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Rottenwatch: AVATAR (82%)

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I'm still dumbfounded that Avatar wasn't released in Italy to make space for this spectacular shit to make more money.

They released it worldwide, even in fucking third world countries and we have to wait till January 15.
 
I saw Avatar tonight on a large screen in 3D. I walked in with zero hype and very low expectations, and walked out brimming with excitement and joy. The Na'vi weren't just "realistic" or "convincing," they were real. Living beings, emotive and sentient. Beautiful, yes, but also, to my surprise, sexy. I didn't expect to connect with this film on an emotional level, but thinking back on what I just saw, the moments that remain sharpest in my mind are from the quiet scenes with Jake and Neytiri, where a luminous smile or subtle gesture said so very much more than any of the dialogue.

Cynics will point out Avatar's predictable plot, stereotypical characters and simplistic themes. Well, they wouldn't be wrong, but Avatar knocks the wind right out of those petty protests by showing exactly why its many cliches came to be conventions in the first place: properly arranged and employed, as they are, they can create powerfully resonant stories full of sympathetic people.
 
RevoDS said:
Double-edged sword. I avoided Avatar for almost 3 weeks because I thought it had was based on the Last Airbender bullshit.
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Last Airbender's good man. Don't have much faith in the movie though.
 
Monocle said:
Cynics will point out Avatar's predictable plot, stereotypical characters and simplistic themes. Well, they wouldn't be wrong, but Avatar knocks the wind right out of those petty protests by showing exactly why its many cliches came to be conventions in the first place: properly arranged and employed, as they are, they can create powerfully resonant stories full of sympathetic people.
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One wouldn't be wrong that the movie has a predictable plot, stereotypical characters, and simplistic themes, yet when a predictable plot, stereotypical characters, and simplistic themes are properly arranged and employed, it's okay?

I think I get what you're trying to say, but I'm not too sure.
 
Monocle said:
I saw Avatar tonight on a large screen in 3D. I walked in with zero hype and very low expectations, and walked out brimming with excitement and joy. The Na'vi weren't just "realistic" or "convincing," they were real. Living beings, emotive and sentient. Beautiful, yes, but also, to my surprise, sexy. I didn't expect to connect with this film on an emotional level, but thinking back on what I just saw, the moments that remain sharpest in my mind are from the quiet scenes with Jake and Neytiri, where a luminous smile or subtle gesture said so very much more than any of the dialogue.

Cynics will point out Avatar's predictable plot, stereotypical characters and simplistic themes. Well, they wouldn't be wrong, but Avatar knocks the wind right out of those petty protests by showing exactly why its many cliches came to be conventions in the first place: properly arranged and employed, as they are, they can create powerfully resonant stories full of sympathetic people.
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Great post.......very well said!
 
Rentahamster said:
One wouldn't be wrong that the movie has a predictable plot, stereotypical characters, and simplistic themes, yet when a predictable plot, stereotypical characters, and simplistic themes are properly arranged and employed, it's okay?

I think I get what you're trying to say, but I'm not too sure.
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Cliches are often carelessly copied and pasted to reduce the time and effort involved in crafting a rich narrative. Avatar is different because it's so artfully realized and lovingly constructed that its cliches take on a potency usually reserved for more original stories.

Edit: To clarify, the key is how the focus always remains on the characters. The characters are strong in spite of their stereotypes because they're sincere, and the film gives them enough time to develop nuanced personalities. Every narrative event is driven by people we care about. Every outrageous or fantastic situation is anchored in personal stakes.
 
chubigans said:
I still say Michael Giacchiano would be awesome.
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He is one of my favorites, but he would not be a good choice for Avatar. His action cues lack the punch and epic-ness that Avatar requires.
 
If you're going to throw Horner out (which they wont, so this entire debate is pointless :lol ), I think the best choice for the tone and bombast Avatar merits is John Williams, if someone could light a fire under his ass again.

If Horner can be a bit more creative while building on the motifs from Avatar 1, then Avatar 2 will be fine. It justs needs a few less stock Horner cues, and a few more memorable themes.
 
Truant said:
James Newton Howard would have killed on Avatar. KILLED.
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JNH is another of my favs, but, like Giacchino, I dont think he would have fit for Avatar either. JHN's specialty is subtle, introspective emotionally resonant cues. Not rousing action cues. This is why the Zimmer/JNH Batman scores work - Zimmer handles the bombastic cues, while JNH provides the beautiful and sorrowful emotional substance.
 
Solo said:
JNH is another of my favs, but, like Giacchino, I dont think he would have fit for Avatar either. JHN's specialty is subtle, introspective emotionally resonant cues. Not rousing action cues. This is why the Zimmer/JNH Batman scores work - Zimmer handles the bombastic cues, while JNH provides the beautiful and sorrowful emotional substance.
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It's never going to happen, but...
Bear McCreary. He's a little heavy on the percussion at times, but he can handle both action and emotion incredibly well. His score for Battlestar Galactica is one of the best things I've ever heard. He'd have the musical chops to pull this off.
 
The Avatar depression has made CNN

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/11/avatar.movie.blues/

Surprisingly it sort of makes sense especially this part:

"I wasn't depressed myself. In fact the movie made me happy ," Baghdassarian said. "But I can understand why it made people depressed. The movie was so beautiful and it showed something we don't have here on Earth. I think people saw we could be living in a completely different world and that caused them to be depressed."
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I'm not sure I would even want to visit Pandora much less live there, but it certainly opened up some interesting possibilities for life on other worlds that are hard to stop thinking about.
 
I dunno, if the movie depresses you...says a lot about where you are as a person I guess.

I came out of the movie with a huge shit eating grin and felt totally overjoyed, in a way that very few movies have ever done.
 
This movie isn't making anyone depressed. The story might as well be entitled "Slow news day motivates entertainment reporter to exploit internet forum of freaks".
 
Guardian Bob said:
I was totally happy at the end of the movie. The love story ended in a good way, and they won the war. Whats not to like?
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I think people are so happy by the end they never want to leave. One of them said he had thoughts of suicide in the hopes the afterlife was like Pandora - which was created by Cameron. This would mean Cameron truly is the ruler of the universe!
 
I'm slightly depressed that I don't have my own dragon to fly around on because it looked like fun.

I would settle for a hoverboard or jetpacks if scientists would get off their butts and get on that.
 
JGS said:
The Avatar depression has made CNN

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/11/avatar.movie.blues/
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"Ever since I went to see Avatar I have been depressed. Watching the wonderful world of Pandora and all the Na'vi made me want to be one of them. I can't stop thinking about all the things that happened in the film and all of the tears and shivers I got from it," Mike posted. "I even contemplate suicide thinking that if I do it I will be rebirthed in a world similar to Pandora and the everything is the same as in 'Avatar.' "
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This guy needs serious help.

This isn't normal.
 
ryutaro's mama said:
This guy needs serious help.

This isn't normal.
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the pic in the article is awesome

t1larg.avatar.blues.gi.jpg


:lol @ the pizza guy
 
Ezra Klein over at the Washington Post just linked to an absolutely incredible commentary examining Avatar from a libertarian perspective, but not in the way you might think. Avatar, the author says, is in fact a defense of personal property rights. (Plus, he lambastes several other libertarian commentators who put much less thought into their views on the film.)

Check it out. It's a fantastic read.
 
adg1034 said:
Ezra Klein over at the Washington Post just linked to an absolutely incredible commentary examining Avatar from a libertarian perspective, but not in the way you might think. Avatar, the author says, is in fact a defense of personal property rights. (Plus, he lambastes several other libertarian commentators who put much less thought into their views on the film.)

Check it out. It's a fantastic read.
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As usual, I believe Cameron just writes a fucking story, and then everyone proceeds to twist the movie into their own personal pulpit of ideals and messages. This happens for many things.

Also, I am totally in that picture of Comic-Con above...somewhere. I'm not the pizza guy, though.
 
Am I the only one that felt like they toned down the 3D in the finished product versus the avatar day stuff? For some reason I remember it looking way more '3Dish'. Maybe I'm just remember it wrong
 
The photo is such a sad picture of American gluttony -- that guy can't sit through a 20 minute preview of Avatar without stuffing his face full of pizza?

He must have brought an entire roasted turkey to the actual film.
 
border said:
The photo is such a sad picture of American gluttony -- that guy can't sit through a 20 minute preview of Avatar without stuffing his face full of pizza?

He must have brought an entire roasted turkey to the actual film.
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I disagree with your analysis regarding "American gluttony", considering he is the only person in the picture we see doing that.

However, I love that he is looking at the camera. He knows his gluttony is being recorded and for a moment he is questioning his life decisions.
 
JGS said:
I think people are so happy by the end they never want to leave. One of them said he had thoughts of suicide in the hopes the afterlife was like Pandora - which was created by Cameron. This would mean Cameron truly is the ruler of the universe!
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Then those people need to seek help immediately. How shitty must your life be to want to kill yourself in hopes that the afterlife is like a movie you just watched?
 
border said:
The photo is such a sad picture of American gluttony -- that guy can't sit through a 20 minute preview of Avatar without stuffing his face full of pizza?

He must have brought an entire roasted turkey to the actual film.
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Dude, If there was a way to sneak into a theater while eating a Pizza. I would do it too.

Pizza dude can rock on!

LeMaximilian said:
CNN predicting Avatar 2 in 2010, TFW?!

http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/11/hollywood.hits.2010/index.html
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I'll probably end up Netflix-ing most of that list.
 
Avatar just got nominated by the WGA for best original screenplay, incidentally. Impressive, IMO, considering that the screenplay is probably the weakest part of the movie, even considering the WGA is kind of a joke this year due to disqualifications.
 
All that depression talk is actually pretty creepy. I mean I never got depressed from overjoy after realising I could never ride dinosaurs that can throw eggs or how I could never shoot fireballs outta my hands or eat mushrooms that gives me extra lives...actually that last one does make me sad. :\
 
I'm totally bringing a pizza to my next viewing. From this day forth, I urge all of you to bring a pizza to Avatar!

Pizza: The New Popcorn (tm)
 
y2dvd said:
All that depression talk is actually pretty creepy. I mean I never got depressed from overjoy after realising I could never ride dinosaurs that can throw eggs or how I could never shoot fireballs outta my hands or eat mushrooms that gives me extra lives...actually that last one does make me sad. :\
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I used to be depressed that I could never fly like Superman.

Of course I was 7 or 8 at the time and usually a popsicle made it all better...
 
Duki said:
agreed.

this movie was really missmarketed. they made it seem like it was some movie about a guy joining the natives and beating down some evil aggressor or something. that's what i expected going in, anyway.

instead i got a poignant tale about a grizzled, old, veteran marine colonel, who takes a young-gun marine under his wing. the young-gun, who is meant to sort out some diplomatic problems, instead, after too much contact with the evil aliens, becomes a traitor to the human race. the grizzled vet then has to stop his younger, stronger apprentice.

pretty heartbreaking stuff.
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Shit, Avatar is the Star Wars Prequels!
 
Sharp said:
Avatar just got nominated by the WGA for best original screenplay, incidentally. Impressive, IMO, considering that the screenplay is probably the weakest part of the movie, even considering the WGA is kind of a joke this year due to disqualifications.
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I think the screenplay is deceptively strong, but the dialog is simply good (with some bad moments). I haven't seen a lot of movies this year, but it still does not strike me as the kind of screenplay that should be up for awards, but whatever. Probably a bit of bandwagon effect going on here.
 
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