More and more unimpressed by Avatar

The more I think of it, the more unimpressed I am by the movie, Avatar. It is a technical wonder, a visual tour de force the likes of which have literally never been seen before. The visuals really are incredible; I can't stress that enough. But, as I see it, in movies, special effects serves as a means to an end. The visual aspect of any film is a vehicle with which a story can be told. In Avatar, both the visual effects and heavy-handed political agenda take over completely, so as to forget to tell a story at all. At least, a story with any originality whatsoever. Basically a sci-fi retelling of Pocahontas, the "story" in Avatar failed to impress me in the least.

I honestly wonder if the movie-going public as a whole were infatuated by the incredible visuals, so as to miss the fact that the film was a shameless, two-dimensional, borderline plagiaristic and shallow mess. Critics missed it too. Roger Ebert is a critic that I don't always agree with, but I've always respected him. I still do. But in his review of Avatar, he said that watching the movie felt similar to watching Star Wars for the first time in 1977. Comparing Avatar to Star Wars is grossly inappropriate. Star Wars was revolutionary, not only in its special effects, but in the way it told the story. Star Wars is timeless. Almost thirty years after its release, it is still considered a classic. It always will be. Twenty, thirty years down the road--maybe even ten years from now--I doubt very much that Avatar will be considered a classic. It may always be heralded for taking the next step in motion capture technology, but as far as I'm concerned, that's the most it deserves.

Apart from the visuals, the "story" of Avatar is very timely indeed, with a blatant "green" message attached to it. I'm all for keeping the planet green. I really am. I like it here on Earth! But how many times do we need to be told to wipe our own butts? Enough with this already! It's getting old, and frankly, a little insulting to have to be told the same thing over and over again! I'm disappointed in James Cameron for creating a political vehicle that, in my mind, is less than entertainment instead of a movie with a story worth telling. I miss the old James Cameron. He was the man behind such films as The Terminator 1 and 2, True Lies, Aliens, and his masterpiece, The Abyss. Those were truly great films! The man knows how to tell a story when he wants to. Somewhere along the line, he changed into something less than a storyteller. He made Titanic, which is basically Romeo and Juliet on the sea. Then, he took a break from filmmaking for twelve years, only to make Pocahontas in Space as his next film.

In my review of the movie, I gave it three out of five stars, which isn't necessarily a bad score. And I'm sticking to it. But it's important to know that it earned those three stars for visuals alone. If it were just for the "story," I would have only given it one star. Considering the fact that he took nine years to conceptualize the "story," Avatar ends up being a huge disappointment.

I don't doubt that James Cameron still has talent. I just hope he chooses to use it next time he gets behind the camera, and starts writing again.

My Review of Avatar

Avatar tells a story that is very familiar to all of us because we've all seen it before. We've seen it many times. But we've never seen it this pretty, and we're supposed to be impressed. I suspect that most people will be. I saw it in IMAX 3D, which it was supposedly made for.

There's no doubt that it looks incredible. Strictly from a visual standpoint, this may be the most impressive film I've ever seen. It's in every other category that it falls a little short. First off, I won't be spoiling anything by saying that this is basically just a $300 million remake of Pocahontas. In that story (the fictional one, mind you) John Smith falls in love with Pocahontas. In Avatar, it's Jake Sully that falls in love with a native. Notice any similarities in the initials? It's the same tired old story that we've seen so many times. To be honest, I'm growing kind of sick of seeing a story about a "primitive" people forcefully relocated to fulfill the greedy demands of the white man. I mean, really. How many times have we seen this? It was painfully predictable and filled to the brim with flat acting, two-dimensional caricatures, er...characters; and cliches. My other problem with it is that the aliens look, dress, act and talk almost exactly like Native Americans. If this was supposed to be set on a completely different planet, I was hoping for a little more originality and creativity than that. Having a culture that is so much like one here on earth kind of takes me out of the escapism that this film could have been.

The only original aspect of the film is the idea of living by proxy through another body. That's a pretty cool idea. I just wish they would have done more with it. Oh yeah! And our planet is slowly becoming uninhabitable! What an exciting, new....wait...dang it, that's been done too!

This movie cost them somewhere around $300 million to make. It would have been nice if they had cared a little more about making a movie with a story worth telling, and maybe even one that hasn't been done before. In the end, I'm giving it three stars because it has some truly beautiful imagery in it. I got chills a few times just watching it. On a very basic level, it was fun to watch, and I'm actually glad that I saw it. But I came from the theater with a feeling similar to one that I would have after just having watched the most amazing laser light show I had ever seen. It's a feast for the senses, and not for the mind.

Apart from pushing the visual effects envelope forward a bit, this film does next to nothing for cinema or the art of storytelling.

Happier Than I've Ever Been

So, lately, with everything that's been going on in my life, it's got me to think. And I believe, considering everything, both the good and the bad, there has never been another time in my life when I have been this happy. It's not because I'm not facing any challenges or anything like that, because, of course, I definitely am. I don't believe that anyone is exempt from those kinds of experiences. But I am watching as all of my dreams are slowly coming true. I'm not sure exactly how it's happening. I'm not even sure what I did to deserve all these good things in my life, and I suppose that doesn't really matter.

So, I'm going to school at the university of my choice, I have a working car, I have a full-time job that I love, I'm healthier than I've ever been, and I'm dating the sweetest, most beautiful girl I've ever met! Now, when I say that she's the most beautiful, I don't just mean the way she looks, although that is definitely the case too. I mean she's beautiful in every meaning of the word; just who she is. She's kind, smart, funny, and silly, and warmhearted and just a joy to be around. And she also just happens to be unbelievably gorgeous! I can be having the worst day, and just seeing her makes all the negativity instantly go away. I still have a hard time believing that I'm lucky enough to have her in my life. She's a bright light in my life, and just a dream to me. And the best part about this dream is that it's real.

My Opinion of Michael Jackson's This Is It

So, I meant to post a review of this on the night that I saw it, but I never got the chance. So, here goes:

This film was quite simply amazing. I mean, it really was. Fans of Michael Jackson will undoubtedly love this. Open-minded fans of music in general will also love it. The film is filled to the brim with infectious music, and incredible choreographed dancing and visuals. That alone makes it worth watching, and easily one of the most purely entertaining documentaries ever made. But beyond this, it also shows us a personal glimpse of how Michael Jackson works. It's all very candid and real. Seeing this may, for many people, lay to rest a lot of the sordid rumors surrounding the entertainer. But something I respect about this film is that they didn't even approach that topic. The film was concerned implicitly with showing him as something that simply cannot be denied: he was one of the most purely talented entertainers who has ever lived. If it was possible for anyone to embody the concept of music, he did.

Watching this movie was quite the experience for me. I honestly was not expecting much at all. But I found myself thoroughly entertained and immersed throughout the entire two hours. Two hours, by the way, would usually seem like a long time for a documentary. But the music, dancing, and unique insights into perhaps the world's most recognized performer turned this into one of the most entertaining and fulfilling films of any kind that I ever seen. I highly recommend this. I give this a very rarely-given 5 out of 5 stars.

Gonna go see Michael Jackson's This Is It tonight.

Yep! I sure am! It's funny because, in most places around the country, the showings are sold out. But not here in Rexburg. Very few people around here are interested in seeing it. And I can't say that I blame them. There's obvious controversy surrounding Michael Jackson as a public figure, and I'm very aware of that. I think his life and death is a tragic tale. I think he's severely misunderstood, and judged as being something he isn't. Now, this isn't just blind fan worship or anything. Nothing like it. I've simply paid attention to the accusations and facts, and things like that, and it just never added up to me. Although, with that said, I can also see how it is very easy to be convinced that the things he's been accused of are, in fact, true. I don't believe it, but I can see it. For that reason alone, I don't blame anyone for not wanting to see this movie, and I have no desire to pressure anyone into seeing it.

I have mixed expectations for this. It is a documentary, and I very rarely have any desire to go and pay money to see a documentary in the theater. But I have huge respect for Michael Jackson as a performer, and an entertainer. So basically, it could either be hugely entertaining, or painfully boring. We'll see. I'll post a review of it here tonight after I see it.

A Me Update

So, before now, all I've posted on this blog were just things I already wrote on Facebook. A friend of mine made me promise him that I would create a blog. Now that I actually have one, maybe I should actually use it as a blog! We'll see how it goes. I've always been terrible at keeping a journal, but maybe this will be different.

So, I'm in Rexburg, ID right now, going to BYU-Idaho. I'm studying Elementary Education. Although, right now, I'm technically not enrolled. I'm taking some time off to work full-time, so that when I start attending school again in April, I'll be in a much better financial position. This whole thing has definitely been an interesting experience. I mean, it's been great overall! I'm a Sophomore, taking time off, like I said. But I've made the best kind of friends that anyone could possibly hope for. I've also experienced heartbreak of almost every kind. Instead of going into those details now, I think I'll save them for separate posts. All in all, there's no other place I'd rather be right now. The funny thing is, I really mean it.

While I definitely miss my family and friends back in New Hampshire (they mean the world to me), this is where I need to be right now. That's very clear to me. This is the first time I've ever lived out on my own, and I feel it shaping me into the person I need to become. More on this later.

To Love Before You Judge

(Written August 8, 2009)

Is the fact that we're all different something that everyone can understand and agree upon? Are there people out there that are simply incapable of grasping this concept? Are some people actually convinced that it is inherently bad to be different? It seems to me that this may be the beginning of how we start to see, think, and do things so backwards sometimes. And what is "different" anyway? Do we even know?

Too often, we judge someone before we even know their names. Something about them that is immediately apparent, we find offensive, and then we back off. Not only do we back off, but we do and say hateful things to them. It happens everyday. We'll be driving on the highway, and someone will cut us off. It doesn't make the least amount of difference whether it was done on purpose or not. Now this person is suddenly a worthless hack that should never have earned his/her license.

Far more alarming than this, though, is our tendency to openly and liberally condemn people who pose no immediate threat to us. What motivates this? Is it because of their tattoos? Their body piercings? Sexual orientation? Birthmarks? Assumed disabilities? Difference in religion and beliefs? Music tastes? Movie tastes? Favorite restaurants? Political affiliations? Some of this may seem silly...I take that back. ALL of this should seem VERY silly, as reasons to hate or judge anyone! Unfortunately, we seem to be experts at finding far more than what I just listed to use as justification to hate. Whatever the excuse is, it doesn't matter. It simply needs to stop. And if I'm not mistaken, it starts with you and me.

Those who know me know that I would never, myself, get a tattoo, body piercings, drink or smoke, etc. For my own reasons, I hold to certain standards. There are some things that I will always do, and other things that I will never do. It's simply the way in which I've chosen to live my life. This, in no way, makes me better than anyone else on the planet. I have a lot of respect for people who have personal convictions and live by them. They'll protect themselves and their children from things that they feel are not right for themselves and their family. Good for them for doing that. It should be respected and encouraged. But shame on all of us for judging those who, in our own estimation, do not "measure up." What's worse, is that we do this without considering, even for a second, their circumstances.

We, as a human family, are better than this.

Allow me to take this just a step further. The limitations inherent to language sometimes make it difficult to adequately express feelings on a matter that means so much to me, on a deeply personal level. With that said, I'll do my best. Recently--as in the last five years or so--I've seen many close friendships, and other meaningful relationships, fall apart, or simply end. And this because of a mistake that one or the other made. Or, maybe they're going down a path that is considered to be dangerous or harmful. While that may be true, is that reason enough to abandon them? Would true friends ever do that? Quite simply, no! What better way to protect them from what we deem as harmful than through love? Just at the time that we feel the need to distance ourselves from someone is usually the exact time we need to reach out to them. We, as human beings, are innately capable of giving so much love and light. So much that it may be impossible to measure. Why do we continually truncate this God-given ability? Why do you think it was given to us in the first place? It's safe to say that it is understood that we will all occasionally tread dark paths. Often, the only way off of it is through the light of love offered by true friends and family.