At the Cinema - December 2009

Avatar – 10
The James Cameron winning streak is intact.
The Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, Terminator 2, True Lies, Titanic, Avatar.
Not too many filmmakers with a string like that.

Avatar? It’s just incredible.
Four years in the making, this is a fantasy of the highest order. Using breakthrough technology, this is a breathtaking visual extravaganza.

Sam Worthington stars as Jake Sulley, a wheel chair bound ex-Marine who replaces his brother in the Avatar program on the outpost planet Pandora. The Avatar is the body that he will inhabit, a copy of the species populating the planet - one that can survive in the toxic atmosphere. The bad humans here are the corporations that are mining the planet. You can tell who they are because the leader wears a tie. Yes – bad news. This far in the future, men are still wearing ties. The corporations are using the military to clear a path to the mining of Pandora. You can tell who the military is because they have big biceps. Then there are the scientists, led by Sigourney Weaver. More bad news. There are still cigarettes two centuries from now, and for some reason Sigourney Weaver’s character smokes. I have no idea why Cameron felt it necessary to have one character on “the crutch.” But, she strolls around the massive project puffing away. It's a little jarring.

Make no mistake - it’s the visuals that are the story. Do yourself a favor. Don’t skimp. Get up off your wallet and see it in 3D. This is the future. Cameron has crafted the future of movies, and it unfolds right before your eyes. Using this fictional planet as his canvas, Cameron lets his imagination run wild and in the process proves he has more imagination in his little finger than most of the world. He and his immense team (the credits roll forever) pull out all the stops.

What keeps this from being a masterpiece in every way? Well, you could quibble with the story a little. It’s not without some issues. While you could read some deep racial assimilation meaning into the story, it is a little like every movie ever made in its boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl. The last half hour is a little too GI Joe for me. The inevitable battle sequence is somewhat predictable. So, let’s just say the sparkle of this movie isn’t in the story telling – it’s in the visual feast that’s laid out before your eyes. My last complaint is really not about this movie, because you're never bored. It's about "epics" in general in that it now seems to be a given that you can’t do an “epic” in 2 hours – it must clock in as a bladder buster exceeding two and a half hours. So, I suggest reduced liquid intake.

It won’t do Titanic money, because teenage girls aren’t going to go 10 times to see the love story. But, if you want to see the creativity that will forever affect the future of movie making, go see this. It’s a Game Changer. Simply awesome.

Here’s my top 5 Game Changing Motion Pictures of all time prior to Avatar.

Birth of a Nation
Gone With The Wind
The Exorcist
Star Wars
Titanic



Up In The Air - 9
You’ll like this movie if
a. You like George Clooney
b. You liked previous Jason Reitman movies like Juno
c. You like a little romance

This is a wonderful little movie. I love “star is born” movies, and while George Clooney and Vera Farmiga are terrific, it’s Anna Kendrick who lights the screen up here as the emotional compass of this dramedy.

George Clooney is Ryan Bingham, a professional “work force reducer” who does the dirty work for corporate captains who are too spineless to do it themselves. That Clooney fleshes out his character with humanity is what will bring him some recognition come awards time. It’s his best performance so far as he continues to build his body of work.

When Bingham meets his road warrior soul mate in Farmiga’s character, their chemistry crackles. But, it is Kendrick who almost steals this movie. The sequence with the three of them is a beautifully crafted scene. I may be wrong, but I think we’ll be watching Anna Kendrick light up the screen for a long time. But, accolades to each for creating memorable characters that we like, believe, and care about. In addition, those who are getting fired are as real as you could imagine. That the movie captures these tough economic times so realistically is a tribute to all involved.

The early travel scenes are accurate and funny. That the movie runs out of romantic and narrative steam in the last 15 minutes is really not that disappointing. The resolution may surprise you, but unfortunately I knew where things were headed very early. That’s ok. It’s an entertaining movie.