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Avatar, a review by Jon

Avatar
4 out of 5 (or maybe a full five... no, actually, hold on... 3...erm. Damn, this is tough!)



A paraplegic marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.

Before I saw Avatar, I was dismayed at the reports that the film, having taken 12 years to gestate in the mind of James Cameron, was as derivative as they come. Even from the trailer, it was clear we were looking at some weird mash-up of Pocohontas, Dances With Wolves and bloody Ferngully. Played out by giant Smurfs, no less. Wow. Special.

It is all absolutely true as well. Actually, no, I haven't seen Ferngully, so I'll withdraw that one. And the Smurfs are much better close-up, so I'll let that one go too. But there is no escaping that the plot is prosaic and dumb. The dialogue is just awful, without a hint of irony and stuffed so full of exposition that any intelligent 12 year-old will have worked out the ending in no time. The pacing is bloated and uneven with a environmental message delivered like a sledge-hammer. You may also choose to take exception to the depiction of US military, but I think this well publicised criticism is a bit unfair and too easy a target. But in any case, make no mistake, this is not a proper 'film'.

However, what I have just described is like any other blockbuster movie of the last decade at least. Big, dumb, copying lots of other films and missing the point is business as usual for Hollywood and so it should be judged as such. It's no good whining about the script being written in crayon; it's our fault for listening to the hype about it being a "game changer". Nope. It's another Phantom Menace. Another Matrix even.

So if we should judge against its own kind, then it is unquestionably superb, rollercoaster entertainment. One of the best big movie experiences you could ever hope to have, because that's what Cameron does better than anyone. Action. On an epic, explosive level and he stamps his authority here. The scale of this film is just astonishing and the last half hour, a cathartic tsunami of a battle scene.

The effects are probably the best you will see. Pandora is a breathtaking creation. I wasn't convinced by the Na'vi on the trailer, but in the film I simply forgot they weren't real! I can't say better than that. The story for all its faults, is well performed and does have a lot of heart. Jake's (Sam Worthington) story is convincing, if you're so inclined. If you're going to copy, copy from the best because maybe a little soul will rub off. And visually, it would be easy to assume it is one-note, but Cameron has some elegance here, especially in his discrete slow motion and a fascinating shot of a "horse" type creature, bathed in flame.

Just look over James Cameron's history. He has got very little originality for writing; in fact True Lies is probably his best film on a personal creative level. Terminator was a superb idea in its simplicity, exploited even better. Aliens is just as exploitive of Alien. Terminator 2 was simply a remake of the first with a bigger vision. Titanic was big and stupid, but looked fantastic. Why the heck should Avatar be any different? What all those films have in common is they are not boring.

He also commands great casts. Sigourney Weaver is impressive as always and Sam Worthington has taken a lot of flak, but I found nothing wrong with him. Stephen Lang chews the scenery to great effect and Michelle Rodriguez and Giovanni Ribisi impress too. But the absolute star for me was Zoe Saldana. She is gorgeous in a beautifully judged role. Kudos again to the effects, that they didn't hide a single note.

I'm so relieved to have enjoyed this as much as I did, despite the pointlessness of 3D, which was more annoying than anything else. Actually, I'm glad Avatar wasn't a 'proper' film. It hopefully means proper film-makers won't jump on that particular bandwagon and will leave it to all the showmen! Don't get me wrong, it had its moments, but I'm very much looking forward to seeing Avatar again without a pair of sunglasses on. The colours were so muted in favour of this gimmick. But however you see it, What you go into a James Cameron movie for is unashamed excitement. Avatar is bloated, but when the action kicks in, I defy you not to hold your breath.



(From Avatar **** on February 16th, 2010)

Return of the Living Dead 3, a review by addicted2dvd

Title: Return of the Living Dead 3 Year: 1993 Director: Brian Yuzna Rating: R Length: 97 Min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Kent McCord
James T. Callahan
Sarah Douglas
Melinda Clarke [Mindy Clarke]
Abigail Lenz
J. Trevor Edmond

Plot:
In "Return of the Living Dead Part II," the chemical Trioxin turned people into flesh eating zombies. Now the government is trying to control these unstoppable cannibalistic killers.

The splatter-fest starts when a young man uses the chemical to bring his girlfriend back to life. It's a state of the art special effects show as she starts a chain reaction of the living dead by eating the only thing that will nourish her... human brains.

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Bonus Trailers
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:
This sequel is done with less comedy. At least with less intentional and obvious comedy. While I still like the first one better... this one is better then part 2. The way the character Julie (Mindy Clarke) mutilated herself is both wild and disturbing at the same time. Definitely worth a viewing.




Count:
Movie Count: 96
TV Ep. Count: 50 I Made It! (10/20)
Other Count: 8 I Made It! (10/15)

(From Month Long Horror/Halloween Marathon: 2010 on October 27th, 2010)

Tom's TV Finales marathon, a review by Tom

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Blackadder 2 (1984/United Kingdom) IMDb | Wikipedia BBC Worldwide (United Kingdom) Length: 175 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 1 Subtitles: English

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Plot:
The Historic Second Series

England 1558-1603. The filthy genes of the Blackadder dynasty bubble back to the surface of the melting pot of history as Lord Edmund, arrogant peer-about-town, swaggers back with a big head and small beard in search of grace and favour from stark raving mad Queen Bess. Accompanied by a small rabble of be-ruffed riff-raff - bottom-breath Baldrick and pea-brained Percy - the serpentine Lord Blackadder lower the whole tone of England's Golden Age.


Black Adder
Series 2.06 Chains
Writer: Richard Curtis (Writer), Ben Elton (Writer)
Director: Mandie Fletcher
Cast: Rowan Atkinson (Edmund Blackadder), Tim McInnerny (Lord Percy), Tony Robinson (Baldrick), Miranda Richardson (Queen Elizabeth I), Stephen Fry (Lord Melchett), Patsy Byrne (Nursie), Hugh Laurie (Prince Ludwig), Max Harvey (Torturer), Mark Arden (1st Guard), Lee Cornes (2nd Guard)

This is probably my favorite Blackadder series. And also the final episode is great. It also has an unexpected twist at the end.
This episode guest-stars Hugh Laurie, you will become a regular in the third series.

Rating:

(From Tom's TV Finales marathon on February 17th, 2013)