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Rottenwatch: AVATAR (82%)

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Watched Aliens two nights ago at my friends place. It was the theatrical cut. I don't understand how anybody can go back to the theatrical cut after the Special Edition.
 
StuBurns said:
That jump cut isn't in the film is it? That's awful.
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That must be the original original theatrical cut or the user editing it. Because normally after Hudson raises his hand it plays out like:

'What is it Hicks?'
'Hudson sir, he's Hicks'
'What is it private?'

Edit: LOL nm, watched the rest of the video. Its the user obviously. :lol
 
With the sound it's a lot clearer yeah, although it should have been in the first place. I haven't seen the theatrical cut for years, I wasn't sure.
 
I was never able to take proper quality shots of the Making of book, I actually saw these some time ago but forgot to post em:

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review: http://parkablogs.com/content/book-review-making-of-avatar
 
I have to say Avatar really is the best theatre experience I have ever had. It felt like unpacking presents on christmas, for 2-3 hours.
 
Veidt said:
I have to say Avatar really is the best theatre experience I have ever had. It felt like unpacking presents on christmas, for 2-3 hours.
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By far for me too. I have mixed feelings about the film in a number of areas, but I saw it six times at the cinema, and I'd have seen it six more if I could.
 
Scullibundo said:
Fellowship is easily my favourite movie of the decade. For some reason I was stubborn and never saw it in the theatre.
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You missed out, like seriously.

I still remember the first time I saw it, on the trip back me and my friend weren't even able to talk about the movie, we still couldn't believe what we had just seen :lol

I even saw the Extended Edition in theaters, so that was pretty awesome too.
 
I got the making-of book a couple weeks ago, and am about 2/3 of the way through reading it. There's enough text to fill a small novel. Very, very impressive piece of work.

The two authors are the lead editor for Cinefex (and author of the fantastic issue with the 80-page article on Avatar I picked up), and the editor is the same one that did the Art of Avatar book (also fantastic). Absolutely worth picking up if you like the details from the artwork that's been posted. It goes into a pretty deep level of detail on both process and art design, and as the pics above show, is pretty gorgeous throughout.
 
GhaleonEB said:
I got the making-of book a couple weeks ago, and am about 2/3 of the way through reading it. There's enough text to fill a small novel. Very, very impressive piece of work.

The two authors are the lead editor for Cinefex (and author of the fantastic issue with the 80-page article on Avatar I picked up), and the editor is the same one that did the Art of Avatar book (also fantastic). Absolutely worth picking up if you like the details from the artwork that's been posted. It goes into a pretty deep level of detail on both process and art design, and as the pics above show, is pretty gorgeous throughout.
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Yeah, I ordered that and the Making of ANH and ESB from Amazon.

Can't wait.
 
Solo said:
Cuz homie ain't no sucka!
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Were you not tempted though? It would be nice to have not seen it for a while before seeing the new cut for sure, but I'm glad I got the initial version, with the exception of having to get it with a DVD that could not be less useful.

I actually just played it for my cousin's son the other day, he's only three-ish, it was pretty cool.
 
Of course I was tempted - its been 11 months since I last saw it! But I knew from day one that a special edition was coming in November, so I held strong.

Veidt said:
I have to say Avatar really is the best theatre experience I have ever had.
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Same, followed closely by Spider-Man 2. Opening night with a captivated audience and a movie that more than delivers? Man, that shit is something else that takes things to another level. When everyone is leaving the theatre blowing their loads over what they just saw, you know the movie is going to be a big hit. There is this intangible feeling of awesome when the whole theatre is vibing on a movie big time.
 
Solo said:
Same, followed closely by Spider-Man 2. Opening night with a captivated audience and a movie that more than delivers? Man, that shit is something else that takes things to another level. When everyone is leaving the theatre blowing their loads over what they just saw, you know the movie is going to be a big hit. There is this intangible feeling of awesome when the whole theatre is vibing on a movie big time.
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Yeah, it's one of the reasons I love movie theaters, and something I can't get at home.
 
Are there any plans to show the Extended Cut at IMAX theaters? I'd love to go again. It might be decades before we can really reproduce the full 3-D IMAX experience without the actual IMAX theater. = (
 
Feep said:
Are there any plans to show the Extended Cut at IMAX theaters? I'd love to go again. It might be decades before we can really reproduce the full 3-D IMAX experience without the actual IMAX theater. = (
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The whole reason much of what you see in the Special Edition etc isn't there is because the IMAX theatre's can't display a film longer than 2 hours and 45 minutes or so due to the insanely large film reels.

Which is why I'm hoping that by the time A2 releases, IMAX have worked out some sort of true-imax size display that is digital. They need to upgrade their shit too.
 
I reckon if Cameron tells the IMAX corp a year out that the film's running time is 3 hours and that if they want to be able to screen it they have to upgrade, they'll do so. They wouldn't dare miss out on the sequel to their biggest business ever. Of course the LieMAX's will still be able to screen it, but for the true IMAX screens, it will be a huge loss.
 
With the third one a year later, I could see Avatar 2 being shorter. (I'm not sure I believe the year later part though)

EDIT: Listened to the Aliens commentary earlier, Bill Paxton is incredibly funny.
 
I really hope we get a villain that is able to measure up to Quaritch in A2. Because every time I watch Avatar, Quaritch just blows me away with how badass he is. Lang just fucking nailed it.
 
Scullibundo said:
I really hope we get a villain that is able to measure up to Quaritch in A2. Because every time I watch Avatar, Quaritch just blows me away with how badass he is. Lang just fucking nailed it.
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The Navi will develop human Avatars, and they will all look like Lang, allowing him to play many roles in A2.
 
Scullibundo said:
I really hope we get a villain that is able to measure up to Quaritch in A2. Because every time I watch Avatar, Quaritch just blows me away with how badass he is. Lang just fucking nailed it.
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Prequel and Sequel Godfather 2 style, it is the only way.
 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-mendelson/blu-ray-review-avatar-thr_b_781645.html
Avatar: 3 Disc Extended Collection
2010
160 min (theatrical), 168 min (special edition re-release), 179 min (extended)
rated PG-13
Available from Fox on Blu Ray on November 16th
by Scott Mendelson

My original review of the theatrical cut can be found here. For this review, I watched the 179 minute extended cut. It's still the same movie. Most of the new footage is just little bits and pieces, a bit more action here, a longer flight there. There is a six minute prologue that takes place on Earth, which establishes the environmental damage that the planet has sustained, while also establishing Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) as someone who cannot walk away from someone in peril. It's a bit broad, but it gives us a rooting interest in Sully beyond him simply being the lead character. There are extra moments for Grace (Sigourney Weaver), including a more detailed explanation of why her precious school for Na'vi ended up closing. There is a very brief (and non-explicit) sex scene between Jake and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). The other big change is a very different finale for Tsu'tey (Laz Alonso). Oh, he still gets his powerful final stand and subsequent death plunge, but... well, you'll have to see for yourself what happens afterward. It's an interesting addition, but I kinda liked the haunting original demise.
None of the additions radically effect the movie. It's still a ripping adventure story that works on a visual and emotional level. The second act still drags a bit, but the pay off is more than worth it. I still love Saldana's fiercely emotional work as Neytiri. I still love the climactic action sequence, a stunning piece of work that rivals the epic warfare in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings and John Woo's Red Cliff. I still love how company man Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi) isn't quite as one-dimensional as he appears (he's clearly bothered by the collateral damage, just too weak to do anything about it). I love that the entire film is edited with long, fluid takes that puts the 'put your film in a blender' editing from Paul Greengrass or Ridley and Tony Scott to shame. And for the record, the film works every bit as well in 2D on Blu Ray as it did in 3D IMAX theaters. Heck, since the film was shot in 3D by someone who knows what he's doing, the entire film has a three-dimensional quality that almost makes it feel like 3D. Truth be told, the only time you miss it is during the occasional obvious 3D bits (creatures flying towards the camera, etc). Avatar was never the greatest film ever made. Sully's on-the-nose expository voice over is more annoying than ever (most of the cheesy dialogue is from the voice over), while Norm Spellman (Joel Moore) and Trudy Chacon (Michelle Rodriguez) are basically irrelevant to the story. But it remains a visually beautiful adventure story with just enough social relevance to make it matter. It's still a damn good movie.
Needless to say, all three cuts on disc 1 look and sound superb. If there is a flaw, it is that the ultra-bright richness of the image diminishes the photo realism that the darkened 3D image helped sell in theaters. But if you simply accept that what you're seeing couldn't possibly be real anyway, it doesn't take you out of the film to any real degree. Oddly enough, the relative simplicity of the core story allows repeat viewers to just scan the image for any number of details that they missed the first time around. It helps that most of the exposition is in the first act, which mainly takes place away from Pandora, which allows viewers to just drink in the visuals in the second and third acts. Assuming the lack of 3D isn't a deal breaker, this is a stunning image. Oh, and Fox earns big bonus points for allowing viewers to simply skip to the new footage in either of the longer cuts, for those who just want to see the new stuff.
Now about those extras. There are a total of just between 7-9 hours of video-based material on the second and third discs (there's a 65 minute feature on disc three that can be watched three different ways). Best of all, there are no unnecessary bells and whistles. It's 7 hours of deleted scenes, marketing materials, and hardcore behind the scenes footage. Plus, you get 15 photo and art galleries (costumes, weapons, locations, etc) and two versions of the screenplay (the original 'scriptment' and the final shooting script). The main attraction is the 67 minutes of rough and unfinished deleted scenes, which adds up to 28 scenes totaling about 45 minutes of new footage. I won't do a run-down of the scenes, as I imagine anyone who wants to buy this disc would prefer to discover them for themselves. But I will note that the best new stuff is from the human characters. We get more guilt for Jake, and more moments of shading for Parker, including a climactic confrontation with Quaritch (Stephen Lang) where he basically attempts to stop the coming genocide. You also get a climactic bit for Dr. Max Patel (Dileep Rao), who in the finished cuts basically vanishes at the start of the third act. I'm not sure the world needs a four-hour cut of Avatar, but there are any number of character beats in this batch of footage that would have improved the picture.

As far as pure documentary footage, here's what you get: There's a 20 minute PSA, which basically details James Cameron's activism in preserving the rain forests. There's a 98 minute documentary covering the making of the film in a general fashion. There's 85 minutes of technical featurettes, mainly dealing with the minutia motion capture processes. And that's just disc two. Disc three starts with 65 minutes of Scene Deconstructions, which allows you to view 17 different scenes in three stages of production (which I guess makes this a 195 minute feature). Anyway, the coolest option is watching the the finished film with the original performances in a small window. It's further proof that the actors in Avatar were giving full-blown performances, and that Zoe Saldana should have received an Oscar nomination. There are also a total of 92 minutes of general featurettes, covering things like editing and the score (minor quibble - there is no PLAY ALL for these featurettes, while every other batch of extras has that option). There are also 15 separate galleries, with art work and production stills and the usual assortment found in such collections. I've never been a fan of walking through these galleries, but those who approve will be in heaven. Finally, as mentioned, there is a grab-bag of stuff, including the film's teaser and trailer, the aforementioned screenplay options, a 449-page Pandora Encyclopedia, and more. I didn't check on everything, but most of this material appears to be in HD.
Aside from the lack of 3D options (and the lack of subtitles on any of the bonus material - boo!), this is as comprehensive a Blu Ray set as any Avatar fan could hope for. In fact, the only thing I wish was included (aside from a theoretical commentary) was the dynamite interview that James Cameron gave with Charlie Rose back in February. In it, Cameron takes on many of the sillier criticisms of Avatar point by point and renders them more or less impotent. The film remains a terrific adventure, and this disc is a genuine labor of love from all involved. Fox is nice enough to house the set in a sturdy book-like box, which is only slightly taller than a normal Blu Ray box. This is no monstrous pizza box or giant collector's case that won't fit on any bookshelf here. The film is presented in three different variations, there are nearly an hour of deleted scenes, plus about eight hours of documentary material and about an hour of other goodies, plus scripts and copious still galleries. If you liked Avatar last year, there's no reason not to pick this Blu Ray set up.

Film: A-
Video: A
Audio: NA (English 2.0 set up)
Extras: A
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I wonder what Max does in the third act that was cut? I can't remember.

Has anybody confirmed whether the 'new life' scene is indeed
pregnant Neytiri bowfishing?
 
What is the Charlie Rose interview he cited? I found three minutes on YouTube, I guess that's not all of it?

In that he was talking Avatar being his most personal film in terms of it's theme, but the theme of Titanic is almost exactly the same as Avatar. That being that the memories of prior generations, their stories, are of greater value than the physical things that encase them, Experience > Token essentially. Which seems fairly transparent for someone who makes a living telling stories that millions consume.
 
StuBurns said:
What is the Charlie Rose interview he cited? I found three minutes on YouTube, I guess that's not all of it?
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He did 2 appearances each around an hour in length. One just before release, and one after it had become the highest grossing movie of all time. Both are great. Cameron is shockingly humble about Avatar becoming the highest grossing film in the second one.

They were both up in their entirety on Charlie Rose's site as of February, but I have no clue if they are now.
 
Scullibundo said:
I reckon if Cameron tells the IMAX corp a year out that the film's running time is 3 hours and that if they want to be able to screen it they have to upgrade, they'll do so. They wouldn't dare miss out on the sequel to their biggest business ever. Of course the LieMAX's will still be able to screen it, but for the true IMAX screens, it will be a huge loss.
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Dude, IMAX will have to increase their plates by 2012 for Titanic 3D. There's no way Cameron won't want that released in IMAX
 
I think in an interview Langley mentions that the company has Quaritch DNA. So they can bring him back as a clone.

I want them to bring him back as a half cyborg whose height and prowess matches that of a Navi.

He gets reprogrammed and protects Jake. Then Arnold comes in and destroys him.

That last part was a joke.....sorta.
 
I don't think Lang will come back...unless its a for a flashback sequence or something.

The only character who died that I can see coming back is Sigourney Weaver.
 
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