Greetings Intrepid Exporers!
Avatar. You've heard about it. You've thought about. Heck, maybe you've already seen it. That's okay, cause whatever you've thought about it, you're still curious to know what I think about it. That's why you're here. That's why I'm here. That's why this tall perspiring glass of (favorite beverage here) is here. To get us through this.
Avatar. James Cameron did a bang-up job on this. The imagination and creative juice that went into this could be measured by the gallons. If it were a liquid measurement. If it were not a liquid measurement, I wouldn't have said 'creative juice'. Juice is a liquid, dumb person, and that's why it's okay for me to assume a measurement of liquid. It wouldn't make any freakin sense if I said 'the creative juice could be measured by the mile.' Why? Because you can't mix your units of measurements in your comparisons. A measurement of distance doesn't jive with a liquid medium. How many more times can I say liquid in this blog?
As I was watching Avatar I had this sense most of the way through it that I was watching the magnum opus of a talented artist. I'm not kidding. The movie is beautiful. I don't mind some of the subtler alegories or even how the story is told so that humans are evil and the indiginous peoples are holy and right. Because it fits the story. There are some amazing techniques, and some astounding ideas employed in the making and enjoying of this movie. It is absolutely worth seeing. IF you don't mind heavy handed political brainwashing delivered not so subtly by a big angry white dude who clearly represents the devil, i.e. western culture. There are a couple of one liners delivered through the course of this motion picture that literally left me stunned. Not just because of how blatantly political they were, but because they were so blatant in a story where they didn't make any sense.
I commented on just this sort of thing in my introduction post, the first one I did. If you didn't read it, shame on you for not reading these in a cronological order.
Anyway, the long and the short of it is, worth seeing for the visuals. Not worth seeing if you can't stomach over-stated political rhetoric in a fictional epic. That kind of rhymed. If a system of government ever relied on it's artists to lead, you know what would happen? Nothing. Because artists create art, they make things that are interesting to see, hear or even take part in. They can even change cultures for the better, (or worse). Thank you every disco artist ever, for proving my point. They dialogue in this movie is kind of like a disco song that's taking itself too seriously. All shiny and bright and well imagined, but when performed, even well, it sounds pretty tacky. The Beegees would not make good governers. Neither would actors.
Liquid.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
Shutter Island
Greetings Faithful Movie-Lovers!
I recently saw Shutter Island. You should see it too. The reason I say this is simple. Because it's a good movie. It's better than that fourth sequel about the lovable night watchman at the museum or the billionth re-telling of the tale of a cute couple who go through stuff, break up, and then get back together. Oh hey I should have said spoiler alert cause I just gave away the whole story of every romantic comedy ever. Dang.
Wait, I take that back. There was a couple of RC's that I've seen recently that did NOT go through the usual mind numbing cliche story points. I'll try to write about them sometime so you brothers of mine can have somewhere to turn to when you get to that desert place where you know you just have to sit through that movie that SHE is gonna like. I know how it goes. Back to Shutter Island.
Why should I see another DiCraprio suck-fest centered around how good he looks with water dripping from his hair, you might ask me. And if you did ask me, I would say, shut up person I don't really know very well I'm working/thinking/writing/crapping right now. You pick the activity. Go ahead, it makes it more like this is OUR story instead of just mine. But if you busted in on me while I was sitting on the throne to ask me about Leo DiCap I would shout your name from the rooftops holding a sign with your face on it wearing big girl glasses and rainbow lip gloss. Don't bother me when I'm on the toilet, man!
Shutter Island is good. Part of the way through, when you make a guess about it and it turns out to be right towards the end, don't say to yourself, "not another one of THESE stories!" but rather realize that the twist at the end is not the point of the tale. As a culture, as a movie watching generation we've become jaded enough to guess almost any twist while simultaneously we somehow belive that the point of any given movie is that the twist towards the end better suprise us and leave us mouth agape. Nay! Good sir/madam! The twist merely serves to make the point of the movie. In Fight Club the point was know and be yourself. In the 6th Sense the point was don't talk to me if you're dead. Or a bald fading action star.
Likewise, the point of Shutter Island is not merely to arrive at the twist. Think about the character, think about the shocking yet poignant moments of the history that brought him to where he is. Think about his desicion at the end. Think about not arguing in your head with what I'm saying right now and realizing that yet again, I'm right. I like Shutter Island. Shut up Carleton.
I recently saw Shutter Island. You should see it too. The reason I say this is simple. Because it's a good movie. It's better than that fourth sequel about the lovable night watchman at the museum or the billionth re-telling of the tale of a cute couple who go through stuff, break up, and then get back together. Oh hey I should have said spoiler alert cause I just gave away the whole story of every romantic comedy ever. Dang.
Wait, I take that back. There was a couple of RC's that I've seen recently that did NOT go through the usual mind numbing cliche story points. I'll try to write about them sometime so you brothers of mine can have somewhere to turn to when you get to that desert place where you know you just have to sit through that movie that SHE is gonna like. I know how it goes. Back to Shutter Island.
Why should I see another DiCraprio suck-fest centered around how good he looks with water dripping from his hair, you might ask me. And if you did ask me, I would say, shut up person I don't really know very well I'm working/thinking/writing/crapping right now. You pick the activity. Go ahead, it makes it more like this is OUR story instead of just mine. But if you busted in on me while I was sitting on the throne to ask me about Leo DiCap I would shout your name from the rooftops holding a sign with your face on it wearing big girl glasses and rainbow lip gloss. Don't bother me when I'm on the toilet, man!
Shutter Island is good. Part of the way through, when you make a guess about it and it turns out to be right towards the end, don't say to yourself, "not another one of THESE stories!" but rather realize that the twist at the end is not the point of the tale. As a culture, as a movie watching generation we've become jaded enough to guess almost any twist while simultaneously we somehow belive that the point of any given movie is that the twist towards the end better suprise us and leave us mouth agape. Nay! Good sir/madam! The twist merely serves to make the point of the movie. In Fight Club the point was know and be yourself. In the 6th Sense the point was don't talk to me if you're dead. Or a bald fading action star.
Likewise, the point of Shutter Island is not merely to arrive at the twist. Think about the character, think about the shocking yet poignant moments of the history that brought him to where he is. Think about his desicion at the end. Think about not arguing in your head with what I'm saying right now and realizing that yet again, I'm right. I like Shutter Island. Shut up Carleton.
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