rumpelstiltskin. Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 have you seen it? of the people who have actually seen the movie, am i the only one who was kinda meh on it? it seems like whoever sees it thinks it's the best movie ever made. it can be exciting, and it had a couple of really fun acting performances (by bad guys). the 3D was easily the best execution of the technology that i've seen to this point. without the 3D, the CGI elements make it two movies in one -- animated and live-action. with the 3D, the sense of space add a considerable amount of realism to all the unreality. i don't think the very obvious symbolism* at the core of the plot ended up being indicative of very bad storytelling like i had feared. that said, i was ready to be a convert until the really very exceptionally lame twist at the end, and the telegraphing of the final resolution a half hour earlier in the film. i can't make this up. apparently clumsy implication wasn't good enough. and that doesn't even address the preachiness. in other words the more i reflect on the movie, the more i think it didn't live up to its hype. i mean, when james cameron makes a movie, it could be the terminator. or it could be titanic (full disclosure: i never saw it. i thought it looked really awful, and apart from technical achievement, that appears to be the consensus.) like tim burton in his later years, any film james cameron makes has a 50/50 chance. this one hit about 60%. it exceeded my expectations, but they were very low. maybe i'm just old and no sci-fi movie will ever beat empire. am i crazy? thoughts? robb. * the movie is called avatar; the planet is called pandora; the metal is called unobtanium; "you are not in kansas any more"; the local diety's name is an anagram of a certain judeo-christian deity; the native population are called the na'vi. look, this stuff is so obvious even i think it's obvious, and i'm not at all clever about these sorts of things. also, the only new idea (bio-USB) thing was really lame. because i like people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumpelstiltskin. Posted January 8, 2010 Author Share Posted January 8, 2010 you know what? nevermind. if you're into blue, go see it just for this: http://www.shadowandact.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/zoe-soldana.jpg in cartoon form she has unfortunate rhinoplasty and big plugs in her lobes (which is hot): http://static.reelmovienews.com/images/gallery/another-look-at-zoe-saldana-as-neytiri_517x449.jpg apparently she was hawt in star trek, too. robb. because i like people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getz out Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 I have not seen the movie. She, whoever she is, is rather dishy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 When you say "Empire", are you talking about The Empire Strikes Back? Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davio Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 I'm totally with you. I had low expectations and it definitely met those. Then again, I feel the same way about 99% of movies I see in theaters (I cheated this time and watched a pirated version online). I almost always know how a movie is going to end at least half and hour before it does so. It's rare that a Hollywood blockbuster doesn't involve bad storytelling. I only go for mindless entertainment and things blowing up. I suspend my disbelief, hold my nose and dive in. If I want something artistic or something that makes me think, etc., I do my research and end up watching some movie I've never heard of before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZZ Thorn Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 I thought it was awesome - I would invest in Sony asap if I had the dough because it's all going to be 3D. I mean...why watch sports, action movies, anything exciting (cough cough porn cough) in 2d if you have another perfectly good dimension you can use? They've said that about 3d before, but it's not 1956 and the technology is going to become commonplace in new tvs in just a couple years. Pretty amazing. The story in Avatar is a typical self-hating white guy going native, but here's a couple good write-ups about it from regular news NY Times columnists. I went for the 3D and not for the great storytelling, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. Without the 3d tho, probably just another action movie to me. Ross Douthat - avatar as pantheism David Brooks: stop picking on white westerners http://www.myspace.com/themoustachioed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumpelstiltskin. Posted January 8, 2010 Author Share Posted January 8, 2010 When you say "Empire", are you talking about The Empire Strikes Back? it's probably too rude to answer that question with, "hur." so, uh, yes. empire strikes back. robb. because i like people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b5pilot Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 Nope, I haven't seen it yet. I'll probably wait for it to go to DVD. Based on the trailers the visuals look pretty good allbeit the characters look a bit cartoonish. I have a basic idea of the story but I'll reserve judgement until I see it. A question to you gamers out there. Weren't the Na'Vi the name of a people in an old 1st person shoot-em-up game? Lydian mode? The only mode I know has the words "pie ala" in front of it. http://www.myspace.com/theeldoradosband Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Daddy from Motown Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 Oh well, I liked it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cthulhu Fhtagn Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 Nope. Doubt I will. I don't take the time to watch many movies anymore (some classics on AMC, maybe) and haven't been to a theater in, oh, twenty years or so. Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groove Mama Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 No, you're not crazy. I viewed it from the third row of the IMAX and became slightly nauseated from vertigo, depending on camera movement, especially the flying scenes. Whew. Some of it I thought was pretty clever. (I liked the bio-USB concept and the fact that the lame guy could walk as an alien.) But fine cinema? Uh, no. The bad guys were soooo bad. In fact, all the characters were one-dimensional. It was all about the special effects. So OK. Whatever. Fun to watch, anyway. Queen of the Quarter Note "Think like a drummer, not like a singer, and play much less." -- Michele C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groove Mama Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 the really very exceptionally lame twist at the end, and the telegraphing of the final resolution a half hour earlier in the film. SPOILER ALERT! Haha. Oh, yeah. When Sigourney Weaver was going through the process, I was thinking to myself, "Gee, why don't they just do that with the lame guy?" Queen of the Quarter Note "Think like a drummer, not like a singer, and play much less." -- Michele C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norwegia Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 A question to you gamers out there. Weren't the Na'Vi the name of a people in an old 1st person shoot-em-up game? Navi is your little fairy buddy in Zelda:The Ocarina of Time on N64 I haven't seen it yet, I'll have to wait till it comes out on DVD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davio Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 A question to you gamers out there. Weren't the Na'Vi the name of a people in an old 1st person shoot-em-up game? Navi is your little fairy buddy in Zelda:The Ocarina of Time on N64 I haven't seen it yet, I'll have to wait till it comes out on DVD DING! Also... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b5pilot Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 A question to you gamers out there. Weren't the Na'Vi the name of a people in an old 1st person shoot-em-up game? Navi is your little fairy buddy in Zelda:The Ocarina of Time on N64 I haven't seen it yet, I'll have to wait till it comes out on DVD Oh yeah, the Zelda game, but I was thinking of Unreal. I just looked it up and they were the Nali. Close but no cigar for me. Lydian mode? The only mode I know has the words "pie ala" in front of it. http://www.myspace.com/theeldoradosband Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlrush Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 Haven't seen Avatar but I've been thinking I would go. With these reviews though, maybe I'll go see Sherlock Holmes instead. Visit my band's new web site. www.themojoroots.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 Well, unobtainium is a fairly common word in materials engineering to describe ideal substances. The term was also used in the movie "The Core" to describe the alloy that was used in the drill bit that could make it to the Earth's core. I think this movie was the best proof of concept I have ever seen for what 3D can be. The plot, dialogue and acting were absolute tripe. Derivative, offensive, simplistic, and shallow. The Sci-Fi plot holes were huge, but if you went to this movie to see the greatest story ever told, that's your own fault. Despite the fact that I could barely make it through the speaking parts, I will most likely see it again. The set and character design were very consistent and logical, although I think his version of "Aliens" and even "Titanic" was even more so. I saw it on the lowest end version of the Imax screen, and it was great. I liked how the movie started "indoors" in zero G, so there was no horizon or any point of reference...my wife nearly hurled right then and there. Oh, and Sherlock Holmes wasn't bad...it's just obviously part 1 of 3 or 4. "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davio Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 Sherlock Holmes was really good. But it felt kind of slow at times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saxofunk Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 It was a thrill in IMAX 3D, by far the best application of CGI I can recall. I agree with you, Robb, that in retrospect the overall story is predictable. Especially in light of other James Cameron works. It's another retelling of empire building / man vs machine / man vs nature without a lot of substance. I have to admit to missing the wordplay with names, etc. The only name worth remembering is Zoe Saldana. Zoe. Saldana. This may be a better version, minus Zoe Saldana: Thelma & Louise II: Avatars of Pandora - Matt W. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 I had fun at the movie. The 3D was great. It was certainly worth seeing, in my opinion, on "the big screen." I would go again to see it at an IMAX theater. Yes, there were large chunks of simplisticism, and predictability. No, not the "greatest story ever told" -- for sure, yo. It seems fitting that Sherlock Holmes should be set up as Part Uno of several. I read many, many of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Holmes' tales, and having characters, themes, etc. re-emerge across the stories was great. Good read, those. But, I haven't seen the current film. I did not like Titanic. So there. In a different direction altogether, I recently rented 500 Days of Summer and thought it was quite good. Peace. --SW spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumpelstiltskin. Posted January 13, 2010 Author Share Posted January 13, 2010 It was certainly worth seeing, in my opinion, on "the big screen." I would go again to see it at an IMAX theater. agreed. i wouldn't initiate another trip, but i would go along if others were. the movie i was most surprised by recently was "wristcutters: a love story." clever, fun, unexpected. give it a try. robb. because i like people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saxofunk Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 It seems fitting that Sherlock Holmes should be set up as Part Uno of several. I read many, many of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Holmes' tales, and having characters, themes, etc. re-emerge across the stories was great. Good read, those. But, I haven't seen the current film. Haven't seen Sherlock Holmes yet and it has been a long many years since I read one of Doyle's books,. I want to see the movie while it's in theaters, though. The one review I read said not to expect the character to be true to the books. I am anxious to see this flick, though, even if it turns out to be a Steampunked James Bond. - Matt W. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Force Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 I just saw "AVATAR" and think it was...OK.. Very thin plot, typical music, plenty of unnecessary violence and more than enough swearing. Visually it was interesting. Would I see it again? nope. Funny, since I watched the MATRIX many many times (not as many times as CADDYSHACK tho..) Steve Force, Durham, North Carolina -------- My Professional Websites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 I want to see the movie while it's in theaters, though. The one review I read said not to expect the character to be true to the books. I am anxious to see this flick, though, even if it turns out to be a Steampunked James Bond. That's exactly what it is, and it works quite well. Again, not some genre-changer or vanguard of new cinema, but a visually interesting story about an idiot savant and a massively repressed soldier/doctor in a very conflicted relationship. Sort of like a British "Brokeback Mountain" without the sex...and with explosions and clues and stuff. "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 Why is it Hollywood can't do Sherlock Holmes the way Doyle wrote him? The Basil Rathbone flicks weren't, this new thing isn't, I've never seen an accurate Sherlock Holmes flick, and that's a real shame. Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumpelstiltskin. Posted January 18, 2010 Author Share Posted January 18, 2010 That's exactly what it is, and it works quite well. Again, not some genre-changer or vanguard of new cinema, but a visually interesting story about an idiot savant and a massively repressed soldier/doctor in a very conflicted relationship. Sort of like a British "Brokeback Mountain" without the sex...and with explosions and clues and stuff. the new york times review described the holmes-watson dynamic as homoerotic, and that rachel mcadams was more a distraction to that than a believable love interest. i never read the books, but i'm a huge fan of the spielberg-produced "young sherlock holmes." i understand it has some "factual" discrepancies, though (e.g. holmes meeting watson at school in the movie). robb. because i like people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 I did see "The Sign of Four" (hmmmm...do I have the story title right...hmmm) on stage back when I was kid and in the midst of reading a bunch of Doyle's stuff. I dug it. Seems like some of the Holmes for the stage was handled pretty well. Not sure how much there is or how frequently performed. Peace. --s-uu spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groove Mama Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 It's another retelling of empire building / man vs machine / man vs nature. As a friend of mine said, it's the sci-fi version of "Dances With Wolves." Queen of the Quarter Note "Think like a drummer, not like a singer, and play much less." -- Michele C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davio Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 Why is it Hollywood can't do Sherlock Holmes the way Doyle wrote him? The Basil Rathbone flicks weren't, this new thing isn't, I've never seen an accurate Sherlock Holmes flick, and that's a real shame. Because...as great a read as the books are, an exact translation to film would be boring as ****. I wouldn't pay for it. Same with most books going to film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saxofunk Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 It's another retelling of empire building / man vs machine / man vs nature. As a friend of mine said, it's the sci-fi version of "Dances With Wolves." Word. How did I miss / forbidden love? - Matt W. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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