Beware, gentle reader. I talk about the movie here so if you don't want to have the plotline ruined, go see the movie then come back and share your thoughts.

So I rushed out and saw Avatar last night. I caught the very first showing at our local theater and was a little surprised that it wasn't sold out considering the attention leading up to opening night! That said, we got our tickets, were gouged at the candy counter and found our ideal seats for what we hoped would be THE movie of the year. I won't say we came away disappointed but it left some to be desired. Read on..

Avatar - The Good:

To be sure, James Cameron is a brilliant film maker. The movie was visually stunning which is what I was looking forward to. The hype for me was al about the visual and here, JC - (hmmm, that feels wrong), James Cameron did not disappoint.  For the most part, you really feel the size and scope of the planet of Pandora where the whole movie takes place. The film jumps back and forth between live action and animation so seamlessly. From the humans home base and machinery to the magical planet of Pandora and its in, you just can't be sure at times whether you are seeing amazing costumes or amazing animation! I never cease to be amazed at what the film industry is able to convince me of through stunning CGI.

That is not to say that there some flaws but that would be nitpicking. Avatar gets full marks for imagery. Giovanni Ribisi', while mostly a two dimensional character with limited screen exposure, did what he did best - I've always had a soft spot for him. Sigourney Weaver reminded me of what a solid performer she is. No matter what type of film she is in, she always stands out.  Zoe Saldana played Neytiri of the Na'vi. It is always revealing when an actor is forced to perform without actually being seen. Saldana has shown herself to be a pretty good actor here - I was actually surprised! Watch for more of her I'm sure.

Avatar - The Bad:

The plot.  Big bad company run by white stereotypes oppresses native tree dwellers. Weak, weak weak. I kind of expected the cliche of 'Big Bad Corporation' vs 'The Environment' be it earthly or alien. These types of movies usually can't do both imagery and originality well at the same time so I was prepared to forgive some of that. What I didn't expect was the frustration I felt at the theme of the movie. The whole premise of  'white guilt' was so glaringly overdone here that I was nauseous.  From the handicapped white marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) finding redemption by coming to the aid of and eventually leading the oppressed indigenous peoples, to the social worker (Weaver) bringing 'Education' to the natives (like they needed it), to Neytiri (Saldana) who, like most of the Na'vi, emoted a mostly black character in every sense - from how she expressed anger to how she expressed grief, I felt smothered by the concept of the great white evil hell bent on the mindless destruction of Pandora and its <insert white-oppressed race here> people for their own selfish needs.

This was such a lazy, unbalanced portrayal of good vs evil that it sullied (see what I did there?) the overall beauty of the movie. I find it sad that Cameron took such an unthinking approach to the plot.

One blogger referenced in a very good blog at i09 commented;

"By the end of the film you're left wondering why the film needed the Jake Sully character at all. The film could have done just as well by focusing on an actual Na'vi native who comes into contact with crazy humans who have no respect for the environment. I can just see the explanation: "Well, we need someone (an avatar) for the audience to connect with. A normal guy will work better than these tall blue people." However, this is the type of thinking that molds all leads as white male characters (blank slates for the audience to project themselves upon) unless your name is Will Smith."

This I think will be the topic of many an online diatribe. Maybe that is what Cameron had in mind. Or maybe the plot was an afterthought.  This was easily the weakest part of Avatar and managed to offend whites, blacks and natives, ironically, equally.

Avatar - The Indifferent

Frankly, I made no connection with many of the characters. I whole-heartedly agree with the questionable need for Sam Worthington's character and his performance was really quite forgettable.  The human technology was cool but under-developed as was many of the supporting performances.

Overall, the movie was good fun and certainly should get some awards for the epic scale that the visuals created.  I may try and see it in IMAX just for the experience. There is very much a 'wow' factor throughout. Just be prepared to work very hard to tune out the plot!

I think it would make a great read and will probably buy the book too.

What did you think?

See larger image James Cameron's Avatar: The Na'vi Quest (Paperback) By Nicole Pitesa List Price: $4.99 USD New From: $1.55 In Stock Used From: $1.47 In Stock Released November 24, 2009.

Tags: 20th fox, action, adventure, Avatar, avatar movie, Giovanni Ribisi, Michelle Rodriguez, neytiri, Sam Worthington, sci fi, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

For my money there is no cooler hero in the Marvel Universe right now than Iron Man. I am positively giddy about be able to cheer for Robert Downey Jr. again. Iron Man 2 is arguably the most anticipated sequel for 2010 and I for one CANNOT WAIT. In the meantime, I will have to satisfy myself with every and any image and trailer I can get my hands on.

That said, Empire has an exclusive new image of Tony Stark in the famous red and gold suit as the centerpiece of their January 2010 cover. Too Cool! IM2 features Mickey Rourke as the baddie Whiplash and Scarlet Johansson as the Black Widow. (Please god, don't let Scarlet sing in the Movie).

Iron Man is due for release May 7, 2010.

See larger image Iron Man (Ultimate Two-Disc Edition) [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) New From: $29.51 In Stock Used From: $11.99 In Stock

Tags: Black Widow, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Mickey Rourke, Robert Downey, Scarlett Johansson, Tony Stark, Whiplash

The superhot Zoe Saldana, who played Uhura in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek and will be the voice of a blue alien in James Cameron's upcoming Avatar, says she's not just a sex plaything. Well, color me relieved!

Speaking to Details magazine, Saldana said: "I've always gravitated toward the Sigourney Weavers, the f--king Linda Hamiltons, the Angelina Jolies. I just love strong women that are in tune with their bodies—that don't just use their bodies as sex tools."

Just to be on the safe side, I'm shopping for a bigger toolbox.

See larger image Star Trek Poster Print, 22x34 (Kitchen) List Price: $8.00 USD

Tags: Avatar, avatar movie, James Cameron, StarTrek, Uhura, Zoe Saldana

The first image of Piranha based carnage from director Alexandre Aja's new Piranha 3-D has been released (above).

Piranha 3-D follows events after an underwater tremor sets free tons of prehistoric man eating fish, and how local cop Julie Forester (Elizabeth Shue) must band together with a group of teenagers to save the day (after, as you would expect, a wet t-shirt competition).

It seems many people are expecting more from this film than the first Piranha movies. The cast is certainly better. In addition to Shue it boasts Richard Dreyfuss (yes, ironically, the man from Jaws), Eli Roth, Ving Rhames, and Christopher Lloyd (the host of the wet t-shirt competition), amongst others.

Expect it April 16, 2010.

Tags: Piranha 3-D

 

The above image (via Ads of the World) is a patch of about 45m on both sides of the subway Cantagalo in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro.

Brazilian advertising agency Espaço/Z get the credit for this very cool piece of marketing for Roland Emmerich's 2012 disaster flick.

2012 hits theaters in the US on November 13, 2009.

Tags: 2012

The official Avatar website has gone live. To be honest, I'm pretty disappointed that there doesn't seem to be much there, however soundtrack fans will be pleased to hear a few snippets from James Horner's score playing in the background.

Although the music on the site is in low quality, and although there's not a lot of it, I like what I hear. It sounds very native, even western at times, but exactly the kind of music I've been thinking would suit the film. After leaving the site open for a while and just listening, I can see this will be a soundtrack to add to the collection.

There's also a few new images to be found, one of which I've included above. You can see more on the website or via Avatar on Flickr.

Visit the site here.

Tags: Avatar

Check out the cool second movie poster for Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief.

Poster courtesy of Trailer Addict, where you can also check out the first one.

Tags: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Fox have released (via Marketsaw) a new image of Michelle Rodriguez from James Cameron's Avatar (click to enlarge):

Tags: Avatar, Michelle Rodriguez

The latest poster for Sherlock Holmes:

Source and where you can view four more posters: Impawards

Tags: Sherlock Holmes

Here's the first official image from The A-Team (click the image to enlarge).

Here are my initial thoughts.  Liam Neeson looks unrecognizable (he looks more like George Peppard than he does himself), but those harry high pants and tucked in shirt make me think a lot differently about that cigar. Rampage Jackson continues to ooze his TUF 10 tosser personality, and it's impossible to think he's anything other than a "fool". Sharlto Copley looks like he doesn't want to be there and, in fact, he doesn't look gay enough to be there. Bradley Cooper looks the coolest of all four, but then again, his suit is a little too tight for it not to be, well, you know. All four look like a modern version of the Village People.

And where the hell is Jessica Biel?  No girls allowed?

Nope, for the first official image released from The A-Team, I'm going to say it looks more like a poorly photoshopped attempt to paint a promo for a metrosexual musical than it does an action flick.

The A-Team hits theaters June 11, 2010.

Tags: The A-Team