Avatar Sequels and The Dive

We all knew this was coming. Sounds interesting. I hope Cameron does something between them that is more grounded in reality like True Lies. The Dive seems interesting. Another underwater type flick.


"After muttering about how an AVATAR franchise would make sense and hinting that there could be a trilogy of AVATAR films, James Cameron has confirmed that there will be an AVATAR sequel, fueling speculation about how it might top the original.

Things we do know: There are two planned sequels but they won't be one continuous story, they'll be self-contained. They'll also follow Jake and Neytiri. It could take place around a different moon of Polyphemus this time, although producer Jon Landau has already hinted about exploring Pandora's interior. Some bloggers guess that James Cameron, famously obsessed with water, has an amazing underwater environment mapped out for Pandora. There are also different Na'vi tribes that call the planet their home and we never really got a sense of how intra-species politics work between the different tribes. Cameron confirmed he’s mapped out what will happen in the sequels, although he hasn’t written any scripts yet.

The good news? The sequels won't take four years to make. Cameron has said he can get them out faster than the first AVATAR.

Underwater, inside Pandora, another planet - what's your favorite idea for the sequels?" - Avatar Blog

AVATAR

Avatar

James Cameron set out to create an epic that rivaled Star Wars. He succeeded. Avatar already has the largest opening for an original film (not a sequel or adaptation), and will keep climbing through the holiday season. I got to see it in IMax 3D, which was phenomenal being that the picture was crystal clear and sound was explosive.

The Story:

The story was a mix of Dances with Wolves and Aliens. There is a colonial force trying to subjugate a population of natives for a resource. A few people start to see the evil and destructive nature of colonialism and imperialism and side with the underdog. Enter Aliens where it becomes about the failures of human technologies against a so called "primitive" weaponry. Despite the technology difference the Na'vi (alien race) have something to fight for. By today's standards the story nothing exciting, but that's not what the film is about. Its about taking a universal story, (sadly the horrors colonial rule are universal now) and bringing it to life with spirit and heart.

The heart and spirit:

I have been beat into a stupor over big budget action films. None of them have heart. Michael Bay's take over of mega-budget films (to my demise) has been a scar on cinema for the past decade. Even Lucas and Spielberg have been making heartless garbage. Look at the latest Indiana Jones or the last three Star Wars films. The only success in moving the human psyche besides something violent or sexual was Lord of the Rings. Avatar has a heart and soul unlike Bay's films. When one watches Avatar they can feel Cameron's love for the story and characters. The love story was beautifully done between Jake Sulley and Neytiri. Even though they are animated you still feel the emotion and nuances in their performances to pull off the exposition of love between the two. I was surprised about the many spiritual themes in the film. They used the Zen story of a person being like a filled cup so nothing else can be taught to them. The cup thing was a little too much for me since I have been exposed to Zen quite a bit, but others who don't have that experience won't think it is as corny as I did. The real spirit comes through in another Buddhist theme (also Hindu) which is the interconnectedness of all things. Cameron uses a beautiful way to communicate this truth through metaphor in the film. I won't give away how things are bound and what role it plays, but it takes a seemingly "eastern" idea of ecology and makes it easy for audiences in the west to understand. Overall it's not a hollow in your face spamfest of special effects.

The Effects:

Wow. If this film takes an Oscar it will be in effects! There is just nothing to compare it to. The bio luminescent plant life on Pandora is fantastic. The environment was computer generated, but was photo realistic. I was blow away. The lighting was perfect, the trees and leaves swayed naturally, and movement never looked unnatural. The na'vi facial expressions were better than any motion capture work I have seen. As I mentioned before you can FEEL their performances behind the animation it is hard to explain since there is not much to compare it to. The end battle is one of the most epic and dynamic fights in film history. There are giant lizards dog fighting with huge gunships. 6 foot long arrows smash through the glass of cock pits, while machine gunners tear down Na'vi from the top of a flying aircraft carrier. On the ground mech suits rip the jungle apart with machine guns and flamethrowers, while na'vi and native animals are trying to destroy the human invaders. Its magnificent.

The Actors:

Worthington did a great job as usually. I was impressed with Weaver and Joel David Moore. The best performance came from Stephan Lang, playing Quaritch. He will go done as one of the biggest hard-asses in cinema. He drinks coffee while he slaughters na'vi. He doesn't realize hes on fire for at least 40 seconds then with little effort bats it out. He goes into Pandora's atmosphere to kick ass without an o2 mask... and holds his breath. He means business and wants to kill everything that moves. By no means it he a hero, but you have to hand it to the guy he know how to play a bad ass.

The music:

Meh.... Horner recycles his work on Titanic, Aliens, and Wolfen, which wasn't anything special. Don't expect to see trailers cut together using Avatar music in the future. I wish he wasn't so lazy. Cameron really should have got a different composer. The song at the end of the credits is full of cheese and felt out of place. Maybe just thrown in to put Avatar up for another "best song" nomination... I guess. They should have ended it with rock music or something cooler than a Celine Dion sound alike.

The Score:

GO SEE AVATAR!!!! YOU WONT BE SORRY!

Aliens

Aliens is my favorite movie. There is too much I could write about it... Instead of doing a small review I will just post a paper I wrote about Aliens and how it has inspired me. Please enjoy.

Next is the Abyss in the countdown to Avatar.

Sweat surges from my forehead, as I huddle in a gloomy corner like a prey awaiting the opportunity to escape. My only salvation is the pulse rifle pressed against my chest—held with white, trembling knuckles. I want to close my sagging eyelids, as I see the glossy-black, banana-shaped head round the curved corridor. My adrenaline swells, as my brain becomes a piston.

Thump! Thump!

I snap the rifle to my shoulder and discharge a burst of molten-cased rounds. The ammunition dives through the creature’s exoskeleton, as skin-shredding acid sputters from its body.

Thump! Thump!

“Nick, come get something to eat,” my mom yells as she pounds on the door. The claustrophobic corridors melt away, revealing a ten-year-old boy’s cluttered bedroom.

Every child fantasizes about hunting a fearful beast or adventuring with a favorite superhero. My enemy just so happened to be the extraterrestrials from the film Aliens, and my heroes were of course the elite squad of United Space Marines featured in the movie. After seeing Aliens at the age of ten, I felt more than an urge to become an Alien-fighting marine—I wanted to capture these dreams and create my own films.

What makes the film Aliens great enough to influence my future? Every aspect of this phenomenon of cinema inspires me, so much that I could write a doctorial thesis on the infinite qualities that make this movie special. When I was younger, the atmosphere, characters, and creatures intrigued my adolescent mind. Now, with a wiser eye, I see what a true prodigy in film Aliens is, as it has not allowed time to deplete its worth.

The atmosphere for the science-fiction masterpiece follows the intimidating, claustrophobic ambience of its predecessor, Alien directed by Ridley Scott. James Cameron, the writer and director of the sequel, takes Ridley Scott’s terror tactics and perfects them by creating an environment even more menacing. With a feeling of ultimate seclusion, an alien creature brings down a marine transport, leaving the troops with very little exits from the planet LV426. For me, the setting alone created tremendous tension. As a child, I was terrified by the images of marines cramming inside a small corridor, only to become reproductive necessities to a bug-like, yet perfect organism.

The design of this ultimate organism also inspired my love for science fiction. No movie monster can out-scare or out-battle H.G. Giger’s basic design of the majestic, biomechanical alien. The elusiveness of the creature stirred curiosity and an obsession with its every feature. What is more mystifying than an eyeless, elongated, ebony head resembling more of a shield than an animal? What is more terrifying than a silent killer creeping across ceilings and walls with soundless speed? What is more threatening than a thrashing, daggered tail and a vicious second mouth, ready to cocoon victims who will become hosts for another ugly alien?

A unique feature of Aliens is the patient method of revealing the space monster; the viewer cannot see it, but he or she feels the presence of an Alien army ready to destroy. Cameron’s greatest display of skill was his ability to foreshadow the ominous Queen Alien. When filming the original Alien, Ridley Scott used a deliberate pace, building up to the alien’s first appearance. Cameron, however, hinted at the Queen throughout the entire movie. He tricks the audience into forgetting the Queen when the human characters seize the forefront of the story. Then, abruptly, a character finds herself standing inside an egg-scattered nest, as the Queen leers over her. It is this ingenious writing that continually places Cameron as a leading member of the film industry.

The characterization in Aliens has influenced much of the ways I reveal the strengths and weaknesses of characters in my writing. The character Private Hudson, played by Bill Paxton, is one example. Hudson begins as a cocky, smart-mouthed joker, but when the aliens begin attacking, he becomes a whining pessimist with little hope for survival. In contrast, Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver, enters the film as a woman broken by nightmares of her first encounter with the beast. By the end of the movie, she demolishes the Queen Alien with a piece of warehouse machinery. Through the skillful building of Ripley’s character, Cameron demonstrates a person’s ability to transition from fragile to strong. When she finds an orphaned girl with tattered clothing and dirt-smeared skin, Ripley acts as her protective mother and valiantly faces the aliens that once petrified her in order to protect the child. With Hudson and Ripley, Cameron realistically portrayed the positive and negative human reactions to unthinkable situations.

Aliens is the first movie that taught me to notice atmosphere, detail, and dramatics. Aliens’ influence has increased with my age, rather than becoming obsolete over time. With advancements in computer graphics and special effects, older films seem outdated and “corny” at times. Aliens, though, is still an amazing piece of cinematic history because its effect is comparable to the films of today. Aliens inspires me to create motion pictures equally as timeless so that someone else can write an entrance essay for a film school, hailing my movie for its inspiration.

Today, another marine stoops with a rifle in his clutch, awaiting the assault of a gruesome beast. Meanwhile, I capture frames of drama, as the alien rounds the corner.

Thump! Thump!

“Nick, you need to get ready for work,” my wife yells, as I stop envisioning the future and smile.

Some Cool Avatar Videos

IGN Video: Avatar Movie Clip - Thanator Chase

Check this one out for sure. The effects and mocap animation blow me away. Its crazy how far they have come even since Beowulf.

Countdown to Avatar with Cameron films!

Alright, Avatar comes out December 18th. There is about 6 weeks until then and each week I will be watching a Cameron film. Sorry to say I will be skipping Xenogensis and Piranha 2... I just don't have the time for those ones. Please if you want to have some fun do this countdown with me.

Week 1 - Terminator (this week)
Week 2 - Aliens
Week 3 - The Abyss
Week 4 - Terminator 2
Week 5 - True Lies
Week 6 - Titanic

And I leave you with some Scream 2 :D

Mickey: It's Bullshit generalization. Many sequels have surpassed their originals.
Randy: Oh yeah?
Cici: Name one.
Film Class Guy #1: Aliens. Far better than the first.
Cici: Yeah, well, theres no accounting for taste.
Randy: Thank you. Ridley Scott Rules. Name Another.
Film Class Guy #2: No way. Aliens is a classic. "Get away from her, you Bitch!"
Randy: I believe the line is "Stay away from her, you Bitch." This is a film class right?
Film Class Guy #2: Got you. Whatever. You know what I mean.
Randy: Name another.
Mickey: T-2.
Cici: You got a Hard-on for Cameron.
Randy: A big one.

15 Minutes of Avatar

So after the teaser trailer of Avatar was released there was mixed reactions. Most people I know didn't understand the teaser because it didn't really say what the film was about. *explains concept of a teaser* okay it's all good. I think the folly was on the people who cut the teaser, it should have been shorter and have ended on a "what the fuck was that" note, not a "holy shit this is epic" note.

There was a 6 and 645 showing of Avatar footage, I managed to catch both. The first time I didn't know what to expect, when James Cameron came out in 3d to tell us to enjoy, my eyes didn't agree with the 3D. Maybe it was just in awe at having to have a 100 foot James Cameron head talking at you. Either my eyes adjusted quicker than any other 3D film I've seen or the technology they developed for the film works that well.

The first bit of the preview is a badass dude with a facial scar, which communicates he's been in the shit, explaining that the world of Pandora is vicious and deadly. The scene is all live action with the new camera that uses two lenses to simulate the focus and depth perception of the human eye. It is the best 3D live action ever produced. The camera worked.

Next we see Sam Worthington's character, a wheel chair bound soldier who gets put into a Na'vi body. Which is accompanied by a cool wormhole sequence when his mind takes over the Na'vi. The Na'vi stuff in the preview is some of the most photo realistic CG out to date. Although it is hard to judge given they're texture is nothing like a humans. Some people had trouble with the Na'vi in the 2d internet trailer, but they really come to life in the 3D experience.

There is another sequence at night on the alien planet where everything lights up like some tripped out acid dream. It looks absolutely breath taking. The depth that the 3D gives to the jungle while its lit up like a stoners bedroom creates a hazard because you find yourself not blinking (us with contacts get all dried up) so you don't miss a second of the world Cameron has created.

I don't want to talk too much about the action sequences shown because they were spectacular and should be watched before read about. Let's just say the best part was Sam Worthington's Avatar facing off with a huge dino looking beast, which turns for the worst for him. They also have a phenomenal sudo horse breaking scene with a drake (flying dragon type creature) that Worthington must pin before he can use it for a mount.

This isn't going to be like anything we have seen from Cameron it is more fantasy than anything he has done, but it has the dark Aliens/Terminator feel in the back drop at all times. This film won't be in league with 2001 or Aliens, more like Star Wars or Lord of the Rings. Expect that change.

The story looks like it will be a classic, good guy starts with the bad guys, some stuff happens then he sides with the oppressed good guys and helps them achieve victory. Universal storyline. From the dialogue and tone of the scenes, Cameron is trying to get at something by literally putting our main character along with the audience into another culture. From the 15 minutes I saw Cameron's hearts in this project and that's all I could have hoped for.

Try to avoid the naysayers and give it a try when it comes out. People can call the Na'vi smurfs, say it is a Turok vs Halo fan film(both are quite funny analogies), and say any other pompous things they want, but when it comes down to it, the film already shows potential for changing the entire industry and pushing the standard of digital filmmaking. This is exciting since we have been watching recycled garbage since the late nineties. How many remakes do we have sit through in the 2010's? Let's hope this bring new life into the cinema as I think it will.

Avatar Day!!!

EDIT: THE TEASER IS OUT HERE IS THE LINK: CLICK ME FOR "HOLY SHIT THIS LOOKS AMAZING"

Avatar Day The 21st. Get Ready!

Okay so I dealt with the site crashes and frustration with trying to get into the special 15 minute Avatar extravaganza going on at Imax. Finally after an hour of website fatal errors I got my tickets! Here is an ICQ convo with a friend I am Nick, during the fiasco.

Nick - Magic Dragon ‎(12:07 PM):

is cameron fucking wiht us right now lol

152 ‎(12:07 PM):

it would be funny if it refreshed

and just said

GO NOW OR YOU WILL MISS IT

Nick - Magic Dragon ‎(12:07 PM):

lol id be on the road

152 ‎(12:08 PM):

i'd be in the sky

this music is sucky

152 ‎(12:09 PM):

haha the ticketing page just went completley down

Nick - Magic Dragon ‎(12:10 PM):

ya fuckers

152 ‎(12:10 PM):

you would figure they could afford to pay for a little extra bandwidth

since it comes out like really freaking soon

152 ‎(12:11 PM):

lazy bastards wont even release a trailer untill the end of august when the movie comes out in mid december i guess they're going for the opposite of the starwars episode 1 effect lol

152 ‎(12:16 PM):

i'm gonna go punch james cameron for wasting my time

then i gonna punch his wife cause she's only been in one movie as a supporting actress

Nick - Magic Dragon ‎(12:16 PM):

lol ITS ALL HIS FAULT

152 ‎(12:16 PM):

yes

and after that I'm blaming jesus

Nick - Magic Dragon ‎(12:16 PM):

lol well of course

Nick - Magic Dragon ‎(12:17 PM):

Jesus and Cameron have alot in common. but in the end Cameron will be nailed on the cross by nerds not jews lol

152 ‎(12:17 PM):

Then i'm taking a hack saw to the president of 20th century fox

nerds are rich and greedy too

HAHAHAHA

152 ‎(12:18 PM):

its great to be an asshole

152 ‎(12:18 PM):

An HTTP error occurred while getting: http://www.avatarmovie.com/

Details: "connection failed".

FUCK YOU

thats what it should say

FUCK YOU NO MOVIE FOR YOU NERDS

GET A LIFE

152 ‎(12:23 PM):

No M Night is hacking this

for his movie

Nick - Magic Dragon ‎(12:23 PM):

LOL AIRBENDER FOR LIFE

152 ‎(12:23 PM):

AIRBENDER 4 LIFE DOGZ

As you can see it was intense.

So what do you have from Avatar thus far. Some stills:

We don't know much about it except there is a marine (Sam Worthington) who is stuck on an alien planet during some sort of occupation by humans. At E3 Cameron gave clues that the alien race and humans would be having a nice and long smack down, so some shit goes wrong.

Cameron is hands down my favorite director/write/all of the above. So basically this is panning out to be the greatest year of my life. Married + Cameron's triumphant return. Yup.

So stay tuned for a exclusive blog post of Avatar Day and how mind blowing Cameron's new film really is going to be!!