Collection ID 694
Director: Andrew Dominik
Starring: Brad Pitt, Mary-Louise Parker, Brooklynn Proulx, Dustin Bollinger, Casey Affleck
Genre: Westerns
Studio: Warner Home Video   Release date: 2007   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English, French, Spanish (USA, Canada, UK)
Summary: Of all the movies made about or glancingly involving the 19th-century outlaw Jesse Woodson James, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" is the most reflective, most ambitious, most intricately fascinating, and indisputably most beautiful. Based on the novel of the same name by Ron Hansen, it picks up James late in his career, a few hours before his final train robbery, then covers the slow catastrophe of the gang's breakup over the next seven months even as the boss himself settles into an approximation of genteel retirement. But in another sense all of the movie is later than that. The very title assumes the audience's familiarity with James as a figure out of history and legend, and our awareness that he was--will be--murdered in his parlor one quiet afternoon by a backshooting crony.
The film--only the second to be made by New Zealand–born writer-director Andrew Dominik--reminds us that Dominik's debut film, "Chopper" (2000), was the cunningly off-kilter portrait of another real-life criminal psychopath who became a kind of rock star to his society. The Jesse James of this telling is no Robin Hood robbing the rich to give to the poor, and that train robbery we witness is punctuated by acts of gratuitous brutality, not gallantry. Nineteen-year-old Bob Ford (Casey Affleck) seeks to join the James gang out of hero worship stoked by the dime novels he secretes under his bed, but his glam hero (Brad Pitt) is a monster who takes private glee in infecting his accomplices with his own paranoia, then murdering them for it. In the careful orchestration of James's final moments, there's even a hint that he takes satisfaction in his own demise.
Affleck and Pitt (who co-produced with Ridley Scott, among others) are mesmerizing in the title roles, but the movie is enriched by an exceptional supporting cast: Sam Shepard as Jesse's older, more stable brother Frank; Sam Rockwell as Bob Ford's own brother Charlie, whose post-assassination descent into madness is astonishing to behold; Paul Schneider, Garret Dillahunt, and Jeremy Renner as three variously doomed gang members; and Mary-Louise Parker, who as Jesse's wife Zee has few lines yet manages with looks and body language to invoke a wellnigh-novelistic backstory for herself. There are also electrifying cameos by James Carville, doing solid actorly work as the governor of Missouri; Ted Levine, as a lawman of antic spirit; and Nick Cave, composer of the film's score (with Warren Ellis) and screenwriter of the Aussie "Western" "The Proposition", suddenly towering over a late scene to perform the folk song that set the terms for the book and movie's title.
Still, the real costar is Roger Deakins, probably the finest cinematographer at work today. The landscapes of the movie (mostly in Alberta and Manitoba) will linger in the memory as long as the distinctive faces, and we seem to feel the sting of its snows on our cheeks. Interior scenes are equally persuasive. Few Westerns have conveyed so tangibly the bleakness and austerity of the spaces people of the frontier called home, and sought in vain to warm with human spirit. "--Richard T. Jameson"
My Rating:
My Review: Written (superbly so) and directed by Andrew Dominik. This superbly paced movie stars Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck (in an outstanding performance), Ted Levine, Sam Rockwell, Sam Shepard, Mary-Louise Parker, Zooey Deschanel, Paul Schneider and others. It's hard to imagine this film as suspenseful, but it was. Even though the title says it all, I couldn't help but find myself utterly caught up in this precisely narrated, psychological drama. The story picks up where Frank and Jesse James are committing the last of their infamous train robberies. After they call it quits, the band of outlaws part ways in a vain attempt to live out the rest of their lives in relative obscurity. History, fame, and fortune won't let them end their story quite so easily. The narration, inner monologue, camera work (vintage effects, blurring around the edges, shots through imperfect glass panes, long shots, lighting and color) and music (by Nick Cave) were expertly blended to weave a tale of desperation, deception and suspense. The acting and direction were outstanding. Brad Pitt's portrayal of Jesse James was unnerving, creepy, and horrific. In nearly every scene he instills a sense of dread, fear and caution. This movie also featured the best performance I've ever seen from Casey Affleck. His portrayal of Robert Ford, especially in the ending of this movie warranted an Oscar. If your idea of a western is the recent 3-10 to Yuma remake, avoid this movie. It's far to deep for those who prefer the shallow end of the pool. A long, slow, and torturous journey into the souls of two desperate men. Not for those with ADHD, it's a purposefully slow paced psychological drama.

Collection ID 1384
Director: Andrew Dominik
Starring: Brad Pitt, Mary-Louise Parker, Brooklynn Proulx, Dustin Bollinger, Casey Affleck
Genre: Westerns
Studio: Warner Home Video   Release date: 2007   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English, French, Spanish (USA, Canada, UK)
Summary: Of all the movies made about or glancingly involving the 19th-century outlaw Jesse Woodson James, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" is the most reflective, most ambitious, most intricately fascinating, and indisputably most beautiful. Based on the novel of the same name by Ron Hansen, it picks up James late in his career, a few hours before his final train robbery, then covers the slow catastrophe of the gang's breakup over the next seven months even as the boss himself settles into an approximation of genteel retirement. But in another sense all of the movie is later than that. The very title assumes the audience's familiarity with James as a figure out of history and legend, and our awareness that he was--will be--murdered in his parlor one quiet afternoon by a backshooting crony.
The film--only the second to be made by New Zealand–born writer-director Andrew Dominik--reminds us that Dominik's debut film, "Chopper" (2000), was the cunningly off-kilter portrait of another real-life criminal psychopath who became a kind of rock star to his society. The Jesse James of this telling is no Robin Hood robbing the rich to give to the poor, and that train robbery we witness is punctuated by acts of gratuitous brutality, not gallantry. Nineteen-year-old Bob Ford (Casey Affleck) seeks to join the James gang out of hero worship stoked by the dime novels he secretes under his bed, but his glam hero (Brad Pitt) is a monster who takes private glee in infecting his accomplices with his own paranoia, then murdering them for it. In the careful orchestration of James's final moments, there's even a hint that he takes satisfaction in his own demise.
Affleck and Pitt (who co-produced with Ridley Scott, among others) are mesmerizing in the title roles, but the movie is enriched by an exceptional supporting cast: Sam Shepard as Jesse's older, more stable brother Frank; Sam Rockwell as Bob Ford's own brother Charlie, whose post-assassination descent into madness is astonishing to behold; Paul Schneider, Garret Dillahunt, and Jeremy Renner as three variously doomed gang members; and Mary-Louise Parker, who as Jesse's wife Zee has few lines yet manages with looks and body language to invoke a wellnigh-novelistic backstory for herself. There are also electrifying cameos by James Carville, doing solid actorly work as the governor of Missouri; Ted Levine, as a lawman of antic spirit; and Nick Cave, composer of the film's score (with Warren Ellis) and screenwriter of the Aussie "Western" "The Proposition", suddenly towering over a late scene to perform the folk song that set the terms for the book and movie's title.
Still, the real costar is Roger Deakins, probably the finest cinematographer at work today. The landscapes of the movie (mostly in Alberta and Manitoba) will linger in the memory as long as the distinctive faces, and we seem to feel the sting of its snows on our cheeks. Interior scenes are equally persuasive. Few Westerns have conveyed so tangibly the bleakness and austerity of the spaces people of the frontier called home, and sought in vain to warm with human spirit. "--Richard T. Jameson"
My Rating:
My Review: Written (superbly so) and directed by Andrew Dominik. This superbly paced movie stars Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck (in an outstanding performance), Ted Levine, Sam Rockwell, Sam Shepard, Mary-Louise Parker, Zooey Deschanel, Paul Schneider and others. It's hard to imagine this film as suspenseful, but it was. Even though the title says it all, I couldn't help but find myself utterly caught up in this precisely narrated, psychological drama. The story picks up where Frank and Jesse James are committing the last of their infamous train robberies. After they call it quits, the band of outlaws part ways in a vain attempt to live out the rest of their lives in relative obscurity. History, fame, and fortune won't let them end their story quite so easily. The narration, inner monologue, camera work (vintage effects, blurring around the edges, shots through imperfect glass panes, long shots, lighting and color) and music (by Nick Cave) were expertly blended to weave a tale of desperation, deception and suspense. The acting and direction were outstanding. Brad Pitt's portrayal of Jesse James was unnerving, creepy, and horrific. In nearly every scene he instills a sense of dread, fear and caution. This movie also featured the best performance I've ever seen from Casey Affleck. His portrayal of Robert Ford, especially in the ending of this movie warranted an Oscar. If your idea of a western is the recent 3-10 to Yuma remake, avoid this movie. It's far to deep for those who prefer the shallow end of the pool. A long, slow, and torturous journey into the souls of two desperate men. Not for those with ADHD, it's a purposefully slow paced psychological drama.

Collection ID 521
Director: John De Bello
Starring: David Miller, George Wilson, Sharon Taylor, J. Stephen Peace, Ernie Meyers
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Four Square Productions   Release date: 1978   Rated: PG   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: Spoof of micro-budget sci-fi, where tomatoes become killers...
My Rating:
My Review: A cult classic. A spoof of the 1950's 'B' (for bad) horror movies. A forerunner to movies like 'Airplane'. Ridiculous plot, bad acting, sappy music, poor casting, this movie's got it all. I'm ashamed to admit that I actually bought this movie. The theme song (credit score) is really good and there's a four way phone conversation that was very well done.

Collection ID 1226
Director: John De Bello
Starring: David Miller, George Wilson, Sharon Taylor, J. Stephen Peace, Ernie Meyers
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Four Square Productions   Release date: 1978   Rated: PG   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: Spoof of micro-budget sci-fi, where tomatoes become killers...
My Rating:
My Review: A cult classic. A spoof of the 1950's 'B' (for bad) horror movies. A forerunner to movies like 'Airplane'. Ridiculous plot, bad acting, sappy music, poor casting, this movie's got it all. I'm ashamed to admit that I actually bought this movie. The theme song (credit score) is really good and there's a four way phone conversation that was very well done.

Collection ID 1004
Director: Jay Roach
Starring: Mike Myers, Elizabeth Hurley, Michael York, Mimi Rogers, Robert Wagner
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Capella International   Release date: 1997   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): German, English (USA)
Summary: A 1960's hipster secret agent is brought out of cryofreeze to oppose his greatest enemy into the 1990's where his social attitudes are glaringly out of place.
My Rating:
My Review: Mike Myers stars in this James Bond send-up. Written by Mike Myers, this comedic spoof pulls out all the stops. A laugh-in of immense proportions. Featuring a great cast - Mike Myers, Elizabeth Hurley, Michael York, Robert Wagner, Seth Green, Fabiana Udenio, Mindy Sterling, Will Ferrell, Burt Bacharach, Tom Arnold, and many others. This movie has some fantastic lines, a preposterous plot (Austin Powers is re-animated after the cryogenically suspended villain - Dr. Evil returns to rain chaos down upon man-kind. Holding the world ransom for One Million dollars! Only Austin Powers can save us from the FemBots), and the results are a non-stop laugh fest. Not only was the movie extremely funny, it also had some excellent camera work, a groovy soundtrack, and Mike Myers at the top of his game. I dig it baby, and so will you. This comedy was responsible for years worth of recycled slang - Shagadellic baby. Mike Myers' writing was exceptional. Switching between ridiculously funny spy-thriller plot, and staged comedy inserts, this movie was light on plot, heavy on laughs and a huge favorite for audiences everywhere.

Collection ID 293
Director: Jay Roach
Starring: Mike Myers, Elizabeth Hurley, Michael York, Mimi Rogers, Robert Wagner
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Capella International   Release date: 1997   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): German, English (USA)
Summary: A 1960's hipster secret agent is brought out of cryofreeze to oppose his greatest enemy into the 1990's where his social attitudes are glaringly out of place.
My Rating:
My Review: Mike Myers stars in this James Bond send-up. Written by Mike Myers, this comedic spoof pulls out all the stops. A laugh-in of immense proportions. Featuring a great cast - Mike Myers, Elizabeth Hurley, Michael York, Robert Wagner, Seth Green, Fabiana Udenio, Mindy Sterling, Will Ferrell, Burt Bacharach, Tom Arnold, and many others. This movie has some fantastic lines, a preposterous plot (Austin Powers is re-animated after the cryogenically suspended villain - Dr. Evil returns to rain chaos down upon man-kind. Holding the world ransom for One Million dollars! Only Austin Powers can save us from the FemBots), and the results are a non-stop laugh fest. Not only was the movie extremely funny, it also had some excellent camera work, a groovy soundtrack, and Mike Myers at the top of his game. I dig it baby, and so will you. This comedy was responsible for years worth of recycled slang - Shagadellic baby. Mike Myers' writing was exceptional. Switching between ridiculously funny spy-thriller plot, and staged comedy inserts, this movie was light on plot, heavy on laughs and a huge favorite for audiences everywhere.

Collection ID 367
Director: Jay Roach
Starring: Mike Myers, Elizabeth Hurley, Michael York, Mimi Rogers, Robert Wagner
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Capella International   Release date: 1997   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): German, English (USA)
Summary: A 1960's hipster secret agent is brought out of cryofreeze to oppose his greatest enemy into the 1990's where his social attitudes are glaringly out of place.
My Rating:
My Review: Mike Myers stars in this James Bond send-up. Written by Mike Myers, this comedic spoof pulls out all the stops. A laugh-in of immense proportions. Featuring a great cast - Mike Myers, Elizabeth Hurley, Michael York, Robert Wagner, Seth Green, Fabiana Udenio, Mindy Sterling, Will Ferrell, Burt Bacharach, Tom Arnold, and many others. This movie has some fantastic lines, a preposterous plot (Austin Powers is re-animated after the cryogenically suspended villain - Dr. Evil returns to rain chaos down upon man-kind. Holding the world ransom for One Million dollars! Only Austin Powers can save us from the FemBots), and the results are a non-stop laugh fest. Not only was the movie extremely funny, it also had some excellent camera work, a groovy soundtrack, and Mike Myers at the top of his game. I dig it baby, and so will you. This comedy was responsible for years worth of recycled slang - Shagadellic baby. Mike Myers' writing was exceptional. Switching between ridiculously funny spy-thriller plot, and staged comedy inserts, this movie was light on plot, heavy on laughs and a huge favorite for audiences everywhere. I give it a 5 out of 5.

Collection ID 723
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: 20th Century Fox   Release date: 2009   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): English, French, Spanish (USA, UK)
Summary: After 12 years of thinking about it (and waiting for movie technology to catch up with his visions), James Cameron followed up his unsinkable Titanic with Avatar, a sci-fi epic meant to trump all previous sci-fi epics. Set in the future on a distant planet, Avatar spins a simple little parable about greedy colonizers (that would be mankind) messing up the lush tribal world of Pandora. A paraplegic Marine named Jake (Sam Worthington) acts through a 9-foot-tall avatar that allows him to roam the planet and pass as one of the Na'vi, the blue-skinned, large-eyed native people who would very much like to live their peaceful lives without the interference of the visitors. Although he's supposed to be gathering intel for the badass general (Stephen Lang) who'd like to lay waste to the planet and its inhabitants, Jake naturally begins to take a liking to the Na'vi, especially the feisty Neytiri (Zoë Saldana, whose entire performance, recorded by Cameron's complicated motion-capture system, exists as a digitally rendered Na'vi). The movie uses state-of-the-art 3D technology to plunge the viewer deep into Cameron's crazy toy box of planetary ecosystems and high-tech machinery. Maybe it's the fact that Cameron seems torn between his two loves--awesome destructive gizmos and flower-power message mongering--that makes Avatar's pursuit of its point ultimately uncertain. That, and the fact that Cameron's dialogue continues to clunk badly. If you're won over by the movie's trippy new world, the characters will be forgivable as broad, useful archetypes rather than standard-issue stereotypes, and you might be able to overlook the unsurprising central plot. (The overextended "take that, Michael Bay" final battle sequences could tax even Cameron enthusiasts, however.) It doesn't measure up to the hype (what could?) yet Avatar frequently hits a giddy delirium all its own. The film itself is our Pandora, a sensation-saturated universe only the movies could create. --Robert Horton

Stills from Avatar (Click for larger image)

 
   
My Rating:
My Review: Written and directed by James Cameron (Alien, The Terminator, Titanic). Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang and many others. I went and saw this movie in the theater. It's the first '3D' film I've seen in a long, long, long time. This movie was filmed in 'RealD-3D', a technology which uses circularly polarized light to produce stereoscopic images. This technology allows viewers to tilt their head and look about the theater naturally with no loss of 3D perception. Amazing! As the movie got going, I found myself looking all over the place, exploring the limits of the screen, the environment of the movie. This visual exploration produced some feelings of disorientation, and I eventually decided to stop 'rubber-necking' and focus on the movie. Viewing the offered point of focus completely eliminated any disorientation. The 3D effects were truly spectacular, and they definitely added to the movies overall impact. Another technology featured in this movie was an advanced motion-capture technique. This technology transformed the cgi characters into highly realistic replicas of the real-life actors. I found the cgi to be flawless, so life-like that I completely bought it. This movie was a visually stunning smorgasbord. It sucked me in entirely, and these technologies were two of the reasons why I loved this movie. The story is an environmental, anti-imperialist, cultural-preservation treatise. Humans in the far future, have conquered space travel in order to seek out extra-terrestrial resources. The arrogance of might-makes-right is mixed with scientific curiosity and lip service to diplomacy. The Humans have 'invaded' the eden-like planet of Pandora in order to mine a precious resource - Something called 'Unobtanium'. The Humans are mining this mineral without regard to the native intelligent species of Pandora. The "Na'vi" are a tribal people with very strong ties to their environment. Their highly complex and evolved culture rebels at the presence of these invaders, but their 'technology' is primitive and ineffective in comparison to that wielded by the Humans. The Humans liaise with the natives by way of 'Avatars'. Bio-engineered blanks which perfectly mimic the "Na'vi" in physical appearance. These Avatars are mindless shells which Human 'drivers' control using a mind-melding, remote-control technology. Initially, the Humans use their Avatars to study the "Na'vi" and educate each other, but that changes when the military and company men decide to use these Avatars as instruments of diplomacy, espionage and deception. While the intentions of these 'corporate' minded Humans is rather clear, they didn't quite count on the drivers developing actual relationships with these primitives. When the Humans decide to disregard the natives in their quest for more Unobtanium, a clash of cultures and outright aggression threatens the "Na'vi" with genocide. The struggle is epic, glorious and I couldn't pry my eyes away from the screen. At nearly three hours long, the dark theater and 3D took their toll. I wish they had offered an intermission, as my eyes were badly abused by the time the curtain fell. At times the plot felt a bit over the top, a bit contrived, a bit preachy. Despite this fact, the characters were believable, the environment completely engrossing, the effects sublime, and the setting amazing. The acting and direction were outstanding, and I found myself applauding (along with many other patrons) as the movie came to an end. Already set to overtake Titanic as the highest earning movie of all time, I will definitely buy a blu-ray copy, and this movie made me want more 3D. 5 out of 5. Two more 'Avatar' movies are likely, given the success of this initial effort.

Collection ID 1412
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: 20th Century Fox   Release date: 2009   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): English, French, Spanish (USA, UK)
Summary: After 12 years of thinking about it (and waiting for movie technology to catch up with his visions), James Cameron followed up his unsinkable Titanic with Avatar, a sci-fi epic meant to trump all previous sci-fi epics. Set in the future on a distant planet, Avatar spins a simple little parable about greedy colonizers (that would be mankind) messing up the lush tribal world of Pandora. A paraplegic Marine named Jake (Sam Worthington) acts through a 9-foot-tall avatar that allows him to roam the planet and pass as one of the Na'vi, the blue-skinned, large-eyed native people who would very much like to live their peaceful lives without the interference of the visitors. Although he's supposed to be gathering intel for the badass general (Stephen Lang) who'd like to lay waste to the planet and its inhabitants, Jake naturally begins to take a liking to the Na'vi, especially the feisty Neytiri (Zoë Saldana, whose entire performance, recorded by Cameron's complicated motion-capture system, exists as a digitally rendered Na'vi). The movie uses state-of-the-art 3D technology to plunge the viewer deep into Cameron's crazy toy box of planetary ecosystems and high-tech machinery. Maybe it's the fact that Cameron seems torn between his two loves--awesome destructive gizmos and flower-power message mongering--that makes Avatar's pursuit of its point ultimately uncertain. That, and the fact that Cameron's dialogue continues to clunk badly. If you're won over by the movie's trippy new world, the characters will be forgivable as broad, useful archetypes rather than standard-issue stereotypes, and you might be able to overlook the unsurprising central plot. (The overextended "take that, Michael Bay" final battle sequences could tax even Cameron enthusiasts, however.) It doesn't measure up to the hype (what could?) yet Avatar frequently hits a giddy delirium all its own. The film itself is our Pandora, a sensation-saturated universe only the movies could create. --Robert Horton

Stills from Avatar (Click for larger image)

 
   
My Rating:
My Review: Written and directed by James Cameron (Alien, The Terminator, Titanic). Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang and many others. I went and saw this movie in the theater. It's the first '3D' film I've seen in a long, long, long time. This movie was filmed in 'RealD-3D', a technology which uses circularly polarized light to produce stereoscopic images. This technology allows viewers to tilt their head and look about the theater naturally with no loss of 3D perception. Amazing! As the movie got going, I found myself looking all over the place, exploring the limits of the screen, the environment of the movie. This visual exploration produced some feelings of disorientation, and I eventually decided to stop 'rubber-necking' and focus on the movie. Viewing the offered point of focus completely eliminated any disorientation. The 3D effects were truly spectacular, and they definitely added to the movies overall impact. Another technology featured in this movie was an advanced motion-capture technique. This technology transformed the cgi characters into highly realistic replicas of the real-life actors. I found the cgi to be flawless, so life-like that I completely bought it. This movie was a visually stunning smorgasbord. It sucked me in entirely, and these technologies were two of the reasons why I loved this movie. The story is an environmental, anti-imperialist, cultural-preservation treatise. Humans in the far future, have conquered space travel in order to seek out extra-terrestrial resources. The arrogance of might-makes-right is mixed with scientific curiosity and lip service to diplomacy. The Humans have 'invaded' the eden-like planet of Pandora in order to mine a precious resource - Something called 'Unobtanium'. The Humans are mining this mineral without regard to the native intelligent species of Pandora. The "Na'vi" are a tribal people with very strong ties to their environment. Their highly complex and evolved culture rebels at the presence of these invaders, but their 'technology' is primitive and ineffective in comparison to that wielded by the Humans. The Humans liaise with the natives by way of 'Avatars'. Bio-engineered blanks which perfectly mimic the "Na'vi" in physical appearance. These Avatars are mindless shells which Human 'drivers' control using a mind-melding, remote-control technology. Initially, the Humans use their Avatars to study the "Na'vi" and educate each other, but that changes when the military and company men decide to use these Avatars as instruments of diplomacy, espionage and deception. While the intentions of these 'corporate' minded Humans is rather clear, they didn't quite count on the drivers developing actual relationships with these primitives. When the Humans decide to disregard the natives in their quest for more Unobtanium, a clash of cultures and outright aggression threatens the "Na'vi" with genocide. The struggle is epic, glorious and I couldn't pry my eyes away from the screen. At nearly three hours long, the dark theater and 3D took their toll. I wish they had offered an intermission, as my eyes were badly abused by the time the curtain fell. At times the plot felt a bit over the top, a bit contrived, a bit preachy. Despite this fact, the characters were believable, the environment completely engrossing, the effects sublime, and the setting amazing. The acting and direction were outstanding, and I found myself applauding (along with many other patrons) as the movie came to an end. Already set to overtake Titanic as the highest earning movie of all time, I will definitely buy a blu-ray copy, and this movie made me want more 3D. 5 out of 5. Two more 'Avatar' movies are likely, given the success of this initial effort.

Collection ID 1485
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: 20th Century Fox   Release date: 2009   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): English, French, Spanish (USA, UK)
Summary: After 12 years of thinking about it (and waiting for movie technology to catch up with his visions), James Cameron followed up his unsinkable Titanic with Avatar, a sci-fi epic meant to trump all previous sci-fi epics. Set in the future on a distant planet, Avatar spins a simple little parable about greedy colonizers (that would be mankind) messing up the lush tribal world of Pandora. A paraplegic Marine named Jake (Sam Worthington) acts through a 9-foot-tall avatar that allows him to roam the planet and pass as one of the Na'vi, the blue-skinned, large-eyed native people who would very much like to live their peaceful lives without the interference of the visitors. Although he's supposed to be gathering intel for the badass general (Stephen Lang) who'd like to lay waste to the planet and its inhabitants, Jake naturally begins to take a liking to the Na'vi, especially the feisty Neytiri (Zoë Saldana, whose entire performance, recorded by Cameron's complicated motion-capture system, exists as a digitally rendered Na'vi). The movie uses state-of-the-art 3D technology to plunge the viewer deep into Cameron's crazy toy box of planetary ecosystems and high-tech machinery. Maybe it's the fact that Cameron seems torn between his two loves--awesome destructive gizmos and flower-power message mongering--that makes Avatar's pursuit of its point ultimately uncertain. That, and the fact that Cameron's dialogue continues to clunk badly. If you're won over by the movie's trippy new world, the characters will be forgivable as broad, useful archetypes rather than standard-issue stereotypes, and you might be able to overlook the unsurprising central plot. (The overextended "take that, Michael Bay" final battle sequences could tax even Cameron enthusiasts, however.) It doesn't measure up to the hype (what could?) yet Avatar frequently hits a giddy delirium all its own. The film itself is our Pandora, a sensation-saturated universe only the movies could create. --Robert Horton

Stills from Avatar (Click for larger image)

 
   
My Rating:
My Review: Written and directed by James Cameron (Alien, The Terminator, Titanic). Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang and many others. I went and saw this movie in the theater. It's the first '3D' film I've seen in a long, long, long time. This movie was filmed in 'RealD-3D', a technology which uses circularly polarized light to produce stereoscopic images. This technology allows viewers to tilt their head and look about the theater naturally with no loss of 3D perception. Amazing! As the movie got going, I found myself looking all over the place, exploring the limits of the screen, the environment of the movie. This visual exploration produced some feelings of disorientation, and I eventually decided to stop 'rubber-necking' and focus on the movie. Viewing the offered point of focus completely eliminated any disorientation. The 3D effects were truly spectacular, and they definitely added to the movies overall impact. Another technology featured in this movie was an advanced motion-capture technique. This technology transformed the cgi characters into highly realistic replicas of the real-life actors. I found the cgi to be flawless, so life-like that I completely bought it. This movie was a visually stunning smorgasbord. It sucked me in entirely, and these technologies were two of the reasons why I loved this movie. The story is an environmental, anti-imperialist, cultural-preservation treatise. Humans in the far future, have conquered space travel in order to seek out extra-terrestrial resources. The arrogance of might-makes-right is mixed with scientific curiosity and lip service to diplomacy. The Humans have 'invaded' the eden-like planet of Pandora in order to mine a precious resource - Something called 'Unobtanium'. The Humans are mining this mineral without regard to the native intelligent species of Pandora. The "Na'vi" are a tribal people with very strong ties to their environment. Their highly complex and evolved culture rebels at the presence of these invaders, but their 'technology' is primitive and ineffective in comparison to that wielded by the Humans. The Humans liaise with the natives by way of 'Avatars'. Bio-engineered blanks which perfectly mimic the "Na'vi" in physical appearance. These Avatars are mindless shells which Human 'drivers' control using a mind-melding, remote-control technology. Initially, the Humans use their Avatars to study the "Na'vi" and educate each other, but that changes when the military and company men decide to use these Avatars as instruments of diplomacy, espionage and deception. While the intentions of these 'corporate' minded Humans is rather clear, they didn't quite count on the drivers developing actual relationships with these primitives. When the Humans decide to disregard the natives in their quest for more Unobtanium, a clash of cultures and outright aggression threatens the "Na'vi" with genocide. The struggle is epic, glorious and I couldn't pry my eyes away from the screen. At nearly three hours long, the dark theater and 3D took their toll. I wish they had offered an intermission, as my eyes were badly abused by the time the curtain fell. At times the plot felt a bit over the top, a bit contrived, a bit preachy. Despite this fact, the characters were believable, the environment completely engrossing, the effects sublime, and the setting amazing. The acting and direction were outstanding, and I found myself applauding (along with many other patrons) as the movie came to an end. Already set to overtake Titanic as the highest earning movie of all time, I will definitely buy a blu-ray copy, and this movie made me want more 3D. 5 out of 5. Two more 'Avatar' movies are likely, given the success of this initial effort.