New York based comedy group Free Love Forum take us behind the scenes of their latest production: the pirated version of James Cameron’s Avatar. It is a truly an envelope shattering experience.
The video really illustrates the absurdity of watching a pirated version of Avatar on a small TV, or for that matter pirated movies in general. Some things are just meant for the cinema.
What makes a film (or any work of art for that matter) memorable for years after it first appears? What are the films that we go back to again and again? The ones with the amazing special effects? The big stars? Or the ones with the great stories that still resonate?
James Cameron makes blockbuster hits. He didn’t necessarily set out at the beginning of his career to do so, but that’s what it has become. From Terminator to Avatar, most if not all of his films have engaged the most up to date effects and techniques and have made (and cost) substantial amounts of money. Despite lukewarm reviews (for the story at least), I expect Avatar will end up being the hit of 2009 (though even its substantial tickets sales will probably barely be enough to cover the costs).
So his movies are popular in the moment. And a few of them have continued to be popular years later. Terminator and Aliens are considered (rightly so) classics of their genre. The Abyss has a loyal following, and even True Lies is shown on television now and again (and personally I do like it).
But with the exception of the first two mentioned above, what will Cameron be remembered for? Mention Titanic, and mostly you will hear about what it cost to make and the ‘King of the World’ Oscar speech. And considering the praise for Avatar has been about its effects, will that be remembered much in the future? Better special effects always come along and the old ones are forgotten (remember the fuss over Tron or Who Framed Roger Rabbit?)
You may have heard of James Cameron’s new film, a little movie called Avatar. Cameron and others have hyped the film to no end, claiming that it will change cinema as we know it (and for $250 million, it had better!). Avatar features all the hallmarks we’ve come to expect from James Cameron: great action set pieces, amazing effects, evil corporations and cool creatures. Despite its many shortcomings, Avatar is impressive as sheer spectacle and a genuinely exciting experience
In 2154, Earth is overpopulated and starved for resources. Mankind is beginning to explore the galaxy, and discovers the resource-rich planet Pandora. SecFor, a military-industrial conglomerate has setup shop on Pandora, eager to exploit its natural resources. There is just one problem: the Na’vi, 12-foot-tall, blue feline–humanoids and the natives of Pandora, don’t take kindly to outsiders. The Na’vi are a tribal society who seek to live in harmony with their planet, but as the humans continue to encroach on Pandora the age old conflict between nature and technology comes to a head.
Update: The Yahoo Movies link won’t work for our Canadian readers, but we’ve embedded the video here for your viewing pleasure.
Yahoo Movies has posted the full theatrical trailer for James Cameron’s upcoming 3D sci-fi adventure Avatar. Not convinced by that first teaser trailer? The new trailer offers an expanded look at Cameron’s new film, finally shedding some details on the plot. Fox also finally advertises the fact that Titanic is not Cameron’s only movie, that he’s actually directed a few other films including Terminator, Aliens and True Lies.
I still think Avatar looks like Dances with Wolves in space, but this trailer sells me on the film a little more. Be sure to check out our reaction to the 15 minute Avatar preview that hit theatres in August.
Dork Shelf saw the 15 minute preview of James Cameron’s Avatar yesterday. Having seen it do we think the film is worthy of the hype? Well, yes and no.
If you were like us and were left generally unimpressed by the teaser trailer for the film, then rest assured that the film looks far superior on the big screen. The spectacular visuals, aided by Cameron’s deft use and understanding of the new 3D technology, make Avatar unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Scenes on the planet were so immersive, so full of depth, that we literally felt like we were sitting jungle. The end result is something that closely mimics the way our eyes work when looking at something in the real world. It’s not like looking at a screen, but more like looking through a giant window with a constantly changing perspective.
The effect can be as as simple as having blades of grass in the foreground or having trees move through the frame. There were no obvious moments with objects flying toward the screen, not one use of 3D in the presentation felt gratuitous; it all felt very organic. Cameron is using the 3D not as a gimmick, but as a legitimate tool to aid his filmmaking.
The first trailer for James Cameron’s super-hyped, 12-years-in-the-making Avatar has finally arrived. With the exception of the presentation made at Comic-Con this year, this teaser is the first time the public has seen the film in action.
If you were one of the lucky people to score tickets for one of the Avatar preview events happening all over North America tomorrow, you’ll get to see much more than what is shown in this trailer, and in 3D no less. Dork Shelf will be at Avatar Day and we’ll let you know what we thought.
There is no arguing that Avatar looks impressive, it’s crazy to think that almost everything in the film is a computer generated effect. Expectations for this movie are huge, if anyone can surprise us, it’ll be James Cameron. We’ll have to wait until December to find out if the wait was worth all the hype.
Dork Shelf has received some interesting information from a reliable source regarding the San Diego Comic Con and James Cameron’s new film Avatar.
Apparently the huge 65,000 square foot H hall at the San Diego Convention Center is being converted into a massive 3D theatre for the event. This means that not only will Cameron be showing off Avatar at Comic Con, but that it will also be presented in full 3D as the director intended it to be seen. The hour long panel on July 23rd will feature James Cameron and two of the stars of Avatar, Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver.
Later that day the same hall will play host to the Future of Filmmaking panel with Cameron and Peter Jackson. We can probably expect some more footage of Avatar and possibly our first look at Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson’s Adventures of Tintin movie. Spielberg, Cameron and Jackson have been the biggest proponents of this new 3D tech; Comic Con will be the first real public demonstration of what they’ve been up to with the technology. Every person that has seen footage from Avatar says that it really must be seen to be believed — I guess we’ll find out in a few weeks. Will it live up to the hype?
Film School Rejects is reporting that directors James Cameron, Gore Verbinski and Zack Snyder have all signed on to produce segments for a new animated Heavy Metal film being helmed by David Fincher. According to the article, three other big name directors are also in negotiations to create segments for the film, but have not been officially signed. The film which is based on the fantasy magazine Heavy Metal, will be a true sequel to the 1981 animated cult classic of the same name. Given the talent involved, this new Heavy Metal film has the potential to be absolutely epic.
I saw the original Heavy Metal movie when I was 10 or 11 years old and it at once terrified and amazed me. “They can do that in cartoons?!” I exclaimed to myself. No one should ever see that much graphic sex and violence in a cartoon at that age, but I will say I was probably better off for it. I can’t wait to see what these guys do with the film—anything to wash the taste of Heavy Metal 2000 out of my mouth. Check out the trailer for the original Heavy Metal after the jump.
Terminator Salvation wants to be a great film, but it has big shoes to fill. The first two Terminator films were excellent, while the third was mediocre at best. Terminator Salvation aims to right the wrongs of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, bringing the franchise back to the darker more serious tone of the first two. The film has a fairly solid concept: a post-apocalyptic war against robots. The movie even has some great actors who turn out solid performances and the special effects are good. How could you go wrong? Based on my description, you would think this movie has all the makings of a great summer blockbuster: unfortunately this is simply not the case.
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