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Author Topic: Avatar  (Read 3919 times)

Werekoala

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« Reply #15 on: December 31, 2009, 09:26:18 AM »
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.
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JongWK

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« Reply #16 on: December 31, 2009, 12:07:46 PM »
"I give the gift of endless imagination."
~~Gary Gygax (1938 - 2008)


Bradford C. Walker

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« Reply #17 on: January 01, 2010, 06:35:06 AM »
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.

Axiomatic

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« Reply #18 on: January 01, 2010, 08:01:54 AM »
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.
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Abrojo

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« Reply #19 on: January 01, 2010, 02:31:53 PM »
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.
 

Axiomatic

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« Reply #20 on: January 01, 2010, 05:50:23 PM »
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.
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Edsan

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« Reply #21 on: January 01, 2010, 06:42:25 PM »
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.
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Axiomatic

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« Reply #22 on: January 02, 2010, 03:10:19 AM »
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.
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Edsan

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« Reply #23 on: January 02, 2010, 12:40:09 PM »
Quote from: Axiomatic;352622
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.


There is a difference between a "plate of exposition" and "starving for lack of information"...that's all I'm saying.
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Abrojo

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« Reply #24 on: January 03, 2010, 03:29:37 AM »
Quote from: Axiomatic;352445
but 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.
 

JongWK

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« Reply #25 on: January 03, 2010, 03:42:24 PM »
It's over $1 billion:


Quote

According 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.)



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JongWK

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« Reply #26 on: January 06, 2010, 07:27:45 PM »
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...
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JongWK

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« Reply #27 on: January 14, 2010, 12:06:38 AM »
Everything that was cut from the now-available Avatar script.
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Bedrockbrendan

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« Reply #28 on: January 14, 2010, 12:58:02 PM »
Quote from: Edsan;352469
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.


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.

Ian Absentia

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« Reply #29 on: January 16, 2010, 12:31:31 PM »
Okay, here's an amusing criticism I found of the film:



See? Complete with anti-civilisationism and race-treason. :)

!i!