Movie Review: Avatar

Avatar is the grand cinematic experience we have all been waiting for. It is a film that weaves a delicate balance between an extraordinary visual presentation and a genuinely intriguing love story. Director James Cameron succeeds once again at being the master of showmanship, taking full advantage of his newly invented technology to weave a massive portrait of spurting colors and exuding visual sensations. Yet the reason why Avatar works so well is due to the simple effectiveness of its cliched plot devices. While it is true that the film is hampered by the repetitive nature of its love story, its integrity is not compromised because Cameron does an excellent job at developing his characters. The plight of Sam Worthington to transcend beyond his paralytic state and become a ruggedly handsome 10-ft smurf is surprisingly fascinating because of the redemptive arc his story is built around. The desire of Zoe Saldana to save the Na'vi from military annihilation, while also falling in love with Worthington, is alluring because of Cameron's painstaking devotion to illustrate every aspect of the world of Pandora. Avatar can best be described as Cameron's passion project; an intense spectacle layered in existential undertones and pantheistic mythology. It is a film dependent upon the ambitions of its director, a man who in twelve years time may have transformed himself from a vainglorious "King of the World" into a preeminent "God of the Cinema".

To say that Cameron has crossed into the sacred plateau of cinematic divinity would appear to be an absurd exaggeration of the truth. Cameron is a filmmaker who has always emphasized style over substance with his body of work. His success has been warranted on his ability to impress audiences with extraordinary visuals while sacrificing the fundamental principles of good screenwriting in the process. Yet with his last two films, Cameron has taken huge strides towards incorporating character development into his stylistic repertoire. The soul of Titanic rested in the loving embraces of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, which in turn made the film's final hour a true work of art. Cameron taps into similar elements with Avatar, using Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana as vehicles to drive home the epic scope of his cinematic painting. While their romance adds a compelling layer to what is essentially Cameron's artistic revolution, it does not dominate the forefront of the picture simply because it doesn't have to. Avatar is a film completely and irrevocably subordinate to its spectrum of imagination and global allegory. As a result, Worthington and Saldana exist as designated tour guides, working together to illustrate the subliminal nuances of Cameron's hauntingly beautiful world.

It is obvious that Cameron's Pandora is meant to draw comparisons to the scattered realms of our own earthly domain, thereby inviting the audience to absorb the allegorical structure at play in the film. The digital cinematography of Mauro Fiore exposes the deepest and darkest attributes of Pandora to the point where the audience is taken aback by Cameron's meticulous attention to detail. A vast combination of low-angle, wide-angle, and horizontal panning shots emphasize the majestic landscapes and untainted natural beauty working in harmony with the primal instincts of the Na'vi culture. There is no part of Pandora left unexplored in Avatar. Cameron focuses his camera on every single aspect of the alien planet, illustrating the uniqueness of every creature stemming from the exotic plant life to the horrifying jungle beasts. Simultaneously, Cameron also examines the intricacies of a tribal civilization, highlighting their devotion to the perfection of nature and the universe. From the flowing rhythm of the Na'vi language to their enduring chants of worship encapsulated in a solemn blue light, Cameron fledges out a culture rooted in the unilateral synchronization of all things. In essence, Avatar is Cameron's love ode to the unparalleled beauty of our natural environment. As a result, the film is able to offer a stark contrast between the pantheistic worship of the Na'vi and the corrupting military imperialism of our own civilization.

Cameron symbolizes our need for military supremacy through the impassioned viciousness of Col. Quaritch (played by Stephen Lang) and the blazing capitalist ardor of Parker Selfridge (played by Giovanni Ribisi). Their unbridled enthusiasm towards conquering the Na'vi tribe and excavating their natural resources is also indicative of their sheer ignorance with regard to the preservation of life on Pandora. Their interests are centered around ideological dominance and economic profit rather than a pursuit of knowledge and scientific research. As a result, their ability to coexist with the Na'vi can only be prevalent if the Na'vi submits to their will. Cameron and Fiore make visual suggestions throughout the entire film, shooting the military locales in bleak, gray colors and layering every frame with extraordinary amounts of destructive technology i.e. military helicopters and motion-controlled robots. The conversations between soldiers and scientists are shot in a tightly constricted manner, as if to make the audience aware of the escalating tension slowly developing throughout the course of the film. By the time Worthington and Saldana consummate their love in the heart of Cameron’s jungle paradise, Quaritch’s head and Selfridge’s patience are ready to explode amidst the sound of guns blazing and the fury of devastating war. It is at this point where Avatar abandons its romantic sensibilities to transform itself into a blistering tempest of chaos and pandaemonium. The last 30-45 minutes of the film ring in a hallowed symphony of unrestrained visual magnificence due in large part to Cameron’s ambitious elucidation of a conflict between eco-military prominence and the sacrosanct devotion to the beauty of nature.

Those who qualm about Cameron’s ineptitude when it comes to screenwriting are justified by his use of corny dialogue and hackneyed plot contrivances. For some reason, phrases like “That’s what I’m talking about, bitch” and “It’s already pissed off” just don’t seem to resonate when cataloguing a reaction to one of Pandora’s creatures. A film of this magnitude should not resort to pedestrian levels of screenwriting in order to drive the narrative towards its inevitable conclusion. If there is anything to complain about Avatar, it remains buried underneath the pages of its screenplay. With that being said, the audience is compensated for Cameron’s shortcomings with perhaps his best work as a filmmaker. All of the technical aspects of this film are meant to serve the power of the narrative. As a result, they are all able to transcend the realm of cinematic achievement because they are instrumental towards the creation of a different world. The production design of Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg successfully captures the subtle idiosyncrasies of a celestial wonderland; a territory characterized by a vibrant radiance in constant interaction with creatures of deceptive peril. The sound design and visual effects bring those creatures and the Na’vi tribe to breathtaking life through the development of original noises and movements, all of which are meant to draw out the physical and emotional tendencies of everything living on Pandora. The score of James Horner revels in the epic grandeur of its story with spectacular orchestral numbers and mellifluous choral sequences, all of which come together in a cataclysmic exhibition of staggering aural harmony. For these reasons, Avatar takes its place as one of the year’s crowning achievements in filmmaking. Yet it also succeeds at becoming the iconic global experience James Cameron dreamed about while sleeping in the royal bed chamber meant for a king.

Lenny’s Grade: A

My Reaction to the 2010 Oscar Nominations

At long last, we have come to the end of the precursor season with the announcement of the 2010 Oscar nominations. I build myself up to this moment each year, anxiously awaiting the news of which films received nominations for the coveted Best Picture trophy. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences represents the pinnacle of the very best in film. It provides the definitive statement regarding films for a particular year and can legitimize those that deserve to be called classics. Yet like most rewarding bodies throughout the world, the Academy is not without its flaws. There is no doubt that the nominations for a given category are governed by consistent advertising and aggressive marketing campaigns. Those who can work around the politics of receiving an Oscar nomination usually stand the best chance of receiving an invitation to the Kodak Theater in late February or early March. And by all accounts, the Academy Awards can be seen as a glorified popularity contest. Yet there are some cases where either the film itself or certain performances stand out above all the studio spending and the incessant brown-nosing. It is in these situations where the Oscars can be considered an excellent source for honoring the very best in cinema. However, these moments of cinematic worship rarely occur and oftentimes we are left scrounging through the list of Oscar nominations looking for something to scratch our heads over. With that being said, the expansion of the Best Picture nominees to a field of ten this year gave the Academy a prime opportunity to honor the very best that cinema had to offer. They had a chance to perhaps restore some pride after their brutal ignorance of The Dark Knight and WALL-E in the Best Picture category last year. And of course, they blew it. How did they blow it? By including two films that quite frankly do not deserve to be called Best Picture nominees; two films that illustrate the Academy's need to avoid public scrutiny and to draw higher ratings for their beloved Oscar telecast. The names of those two films: The Blind Side and District 9.

To say that The Blind Side is now a nominee for Best Picture of 2009 leaves a disgustingly bitter taste in my mouth to the point where I might have to induce myself to vomit. Okay so perhaps I exaggerated myself a bit there. But even its supporters have to agree that The Blind Side is not one of the ten best films of the year. At most, the film is a small inspirational effort that has swept viewers off their feet on its way to grossing over $200 million at the box-office. It is a film that appeals to the masses; a film that speaks to the desires of the public rather than the critical necessities of appreciating cinema. People have brought into the performances of Sandra Bullock and Quinton Aaron, with most even shedding tears over the story of Michael Oher. It is a film that has affected a great many people in a very bewildering way. And now it has the undeserved honor of being called a Best Picture nominee. This is the kind of film that deserves to be a CBS Movie of the Week as opposed to a perennial Oscar nominee. To say that it has elevated itself into such sacred territory represents everything that is wrong with the Academy and why it is so flawed as an organization. Those who voted for The Blind Side as one of the ten best films should be ashamed of themselves not just for their ignorant ludicrousness, but also for the fact that they have pretty much guaranteed a Best Actress Oscar for Sandra Bullock. And in this humble blogger's opinion, Bullock should not win that award because her performance is average at best. Yet the Best Picture nomination has done wonders for Bullock's Oscar chances, especially since she has already collected the Golden Globe and the SAG. As a result, I think it's fair to say that The Blind Side will not go home empty-handed come Oscar night.

I'm not as angry about the fact that District 9 is nominated for Best Picture because truth be told, it is a well-made genre film. Director Neill Blomkamp created a fascinating blend of intense action and science fiction, using both as the basis for providing insightful commentary on apartheid. Yet for me, it is nothing more than a fast-paced summer action film masquerading as an important cinematic achievement. And for that reason, I hesitate in terms of naming it one of the ten best films of the year. I do praise its nominations for Adapted Screenplay, Film Editing, and Visual Effects. These are all very well-deserved as District 9 was one of the more intelligent and sophisticated science fiction endeavors of the last decade. It was very well-edited and provided a nice flow to the handheld photography instituted by Blomkamp to enforce the documentary look of the film. And the visual effects were certainly integral to the success of the film as well. I also feel that District 9 deserved nominations in the sound categories, where it was unfortunately snubbed, and for its production design as well. Like I said, it was a well-made genre film that deserved accolades for its technical prowess. Yet it certainly is not worthy of being named the Best Picture of 2009.

In terms of the big dogs, Avatar and The Hurt Locker tied for the most nominations with 9 a piece. Yet as I argued in previous articles regarding the two films, The Hurt Locker is the perennial favorite to win Best Picture on Oscar night because of its victories with the Producers Guild and the Directors Guild of America. As I've said before, Avatar does have multiple Golden Globe wins to its credit and remains the most captivating film of the year in a visual sense. There is also the noticeable distinction of how it is now the highest-grossing movie of all time domestically. It is similar to The Blind Side in that audiences have flocked to the theaters to see it on multiple occasions. Its story is epic and traditional in that it provides an austere balance between action and romance, which is something audiences around the world have responded to very well. There is no doubt that Avatar is the film of the year simply because everyone has seen it and no one can stop talking about it. However, The Hurt Locker is about to seen by everyone because it is known worldwide as the film that tied with Avatar for the most Oscar nominations. People will now look to video stores and Netflix to catch a glimpse of Kathryn Bigelow's intelligent and uncompromising study of the Iraq War. And when all is said and done, the relentless surge to experience The Hurt Locker on DVD will only add fuel to its already strong Oscar campaign and will no doubt assure it of an easy Best Picture win in March.

I was glad to see the Academy nominate A Serious Man for Best Picture because in this humble blogger's opinion, it is the best film of the year so far. I was disappointed to see Sherlock Holmes recognized in multiple categories because in spite of Downey Jr's devotion to the part, the film as a whole was incredibly dreadful. I was also disappointed with how Inglourious Basterds was snubbed for Art Direction and Costume Design, which was certainly one of the weirder announcements yesterday morning. The production and costume design for that film add vitality and credibility to the mise-en-scene that Tarantino is playing with. Both play integral roles in the unfolding of Tarantino's revenge fantasy and the film richly deserved nominations in both categories. Sadly, Inglourious Basterds had to settle for only 8 Oscar nominations and now sits behind Avatar and The Hurt Locker in the race for Best Picture. Yet I am very happy that Up became the second animated film in motion picture history to be nominated for Best Picture, a truly well-deserved honor to say the least. It's not going to win because that would be too big a leap for the Academy to handle. However, don't be surprised if it pulls off victories in the Original Screenplay and Original Score categories. With all that being said, here are my early predictions for this year's Oscar winners...

Best Picture: The Hurt Locker

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow = The Hurt Locker

Best Actor: Jeff Bridges = Crazy Heart

Best Actress: Sandra Bullock = The Blind Side

Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz = Inglourious Basterds

Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique = Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

Best Adapted Screenplay: Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner = Up in the Air

Best Original Screenplay: Mark Boal = The Hurt Locker

Best Cinematography: Avatar

Best Film Editing: The Hurt Locker

Best Original Score: Up

Best Art Direction: Avatar

Best Costume Design: The Young Victoria

Best Sound Mixing: Avatar

Best Sound Editing: Avatar

Best Visual Effects: Avatar

Best Makeup: Star Trek

Best Original Song: "The Weary Kind" = Crazy Heart

Best Foreign Language Film: The White Ribbon

Best Animated Feature: Up

Best Documentary Feature: The Cove

Best Documentary Short Subject: The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant

Best Animated Short Film: A Matter of Loaf and Death

Best Live Action Short Film: The Door

More Oscar updates to follow over the next month...stay tuned.

82nd Oscar Nominations

Here are the nominees for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards

Best Picture

Avatar

The Blind Side

District 9

An Education

The Hurt Locker

Inglourious Basterds

Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

A Serious Man

Up

Up in the Air

Best Director

James Cameron = Avatar

Kathryn Bigelow = The Hurt Locker

Quentin Tarantino = Inglourious Basterds

Lee Daniels = Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

Jason Reitman = Up in the Air

Best Actor

Jeff Bridges = Crazy Heart

George Clooney = Up in the Air

Colin Firth = A Single Man

Morgan Freeman = Invictus

Jeremy Renner = The Hurt Locker

Best Actress

Sandra Bullock = The Blind Side

Helen Mirren = The Last Station

Carey Mulligan = An Education

Gabourey Sidibe = Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

Meryl Streep = Julie & Julia

Best Supporting Actor

Matt Damon = Invictus

Woody Harrelson = The Messenger

Christopher Plummer = The Last Station

Stanley Tucci = The Lovely Bones

Christoph Waltz = Inglourious Basterds

Best Supporting Actress

Penelope Cruz = Nine

Vera Farmiga = Up in the Air

Maggie Gyllenhaal = Crazy Heart

Anna Kendrick = Up in the Air

Mo'Nique = Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

Best Adapted Screenplay

District 9

An Education

In the Loop

Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

Up in the Air

Best Original Screenplay

The Hurt Locker

Inglourious Basterds

The Messenger

A Serious Man

Up

Best Cinematography

Avatar

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

The Hurt Locker

Inglourious Basterds

The White Ribbon

Best Film Editing

Avatar

District 9

The Hurt Locker

Inglourious Basterds

Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

Best Original Score

Avatar

Fantastic Mr. Fox

The Hurt Locker

Sherlock Holmes

Up

Best Art Direction

Avatar

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Nine

Sherlock Holmes

The Young Victoria

Best Costume Design

Bright Star

Coco before Chanel

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Nine

The Young Victoria

Best Sound Mixing

Avatar

The Hurt Locker

Inglourious Basterds

Star Trek

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Best Sound Editing

Avatar

The Hurt Locker

Inglourious Basterds

Star Trek

Up

Best Visual Effects

Avatar

District 9

Star Trek

Best Makeup

Il Divo

Star Trek

The Young Victoria

Best Original Song

"Almost There" = The Princess and the Frog

"Down in New Orleans" = The Princess and the Frog

"Loin de Paname" = Paris 36

"Take it All" = Nine

"The Weary Kind" = Crazy Heart

Best Foreign Language Film

Ajami

El Secreto de Sus Ojos

The Milk of Sorrow

Un Prophete

The White Ribbon

Best Animated Feature

Coraline

Fantastic Mr. Fox

The Princess and the Frog

The Secret of Kells

Up

Best Documentary Feature

Burma VJ

The Cove

Food, Inc.

The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers

Which Way Home

Best Documentary Short Subject

China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province

The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner

The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant

Music by Prudence

Rabbit a la Berlin

Best Animated Short Film

French Roast

Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty

The Lady and the Reaper

Logorama

A Matter of Loaf and Death

Best Live Action Short Film

The Door

Instead of Abracadabra

Kavi

Miracle Fish

The New Tenants

Reaction coming tomorrow...

Avatar and the Actors

The following video is a Newsweek roundtable discussion comprising recently Oscar-nominated actors. Moderated by David Ansen, the actors were asked how they felt about motion-capture technology and its role in developing the future of cinema. As everyone knows, motion-capture technology was the primary tool utilized by James Cameron in the filming of Avatar. Cameron was able to draw out physically authentic performances from actors like Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana by harnessing his newly-developed technology and supplanting the actors' bodies and surroundings with outstanding visual effects. As the following video will illustrate, the actors are very hesitant about this technology, even going so far as to saying it eliminates the nuances of acting and hinders the art of crafting a fully-fledged performance. Morgan Freeman is very outspoken about this matter and is very critical of Avatar in terms of the quality of its acting. Jeff Bridges provides a dissenting opinion by arguing how motion-capture technology forces the actors to evolve their craft to the point where they have to rely on their imagination to generate authenticity. It is a fascinating discussion that illustrates the problems Avatar encounters when presented to the actors, which may have a potentially damaging impact on its Oscar chances. Have a look...

KATHRYN BIGELOW WINS DIRECTORS GUILD OF AMERICA AWARD!!!

The Directors Guild of America made history this past weekend because for the first time ever, they presented their highest honor to a woman. Kathryn Bigelow defeated the likes of James Cameron and Quentin Tarantino to emerge triumphant on Saturday night, establishing herself as the frontrunner to win the Oscar for Best Director. Bigelow's win also signified another guild victory for her film The Hurt Locker, which has no doubt emerged as the critical darling of this year's awards season. The fact that the film did not win the Best Picture Golden Globe represents only a minor stumble in what has otherwise been a very successful Oscar season. Its wins with the Producers Guild and the Directors Guild have no doubt made it the favorite to win the Best Picture Oscar come March. And to be quite honest, it doesn't make any sense.

This awards season was set up so that we could see James Cameron walk away with award after award after award. Many were expecting to see the same kind of love and appreciation for Avatar as they did when Titanic was released twelve years ago. And even though the film has received an onslaught of nominations from various guilds across the nation, it has not turned those nominations into victories so far. Avatar only has Golden Globes for Best Picture and Best Director to its credit. It does not have anything else. It sits alone atop the box-office pedestal, slowly journeying towards the mountain on its way to becoming the highest-grossing film of all time. And even though it is very tempting to pronounce Avatar dead in terms of capturing the Best Picture and Best Director prizes at the Oscars, it cannot be written off yet. Avatar is still the favorite to collect awards from virtually every single technical guild in the nation i.e. the cinematographers, the editors, the sound designers, the visual effects artists, and the film musicians. These are vital components that will no doubt put a thorn in the side of The Hurt Locker and Kathryn Bigelow's Oscar campaign. One thing that will also be very detrimental to The Hurt Locker is the fact that everyone has seen Avatar and no one has seen The Hurt Locker. People will be tuning in on Oscar night wondering if Avatar will be named the Best Picture of 2009, which means that they will expecting it to triumph over any obstacle in its path. And it will be very tempting for the powers that be in the Academy to acquiesce to the demands of the viewing public. So as of right now, the Best Picture race is far from over between Avatar and The Hurt Locker. Yet because of the latter's PGA and DGA wins over the last few weeks, it is fair to say that The Hurt Locker has a comfortable lead in this year's Best Picture race.

If the Oscars were handed out right now, these would be the winners...

Best Picture: The Hurt Locker

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow = The Hurt Locker

Best Actor: Jeff Bridges = Crazy Heart

Best Actress: Sandra Bullock = The Blind Side

Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz = Inglourious Basterds

Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique = Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

Best Adapted Screenplay: Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner = Up in the Air

Best Original Screenplay: Mark Boal = The Hurt Locker

Best Cinematography: Avatar

Best Film Editing: The Hurt Locker

Best Original Score: Up

Best Art Direction: Avatar

Best Costume Design: Inglourious Basterds

Best Sound Mixing: Avatar

Best Sound Editing: Avatar

Best Visual Effects: Avatar

Best Makeup: District 9

Best Original Song: "The Weary Kind" = Crazy Heart

Best Foreign Language Film: The White Ribbon

Best Animated Feature: Up

Best Documentary Feature: The Cove