Avatar and The Jesus Incident (tell me I'm not crazy).


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Re: Avatar and The Jesus Incident (tell me I'm not crazy).

Post by SandChigger »

13athroom wrote:ok
here are 3 good reasons that MADEA GOES TO JAIL is superior to AVATAR.

1. While both screenplays were highly derivative of numerous tales told before them, MADEA GOES TO JAIL made me horny, and i could tell by angle of the dangle that it was GOOD WRITING that was making my pants tight. Avatar? Not so much. though I did get a bit excited when Jake Sully raped his first dragon with his ponytail (spoiler?).

2. AVATAR was filled to brim with CG thundercats and powerloaders who would rather shank you than shoot you, while MADEA GOES TO JAILfeatured the original and highly groundbreaking idea of TYLER PERRY in drag for the thirty-seventh time. This concept has only just recently become approachable by mainstream hollywood, and I hope they keep it up.

3. I looked and looked, but I didnt see Dr Phil once in AVATAR. No walk-on, not a passing background cameo... nobody even had Dr Phil playing on any of those screens in the background. Nada. MADEA GOES TO JAIL however, had a 10 minute long scene set right on the Dr Phil show with Dr Phil Himself hosting that sumbitch. point: MADEA.

also, you guys talking about how much SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELLING PANTS kicks ass... you are right if you are talking about it kicking AVATARS ass. MADEA GOES TO JAIL is a better movie than that too though...
Made me giggle. Needed it. Thanks! :D
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Re: Avatar and The Jesus Incident (tell me I'm not crazy).

Post by Harq al Ada »

SadisticCynic wrote:Just wanted to ask, does Na'vi mean anything or is it one of those made up movie words?
Cameron hired a linguist to create a navi language, it probably means the people?

SandRider wrote: oh yeah, Avatar - saw it.
Dances with Wolves in Space.

"visually spectacular", sure, and some kind of great cinematographic feat, I'm told;
okayfine, use the 3D cameras for some porn or a NASCAR documentary & I'm there.

or, hell, what the fuck ? come up with a fresh story maybe ?

no?

okay ...
agreed

Dances with Smurfs in Space
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Re: Avatar and The Jesus Incident (tell me I'm not crazy).

Post by Harq al Ada »

Lundse wrote:I liked the Pocahontas script; funny and with a grain of truth. But my point is that the whole Pocahontas/nature theme is only the tip of the iceberg. Stuff is going on underneath... Or maybe I'm crazy ;-)
I think you're looking deeper than Cameron did. unobtainium! :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Re: Avatar and The Jesus Incident (tell me I'm not crazy).

Post by SandChigger »

Harq al Ada wrote:
SadisticCynic wrote:Just wanted to ask, does Na'vi mean anything or is it one of those made up movie words?
Cameron hired a linguist to create a navi language, it probably means the people?
And the prize goes to the guy with the Fremen name! :lol:
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Re: Avatar and The Jesus Incident (tell me I'm not crazy).

Post by Harq al Ada »

:dance:

is it a toaster oven? I could really use one. I lost mine in the last time I moved.
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Re: Avatar and The Jesus Incident (tell me I'm not crazy).

Post by inhuien »

Toaster oven? how can this be? It's one or the other. Just as "It's either food or shelter, not both"
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Re: Avatar and The Jesus Incident (tell me I'm not crazy).

Post by lotek »

inhuien wrote:Toaster oven? how can this be? It's one or the other. Just as "It's either food or shelter, not both"
start building your pasta igloo then because I do happen to have a toaster oven in my kitchen :)

But no friendly blue giants or guys nailed on crosses ;)
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Re: Avatar and The Jesus Incident (tell me I'm not crazy).

Post by inhuien »

I was thinking more...
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Re: Avatar and The Jesus Incident (tell me I'm not crazy).

Post by Harq al Ada »

SWEET!
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Re: Avatar and The Jesus Incident (tell me I'm not crazy).

Post by lotek »

Come in sweeties :)
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doesn't that witch look like him:
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Re: Avatar and The Jesus Incident (tell me I'm not crazy).

Post by inhuien »

Now there is a raging (may not be) Roger Dean vs. James Cameron/Avatar on the Yes sites. Is life really this worthless, I'm gonna suck a pipe.
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Re: Avatar and The Jesus Incident (tell me I'm not crazy).

Post by Harq al Ada »

this is kinda like the movie; it could have been so much better
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Re: Avatar and The Jesus Incident (tell me I'm not crazy).

Post by Ampoliros »

Everyday I consider going to see Avatar, just so i can say, yeah, I saw it. Everyday I see something that makes me glad I've not wasted $12 and 3 hours of my life.

Every day.


And yet Avatar will definitely be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars and it might even win. At that moment, KJA will cry out a victory for hacks everywhere.

Did you hear Cameron is even pushing for Zoe Saldana to be nominated for Best Actress?
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Re: Avatar and The Jesus Incident (tell me I'm not crazy).

Post by A Thing of Eternity »

Not a waste man, if you really think you'll hate the plot just go with some headphones and listen to Rush while treating your eyes to a feast!
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Re: Avatar and The Jesus Incident (tell me I'm not crazy).

Post by SandRider »

yeah, it wasn't a bad movie, just unoriginal & predictable, if you're over 10.

worth going to see in the theatre just for the visual effects.

waiting for DVD and watching at home would be a waste-
that would just be Dances with Smurfs
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Re: Avatar and The Jesus Incident (tell me I'm not crazy).

Post by TheDukester »

The vote is split here at Chez Dukester. Every time I consider going to see Avatar, I remind myself that I'm the proud owner of a "I Never Saw Titanic" T-shirt. I've got to keep fighting The Man.

Mrs. Dukester, though, saw it the other night and loved it. So what the hell do I know?
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Re: Avatar and The Jesus Incident (tell me I'm not crazy).

Post by SandRider »

see it in the theater now, or don't bother.
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Re: Avatar and The Jesus Incident (tell me I'm not crazy).

Post by A Thing of Eternity »

Just see it, this isn't some piece of junk pop culture trash like Titanic (which I also proudly haven't seen), this is genre stuff, and we SO rarely get to see a proper SF film that even if the story is pretty pedestrian it really should be done. If for nothing else but for the visuals and to vote with your dollar for more SF in film.
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Re: Avatar and The Jesus Incident (tell me I'm not crazy).

Post by Ampoliros »

But shouldn't we also use our dollars to vote for actual sci-fi in film and not Dances with Wolves in space?

The only sci-fi film Cameron made was The Abyss.
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Re: Avatar and The Jesus Incident (tell me I'm not crazy).

Post by inhuien »

Ampoliros wrote:But shouldn't we also use our dollars to vote for actual sci-fi in film and not Dances with Wolves in space?

The only sci-fi film Cameron made was The Abyss.
But surly sci-fi is sci-fi regardless for comparisons to plot lines in other genres, some people argue that there are only 7 plot lines anyhoos. A New hope, taken in isolation, is only rescue the Princess and kill the Dragon stripped of a few elements.
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Re: Avatar and The Jesus Incident (tell me I'm not crazy).

Post by The_Preacher »

inhuien wrote:
Ampoliros wrote:But shouldn't we also use our dollars to vote for actual sci-fi in film and not Dances with Wolves in space?

The only sci-fi film Cameron made was The Abyss.
But surly sci-fi is sci-fi regardless for comparisons to plot lines in other genres, some people argue that there are only 7 plot lines anyhoos. A New hope, taken in isolation, is only rescue the Princess and kill the Dragon stripped of a few elements.
Agreed 100%. They are all just variations on a theme.

Not sure why this is even an issue. Is Avatar Sci Fi? Unequivocally, yes. The "science": for humans to travel long distances to distant planets is sci fi; the notion of life on another planet is sci fi; the idea of the avatar machine which transports your essence into another physical being is sci fi; the idea of giving the Jake Sully character new legs is sci fi; most of the combat gear used by the humans is sci fi; the act of the native peoples of Pandora physically connecting to their world's essence through a conduit/body part is sci fi.

Yes, the story line has been done, as has many times many. But the setting is pure sci fi.
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Re: Avatar and The Jesus Incident (tell me I'm not crazy).

Post by Harq al Ada »

Ampoliros wrote:The only sci-fi film Cameron made was The Abyss.
so all the stuff he did with Alien/s and Terminator (movies and tv) wasn't sci-fi? and according to imdb he wrote Strange Days, which I don't remember seeing but sounds like a fair amount of sci-fi and wrote and directed Xenogenesis. Dark Angel (tv) and friggin' Piranha 2! he looks to be just about everything he has written and/or directed is sci-fi.
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Re: Avatar and The Jesus Incident (tell me I'm not crazy).

Post by Ampoliros »

Well I am a bit of a Puritan...

Sure it has Sci-fi elements but they are not the primary effect of the film. the film is a delivery for his film tech and to make another spectacle that will generate "Largest Grossing Film Evar" Status for Cameron. Sure Cameron is a great filmaker, and I love Aliens (action film with sci-fi elements) and Terminator (Action film with sci-fi elements). Will Avatar change the way films are made forever? Nope. District 9 cost a tenth of what Avatar did, and is a better film. It doesn't require 3D to be worth watching. Avatar does.

To me its the difference between HD and regular tv. Sure things look better in HD but they look good enough on my regular screen so unless I'm a technophile I really don't need it. I want some substance, and Avatar is basically equivalent to the best chain delivered pizza you've ever had. Wow, its good. But its not healthy, and its no where near as good as a home cooked meal or even eating out at your favorite restaurant.

The alternate argument is that "well, just enjoy it for what it is, a visual masterpiece." To that I have to respond that that's not what Cameron created it as, he wanted another Best Picture contender and something that redefines movies completely. The gall of that suggestion, coupled with the fact that he fell into Hollywood's largest and most obvious trap of putting effects not ahead of but completely in the place of plot and story invalidate that motivation. Best Picture contenders usually revolve around films that provide performance and evocation, not spectacle.

For that reason I think that Avatar, the film, should win Best Actor, not Best Picture. Let it dominate the tech awards and receive some recognition in the cinematography and directorial roles. I really don't think it should win those either, since Cameron built an environment he could completely control, unlike all of the other directors who had to use the environment they were given.

At the very least have Kanye West interrupt the winner of Best Director to tell us how Cameron should have won!
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Re: Avatar and The Jesus Incident (tell me I'm not crazy).

Post by A Thing of Eternity »

Ampoliros wrote:Well I am a bit of a Puritan...

Sure it has Sci-fi elements but they are not the primary effect of the film. the film is a delivery for his film tech and to make another spectacle that will generate "Largest Grossing Film Evar" Status for Cameron. Sure Cameron is a great filmaker, and I love Aliens (action film with sci-fi elements) and Terminator (Action film with sci-fi elements). Will Avatar change the way films are made forever? Nope. District 9 cost a tenth of what Avatar did, and is a better film. It doesn't require 3D to be worth watching. Avatar does.

To me its the difference between HD and regular tv. Sure things look better in HD but they look good enough on my regular screen so unless I'm a technophile I really don't need it. I want some substance, and Avatar is basically equivalent to the best chain delivered pizza you've ever had. Wow, its good. But its not healthy, and its no where near as good as a home cooked meal or even eating out at your favorite restaurant.

The alternate argument is that "well, just enjoy it for what it is, a visual masterpiece." To that I have to respond that that's not what Cameron created it as, he wanted another Best Picture contender and something that redefines movies completely. The gall of that suggestion, coupled with the fact that he fell into Hollywood's largest and most obvious trap of putting effects not ahead of but completely in the place of plot and story invalidate that motivation. Best Picture contenders usually revolve around films that provide performance and evocation, not spectacle.

For that reason I think that Avatar, the film, should win Best Actor, not Best Picture. Let it dominate the tech awards and receive some recognition in the cinematography and directorial roles. I really don't think it should win those either, since Cameron built an environment he could completely control, unlike all of the other directors who had to use the environment they were given.

At the very least have Kanye West interrupt the winner of Best Director to tell us how Cameron should have won!
The story really isn't that bad, but I can see you've made up your mind about it, so I can't even really recomend that you go see it anyways, because you'll hate it automatically so it truely wouldn't be worth the 12$ for you.

My position is still that the acting and plot were as good or better than 95% of all filmed SF anyways, nowhere near on par with District 9, but that was a bloody masterpiece, and a true rarity in filmed SF. Maybe I should hold all filmed SF to a higher standard, but I choose not to because to me it is a weak genre overall, so I'd rather judge SF films as compared to others within the genre, because otherwise I'd be looking at one "decent" SF film a decade, and I'd really prefer to see and enjoy at least 1 every couple years! That's my take though, I don't take filmed SF seriously at all, so I can 100% understand how someone who does would be upset by this movie.
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Re: Avatar and The Jesus Incident (tell me I'm not crazy).

Post by 13athroom »

A Thing of Eternity wrote: ...nowhere near on par with District 9, but that was a bloody masterpiece, and a true rarity in filmed SF.
ALIEN NATION had a three way with BLOOD DIAMOND and HALO. I liked district 9 enough... but masterpiece?
This movie was salvaged from the remains of a failed HALO flick, and boy did it ever reek of VIDEO GAME in its third act.

Im actually kind surprised there isnt a bungie-produced video game tie-in.
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