United3dArtists Archive

Last night, Oscar let me down. Not that I was wanting that Avatar win, but that's there was the only option, other movies were good, etc... but hey! The Hurt Locker it's just a good movie, it has the basic war movie thing, etc. Avatar was an innovation, something unique, never did before... and AMAZING. It just confirms that Oscar don't goes just for the best, but the best for the interest.

Despiting that that was the funnier Oscar I ever seen, everything was much strange, when actors arrive the first thing they ask were what are you wearing... And all those expensive (how it's called in english?) I mean those Gucci, Griffes, things like that. So that was just a merchandising with no scruples.

Oscar goes now for the list that includes Santa Claus, Easter Bunny and Bogeyman.

That's really sad

Well, the Oscars are nominated by the Academy of (Actors, directors, all things Hollywoord), so prejudice shouldn't be a surprise.

The box office winner was Avatar.

Volume 57, Number 5 · March 25, 2010
The Wizard
By Daniel Mendelsohn
Avatar
a film directed by James Cameron

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/23726"

In which it is pointed out what is really wrong with
James Cameron's directing.

I loved the film, but did not expect the story to be great.
And it wasn't.

The only issue I had with Avatar was the storytelling. The movie really came off has having a "walking" pace. First we'll do this for five minutes... then this for five minutes .... then another thing for five minutes....

If you imagine listening to a professor of CG talk for 3 hours with no intonation (ie variation in the pitch or tone) in his voice it would be the same thing as Avatar. You are interested in the subject being spoken about by an expert but the material is difficult to digest as you are lulled to sleep by the consistency.

There were some very good action filled sequences in the film but overall the story was flat.

v3rd3 wrote:The only issue I had with Avatar was the storytelling. The movie really came off has having a "walking" pace. First we'll do this for five minutes... then this for five minutes .... then another thing for five minutes....

If you imagine listening to a professor of CG talk for 3 hours with no intonation (ie variation in the pitch or tone) in his voice it would be the same thing as Avatar. You are interested in the subject being spoken about by an expert but the material is difficult to digest as you are lulled to sleep by the consistency.

There were some very good action filled sequences in the film but overall the story was flat.

Yup ! The film won Oscars in the categories it was good in but didnt win as best film.
No thats not a surprise......
Peter

Avatar was not perfect, but why The Hurt Locker is better than this? Best film is an subjective category, it's not like best Script or best Figurine.

Avatar has some problems? The Hurt Locker also has... that thing about the script being based on a real person, etc...

I think that most people think that Avatar was the best movie, all in my school, in most forums, even Antonio Bandeiras, of course this is not most people, but I believe that yes. I saw people saying why Avatar was not chosen, but nobody said why The Hurt Locker was chosen.

leonregis wrote:Avatar was not perfect, but why The Hurt Locker is better than this? Best film is an subjective category, it's not like best Script or best Figurine.

Avatar has some problems? The Hurt Locker also has... that thing about the script being based on a real person, etc...

I think that most people think that Avatar was the best movie, all in my school, in most forums, even Antonio Bandeiras, of course this is not most people, but I believe that yes. I saw people saying why Avatar was not chosen, but nobody said why The Hurt Locker was chosen.

Maybe most of the people *you know* think it's the best, but no, most of the people don't think it's the best movie. it's kind of like
"The Matrix" in a way. "The Matrix" was really all about the special effects, and the special effects were the real star of that film.
The writing sucked, keanu reeves's acting sucked, but it became a blockbuster hit. It did not win an oscar.

Avatar has the same thing: fabulous technology, fabulous visuals. The writing isn't great. Just about anyone could
act better than Keanu Reeves, except for Arnold Schwarzenegger. So the acting is better yeah.

I haven't seen "The Hurt Locker," but I could just as easily say that "Avatar" is just another Pocohantas movie!
Have you seen "The Hurt Locker"?

I some way I think you Leonregis is nearer the problem.

All about the movie is how the Western Culture is destroying the world for raw materials.

The big and last issue in the radio and TV-broadcasts here in Sweden is about the farming in Brazil. Farmers are using strong pesticide and weed-killer to grow soya beans and cattle. Pesticides and weed-killers which are forbidden here in Europe because they are too dangerous. Farmers in Brazil are sick and some dies of these chemicals so we can buy cheap meat here in Sweden. The rainforrest goes down for growing soya beans. I want to buy food thats grown under fair conditions for the workers. There are many examples of workers who are locked in factorys which has burnt down with people and all. All in all for cheap products. It's we consumers who can decide what to do.

Buy fairtrade when you can http://www.fairtrade.net/"

I don't mind if The Avatar didn't get only a few Oscar. In our society everything has everything to be fast. Short clips in the movies no scene longer than 10seconds. No reflection of what you see. The thing I feel strong about the Avatar in the slow pace is that you can see and consider lots of things in the movie. You can se the flies in the air and have time to bee in the beautiful world of Avatar. Our world is as beautiful as Avatar. We have to save this beautifullness to our children.

I maybee to political for this forum but I think it's important to think what you in your small way can improve the world. In the end the politician have to do the big decisions. I'm going for a vote ,this year, for the party which has the best program to make the whole world better to live in. Not how much my salary will raise or taxes going down. (Coming from a person living in the highest taxpaying country in the world.) Small things. I want the earth to contuine to be a green world.

Interesting idea about movie pacing: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... os-theory/"

What is funny is Kathryn Bigelow (the Hurt Locker) was the wife of James cameron!
A movie based on special effect can be incredible but the story keep the most important. after a few years, the story is what you remember and special effects have less interest because all change very fast. 3 oscars is a good thing. Why do you want all the oscars for the same movie? There are so many movies and a lot of people prefer actors and stories than special effects. I understand people who have not the same choose than me. Look at painting: most of celeb artists have personnal idea and their technic are not important. Same thing with the music. Only time that passes lets remember that this will become a masterpiece. And some masterpiece have no oscar...

What is funny is Kathryn Bigelow (the Hurt Locker) was the wife of James cameron!

what the...

Holy Smokes!

I didn't know that!

Amazing factoid...

Avatar may be not the best movie, but is better than The Hurt Locker. I didn't watch the movie... I know... SO WHY THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT?

I know pretty much what this kind of movie is, of course I can get surprised and think that it's really better than Avatar, but as far I know (and I think that's enough far). Matrix had a good competitor in 1999 (American Beauty).

Avatar is sure to become a classical soon or later, I know it's a main streamlined movie but thats the best main streamlined movie I ever seen.


Tommy, Kind of that... this is exclusively about how there is interests hidden on those consecrated awards. What you said it's true, and I think you are too political to this forum as am I... So if you want to talk about politics just enter in the IM... then we don't cause any ''trouble''.

Finis: That's quite interesting and disturbing... I'll try to consider that when doing an animation, there is any manual to make 1/f?

Marcel: Yep, that's a funny fact.
First, those are special specials effects because most of special effects try to show explosions, spaceships, colossal things, impressive, etc... this one is about beauty, that's the most beautiful special effects I ever seen.

The story of Avatar may not be that original but it's complete and beautiful, it has ecological, against crazy military methods and love messages, I don't see any problem on this. I'll probably remember this for the next 60 years (or 100 as medicine goes), also the special effects as I said it's a different kind, so every movie that has a beautiful image composition, beautiful scenes, etc... will be remembered too, and Avatar is included on it. I agree with you in the last phrase, but that's just shows that this ''contest'' that should reward the best movies and masterpieces in reality is just rewarding... just it... a reward, nothing more.

---------------------------

I think there is nothing anymore to say about it, now it will just goes into personal perspectives...

Here is something that maybe interest to those that think that The Hurt Locker is the best movie, well... this is about general war movies. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/20 ... c_ev=click"

Take it from someone who works in the film industry: You can't please everyone all the time. Every movie will have people who love it and hate it. Heck, I know people who actually liked Ishtar.
Yes, there are a lot of movies we'd like to have seen win. And yes, I'm sure the academy is biased in a lot of ways. The film industry is riddled with politics. But that aside, I have to agree with several opinions here. It's not just about your experience, or how "wowed" you were by the movie. It's *supposed* to be about the entire production, how cleanly it was executed, and how perfectly everything worked together in it. It's not about how good you felt leaving the theatre, and in that regard, I also find myself scratching my head, wondering what the hubub was all about when a picture that won an oscar seems less than impressive to me (No Country for Old Men just didn't do it for me). I take the point that some of you thought Avatar would blow the doors off the Oscars, but let's take a look back at some other movies that were crowd pleasers yet failed to bring home best picture, and I think you'll see that we don't always get the satisfaction of watching our favorites win:
These films did NOT win best picture:
The Ten Commandments
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Exorcist
Jaws
Star Wars
Raiders of the Lost ark
ET
...and so on.
That doesn't invalidate them as good movies, it just means that the Academy had a different opinion, and it's ok to agree to disagree.

leonregis wrote:Avatar may be not the best movie, but is better than The Hurt Locker. I didn't watch the movie... I know... SO WHY THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT?

So leonregis, so I didn't see it and you didn't see it either, so why are YOU yelling about a movie you didn't even see either?

I know pretty much what this kind of movie is, of course I can get surprised and think that it's really better than Avatar, but as far I know (and I think that's enough far). Matrix had a good competitor in 1999 (American Beauty).

What? Just another dumb drama??? Just another boring male mid-life crisis...bleah.

The story of Avatar may not be that original but it's complete and beautiful, it has ecological, against crazy military methods and love messages, I don't see any problem on this. I'll probably remember this for the next 60 years (or 100 as medicine goes), also the special effects as I said it's a different kind, so every movie that has a beautiful image composition, beautiful scenes, etc... will be remembered too, and Avatar is included on it. I agree with you in the last phrase, but that's just shows that this ''contest'' that should reward the best movies and masterpieces in reality is just rewarding... just it... a reward, nothing more.

Of course you did not read the article link I posted: it's not about lovely organic ecology, those natives had their own technology too.
The point was that cameron is not the right person to be writing about this subject, he loves the technology.

Oh sorry, sometimes I make some ambiguous phrases: I didn't watch the movie... I know... SO WHY THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT?

That yell was not me talking to you, but someone talking to me because I didn't watch the movie... sorry.

What? Just another dumb drama??? Just another boring male mid-life crisis...bleah.

Matrix was much more better than that, it really should have won. But the distance was not sooo far, like 3x5 is much closer than 4x34. So I can tolerate that... anyway my lack of trust on Oscar starts to decrease since it.

Of course you did not read the article link I posted: it's not about lovely organic ecology, those natives had their own technology too.
The point was that cameron is not the right person to be writing about this subject, he loves the technology.

Would you throw away the best words of pacifism coming from a general? (I know it probably wouldn't happen) But I don't want to know about the director, but about the movie... and btw I think that the reviewer has a wrong vision of the whole movie, of course the history isn't unoriginal, but compared to The Hurt Locker it is pretty original, because taking off that it is actual, it have the old-fashioned war movie model... the hero soldier and the soldier as victim, they never show the reality. I'm going to watch this soon, I'll post how hypocritical it is in the 1-10 scale, I'm saying this because, I'm sure this is hypocritical, just don't know how.

leon,

Is ok, apology accepted.

Have you considered that your taste in films just might change as you get older? It is really very likely to.
Have you thought of taking a film class - I mean the kind where the teacher presents classic films,
and then discusses them with the class? It's a good thing to do . You want to be a film-maker, right?

it would be good to have a little more knowledge about this subject than your non-film-maker friends -
(assuming they are non-film-makers).

it would be good to have a little more knowledge about this subject than your non-film-maker friends -
(assuming they are non-film-makers).

Leon regis: Don't care about movie classes! I think you have an open mind, that's very good, for movies and will disccover and learn a lot of moviemaking through life.

The most important thing about a movie, as I see it, is that you look at the world in a different way when you leave the cinema. The most movies you will forget and some don't. The Oscar-prize for a movie doesn't mean that you find it in your top ten favorites.

For Avatar the movie did, for me, to think of an another way of living. (This reminds me of the movie "Koyansqatsqits" text in the end of the movie) I would like to have the same sence for nature as the people living on Avatar. In some way live nearer and take care of the nature. OK the movie were made to appeal to a lot of people. Lovestory, war against evil and good, obviusly good and evil people. the good forces win at the end. I see that the movie is done to appeal a lot of people to make a big profit which it has done.

The German director Werner Herzog did a movie, "Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes" I saw it for the first time 1974. The movie is about the spanish concistadores who are going to concur the South America. The nature and people living in the jungle did instead, in this movie, concour the spannish people. It's the same story as Avatar but in an other way.

I went to an exhibition with newly taken photos from Priphat for a couple of weeks ago. The city in the Sovjetunion which get severe contamination of radiactiv falldown of Tjernobyl accident. And it reminded me a lot of Andrej Tarkovskijs movie "Stalker". I saw this mysterious movie for I think 35 years ago and I still have that movie in my mind. That's an example of good movie: The questions asked in the movie are you carrying through your life.

Tommy wrote: Leon regis: Don't care about movie classes! I think you have an open mind, that's very good, for movies and will disccover and learn a lot of moviemaking through life.

The most important thing about a movie, as I see it, is that you look at the world in a different way when you leave the cinema. The most movies you will forget and some don't. The Oscar-prize for a movie doesn't mean that you find it in your top ten favorites.

For Avatar the movie did, for me, to think of an another way of living. (This reminds me of the movie "Koyansqatsqits" text in the end of the movie) I would like to have the same sence for nature as the people living on Avatar. In some way live nearer and take care of the nature. OK the movie were made to appeal to a lot of people. Lovestory, war against evil and good, obviusly good and evil people. the good forces win at the end. I see that the movie is done to appeal a lot of people to make a big profit which it has done.

The German director Werner Herzog did a movie, "Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes" I saw it for the first time 1974. The movie is about the spanish concistadores who are going to concur the South America. The nature and people living in the jungle did instead, in this movie, concour the spannish people. It's the same story as Avatar but in an other way.

I went to an exhibition with newly taken photos from Priphat for a couple of weeks ago. The city in the Sovjetunion which get severe contamination of radiactiv falldown of Tjernobyl accident. And it reminded me a lot of Andrej Tarkovskijs movie "Stalker". I saw this mysterious movie for I think 35 years ago and I still have that movie in my mind. That's an example of good movie: The questions asked in the movie are you carrying through your life.

Tommy, I was trying to open Leon up to to something other than what his fellow teenagers think,
and the action/adventure type of film that teenagers usually go for. Either way, he'd still have to learn
to come to his own opinion, no matter what age he is, and whether he hangs out with teenagers
or super-intellectuals. But it still wouldn't hurt to try something else.

So you brought up an interesting idea here: why is it that "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" is so highly
regarded, even more so than "Avatar"? And then look closely at THAT. Look really really close,
and really think about it, and then one can start to understand more about what is good and why.

Just a thought.

For the moment the movie "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" is forgotten despite it's about the same subject. How many of the people of the world are aware of this movie. I guess a few. Avatar on the other hand is the big movie now. The huge issue here is: Why! What have done Avatar so popular?

Tommy wrote: What have done Avatar so popular?

Because it is almost all 3d and its in stereoscopic and you dont realy feel that its a 3d movie.....
that doesnt make it the best film it makes it a benchmark for technology.......
What we see on screen today will trickle down to midrange technology in a few years from now.....
It will still be remembered as a benchmark ......as the best film I doubt it...

Sorry to reply to it so late, I was too lazy to think on a answer and also every time I started it, I had to stop to do something else.

Have you considered that your taste in films just might change as you get older? It is really very likely to.
Have you thought of taking a film class - I mean the kind where the teacher presents classic films,
and then discusses them with the class? It's a good thing to do . You want to be a film-maker, right?

I know... Anyway with this you are kinda saying that I have the teen taste for films, zombies, guns, etc... are a perfect film for me. No, they aren't I don't even like zombies... What I'm saying is that I'm different, of course I have some kind of influence from my friends, but it's really small, if I was influenced by them I wouldn't be here on this forum.

Concluding, if you considered that I have a teen taste, you think that because I liked avatar and then it means that Avatar is movie with teen taste. And I say yes... this is a teen taste movie, but it is a lot of things, because they wanted to profit from it, so if more people like, more money they won, but I liked one of the faces from avatar that is the beauty of nature, the idiocy of militarism and humans as destructive progressives.

Also there is this Twilight thing, that I personally hate... and all my friends like. I prefer much more the Nosferatu than this vampire version of romantic bull***t.

About the movie classes, yes I would really like to have, but if I could find where to. I think that they would just help, it's good to see always the other side, if what they are teaching isn't matched with my vision upon that, so I would just change if it is pretty coherent and I really now feel that way, but then if I don't it will be just another vision, and visions are always welcome to me. (Also replying about movie classes to Tommy).

I'm not just considering my teen friends, I'm considering a lot of people and they are quite conceptualized.

The most important thing about a movie, as I see it, is that you look at the world in a different way when you leave the cinema. The most movies you will forget and some don't. The Oscar-prize for a movie doesn't mean that you find it in your top ten favorites.

Totally agree

The German director Werner Herzog did a movie, "Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes" I saw it for the first time 1974. The movie is about the spanish concistadores who are going to concur the South America. The nature and people living in the jungle did instead, in this movie, concour the spannish people. It's the same story as Avatar but in an other way.

I love Werner Herzog movies, however I never saw that one. I'll try to. Interesting that he keeps producing movies, and I really liked the Rescue Down (2006), don't seems to be a movie from him, but it's pretty good.

Tommy, I was trying to open Leon up to to something other than what his fellow teenagers think,
and the action/adventure type of film that teenagers usually go for. Either way, he'd still have to learn
to come to his own opinion, no matter what age he is, and whether he hangs out with teenagers
or super-intellectuals. But it still wouldn't hurt to try something else.

I just saw this now... so I kinda reply to it in the firsts paragraphs, but I could say that my way of thinking is so unique there that nobody thinks like me, and that's kind boring because then I couldn't discuss what I like... and one of those things is the face I liked of avatar.

So you brought up an interesting idea here: why is it that "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" is so highly
regarded, even more so than "Avatar"? And then look closely at THAT. Look really really close,
and really think about it, and then one can start to understand more about what is good and why.

If a movie is good... people who like good movies watches it (are few). If a movie is good, has special effects, cliches then everybody watches it, it may not be better than a exclusively good movie, but it now make those guys who just like to see shots, explosions, romantic stories see and different point of view, and I can say that Avatar is really strong on mind changing, and for better, and that's what a good movie do.

For the moment the movie "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" is forgotten despite it's about the same subject. How many of the people of the world are aware of this movie. I guess a few. Avatar on the other hand is the big movie now. The huge issue here is: Why! What have done Avatar so popular?

Publicity/Propaganda. I bet the only publicity that movie had was posters on cult movie theaters ( What I even don't have where I live, so I need to buy good movies ), and usually they don't have it because there is no money, but it doesn't means that it a bad movie, you can't measure how good a movie is by the amount of money spent on it (I'm aware that Avatar spent 500 millions).

But there is something else that made Avatar so popular, it is good for everyone, and it's beautiful... so if you bring some people to the movie by the propaganda, then those people will bring more people, because the movie was good. Propaganda doesn't mean good movie too, but it surely helps to spread one.

Because it is almost all 3d and its in stereoscopic and you dont realy feel that its a 3d movie.....
that doesnt make it the best film it makes it a benchmark for technology.......
What we see on screen today will trickle down to midrange technology in a few years from now.....
It will still be remembered as a benchmark ......as the best film I doubt it...

It will be remembered as a classic movie, at least I'll transmit it as one (to my sons and grandchildren).
Most people don't go there because it is 3D and don't looks like 3D, but of course they get impressed by it, and some also go because of it... and I'm in on those because I like and know 3D and I was wanting to see in which stage we are, also most of you too. But most people don't even know what are 3D, they just go because the trailer it's cool and say it is a unique experience, etc... And then when they get out of there they don't say: Ow that movie is so damn good, CG rockz. They probably say: That movie is so damn good.
CG becomes a secondary thing for most people.

I have to give a short answer for now, as I'm heading out the door for work:

yes Leon, but: It's not what a movie is about that makes it good, so much,
it is the execution.

To quote Le Corbusier: God is in the details.