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[MWS Natural]

Saw it today, great effects and decent story even though the same plot has been done to death. One question for the experts: Is Cameron using a completely new/different 3D tech or just a variation/building upon the current technology we have seen in UP and the latest Harry Potter film?

 

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

I hate the phrase Oscar Bait.

 

[Particle Physicist]

:lol

 

[jett]

Saw it today, great effects and decent story even though the same plot has been done to death. One question for the experts: Is Cameron using a completely new/different 3D tech or just a variation/building upon the current technology we have seen in UP and the latest Harry Potter film?

He co-invented a new 3D camera to film Avatar with. So yeah the way the 3D effect in Avatar is made is pretty different.

The technology used to project it though is the same.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Maybe not T, but there was plenty of Neytiri A.

There's plenty of Neytiri T on display in almost every scene, though never gratuitously. You just have to be looking for it.

Not that I was mind you.

 

[CassidyIzABeast]

9 BFCA Critics' Choice Award nominations for avatar

http://www.bfca.org/ccawards/2009.php

 

[ToxicAdam]

I hate the phrase Oscar Bait.

Well, there is a reason for it. Movies have been pushed to December, extended in length or given greater advertising budgets to influence the academy.

 

[Castle Doctrine]

I think you're reading into it too much. It's white people in a land like Africa doing exactly the same god damn things we've done to Africa for millenia.

Nature is awesome. Human greed is insatiable. The two do not mix well. BAM! Avatar plot. Recently seen in: District 9, Lord of the Rings, <a billion other movies I can't recall right now>, Last of the Mohicans, Dances with Wolves. It's a great concept, but at this point there's only so much you can do with it. White people suck. I think the world knows that by now. And I don't disagree with that point any less, either.

Speak for yourself. I think you have a case of white guilt. You should get that looked at.

 

[Vyer]

Finally saw it. Without a doubt the most visually impressive film I have ever seen. Absolutely beautiful, and though I already liked the new 3D tech this thing sort of guarantees I want to see more. I very much look forward to the blu of this.

Story was a little predictable and just above average, but served its purpose well in the film. It kept it entertaining and I was never bored by it. In the end it is more a reason to move from one amazing visual piece to another, but it does it's job.

Lots of fun.

 

[Dice]

*snip*

Settle down there, sparky. I wasn't ragging on tribalism. In fact, I'm in favor of it. What I was saying there is that you can't point to Africans and say they don't exploit the land because they are so connected to the earth-spirit or whatever that they would never do anything that wasn't good for everybody. The only thing stopping them is lack of knowledge or power to do so. I was saying that because everything is so vague, the movie could very easily be taken as only furthering the "magical negro" archetype. Taking interpretation of the movie in your direction, looking to ancient anthropology for some wisdom about balance, it can be good. However, I don't think many will do that, especially since there weren't any black humans (or at least I didn't see any)

 

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

More importantly, there's a subjective feel to a movie that is made to pander to academy voters. I won't describe it, but I know it when I see it.

I haven't seen Up in the Air yet, tho.

I won't deny that some movies are Oscar bait. However, I hate any phrase that allows people a blanket way to describe something that they don't like or in which they are not interested. It's the same with the word 'pretentious'; some things ARE pretentious, but people use the word as a blanket way to criticize something instead of looking for contexts where it's actually appropriate.

 

[Expendable.]

Up In The Air is not Oscar bait. That would be films like Invictus and last year's Frost/Nixon, even Benjamin Button to a degree. Over sensationalized, heavy drama geared toward older Academy member and usually relating to a historical event that premiere just before the end of the year. Up In The Air rode the festival circuit since early Sept. and is a very personal film that does a lot more than the standard schlock. Check it out before disregarding it so easily.

 

[ryutaro's mama]

I will always root against the oscarbait.

OK, I see your angle.

 

[WrikaWrek]

I don't see this movie having any chance of winning best movie at any awards.

And the Hurt Locker, Inglorious Basterds, An Education, Precious, all deserve it much more than Up in the Air.

 

[koam]

Me! At this point I’d say it’s locked in at becoming the second highest grossing movie of all time, and now the ultimate question is if it’ll knock off Titanic to become number one.

And you know what? I really think it has a good chance of finally doing that....as crazy as that may sound. If ever a movie was set up to dethrone Titanic, it’s definitely this one!

So does anyone else think this has a shot at taking over Titanic? Oh and by the way PhoenixDark not only needs to have an avatar swap...but he really must have a tag too! :lol

All it has to do it's first 10 days two more times. How long will this stay in the theaters for? 3-4 months?

If it doesn't topple Titanic it will come close, or at least, it will bridge the gap between Titanic and LOTR.

 

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

I don't see this movie having any chance of winning best movie at any awards.

And the Hurt Locker, Inglorious Basterds, An Education, Precious, all deserve it much more than Up in the Air.

Avatar deserves every technical award, but nothing else.

 

[StuBurns]

He co-invented a new 3D camera to film Avatar with. So yeah the way the 3D effect in Avatar is made is pretty different.

The technology used to project it though is the same.

That's not quite true. It's more advanced than other 3D camera solutions, but it's the exact same principle, you film from two spacial positions, the distance between the average two eyes.

 

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

Inglourious Basterds deserves Best Picture, from what I've seen thus far. It will not win it. I predict that Up in the Air will win, and George Clooney will win Best Actor. I will see it on Tuesday and find out if it is actually deserving of those awards.

 

[artist]

Inglourious Basterds deserves Best Picture, from what I've seen thus far. It will not win it. I predict that Up in the Air will win, and George Clooney will win Best Actor. I will see it on Tuesday and find out if it is actually deserving of those awards.

Lots of GAFFers think so but IMO its QT's weakest movie till date and doesnt deserve it.

 

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

Inglourious Basterds deserves Best Picture, from what I've seen thus far. It will not win it. I predict that Up in the Air will win, and George Clooney will win Best Actor. I will see it on Tuesday and find out if it is actually deserving of those awards.

Right now that would be my choice. But I really need to see The Hurt Locker. I want the director of Point Break to win an Oscar.

 

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

Lots of GAFFers think so but IMO its QT's weakest movie till date and doesnt deserve it.

I think that it's his best, personally.

 

[Krev]

PD should be forced to wear an avatar of Neytiri's ass for a year.

 

[jett]

PD should be forced to wear an avatar of Neytiri's ass for a year.

He really should wear something more...offensive...than a picture of Cameron Crowe. Probably a hideos piece of Avatar fan art that borders on furrydom.

 

[Krev]

He really should wear something more...offensive...than a picture of Cameron Crowe. Probably a hideos piece of Avatar fan art that borders on furrydom.

My thoughts exactly.
After all his comments about 'furries' it would be perfect.

 

[harSon]

My other issue comes from confusion over what the hell the movie is talking about. At least when you are direct about your Pocahontas basis all the cultural implications are reasonably clear, but when you go to a fantasy land it's harder to figure what it all represents, and when you make all the humans white (I guess progress of racial harmony broke down somewhere in the timeline) and all the aliens are voiced by black actors and the whole world has an obvious African tone to it, you end up seeming possibly racist. Sure, it could be about exploiting resources in Africa at the expense of the people, but what else is tied into that with the rest of the depiction? Which aspects are purely fantasy-land and which are intended parallels? I suppose the vague nature allows them to get off the hook for any accusations, but it is simply creating an environment for racist interpretation, either against blacks or whites depending on how you perceive it.

I thought the Navi were a mixture of Native American and African cultures, Zulu in particular.

 

[CassidyIzABeast]

Am I the only one that thinks the scenes before the Thanator chase have the best CG shots?

 

[kIdMuScLe]

lot's of gaf'ers always think that QT newest movie is his best... like the snorefest "deathproof"... i think his best is Reservoir Dogs

 

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

lot's of gaf'ers always think that QT newest movie is his best... like the snorefest "deathproof"... i think his best is Reservoir Dogs

I've seen every one of his movies but Death Proof. I think that Inglourious Basterds is his best all-around package. It's got great writing, characters, direction (his best work as a director since Jackie Brown), cinematography, acting, and an intangible something that makes it an absolute joy to watch (maybe it's just QT's passion for the project coming through).

Reservoir Dogs is really effective, but I think that it has a more limited scope than his other films and that it is also a bit shallower than some of his other efforts (though I like it more than Kill Bill).

 

[tino]

I have been listening to a few Hollywood/Oscar podcasts recently. Very few people think IB has the chance to win best picture.

It's probably going to be Up In the Air or Hurt Locker (I am not going to watch UitA, I did not enjoy Michael Clayton, I am not going to bother with any small George Clooney film that gets release in the winter.) So I will be rooting for Cameron or Tarantino winning the best director. Cameron should have the edge, since he is making the Studio and the theater chains alot of money.

But really, I rather see Tarantino win. Oscar envy usually make directors do lame stuff. Producing period epic like Gangs of New York for example.

 

[kIdMuScLe]

I've seen every one of his movies but Death Proof. I think that Inglourious Basterds is his best all-around package. It's got great writing, characters, direction (his best work as a director since Jackie Brown), cinematography, acting, and an intangible something that makes it an absolute joy to watch (maybe it's just QT's passion for the project coming through).

Reservoir Dogs is really effective, but I think that it has a more limited scope than his other films and that it is also a bit shallower than some of his other efforts (though I like it more than Kill Bill).

the only QT movie i have not seen is jacky brown and Basterds... i was really disappointed with the Kill Bill series though. was pretty hyped for it and it was kinda a snorefest but i think that Deathproof is his weakest movie though

 

[Wendo]

Anyone else notice how Cameron seemed to position the "3dness" behind the screen, rather than in front of it like most 3d movies? There are some exceptions, but I think it worked out rather well. I hate watching a 3d movie where an object is supposed to come towards you, but is occluded by the edges of the picture frame. It rather destroys the effect, and Cameron seemed to get around this for the most part.

 

[harSon]

Anyone else notice how Cameron seemed to position the "3dness" behind the screen, rather than in front of it like most 3d movies? There are some exceptions, but I think it worked out rather well. I hate watching a 3d movie where an object is supposed to come towards you, but is occluded by the edges of the picture frame. It rather destroys the effect, and Cameron seemed to get around this for the most part.

I thought things closest to the screens looked the worse in 3D, they came off faded or translucent looking. The best example I can think of is the scene where the Chopper was landing, with the blades of grass moving towards the front of the screen as the vehicle landed.

 

[ryutaro's mama]

I thought the Navi were a mixture of Native American and African cultures.

Me too, almost verbatim.

 

[Nazgul_Hunter]

Anyone else notice how Cameron seemed to position the "3dness" behind the screen, rather than in front of it like most 3d movies? There are some exceptions, but I think it worked out rather well. I hate watching a 3d movie where an object is supposed to come towards you, but is occluded by the edges of the picture frame. It rather destroys the effect, and Cameron seemed to get around this for the most part.

Yes; I also first saw it in 2D and noticed there were a lot of quick zooms into an object (best example I can remember are the birds when they first fly to the forest to collect samples) which I thought looked weird, but then when I saw in 3D I realized they were there to help the 3D effect be less blurry and overwhelming.

 

[AniHawk]

I will always root against the oscarbait.

Yep. Some Oscar winners are all right though. I liked No Country for Old Men.

Stuff like The Reader deserved to be rooted against though.

 

[Dipper145]

I just got home from finally seeing this movie. I was only able to see the 2d version because I had a free movie-ticket thing that expired on the 31st that wasn't usable on the 3d one. So I'm kind of wondering how the 3d is done and what it looks like.

I really enjoyed it. I wish I had worn my glasses, even though I normally don't wear them, so that I could see the movie a bit more sharply. My blurry vision probably helped to make the CG look a lot more real, I thought everything looked great.

This thread is so huge, I can't read it all so I don't want to really comment on things that have probably already had a lengthy discussion. I'll just say that I thought the movie was very well done, and I really enjoyed it.

 

[Click]

I just got home from finally seeing this movie. I was only able to see the 2d version because I had a free movie-ticket thing that expired on the 31st that wasn't usable on the 3d one. So I'm kind of wondering how the 3d is done and what it looks like.

I really enjoyed it. I wish I had worn my glasses, even though I normally don't wear them, so that I could see the movie a bit more sharply. My blurry vision probably helped to make the CG look a lot more real, I thought everything looked great.

This thread is so huge, I can't read it all so I don't want to really comment on things that have probably already had a lengthy discussion. I'll just say that I thought the movie was very well done, and I really enjoyed it.

I also just saw it tonight... in IMAX 3D.

Let me just repeat what I told my friends afterwards:
"I can't imagine watching this movie in anything other than 3D."

Yes, it's that good in 3D and I highly recommend you watching it again in 3D. The only complaint I have was that some images were blurry, but I think that's what happens when you watch it on an IMAX 3D screen...


I have a question:
It's possible for them to release this on Blu-ray in both 3D and regular, right?
If so, I can't wait for it to come out on BD.

 

[bggrthnjsus]

The movie is called AI for a reason.

At least reassure me that you weren't one of the morons who thought the movie ended with aliens showing up.

yeah but it is less about the overall concept of AI than it is about the specific creation of artificial emotions

and yes i know they were ai in the future...and i didn't care, i didn't see that movie as a movie about the future of people and machines, i saw it as a story about the personal consequences of artificial emotions

 

[universalmind]

Can someone explain why Inglourious Basterds is so highly rated?

edit: I see someone already has. It's a great film for sure. I don't know what I'd pick out of that or Avatar. Avatar really makes you want to be part of the movie, but IB is really something else.

 

[Click]

Aww crap. Just read up on my own question.
3D HDTVs are required for 3D movies.
Fuck... guess I gotta upgrade my TV yet again. ; ;

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

Can someone explain why Inglourious Basterds is so highly rated?

Because its a great film?

 

[Blader]

Well, damn. That was pretty cool.


I might share some more first-time impressions later. It's almost 3am and I am in stupid need of some sleep. I'll just say that I was more impressed with it than I thought I'd be.

 

[Einbroch]

Just saw it in 3D.

Holy shit. It was amazing.

 

[Veidt]

The amount of people that keep repeating how they had trouble sleeping after watching this film, is astounding. Pandora-withdrawal is hard.

 

[Pai Pai Master]

Just got back. I had my doubts but I absolutely loved it. Such a well-realized universe.

 

[Combine]

The amount of people that keep repeating how they had trouble sleeping after watching this film, is astounding. Pandora-withdrawal is hard.

Heh, is everyone having dreams of flying over the forest like Jake?

I've actually wondered what the significance of that opening scene was. Is it supposed to be only random or is it subtly implying that Ewya was already reaching out to him even before he left Earth?

Also, one thing I noticed on my second viewing that I didn't on my first was how Norm was actually present at the first "ritual", which is kind of strange because up until then he's never been shown as being acceptable to be in the presence of the clan (unlike Grace who Jake helped return). But I guess since Jake became Toruk Makto, he could make that work.


Oh yeah, re-watched some of the B-roll footage. Man I hope they add more scenes like the Selfridge thing there because that so helps make the character more than the one-dimensional creation he played: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61kMpOgkZRs&hl

I like how some of the dialog changed like when Grace was asking if Quaritch was going

Spoiler

to shoot her, he replied "you want that?" in the B-roll. But of course in the final cut he said "I can do that".

 

[GhaleonEB]

Well, damn. That was pretty cool.

Just saw it in 3D.

Holy shit. It was amazing.

Just got back. I had my doubts but I absolutely loved it. Such a well-realized universe.

Welcome aboard.

My wife and kids are leaving town on Tuesday for a week. Might have to sneak off and see it again next weekend while they're out. I don't see myself going to the theater for it more than another one or two times, but I keep thinking how in just a couple months, it will be gone from theaters (likely) for good. And it's just such as awesome experience in 3D, I don't want it to go away.

 

[Dead]

Heh, is everyone having dreams of flying over the forest like Jake?

I've actually wondered what the significance of that opening scene was. Is it supposed to be only random or is it subtly implying that Ewya was already reaching out to him even before he left Earth?

Well, Jake says "you grew up hearing about Pandora" Im sure he saw some of it on TV or whatever.

Theres no special significance other than...Jake wanting to break free of his broken existence

Oh yeah, re-watched some of the B-roll footage. Man I hope they add more scenes like the Selfridge thing there because that so helps make the character more than the one-dimensional creation he played: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61kMpOgkZRs&hl

That Selfridge vs Quaritch scene definitely should have been in the final cut, never mind an extended one.

 

[jetjevons]

Theres no special significance other than...Jake wanting to break free of his broken existence

Says you!

Anyway I can't wait to see this again, hopefully this time in IMAX 3D.

 

[Krev]

I am not going to watch UitA, I did not enjoy Michael Clayton, I am not going to bother with any small George Clooney film that gets release in the winter.

That's a weirdly specific (and misguided) rule to live by.

Yep. Some Oscar winners are all right though. I liked No Country for Old Men.

Stuff like The Reader deserved to be rooted against though.

Seriously. I am so glad that this year's textbook Oscarbaiters (Amelia, Invictus and Nine) have imploded.