Comments on: Mr. Cameron Wants You to Be Comfortable While He Does His Thing http://gatewaycinephiles.com/2009/12/28/mr-cameron-wants-you-to-be-comfortable-while-he-does-his-thing/ Appreciation and Criticism of Cinema Through Heartland Eyes Tue, 22 May 2012 05:19:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Sam Juliano http://gatewaycinephiles.com/2009/12/28/mr-cameron-wants-you-to-be-comfortable-while-he-does-his-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-24873 Sam Juliano Wed, 30 Dec 2009 02:56:47 +0000 http://gatewaycinephiles.com/2009/12/28/mr-cameron-wants-you-to-be-comfortable-while-he-does-his-thing/#comment-24873 Fabulous review Andrew, one of your very best of the last several months, and one that captures in large measure this film's rapturous appeal. I completely disagree with Chris. The visual design is so awe-inspiring, that one is hardly concerned with the still-serviceble dialogue. This is neither STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE nor IN THE LOOP; it's a film where images tell the story. I'm shocked that anyone could undergo the spiritual epiphany this film inspires and then angrily assert that the dialogue "sucks." And let's not even get into that business about the archetypes. Again, this was not a sociological study, but a futuristic yarn with some basic narrative underpinnings. The film was recently named Best Picture by the New York Film Critics Online, and has been praised to the hilt by some of our best writers, already appearing on ten-bets list after ten-best list. Most have apparently looked beyond teh components that really are beside the point. It's one of the decade's greatest films (for me #2 this year narrowly behind BRIGHT STAR) and it continues to enthrall. I do agree with Chris on the 3D effectiveness.. Andrew: I think you nailed the "experience" of AVATAR perfectly, near the end of your magnificent essay: "It’s less a movie than an art project that whisks us to a place far, far away. And there’s a majesty in that, however warmed-over the story, however familiar the tropes, however corny the dialog. It’s what “going to the movies” was all about, once upon a time." Indeed. Fabulous review Andrew, one of your very best of the last several months, and one that captures in large measure this film’s rapturous appeal.

I completely disagree with Chris. The visual design is so awe-inspiring, that one is hardly concerned with the still-serviceble dialogue. This is neither STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE nor IN THE LOOP; it’s a film where images tell the story. I’m shocked that anyone could undergo the spiritual epiphany this film inspires and then angrily assert that the dialogue “sucks.” And let’s not even get into that business about the archetypes. Again, this was not a sociological study, but a futuristic yarn with some basic narrative underpinnings.

The film was recently named Best Picture by the New York Film Critics Online, and has been praised to the hilt by some of our best writers, already appearing on ten-bets list after ten-best list. Most have apparently looked beyond teh components that really are beside the point.

It’s one of the decade’s greatest films (for me #2 this year narrowly behind BRIGHT STAR) and it continues to enthrall. I do agree with Chris on the 3D effectiveness..

Andrew: I think you nailed the “experience” of AVATAR perfectly, near the end of your magnificent essay:

“It’s less a movie than an art project that whisks us to a place far, far away. And there’s a majesty in that, however warmed-over the story, however familiar the tropes, however corny the dialog. It’s what “going to the movies” was all about, once upon a time.”

Indeed.

]]> By: Chris http://gatewaycinephiles.com/2009/12/28/mr-cameron-wants-you-to-be-comfortable-while-he-does-his-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-24844 Chris Tue, 29 Dec 2009 15:59:21 +0000 http://gatewaycinephiles.com/2009/12/28/mr-cameron-wants-you-to-be-comfortable-while-he-does-his-thing/#comment-24844 I mostly agree, but I took serious issue with the dialog. I didn't much mind the formulaic plot, though I don't think the world needs another movie where the white people are beating up on the colored people (in this case, the color was blue), and the colored people are saved by letting a sympathetic white guy lead. I'm reminded of The Onion's "Man Finally Put In Charge Of Struggling Feminist Movement". I could accept the characters for the recycled archetypes they were, but I was hoping for a little more depth. The thing that really chapped my ass was the dialog. I was sitting there enjoying the amazingly beautiful alien world rendered in the most convincing 3D I've ever seen (at points I started to move out of the way as characters in the extreme foreground seemed to be moving through my row), and then words come out of their mouths. Not the sorts of words that real creatures say, but the sorts of words that characters say in D&D games run by 13-year-olds, or maybe Attack Of The Clones. Lines so bad, they snap me out of the 3D Alien World Trance, and I'm back in a theater, wishing I could watch a version of the movie that's been overdubbed in Chinese. Like so many almost-great sci-fi movies of recent years, this is another example of a director with so much clout, the nobody can make him hire a real writer to supply dialog that doesn't suck. I mostly agree, but I took serious issue with the dialog. I didn’t much mind the formulaic plot, though I don’t think the world needs another movie where the white people are beating up on the colored people (in this case, the color was blue), and the colored people are saved by letting a sympathetic white guy lead. I’m reminded of The Onion’s “Man Finally Put In Charge Of Struggling Feminist Movement”.

I could accept the characters for the recycled archetypes they were, but I was hoping for a little more depth. The thing that really chapped my ass was the dialog. I was sitting there enjoying the amazingly beautiful alien world rendered in the most convincing 3D I’ve ever seen (at points I started to move out of the way as characters in the extreme foreground seemed to be moving through my row), and then words come out of their mouths. Not the sorts of words that real creatures say, but the sorts of words that characters say in D&D games run by 13-year-olds, or maybe Attack Of The Clones. Lines so bad, they snap me out of the 3D Alien World Trance, and I’m back in a theater, wishing I could watch a version of the movie that’s been overdubbed in Chinese.

Like so many almost-great sci-fi movies of recent years, this is another example of a director with so much clout, the nobody can make him hire a real writer to supply dialog that doesn’t suck.

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