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Given all the advance publicity that Avatar is getting, expect news alerts every time someone connected with the pic sneezes. (Deal with it, people...) I've learned that James Cameron’s Avatar will have its world premiere on December 10th in London before an audience of 3,000 at the Odeon and Empire cinemas in Leicester Square. The press junket also will be in London, chosen as the best site to coordinate global press. There'll be another premiere in Los Angeles to follow.
Comments On Deadline Hollywood are monitored. So don't go off topic, don't impersonate anyone, don't get your facts wrong, and don't bore me.
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300,000,000 to make this thing.
I hope it works, that’s a shitload of coffee and bagels.
Do you have some stake in the whole thing, Publius? Why else would you care?
Anyone who works in the business has a stake in this movie working. It is an expensive and ambitious film that provided a lot of employment. In fact, it is to our benefit for all movies to work. Success leads to more films which leads to more jobs and a healthy industry.
Hi Norma, Good to have you back. You are so right that a single entity can affect many.
Because if this thing tanks, jobs will go & budgets for all content will shrivel like a sphincter entering San Quentin. As much as I think this movie looks like nothing more than a ripoff of “FernGully: The Last Rainforest”, I know the impact, good & bad, it will have on an already wounded industry.
These sites are so depressing…why did I waste even a second of my life reading some of these comments. I guess it is human nature to tear people down to feel better about yourself…the internet amplifies it one hundred fold. Cameron isn’t saying that US Marines are evil, and anyone who says that Cameron stole ideas from “Battle For Terra” needs to do their homework. He wrote the story a decade before the writers for Battle for Terra decided to rip off pretty much everything in Avatar. Does Cameron borrow ideas from past history or stories? Sure…he’s simply telling a cautionary tale based on things that humans have been doing since the beginning of time. You can compare the “villains” in this movie to a number of people or nations in any given century. “You got something I want…give it to me or I’ll take it.” Put that story in a rainforest, with sci-fi overtones and you can pretty much find a way to compare it to dozens of movies. You can call it “fern gully meets medicine man meets dances with wolves meets outer limits meets smurfs (because they’re blue?) meets pick your movie” all you want; in my opinion it still seems to be very innovative, original and ENTERTAINING. Then again, nobody has seen it yet!!!!!
Enjoyed reading your post and I agree.
South Park put it best:
Avatar = Dances with Wolves + Smurfs + CGI – Indians
Nikki, I expect news alerts every time someone connected with the pic takes a dump. Which this steaming pile will surely do.
Avatar is is the first movie I’ve looked forward to in a long time. I don’t care how well it does at the box-office or if I’m the only person in the theater. It looks like a first rate popcorn adventure I haven’t seen the like of since Raiders of the Lost Ark. Even the trailer is more entertaining than anything that’s hit the theaters this year or longer.
More popcorn adventure! That’s a good reason to go to the movies. Get lost in a story and be somewhen else for a while. Or is everybody still in garters and hose watching rocky horror? The future approaches whether it ends in 2 more years or sends us seedlings thru the universe. So get your sweetie some popcorn and have a good time.
SNORE. SNORE. SNORE.
Hey, I know Leicester Square! If the movie doesn’t work for you, there is a small park and benches to enjoy the fall weather…
I haven’t been less interested in a movie since Weekend At Bernie’s 2
“Steaming pile”?
Sight unseen and so sure of your opinion. There is a descriptive for that brand of intellect too, and it’s conveniently enough mostly like what you said.
Good luck with that.
I still would have preferred Aqua Man.
I’m surprised at the quantity of snarky remarks around the net leveled at Avatar, like the one made by @boborama. Perhaps I shouldn’t be, considering criticisms about a lush 3-D large-screen visual extravaganza like this one are being derived from postage stamp-sized quicktime movies. Or perhaps it’s because internet culture encourages negativity as a means to be heard, which is silly since @boborama and others like him (her?) are usually anonymously hiding like cowards behind their keyboard. Cameron has never failed to wow us with his ability to harmoniously combine story with cutting edge effects to serve that story (T2, in particular). For all those that cry “Fern Gully”, I will enjoy watching you revise your 12 year-old level opinions — though probably under a different alias/avatar (looking at you @boborama).
So the movie is only worthwhile if you are watching it in 3D with all the snazzy effects cranked to the max.
This seems like an admission that the movie itself is pretty terrible.
It will have its North American premiere at Graumans Chinese on Dec 16 with a cast and crew screening the day before No word on where in Hollywood it is going to open for the public.
Aside from the astounding cost of the movie, I think it’s important to be aware of one other thing: Jim Cameron seems to have AGAIN lifted a plot from another source, this time the classic OUTER LIMITS episode from 1963, THE CHAMELEON, which starred Robert Duval. Cameron’s plotting in AVATAR is shockingly close to the TV show, when compared to one another. BTW, the OUTER LIMITS script was written by Robert Towne, based on a story by Joseph Stefano. How’s that for a pedigree?
But back to Jim – as much as I like his work (and I really do admire his films), you have to admit that he “borrows” some of his ideas & plots. Remember that thing he did called, THE TERMINATOR? Award-winning novelist & screenplay writer Harlan Ellison got mad as hell and sued Jim… and won, out of court, that is.
Ellison claimed that James Cameron’s film THE TERMINATOR drew from material from two episodes Ellison wrote for The Outer Limits (SOLDIER and DEMON WITH A GLASS HAND). The production company that made TERMINATOR, Hemdale, and its distributor Orion Pictures, settled out of court for an undisclosed sum, “gratefully acknowledging” Ellison at the end of the film.
I sure hope Jim hasn’t gotten himself in trouble again.
Sitations please. Without them…none of what you can say can be verified and to be perfectly honest…I dont believe a word you just said.
Outer Limits in 1963? are you kidding me. That was a 90s TV show.
Battlestar Galactica in the 1970s? are you kidding me. That was only on last year…
first nobody can say it sucks yet because you haven’t seen it.
The plot sounds more like Pocahontas rather than ferngully, at any rate FERNGULLY was a nice-looking cartoon (!) so hardly a putdown.
Since this is a science fiction movie, I am really hoping it succeeds, because the choice for sci-fi lately really, really sucks.
If this does well even without a plot, maybe the smaller companies will make more lower budget sci fi that HAS plot because sci fi will be the new hot category (God please stop with the vampire crap -keep the naked boys though)
Anyway, the technical aspects of filming without cameras is a big innovation, and could lead to some big titles done right RINGWORLD, ENDERS GAME, MOTE IN GOD’S EYE, and CALIFORNIA VOODOO GAME.
I can see it now, Speaker to Animals flying along with the Eye of God and the Arch in the background or a swarm of Brownies taking over the Mac’. it is a brave new world…
The more a product is hyped, the more i think the people pushing it don’t have any faith in it. That’s usually been the case in my experience.
Come on, people. Atleast it’s an original project whether it be inspired by the Vietnam War the Spanish fight with the Southern ‘Indians’ it’s something that’s atleast trying a new story. THis guy made T2, people. Respect.
Hmm, some of AVATAR sounds right reminiscent of JOHN CARTER AND THE PRINCESS OF MARS, come to think of it…
“Because if this thing tanks, jobs will go & budgets for all content will shrivel like a sphincter entering San Quentin.”
Then I hope this movies epic FAIL’s because the “already wounded industry” needs to die. Those who lose jobs in the Holly-whore business deserve to be unemployed. At least until they make good movies again that don’t prop up popcorn mentalities and anti-American Agiprop.
i’ve just been watching the original “Pink Panther” on TV with Niven. Sellers. Capucine etc. Do you remember those days, you know when movies were witty, clever, well written, beautifully acted, just the right length; all in all a real pleasure.
And then there’s Avatar! My my haven’t we come a long way!. Or, to quote the great Smokey Robinson “you’ve got to laugh to keep from crying”.
I have to agree with Jettboy actually though perhaps not with his intensity. Hollywood has been utterly hostile to red state America for decades now, but its really ramped up in the last six or seven years. A lot of people will not weep if they fall on hard times.
As far as the movie goes, it just seems so derivative. I hadn’t heard of the Chameleon but the comparisons to Dances with Wolves, Ferngully, Battle for Terra, that one cgi movie, Dergo? Dalgo?
Evil American is sent by Evil Corporation to do Evil Thing to Noble Good Pure Natives. Evil American turns Good and helps Noble Good Pure Natives fight back against Evil Corporation. Toss in a heaping helping of ‘aren’t we bastards, isn’t our society so horrible, aren’t you a terrible person, don’t you wish you were as good as your superiors on the left you dirty American scum.’ Roll credits.
Been there, done that, got the shirt, threw it away. Final swipe: the aliens look stupid.
Very well put. I was looking forward to this, but now that I’ve seen the trailer I’m yawning already.
I’m just an average guy who happens to love movies in general; grew up spending a fair amount of time at the theatre, actually. That being said, I do like Cameron’s films for the most part, but there’s just something “off” where Avatar is concerned, at least in my mind. I can’t fathom why someone would spend such a pile of money developing this “new” technology, only to use it to tell the same used, abused and very tired “old” story??
People can paint the picture anyway they’d like, but the guts of this story (at least from everything I’ve thus far heard and seen concerning it.)is still absolutely nothing new at all…the trailer was okay, but certainly not ground breaking, earth shattering or awe inspiring, and if anything, I came away from that viewing experience feeling kinda let down to a degree.
Maybe something was lost in translation for me, in that I didn’t actually view it in 3D, but I’m also a firm believer in “story” over special effects etc, and if everything that’s circulating out there now concerning this flick ends up being true, then no doubt I and many others would be severely disappointed…not like I’d go out and slit my wrists over it or anything if it’s that bad, but hey, that’s just my take on it so far.
Based on the most recent trailer I saw in a local theater, I suspect it is opening overseas because it appears to be an anti-war movie that depicts the Marines as war criminals.
Based on the trailer, it appears to be a futuristic version of the massacre at Wounded Knee, and climaxes with an avatar Marine allying himself with the native population to attack his fellow Marines, all in an attempt to stop a corporate-driven/precious resource land-grab.
Semper Fi, Mr. Cameron.
As a veteran, it stands to reason that I was highly miffed by the trailer.
Makes you long for the days of Aliens where the Marines were completely incompetent but had their hearts in the right place.
Looks like just another “Americans, Military, Capitalism” are the evil bad guys film, with special effects of course. We already know who the “bad guys” are and that the “good guys” will win, so what’s the point? I can play video games with these “special effects”
Dances with Smurfs?
The trailers I have seen make the movie appear all form and window dressing and no substance. Typical hollywood, all marketing and no story. Hollywood has lost touch with its viewers, yet continues to believe big money for big producers/actors/actresses will help them buy their way to success. We will shortly know whether this is a success or monstrous flop. I for one will not be going to see it.
Than what do you suggest? The Bollywood movies which are all the same. Talking about having no substance. If you don’t like it, just don’t watch it like you said.
I am really surprised. So much negative comments and annonymous “critics”(who havent done anything in their life) cowardly hiding behind those screens.
This is really upsetting.
We havent seen this film yet, but You already wanting it to fail so hard. This is so looserish, idiotic and immature.
I admit there are sincere people who not interested/impressed in this film. But they’re not following every single Avatar related post with negative comments! That makes them sincere and You trolls/loosers.
To those Who accusing Avatar beeing another Hollywood pop-garbage flick. Have you seen it?! Have anyone of You seen it?
I have to agree, There is too much Hype for this film. It not making any good. Just go to see and enjoy it(if this will be worth it) Enjoy your life, cause tomorrow might be your last day.
Stop beeing infantile critics, annonymously attacking any new feature film(without seeing it first), music album(without listening to it first), book (without readining it first), any famous person(without acheving “something” in your personal life first)!
Just admit it.
I don’t want this movie to be an epic fail… Granted some people on here do – but a lot of people have heard how much money’s been spent and how amazing it is supposed to be and then they’ve watched the trailers… and it doesn’t look so amazing after all. Maybe the trailers just don’t do it justice.
Personally the way I work with films is this – if you have a burning desire to go see it then go, if not then just wait until your friends have seen it and see what they think of it and then have a rethink.
Big scene stuff will be amazing. Nobody directs action sequences (so that they’re exciting while at the same time being CLEAR) better than Cameron. Nobody is really close.
What is encouraging so far about the close work on the CGI, is the level of personality/facial expression delivered with the emotion capture system looks like it works. Usually when you see animated scenes over & over again, they look less human and more cartoony. In the case of the clips released so far, the opposite is true. The Navi look more and more solid, like real animals (or dysmorphic people).
Cheers John for the link, probably one of the better sites I’ve seen for film premieres,
It loks as if it has alot more details than some of the other sites
Thanks !!
Avatar premiere tonight and I cannot wait !
You know, the amount of cinicism that is on display here is staggering. You know nothing of the movie, you havent seen it. All the trailers show clips from the first 1/3 only. The movies recieved a standing ovation and cheers at the end of its london premier. And thats not to mention the accolade that critics all over are heaping on it:
Empire 5/5,
ComingSoon.net 9/10
TimesOnline 4/5
The Independent 4/5
SlashFilm 8/10
TotalFilm 5/5
Yahoo Movies UK 4.5/5
Chud.com 92/100
Enough said.
Have you actually read any of the reviews? Have a read on Rotten Tomatoes. Nobody’s actually said it’s a great movie – just that it’s effects are spectacular and that that makes it worth seeing. They then go on to make negative side comments about the story, the dialogue etc. If these comments are true then this film will be nothing more than a showcase of the power of CGI… I hope it will be more but we’ll see.