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Category Archives: Avatar (2009) Movie

James Cameron is King of the World … Except in China

Nix January 20, 2010

He’s the director of the biggest movie hit of all time, and he’s about to follow that up with, well, the biggest movie hit of all time (again), but that’s not gonna cut it in China. Never one to be shy about exerting their muscle and showing some homegrown love, the Chinese government has decided to yank “Avatar” from 1,628 2D screens this week in favor of the Chow Yun Fat biopic “Confucius”. The reasons? A little bit of this and a little bit of that. Mostly, it’s China, baby. According to a report in the Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily, the move was made at the urging of propaganda officials who are concerned that “Avatar” is taking too much market share from Chinese films and drawing unwanted attention to the sensitive issue of forced evictions. Millions of Chinese have been uprooted to make way for high rises and government infrastructure projects. “Nail House” is a popular term given to… Continue Reading »

Inside The Making Of Avatar Video

endymi0n January 20, 2010

Now that “Avatar” is firmly established as the technical movie making achievement that it is, you’re probably curious about how the whole thing came together. This 23 minute video of behind the scenes geekage will probably be featured on the Blu-Ray release. Inside the video we find nifty info on the motion capture, actor prep, weapons, costumes, hell you name it. Lots of interviews and it’s ok, James is civil. It’s pretty cool and worth the time. Thanks Scifiwire for the tip.

James Cameron Confirms Avatar Sequel

endymi0n January 8, 2010

Considering the fact that “Avatar” is a printing press for money and is now the most successful Sci-Fi movie in history, a sequel is likely a good bet. But James Cameron is a man that marches to his own beat so you can never be really, really sure…until he confirms it himself  and he did last night at the Arclight theatre in L.A. in yet another screening for “Avatar”. There was a Q&A after the film with James and a couple of effects guys. James Cameron officially gives us notice with the quote: Yes, there’ll be another. The next movie will be much easier to make of course. There won’t be a need to invent new tech and all the amazing art assets for the visuals will be already on someones hard drive. Maybe with the extra time they’ll have they can come up with a slightly better story to go with all the industrial light and magic. Thanks AintItCool… Continue Reading »

Avatar is Now the Most Successful Sci-Fi Film of All Time

Nix January 7, 2010

Well, that didn’t take long. Less than four weeks after it debuted in cinemas around the world, James Cameron’s sci-fi epic “Avatar” has become the highest grossing science fiction film of all time, and second only to 1997′s “Titanic” in terms of all movies. “Titanic”, of course, was also written and directed by Cameron. That means when James Cameron once declared himself “King of the World”, apparently he wasn’t kidding. After four weeks in theaters, “Avatar” has already made $1.131.8 billion dollars in worldwide gross, with $374 million of that coming from domestic ticket sales alone. The two hour and 40-minute movie continues to hold onto the #1 spot at the box office for four straight weeks, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to relent anytime soon.

Avatar’s Na’vi Sex Scene May Show up on DVD

Nix January 2, 2010

No idea if this is true or not, but a while ago there were stories that James Cameron spent quite the bit of time trying to create the perfect pair of CG breasts for his movie “Avatar”. But if you already saw “Avatar”, you know that the Na’vi aliens spend the entire film walking around in, well, not a whole lot. And because they’re so in tune with nature and the planet, you’d imagine that they would have, you know, pretty awesome sex. Well that didn’t show up in the movie (it is rated PG-13, after all), but perhaps Cameron will treat us to some Na’vi action on the DVD? “Avatar” star Zoe Saldana thinks so. “We had it in and we cut it out. So that will be something for the special edition DVD, if you want to see how they have sex. If you sync to your banshee and you’re syncing to a tree, why not sync into… Continue Reading »

Avatar (2009) Movie Review

endymi0n December 20, 2009

Right away I’m going to tell you that my biggest challenge in writing this review of “Avatar” is to keep my gushing to a minimum. A task that is going to be almost impossible. “Avatar” blew doors off that I didn’t even know I had on the car. I saw “Avatar” last night at my local IMAX in maximum impact 3D. Your experiences in other 3D or 2D presentations may differ. I went two hours early and was second in line (drat!).  I thought I knew what I was in for. You’ll think you are prepared. You are not prepared. “Avatar” is a brand new movie going experience. It is shock and awe. It is not the technological and story telling evolution I was expecting. Instead, it is a revolution. Go ahead and roll your eyes. I was a little cynical too. How could this movie possibly exceed the almost ridiculous expectations piled on top of it? I’ll tell you… Continue Reading »

Open Discussion Thread: Avatar

Nix December 18, 2009

After all the awaiting, all the wondering, and all the anticipation, James Cameron’s “Avatar” is finally here. The film, estimated by some to have cost over $500 million to make, opens today and insiders are already predicting a box office in the $200 million dollar range. And let’s face it, if you even dare call yourself a sci-fi fan, you’re going to go see this movie. This is your opening discussion thread for James Cameron’s “Avatar”. Was it as good as you expected? Did it meet all the hype? Or were you disappointed?

Trade Reviews for James Cameron’s Avatar

Nix December 10, 2009

The reviews are coming in for James Cameron’s “Avatar”, and the word seems to be that it’s a winner. The special effects are proving to be as industry-changing as we had heard throughout the film’s production, even if the movie’s “Dances with Wolves”-inspired storyline is a tad on the less-than-subtle side. The film officially opens today in the UK, so UK readers will have already seen the movie by the time this post goes up. If you have seen the movie, let us know what you think. First up, The Hollywood Reporter‘s Kirk Honeycutt loves the movie. I mean, really, really loves it. The movie is 161 minutes and flies by in a rush. Repeat business? You bet. “Titanic”-level business? That level may never be reached again, but Fox will see more than enough grosses worldwide to cover its bet on Cameron… A fully believable, flesh-and-blood (albeit not human flesh and blood) romance is the beating heart of “Avatar.” Cameron… Continue Reading »

Latest Avatar Poster

Nix December 8, 2009

James Cameron’s “Avatar” arrives next week, December 18. Yes, you heard that correctly. After hearing about it, talking about it, reading about it, and seeing snippets of it for what seems like forever, the whole shebang will finally, at last, arrive in theaters next week for you to pay to see. Excited yet? If not, here’s the latest poster, made for the movie’s IMAX screening. It doesn’t look too bad. Overly photoshopped, but not too bad. Via Impawards.

PBS Goes To Pandora With Sigourney Weaver

endymi0n December 7, 2009

I’m trying very hard not to post every single “Avatar” video or preview I find floating around on the Internets for a very selfish reason. Since I have to watch the thing to see if it’s suitable for you out there in the Sci-Fi community I will inevitably end up seeing a goodly amount of all the choice inner bits of what I’m really , really hoping is going to be a fantastic ride. So I’ve avoided a few of the less sparkly vids. I’ve let good old Nix have a turn posting them as well. Let Nix take a few spoilers for the team. He’s nice and crusty. This new one though, a “Featurette”, is narrated by Sigourney Weaver and feels like a short episode of PBS’s Nature. Well worth the time it takes you to click on over to the French side where Canal+ has an exclusive for the moment on this sciencey view of the sights and… Continue Reading »

Two Full Scenes from James Cameron’s Avatar

Nix December 4, 2009

Cineplex has two full scenes from James Cameron’s “Avatar” that you probably haven’t seen before. The first scene is completely new, but the second scene is a continuation of the Thanator chase we saw earlier. I have to say, I’m still not sold on the CG work. I mean, it looks impressive, but can CG really ever replace live flesh-and-blood human beings? I’m not so sure. The film is being heavily hyped as the movie that will change moviemaking, and I think that’s putting way too much pressure on it. In any case, see for yourself December 18, a short two weeks from now. Yes, “Avatar” is coming in less than two weeks. Wow, time flies, huh? Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, and directed by James Cameron.

Wow, look, that trailer is so interactive, it's like I was actually in that movie, James!

Avatar Interactive Trailer is All Kinds of Interactive-y Goodness

Nix November 30, 2009

James Cameron’s “Avatar”, the movie that will change the face of moviemaking (or perhaps not), opens December 18th, but until then, you can check out this interactive trailer that Twentieth Century Fox is calling the first-of-its-kind “next generation” doohickey. I’ve tested it out to make sure it actually works, and it doesn’t do anything you wouldn’t want it to, so go ahead and follow the instructions to download the Adobe® AIR® software (if you don’t already have it installed on your PC, which chances are you won’t) once you land on the page. The trailer will then launch, and present you with the original trailer and a wealth of additional footage, including character profiles on all the major characters in the movie. We’ve posted some of those profiles on the site before, but here are the rest of them. And oh yeah, the interactive trailer will also keep you updated by providing real-time feeds of film-related conversations on Twitter, real-time… Continue Reading »

Burgeoning Sci-Fi Queen Zoe Saldana in Details

Nix November 24, 2009

Zoe Saldana, star of “Star Trek” and the upcoming “Avatar”, has quite the mouth on her. Luckily for her, she has quite the face and body to make up for all that swearing like a sailor drunk on swearing juice. Here’s Zoe Saldana in Details Magazine, talking about what it’s like to star in a movie for James Cameron, female action movie roles, and why she’ll stab you in the eye with a unicorn horn if you mess with her TV viewing habits. Pics below by Doug Inglish. More pics and full article over at Details.com.

james cameron avatar

A Feature On The Human Tech Inside Avatar

endymi0n November 23, 2009

I’m just wondering, should I just go ahead and buy two tickets for “Avatar” for myself right away and save myself the effort required to log myself in to my local IMAX theatre and slap the VISA down? Because just like a screaming teenage girl “New Moon” fan, “Avatar” looks like it’s seen my inner geek and has taken pictures to blackmail me. Despite my reluctance to watch any more of these videos showing this and that footage or behind the scenes mayhem, I’m powerless to stop myself. After each one, my geek gland splurts out another dose of funky fanboy fluids. Here’s a behind the scenes clip that has the rundown on some of the human tech the humans use to stay alive and to hunt and kill the Na’Vi on the lovely and deadly forest planet called Pandora. Thanks ScifiSquad for the hit.

Avatar Featurette On Bad Guy Colonel Quaritch

endymi0n November 22, 2009

You have no idea how hard it is this morning to spell featurette. In the heading there, above, there’s no spell check and after last night there’s no spell check in my brain either. We have a nice little clip (easier to spell) of Stephen Lang as he discusses his character Colonel Quaritch. Mr. Lang is a criminally under-used actor. He’s going to kick some serious booty in Avatar and I predict a major surge of good work coming for this very fine actor.

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