
Titanic, doesn't it?
Quote from: jeff37923;358552That means it beats out the previous record holder, Titanic, doesn't it?
As far as studio PR cares, yes. ;)
It's a few millions short of Titanic's unadjusted domestic (US & Canada) record, but it will break it early this week. Add to that the Oscar nominations announcement (Feb. 2), and you get free news coverage and a small box office boost.
Quote from: JongWK;358559As far as studio PR cares, yes. ;)
It's a few millions short of Titanic's unadjusted domestic (US & Canada) record, but it will break it early this week. Add to that the Oscar nominations announcement (Feb. 2), and you get free news coverage and a small box office boost.
Cameron thrives on breaking expectations. No one thought he could beat
Titanic. The problem is, he's competing against himself.
Regards,
David R
9 Oscar nominations. (http://oscar-watch.ew.com/2010/02/02/oscar-nominations-announced/) Best Screenplay not included. ;)
Plus: District 9 and Up got Best Movie nods. Yeah!
A review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJarz7BYnHA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJarz7BYnHA)
Seanchai
I can see why it was popular, but it didn't excite me much.
A "bimbo" movie, I call it. Visually beautiful, not much content, and the content it did have was cliched. A perfect Hero's Journey. Campbell has a lot to answer for.
The foreign civilised guy makes a better savage than the savages can, only he can unite them. In Hollywood world there are no Geronimos or Shaka Zulus, only... um... hmmm, trying to think of a historical example of a foreigner uniting savages, but guess what, there isn't one. I wonder why. Fictional examples abound - funnily enough, white Westerners have a lot of fantasies of white Westerners uniting savages under their rule.
Now me, I would have thought that the utter destruction of a zillion year-old home to thousands of people would be pretty fucking good at uniting them, but apparently not.
Good thing the Colonel got himself killed in battle, if he'd survived he would have been cashiered - losing half or all his force against a bunch of spear-wielding savages. Maybe when he said "I could have left, but I kinda like it here," what he really meant was, "actually I've quite a bit of tarnish on my brass, am known among my peers as an idiot, and they only sent me here because they thought, it's only spear-wielding savages, not even he can fuck that up." Woops.
Quote from: Seanchai;358975A review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJarz7BYnHA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJarz7BYnHA)
Seanchai
Senchai, I could kiss you.
That was the most hilarious thing I've seen for weeks!
Quote from: Edsan;359024Senchai, I could kiss you.
That was the most hilarious thing I've seen for weeks!
Check out his Star Wars review.
Seanchai
Quote from: Kyle Aaron;358998\
The foreign civilised guy makes a better savage than the savages can, only he can unite them. In Hollywood world there are no Geronimos or Shaka Zulus, only... um... hmmm, trying to think of a historical example of a foreigner uniting savages, but guess what, there isn't one. I wonder why. Fictional examples abound - funnily enough, white Westerners have a lot of fantasies of white Westerners uniting savages under their rule.
\.
T.E. Lawrence is an example. The reality doesn't quite live up to the myth, but I think it still qualifies as a historical example.
Quote from: Kyle Aaron;358998In Hollywood world there are no Geronimos or Shaka Zulus, only... um... hmmm, trying to think of a historical example of a foreigner uniting savages, but guess what, there isn't one.
T.E. Lawrence, as mentioned just above. But in general you're right, and it's yet another example of how Hollywood thinks that people in general, and Americans in particular, are dumbshits. Hollywood producers are afraid that people simply can't or won't identify positively with someone who doesn't conform to their particular demographic. Since the prevailing target demographic in Hollywood is: A) American, B) white, C) male, D) between the ages of 18 and 35, guess who the heroes of the movies are.
Ironically, the criticism that James Cameron panders to his audience seems to apply across many different social and political divides.
!i!
Quote from: BedrockBrendan;359066T.E. Lawrence is an example. The reality doesn't quite live up to the myth, but I think it still qualifies as a historical example.
The account we are given in the film makes him more of a leader than his own book, which makes him more of a leader than Arab accounts of the time. We white Westerners don't like to tell stories where white Westerners are just helpful advisers.
Quote from: Kyle Aaron;359142The account we are given in the film makes him more of a leader than his own book, which makes him more of a leader than Arab accounts of the time. We white Westerners don't like to tell stories where white Westerners are just helpful advisers.
Sure, that is why I said the reality doesn't quite live up to the myth. He wasn't just an advisor, he also participated in some battles, and he was an important broker between the Arabs and the British. Clearly he wasn't a messiah to them, but he was significant.
So apparently they're planning an Avatar 2. Which surely will be short. Maybe half an hour, tops.
See, surely Sully as an ex-Marine realised... Earth is not going to put up with a bunch of blue savage aliens chasing them off the planet with the rare and wonderful Unobtanium. I mean, a few thousand savages wiped out a whole company of Marines and their helicopters and battlemechs, rounded up the humans at gunpoint and sent them home. This is a defeat that makes Britain's Iswandalah look like a victory, at least the British got to stay in Africa after that.
So, apparently the trip was 5 years and 9 months. Give the humans that to get home, six months for the governments to sort their shit out and decide what to do, 5yr9mo for them to get back to Pandora, and... in exactly 12 years, the Earthmen come again.
Sully rallies all the Na'avi once more, they all gather together in one place with their dragons and spear and bows and arrows, and the Earth force says,
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/479px-Atomic_blast.jpg)
Avatar 2: the nuking. Well done, jakesully. You've got 12 years to schtup the girl, have fun.
Saw it again today - sold-out show at 2:50 on a Friday afternoon. Amazing legs this thing has.
And you're right about the bombs, but I also think that with the mastery of Na'vi genetics that the corporation clearly has, a bio-weapon might not be out of the question.
With their apparent mastery of genetic engineering, you'd think they'd make some new pollution-resistant trees for Earth and leave the Na'vi alone.
!i!
Oh, now, you just shush.
Hey, maybe that's what the Unobtanium™ is used for -- genetic engineering. So, if they totally denude Pandora for its resources, they can rebuild Earth. Then they can relocate the Na'vi to reservations and/or ghettos on Earth's newly revived biosphere. See, Kyle? There's the basic plot element of Avatar 3 for you right there.
!i!
So we've all heard stories of people becoming depressed after leaving the cinema (me, I was depressed during it, and happier afterwards), and of course the Otherkin have discovered their inner Na'avi. But this really is crazy (http://www.theage.com.au/world/palestinians-take-a-cue-from-avatar-20100216-o8vv.html).
Palestinians take a cue from Avatar
JERUSALEM
February 17, 2010
(http://images.theage.com.au/2010/02/17/1131647/Blue-420x0.jpg)
THE Israeli military may have begun to reroute its security barrier near the occupied West Bank town of Bilin, but Palestinians have kept their vow to continue non-violent protests at the site.
Dressing up as the bow and arrow-wielding blue natives of the planet Pandora from James Cameron's blockbuster film Avatar, the protesters drew photographers and amused onlookers, but the costumes did not prevent the almost customary Israeli military response, with teargas being fired to disperse the crowd.
The analogy between the forest-dwelling indigenes of Cameron's film and the Palestinians was not lost on Israeli humorists either.
The award-winning satirical program Eretz Nehederet (A Wonderful Land) on Israel's Channel 2 recently ran a sketch in which a comedian impersonating the country's ultra-nationalist Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, rejected claims that his policies had left Israel friendless in the world.
The spoof Lieberman then introduced the country's new best friend, ''an ally out of this world'' - the prime minister of ''Avatar''.
When the blue alien explains that the movie is about indigenous tribes resisting occupiers who exploit their land, the spoof Lieberman promptly shoots him.
The protests at Bilin have taken place weekly since January 2005. Israel says the barrier is crucial to its security, but Palestinians insist that its construction on occupied territory constitutes a land grab.
Even if it's crazy, Kyle, surely peaceful demonstrations are a good thing, no?
Quote from: One Horse Town;360962Even if it's crazy, Kyle, surely peaceful demonstrations are a good thing, no?
A bunch of Andorians just called - they want their look back.
- Ed C.
Quote from: One Horse Town;360962Even if it's crazy, Kyle, surely peaceful demonstrations are a good thing, no?
Oh, absolutely. And I'd be protesting in their place, too.
I just don't know what the fuck imaginary blue psychic alien dudes have got to do with Palestinian statehood, human rights, etc. In speaking for yourself, you can call on your or your foe's people's history, faith, and so on. But to call on the images of an imaginary and extraordinarily cliched world is just weird.
Quote from: Kyle Aaron;360975Oh, absolutely. And I'd be protesting in their place, too.
I just don't know what the fuck imaginary blue psychic alien dudes have got to do with Palestinian statehood, human rights, etc. In speaking for yourself, you can call on your or your foe's people's history, faith, and so on. But to call on the images of an imaginary and extraordinarily cliched world is just weird.
These people? they have different standards of 'weird' than you or I.
Considering the alternative is a Semtex Vest I'm sure they are quite happy to be blue.
I guess if you're desperate over there it's either the vest or wierd imaginary blue alien garb.
Quote from: Spike;360981Considering the alternative is a Semtex Vest I'm sure they are quite happy to be blue.
Um, fallacy of the excluded middle?
I mean, between suicide bomber and Otherkin surely there is a sane middle ground...
Well, the Palestinian authority is hardly treated seriously is it?
Kyle, you saucy dog, you've gotten politics into our media! Bad Kyle! No biscuits for you.
I can honestly say that wasn't my intention. I just mean to say that when imaginary blue psychic alien dudes are taken seriously enough to be used as a form of political protest, James Cameron really does have a fucking lot to answer for.
Quote from: Kyle Aaron;360955So we've all heard stories of people becoming depressed after leaving the cinema (me, I was depressed during it, and happier afterwards), and of course the Otherkin have discovered their inner Na'avi. But this really is crazy (http://www.theage.com.au/world/palestinians-take-a-cue-from-avatar-20100216-o8vv.html).
Damnit, Kyle! When this news item first appeared I did my best to unsee it and now you bring it here!
Quote from: Kyle Aaron;360983Um, fallacy of the excluded middle?
I mean, between suicide bomber and Otherkin surely there is a sane middle ground...
Trekkies ?
Regards,
David R
Quote from: David R;361007Trekkies ?
Regards,
David R
Koltar beat you to the punch on that one, Snake.
Quote from: Kyle Aaron;360989I can honestly say that wasn't my intention. I just mean to say that when imaginary blue psychic alien dudes are taken seriously enough to be used as a form of political protest, James Cameron really does have a fucking lot to answer for.
There's protest, and then there's a sop. Watching the plight of the Naavi allows well-meaning but lazy progressives to leave the cinema feeling like they've done something meaningful by watching a movie, in the same way that conservatives thought The Passion of the Christ struck a blow against the indifferent heathens who don't realise that the Flintstones is a documentary.
Get ready for Avatar 1.5: (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i474fda2d02866bfd711a3d89a21b17a7)
QuoteFox mulling 'Avatar' summer re-release
Fox, Cameron in discussions; additional scenes being eyed
By Alex Ben Block
March 11, 2010, 11:00 PM ET
Corrected: March 12, 2010, 05:42 PM ET
Get ready for "Avatar"-plus.
James Cameron and Fox are in discussions about rereleasing "Avatar," primarily in 3D theaters, in late summer -- and, tantalizingly, with additional scenes that had been left on the cutting-room floor in the rush to ready the epic for its Dec. 18 release.
The impetus for a rerelease is the feeling that, even though "Avatar" is the highest-grossing movie of all time, producers could have raked in even more money had they been able to hold on to the digital and Imax 3D screens that were lost when Disney opened "Alice in Wonderland" in 3D on March 5.
As for how much additional footage Cameron might add to "Avatar," the guessing began early Thursday when Imax CEO Richard Gelfond said during a Gabelli & Co. investor conference in New York that Cameron had about 40 minutes of additional material that didn't make the theatrical cut. He also predicted a rerelease, which he said probably would occur in the fall.
Cameron had said that he had 10-12 minutes of extra scenes that he cut and could quickly put through postproduction and have ready to add to a director's cut for a theatrical reissue or as an extra on the DVD release. One scene has to do with Jake Sully's avatar proving himself to the Na'vi people; the other involves a native festival during which tribe member Tsu'tey gets drunk.
The maximum length a movie can be released in analog Imax theaters is 170 minutes -- a number Cameron was aware of when he made his original edit -- so he could add about 10 minutes to the 160-minute current run time and still be in all Imax locations. That seems more likely than trying to add as much as 40 minutes.
The week before "Alice" arrived, Fox's movie still was minting millions in 2,456 North American theaters, including 179 Imax sites. This week, it dropped to a theater count of 2,163, including 667 digital 3D and eight Imax 3D locations, resulting in a 41% week-over-week drop in grosses.
Through March 4, "Avatar" had grossed $127.1 million of its $712.5 million domestic haul in Imax theaters; this week's giant-screen take was $175,884.
"Avatar" has done more than 80% of its domestic business in 3D theaters, which represented fewer than half of its runs.
The film also has grossed $1.9 billion outside North America for a total of about $2.6 billion. It has helped expand 3D globally and broken records worldwide.
When "Avatar" was forced off Imax screens -- after the longest and most lucrative run in Imax history -- to accommodate "Alice," Fox saw increased grosses on nearby digital 3D screens, an indication that demand remains.
How much did the film leave behind? Cameron was in New York this week for a demonstration of 3D TV and told USA Today, "The word we're getting back from exhibitors is we probably left a couple hundred million dollars on the table as a result."
The summer rerelease would follow an expected home video premiere in 2D form, which will happen as soon as next month and no later than May. Fox has made no official announcement about a release date for the 2D DVD.
Cameron told USA Today there might be a Blu-ray Disc release of the 3D version for home use as early as the fall, but Fox studio sources indicate that is unlikely. They believe there won't be enough of an installed base of 3D TV sets to make that worthwhile and said it is more likely to come next year.
Cameron and Fox also are in discussions about one or two sequels to "Avatar" that would use many of the digital "assets" that were created for the original. There is no script or deal in place, but the filmmaker and studio have indicated that it is something they would like to do.
Georg Szalai in New York contributed to this report.
Quote from: JongWK;366962Get ready for Avatar 1.5: (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i474fda2d02866bfd711a3d89a21b17a7)
How much money does he actually want?
Seanchai
Quote from: Seanchai;367187How much money does he actually want?
Enough to qualify
Avatar as a virtual emerging economy?
!i!
Quote from: Seanchai;367187How much money does he actually want?
Seanchai
How much do you got?:)
I MUST be out of it: I had no idea Avatar was STILL in the Theater at all!
I feel a profound disturbance in the force, as if a thousand unborn movie plots cried out and were suddenly silenced....
You're right, Spike. For one Avatar they could make 10 decent action movies, or 100 independent films. Spread the money around a bit and let's see some originality and develop some talent.
YES - its still in the theaters right now.
I should now - I saw it earlier tonight. (yeah, Ed had a date tonight)
It just isn't in 3-D any more locallly, which is okay with me. James Cameron has always been pretty good at putting fun spectacle on a big screen.
It was fun...tho $10.00 seemed a bit of a high price for it. Seven dollars would've felt more appropriate.
- Ed C.