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Rottenwatch: AVATAR (82%)

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4 hour cut? I´d be so there with hands full of money :lol 50 dollar blu-ray? No problem! theatrical re-release? Drool.

But how many intermission would cinemas cram in? Three? Fuck them.


Now just hope that Cameron´s next movie isn´t 12 years away.
 
Binabik15 said:
4 hour cut? I´d be so there with hands full of money :lol 50 dollar blu-ray? No problem! theatrical re-release? Drool.

But how many intermission would cinemas cram in? Three? Fuck them.


Now just hope that Cameron´s next movie isn´t 12 years away.
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Shouldn't be. He took a semi-retirement so he could explore the seas or some shit, while he was still relatively young. I'm looking forward to his next movie even though I didn't really care for Avatar.
I'm hoping it won't be Avatar 2 but with the money it's making...
 
As excited as I was for this movie I never thought it would have the chance to be the first sci-fi movie to win best picture. I've seen it 3 times and the 3rd time was the best of them all. Having seen it multiple times and taking everything in the movie has now settled in as a very atmospheric, great sci fi action drama flick. I liked it the first 2 times but for some reason had trouble finding its identity with all the spectacle going on.

RealD PQ is great but the sound was horrid.
 
Count of Monte Sawed-Off said:
Shouldn't be. He took a semi-retirement so he could explore the seas or some shit, while he was still relatively young. I'm looking forward to his next movie even though I didn't really care for Avatar.
I'm hoping it won't be Avatar 2 but with the money it's making...
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Yeah, not likely, but then again GRRM said Dance would be out soon after feast :lol

;_;


I´ll personally take everything he does next, be it Ava2ar or something else as long as it has guns.
 
Here's a pretty intersting article (in hindsight) from when Cameron announced the first details of the project. I was going to post it in the box office thread as a response to something, but thought it would fit in better here.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/31/b...-turns-to-3-d-film-ventures.html?pagewanted=1

Since Mr. Cameron, who is 48, became the self-proclaimed ''king of the world'' in 1997 with ''Titanic,'' which won 11 Academy Awards and took in more money than any movie in history, he has been indulging his inner geek. Mr. Cameron, who studied physics in college before dropping out, is exploring familiar terrain once again in ''Ghosts of the Abyss,'' the first digital 3-D documentary film to examine the wreckage of the Titanic. It is being released nationwide in the super-size Imax format on April 11.

But even while ''Ghosts,'' -- distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and financed by Walden Media of New York for about $13 million -- covers old territory for Mr. Cameron, it also plows fresh ground. He and his colleagues built new cameras and equipment to make 3-D filming deep underwater possible. And ''Ghosts'' is something of a test to see whether moviegoers and, more important, movie financiers, will warm to 3-D as more than a gimmick. After all, most people's image of 3-D, which requires viewers to wear polarized glasses to view the movie, hark back to 1950's films like ''House of Wax'' and ''Bwana Devil,'' which were more camp than commercial hits.

The 20th Century Fox studio, owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, has already agreed to produce Mr. Cameron's next big-budget film -- his first since ''Titanic.'' In a big gamble, it, too, will be filmed in 3-D. ''We are going to do an experiment with an awful lot of Rupert Murdoch's money,'' Mr. Cameron said.

He was mum about the topic of the movie. (''I'd have to kill you,'' he joked, sounding a little like Arnold Schwarzenegger's character in ''The Terminator,'' which he directed and helped write.) Industry executives speculate it may be either a science fiction fantasy or historical drama.

As such, the modestly budgeted documentary ''Ghosts,'' with a built-in audience of elementary and high school students, is a relatively safe study of 3-D's popularity.

''People are looking for a new way to be stimulated,'' said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations, a Los Angeles company that monitors the movie box office. But, he conceded that moviegoers would embrace 3-D only ''if it is used judiciously.''
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I'd say the experiment paid off.
 
Binabik15 said:
Yeah, not likely, but then again GRRM said Dance would be out soon after feast :lol

;_;


I´ll personally take everything he does next, be it Ava2ar or something else as long as it has guns.
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Ha, true.

And I would kill for Cameron to return to world of R rated movies. After this he could probably even get a huge budget for a bloody R rated epic.
 
Count of Monte Sawed-Off said:
Ha, true.

And I would kill for Cameron to return to world of R rated movies. After this he could probably even get a huge budget for a bloody R rated epic.
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Again, this is why I want him to make his bargain with Fox over Battle Angel now. Because that is a film that needs to be R rated and already has a starting budget of $200m. He needs to get final cut on that in exchange for him helming A2.
 
Count of Monte Sawed-Off said:
Ha, true.

And I would kill for Cameron to return to world of R rated movies. After this he could probably even get a huge budget for a bloody R rated epic.
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Yes, but if Avatar makes mad money he might be pressured into making more "family friendly" movies. I loved taking my mom who doesn´t like sci-fi stuff to see Avatar and see her reaction the same way I did ("Aaaaw" :lol), but a return to Aliens levels of action? Yes, please! Even if people like my mom wouldn´t want to see it.
 
Scullibundo said:
Again, this is why I want him to make his bargain with Fox over Battle Angel now. Because that is a film that needs to be R rated and already has a starting budget of $200m. He needs to get final cut on that in exchange for him helming A2.
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Yeah, now would be a great chance for him to bargain with Fox to get a hugely budgeted R-rated movie going. I'd be there opening day for that
with a boner.

Binabik15 said:
Yes, but if Avatar makes mad money he might be pressured into making more "family friendly" movies. I loved taking my mom who doesn´t like sci-fi stuff to see Avatar and see her reaction the same way I did ("Aaaaw" :lol), but a return to Aliens levels of action? Yes, please! Even if people like my mom wouldn´t want to see it.
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I would cry if they turned James Cameron into Eddie Murphy. I also think now is the time for him to make a real sequel to Aliens (maybe it could be a companion to Ridley's prequel.) And he can bring back Hicks.
 
Saw Avatar in 3D on Christmas eve...

Although there were a dozen things I could nitpick about it, all in all I really enjoyed it. That's a lot coming from a jaded snob like myself- 95 % of the time I hate all big-budget 'popcorn' films, and I'm not a big fan of CG for the most part.

Something about this movie just worked for me...
 
Interesting comparison shot of Zoe Saldana and Neytiri:

avatar_zoe_mocap-thumb-585xauto-7962.jpg
 
Imagine Quaritch having a shotgun handy for close encounters.
Poor Jake ;)

Or, as I said before, punching a rock. Cyborg Q., make it happen, Cameron.

PS: I have seen Avatar twice in 8 days and I still want more. Reminds me of True Lies, I have to see it every time it´s aired here.
 
Binabik15 said:
Imagine Quaritch having a shotgun handy for close encounters.
Poor Jake ;)

Or, as I said before, punching a rock. Cyborg Q., make it happen, Cameron.

PS: I have seen Avatar twice in 8 days and I still want more. Reminds me of True Lies, I have to see it every time it´s aired here.
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It actually seems to get played a lot, and I watch it every time it's on. Needs more/any Biehn though. Paxton just doesn't cut it.
 
gdt5016 said:
I would give Solo's left nut for a (fully rendered) longer cut of the movie.
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Sure man, feel free to take my nut.

syllogism said:
75.6m appears to be the final number
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Second weekend record. Next up: third, fourth and fifth weekend records :lol

CassidyIzABeast said:
Cameron's first line of his speech should be "this is great"
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I think "Doubt me again and I will shit you out dead" would be more appropriate.
 
Solo said:
I think "Doubt me again and I will shit you out dead" would be more appropriate.
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I'd prefer Cameron just pointing at everyone individually and saying "Fuck you, Fuck you, Fuck you, Fuck you" etc etc etc for a few hours.
 
Anyone find this interesting?
Quaritch killing the Thanator in the final act was a mini-win for him, thats assuming his scar was a result of his earlier encounter with the Thanator on Pandora ..
 
gdt5016 said:
3 scars=3 fingers=Na'vi
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Actually, the Na'vi have four fingers. And well, I can't imagine a human (who is tiny compared to the Na'vi) making it out alive from a "scratch" from a Thanator. Probably a Viperwolf gave him those scars.
ymmv said:
Interesting comparison shot of Zoe Saldana and Neytiri:

avatar_zoe_mocap-thumb-585xauto-7962.jpg
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Heh, with those devices in front of their faces like that, I'm curious now how they did the love scene, and especially the kissing.
 
Combine said:
Actually, the Na'vi have four fingers. And well, I can't imagine a human (who is tiny compared to the Na'vi) making it out alive from a "scratch" from a Thanator. Probably a Viperwolf gave him those scars.

Heh, with those devices in front of their faces like that, I'm curious now how they did the love scene, and especially the kissing.
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One of those is a thumb.

Dont see how a slash from a hand like the one Quatrich got would leave a scar from the thumb.


I thought it was a given those scars were from a Na'vi.
 
gdt5016 said:
One of those is a thumb.

Dont see how a slash from a hand like the one Quatrich got would leave a scar from the thumb.


I thought it was a given those scars were from a Na'vi.
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Thought about this on the 4th viewing of the film. Would explain all his macho animosity towards blowing them to kingdom come.

To go through years of dangerous combat experience unscathed, to being hacked in the face by a 10 foot tall blue cat dude on his first day out.
 
gdt5016 said:
One of those is a thumb.

Dont see how a slash from a hand like the one Quatrich got would leave a scar from the thumb.


I thought it was a given those scars were from a Na'vi.
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That kinda freaks me out if true. The sequel better have more hand to hand combat between the two races. Sure it'd be no contest but awesome to watch.

Also if true it gives the Na'vi a dynamic since they are generally potrayed as peaceful beings but this would obviously show a more animalistic side to them.
 
Has this been posted yet?

The guy is obviously reading too much into it, but he liked the movie anyway so it will go well in this thread:

http://blog.mises.org/archives/011295.asp

Avatar is Great and Libertarian

My wife and I saw Avatar this weekend in 3D. Here's the verdict: four out of four stars. Absolutely amazing special effects--best I've ever seen; fun story; all in all a very fun, nice movie.

And at its core it was very libertarian: it was about a group of people (the Na'vi) defending their property rights on the world Pandora from aggressors (the human invaders), and about one of the humans (a soldier named Jake Sully) deciding to join and help the right side. Sure, the movie has some stilted dialogue in parts, and a few cliched scenes (I liked how the evil military commander referred to their outrageous assaults on the Na'vi as "shock and awe," but his telling the troops that they would "fight terror with terror"--when the Na'vi had not really been shown to have done anything characterizable as terrorism--was a bit of a stretch in its attempt to dig at the current American "war on terror"), but overall it was great and fun, and libertarian. And the passion and vision and craft that has gone into this movie is amazing to behold. Cameron is to be commended for this great work of art.

Ignore the cynics--such as Peter Suderman on Reason's Hit & Run blog who accuses Avatar of "anti-corporate clichés and quasi-mystical eco-nonsense". Nonsense. Libertarians are not anti-environmentalism, for one; property rights are the only way to protect the environment. As for "quasi-mystical"--I can't say much without spoiling, but the various beliefs of the Na'vi are perfectly grounded in reason and reality, as the movie shows. As for anti-corporate--nonsense.

And the "corporation" here is basically a mini-state, or an arm of a state--it has an army going around killing and destroying (Lester Hunt makes this point here). In fact, in the review of the leftish Mark Kermode of the BBC, he just calls the bad guys the military; even he is not taken in by the corporate facade. And the libertarian hosts of Free Talk Live (12/19/09 episode) get it right too: the plot is about property rights. In particular, the property rights of the Na'vi, in an established tree-city that they have clearly homesteaded. The Na'vi are not just some uncivilized savages as some curmudgeonly reviewers imply; they live they way they do because of the wondrous bounty of their strange world and some unique features it has--which, again, I can say little of without spoiling, but suffice to say it's grounded in reality and extrapolative science fiction, not some quasi-mystical nonsense. They even have a sophisticated homesteading technique worked out for ownership of the wild, pterodactyl-like creatures known as Banshee or ikran. In addition, the main Na'vi character, Neytiri, although she is betrothed to another Na'vi, is permitted to change her mind and choose someone else--respect for individual choice and autonomy.

As for the 3D: the 3D was well done, not over-used, and did add depth to the picture. It's worth seeing in 3D if you go to the movies. That said, I don't think it adds much. Avatar will still be great on HD home theater systems in Blu-Ray or HD. Note: we intentionally avoided the IMAX version because I assume the image has to be cropped (left and right sides chopped off) to fit IMAX's different aspect ratio.
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In before Jaydubya claims humans are higher beings with rights over the Na'vi!
 
Combine said:
Actually, the Na'vi have four fingers. And well, I can't imagine a human (who is tiny compared to the Na'vi) making it out alive from a "scratch" from a Thanator. Probably a Viperwolf gave him those scars.

Heh, with those devices in front of their faces like that, I'm curious now how they did the love scene, and especially the kissing.
Click to expand...

Just more CGI magic. Maybe do the scene multiple times, one for face performance, another for body. It's not like they necessarily filmed all scenes exclusively with all the gear in place.
 
Count of Monte Sawed-Off said:
I saw it on RealD and thought it looked great, not blurry at all. Then again it was the first 3-D movie I've seen since Captain EO at Epcot in Disneyworld so I don't have a real frame of reference.
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:lol That was truthfully the only 3D-Show I had ever seen before this and it scared the shi#$ out of me.
 
Jibril said:
Am I the only one that really liked his mixed accent?
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I liked it. It sounded a little bit Mid-Atlantic (loosely), taking into account that Worthington is Australian and not British (as far as where he was raised).
 
About the Turok

The reason the Na'vi suddenly were willing to follow Jake when he showed up with the Turok, was that the Turok would only allow a rider under special circumstances (sorrowful times), and that rider was meant for great things (uniting the clans). Jake was allowed to ride a Turok because he was special, he was not special because he rode a Turok. The Turok was the ultimate symbol for the Na'vi culture, an outsider would never be allowed to ride, Jake riding the Turok was a sign by Etwa.
 
Going to catch it tomorrow. I tried getting tickets at IMAX but its sold out till Saturday! This movie must be making gangbusters.
 
If I had to choose between Imax and RealD, I'd go with Imax.

While Imax had a few ghosting issues, the pop-up effects stood out more and the sound is better. RealD had a consistently clearer picture but the pop-up weren't as obvious as the Imax to me even though I hear it should be the opposite. I guess that's good if 3D messes you up too much. Are all RealD in DLP? It's like going from standard to hi-def tv.
 
Crunchy Numbers

Altogether we probably used 60 TB of disc space on the project.


One recent estimate by the production was of 100 hours of computer time to animate each frame, though this
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ScannersExplodingHead.gif



Just got back from my 2nd and last viewing, Cameron got 3 tickets from me, and they were worth every penny, thank you kind sir... I can't wait for his movie!!!
 
GhaleonEB said:
I thought it worked the second time around, once I noticed he had an accent as a human (both in person and in voice over), but it was lost as his avatar. It made me think it was deliberate, to further highlight how he was different as a Na'vi. But that's just my interpretation, it could well be inconsistancy.

In general I like hearing actors native accents in movies; Worthington's sounds great. Especially ones like this where there's no reason at all to mask it.
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:lol :lol :lol :lol Not sure why but I couldn't hear any Australian in the accent! He sounded great!
 
The one thing I don't like in the Scriptment is the whole Na'vi as slaves thing. Its just way too much, and if people think the humans are already too evil in this movie, that would broken the camels back.

Also, definitely way too many secondary human characters in the scriptment. (though the suicidal Avatar driver definitely would have been interesting)

I think Cameron did a good job distilling it into a movie that is both, engrossing and entertaining, yet at the same time, sure to be a worldwide hit. He made the right decisions, as the worldwide gross suggests, and thanks to that we can expect a sequel where he can address some of the things that were left out in the scriptment (he literally set aside parts of it for the sequel, as said on Charlie Rose).

And there are still parts of the Scriptment that were filmed that we will be getting on Blu-Ray, such as the hunt (which I think should be a pretty important scene. It would fit right in between Jake getting his Ikran and him and Neytirir getting attacked by the Toruk.)
 
I was all prepared to go see AVATAR for the second time at IMAX today thinking it would be less crowed now that people have gone back to work (I'm off). It was CRAZY packed, more busy than a Friday night. Why didn't someone tell me that so many people would have today off also. :(

I think I'll try going to the late showing.
 
Dead said:
The one thing I don't like in the Scriptment is the whole Na'vi as slaves thing. Its just way too much, and if people think the humans are already too evil in this movie, that would broken the camels back.

Also, definitely way too many secondary human characters in the scriptment. (though the suicidal Avatar driver definitely would have been interesting)

I think Cameron did a good job distilling it into a movie that is both, engrossing and entertaining, yet at the same time, sure to be a worldwide hit. He made the right decisions, as the worldwide gross suggests, and thanks to that we can expect a sequel where he can address some of the things that were left out in the scriptment (he literally set aside parts of it for the sequel, as said on Charlie Rose).

And there are still parts of the Scriptment that were filmed that we will be getting on Blu-Ray, such as the hunt (which I think should be a pretty important scene. It would fit right in between Jake getting his Ikran and him and Neytirir getting attacked by the Toruk.)
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Has the whole thing leaked and does it read like a book/novel
 
y2dvd said:
If I had to choose between Imax and RealD, I'd go with Imax.

While Imax had a few ghosting issues, the pop-up effects stood out more and the sound is better. RealD had a consistently clearer picture but the pop-up weren't as obvious as the Imax to me even though I hear it should be the opposite. I guess that's good if 3D messes you up too much. Are all RealD in DLP? It's like going from standard to hi-def tv.
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From what I've read there's more pop-up in IMAX and more depth perception in RealD and Dolby3D.
 
Also, there are pictures and concept art for some of the animals described in the Scriptment that arent in the final movie in the Avatar activist Survival Guida (has descriptions and pics of the Slinger and Medusa)
 
WrikaWrek said:
Holy fuck nuts, somebody hold my dick and tell me it ain't true. Ice Age Dawn of Dino made almost 900 million?

WTF
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The Ass Age franchise is mad popular with foreign audiences. It's actually currently the second highest grossing picture of 2009.

Ice Age 3 in 3D was kinda fun though. It was the movie that turned around my hatred for three-dee. :P
 
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