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James Cameron's Avatar - The real discussion thread without Scullibundo

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D

DMczaf

Member
Dabanton said:
You often find men as busy and as rich as James Cameron will have loads of the same shirt or jeans,no doubt his probably got like 30 of those shirts.:lol
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Or just 1 vest.

1.

Vest.
 
C

Chrono

Banned
rhino4evr said:
a lot of people (sadly) think thats "kids" stuff.
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Such people deserve a spiked hammer to the head.

I know one in real life, and while a spiked hammer maybe just a touch overboard, pummeling him until I can't move my arms came to mind more than once.
 
T

Timbuktu

Member
Mango Positive said:
For the naysayers, all I'll ask is:

What was the last James Cameron movie that disappointed you?

If you answer Terminator, Aliens, Terminator 2, the Abyss, or Titanic, then I think you have pretty shitty taste in movies. Actually, if you hated any of those movies, I question your motives in this thread. It's good to be skeptical though... Mr. Lucas has taught us all that.
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erm yeah. when Titanic came out, Lucas still had a pretty good record.

Do we see Earth in the movie? Looks very much like Blade Runner.
 
D

Dan

No longer boycotting the Wolfenstein franchise
Mango Positive said:
For the naysayers, all I'll ask is:

What was the last James Cameron movie that disappointed you?

If you answer Terminator, Aliens, Terminator 2, the Abyss, or Titanic, then I think you have pretty shitty taste in movies. Actually, if you hated any of those movies, I question your motives in this thread. It's good to be skeptical though... Mr. Lucas has taught us all that.
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I like how you conflate being "disappointed" with "hating."

I also like how if you only loved 80% of a director's filmography, you shouldn't be in a thread about his latest film.
 
C

Combine

Banned
Heh, love the Blade Runner-esque inspired future earth. It seems like the entire planet has become one giant marketing billboard. :lol
 
C

Combine

Banned
Well, now that they're making this a trilogy maybe they'll be able to explore more of that in the future movies.

The material in the last link is very interesting as
it appears to be written from someone else's perspective, and the talk about how something called "Ewya" calling out to "us" so that "she" might save Earth. I wonder who wrote this?
 
T

Timbuktu

Member
I hope we are meant to feel something when we see soldiers dying left and right because of Jake's decisions though, they can't all be bad.
 
M

Mango Positive

Member
Dan said:
I like how you conflate being "disappointed" with "hating."

I also like how if you only loved 80% of a director's filmography, you shouldn't be in a thread about his latest film.
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I'd certainly like to know which word I typed that wasn't "hate" made you think I conflated disappointed with hating.

My point was simple: Have hope, as the guy has a pretty damned spotless record (even if some of the films haven't aged well).

Which movie were you disappointed in?
 
N

numble

Member
Timbuktu said:
I hope we are meant to feel something when we see soldiers dying left and right because of Jake's decisions though, they can't all be bad.
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The only people willing to go to war for the RDA have to be bad.

"The RDA makes money, as you know. Lots of money for lots of people. Like a fast-growing virus, it has insinuated itself into every aspect of our lives. That is, if how we can exist and subsist down here (on Earth) constitutes 'living'."
 
T

Timbuktu

Member
numble said:
The only people willing to go to war for the RDA have to be bad.

"The RDA makes money, as you know. Lots of money for lots of people. Like a fast-growing virus, it has insinuated itself into every aspect of our lives. That is, if how we can exist and subsist down here (on Earth) constitutes 'living'."
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but wouldn't Jake and any other human character who takes his side be part of that establishment, so what's to say the other soldiers might not do the right thing if they have the chance Jake has with an Avatar? It's speculation on my part, but i think if there is more grey, he decision to side with the Navi would have more weight and less preachy. Maybe that's how it is in the movie though.
 
D

Dan

No longer boycotting the Wolfenstein franchise
Mango Positive said:
Which movie were you disappointed in?
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Titanic, which I've explained a couple pages back.

Honestly, after the last trailer I was feeling kinda decent about Avatar. The story still didn't interest me, but at least it looked cool and there was nothing overly offensive to me. But then I saw that Quaritch profile and damn, so many embarrassing, cringe-worthy moments. Quaritch's constant cutesy country-ish sayings, the utterly unconvincing punch, Jake's "jarhead" line, Jake goofily attacking a camera on a giant mining machine, etc. Ugh.
 
C

Combine

Banned
Dan said:
Titanic, which I've explained a couple pages back.

Honestly, after the last trailer I was feeling kinda decent about Avatar. The story still didn't interest me, but at least it looked cool and there was nothing overly offensive to me. But then I saw that Quaritch profile and damn, so many embarrassing, cringe-worthy moments. Quaritch's constant cutesy country-ish sayings, the utterly unconvincing punch, Jake's "jarhead" line, Jake goofily attacking a camera on a giant mining machine, etc. Ugh.
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You forgot..."RAAAAAAWWWWRRR!!!"
 
N

numble

Member
Timbuktu said:
but wouldn't Jake and any other human character who takes his side be part of that establishment, so what's to say the other soldiers might not do the right thing if they have the chance Jake has with an Avatar? It's speculation on my part, but i think if there is more grey, he decision to side with the Navi would have more weight and less preachy. Maybe that's how it is in the movie though.
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Well from the trailer, it appears there are some guys that don't take part--"Quadritch is rolling and there's no stopping him!" So all the ones that go onto the battlefield probably are the gungho ones that the audience won't have empathy for.
 
T

Tricky I Shadow

Banned
I know I’m a little late but yeah, that official poster while not as bad as the other ones is still pretty terrible. So much potential down the drain!
 
J

Justinian

Member
I'm just wondering how many here have read the scriptment?

Apparently some that have read it say the plot is quite complex, and that the Dances with Wolves comparisons are moot.

I personally haven't read it and don't intend to be spoiled, but just throwing it out there.
 
CassidyIzABeast

CassidyIzABeast

Member
I want to read it now but I think I'll wait until after the movie comes out and then read it to see what changed. I don't want to read it and then be disappointed because something cool got cut out.
 
D

Dead

well not really...yet
From the wired article...

This was work that would never appear onscreen, but Cameron loved it. He brought in more people, hiring an expert in astrophysics, a music professor, and an archaeologist. They calculated Pandora’s atmospheric density and established a tripartite scale structure for the alien music. When one of the experts brought in the Star Wars Encyclopedia, Cameron glanced at it and said, “We’ll do better.”

Eventually, a team of writers and editors compiled all this information into a 350-page manual dubbed Pandorapedia. It documents the science and culture of the imaginary planet, and, as much as anything, it represents the fully realized world Cameron has created. For fans who want to delve deeper, parts of Pandorapedia will be available online this winter.
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Cameron is nuts :D I hope they release the full Pandorapedia as a book after the movie is out.
 
P

PrivateWHudson

Member
Clevinger said:
Wait, wait, wait. Their braid is their sex organ? That makes this part of the script I read even more gross and furrytastic.

POSSIBLE SCRIPT SPOILERS:
When Jake is catching his dragon-thing, he jumps on it and whispers in its ear, "You're mine," then shoves his hair braid in one of its orifices.
POSSIBLE SCRIPT SPOILERS

Gross. Groooooossss. James Cameron is a sick man.
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They show the spoiler part in one of the clips during the CNN interview. It's near the end.
 
B

border

Member
Dan said:
The story still didn't interest me, but at least it looked cool and there was nothing overly offensive to me.
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If only things weren't so ridiculously black and white.

Still, I am kind of interested in seeing how a primitive alien culture will defeat a much more technologically advanced race. From the looks of it, the plan is to clog their engines and rotors with dead body parts of dragons and Na'vi.
 
C

Combine

Banned
border said:
If only things weren't so ridiculously black and white.

Still, I am kind of interested in seeing how a primitive alien culture will defeat a much more technologically advanced race. From the looks of it, the plan is to clog their engines and rotors with dead body parts of dragons and Na'vi.
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I also heard that the human's advanced tech is pretty much nerfed due to the planets magnetic field or something like that, so they don't have access to their most advanced forms of weaponry (like energy-based weapons), which is why they're stuck with using choppers and mechs from the stone age.

I'm sure there will also be some other kind of argument about not using so much firepower, like not wanting to cause accidental damage to the Unobtanium.

But I don't doubt those restrictions will be remedied somehow in time for the sequel, gotta outdo their battles after all.
 
X

xrich

Banned
CassidyIzABeast said:
if you want to go in pure don't watch, there's avatar day footage and an extension of jake and neytiri's bashee flight but the highlight is a side by side of zoe and neytiri to show how close it is to her performance........MY GOD

http://marketsaw.blogspot.com/2009/11/avatar-making-scene-video-how-to-fly.html
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holy shitttttt that tech is AMAZING. being able to act as a camera and record whatever angle you want of a virtual world? wow.

was that music in the footage from the movie? sounded good
 
B

Busty

Banned
Snowman Prophet of Doom said:
How has somebody seen Avatar when it's not even finished yet? That post is complete bullshit and the site that posted it should be ashamed.
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At this point Avatar has been screened 'internally'.

Like someone said it's likely a workprint with incomplete SFX shots but it will be 'locked down' in terms of the acutal cut of the film.

Truant said:
That's about as real as Pandora.
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While it may very well be false the actual blog it's from (Defamer) does have genuine sources in Hollywood and have gotten scoops in the past.

Of course an 'anonymous' tipster who saw a 'chunk' of the film isn't exactly something to set in stone as fact.
 
B

Busty

Banned
The LA Times weighs in with some interesting tracking info for Avatar.

Early polling for writer-director James Cameron's $310-million "Avatar" from Fox isn't as favorable as it is for Warner Bros.' "Sherlock Holmes." The latter film comes out a week after "Avatar" yet still has significantly higher "definite interest." At the same time, young girls -- the fanatical ticket-buyers who pushed Cameron's Oscar-winning "Titanic" into the box-office record books -- are so far showing cool curiosity in Dec. 18's "Avatar," preferring by an almost 2-1 margin Dec. 23's "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel," also from Fox.
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http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-word26-2009nov26,0,3856425.story

Personally I've heard (from someone in a postion to know) that Avatar (as of last week I believe) is currently tracking to open at $40-45m which, with three weeks to go, isn't a definite number at all.

Tracking in general this year hasn't exactly been on the money, and like any prediction can go up over the coming weeks. And it has to be said, down as well. Abrams' Star Trek was, (IIRC) tracking at $50m three or four weeks out and opened at $76m give or take so that might be a comparable film.

But in saying that, it's clear that while Avatar won't bomb as some people think (hope?), it isn't going to be giving New Moon's record breaking weekend any sleepless nights either.

The question then becomes, if Avatar were to open tomorrow, would a $40m opening weekend be enough.

And the answer? A resounding 'maybe'.
 
B

Busty

Banned
Solo said:
$40M would be an epic bomb. Im hoping it does twice that.
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I think the word bomb is a little strong. Again, like Trek, Avatar's most important weekend could be it's second weekend.

If it opens at $40m or so and manages to drop less than 25-30% then that could set it up to play solidly for the next month or two much like Polar Express did.

Being a 3D IMAX project booked in to most IMAX or 3D enabled screens in NA for a few months the high ticket price and 'event' feel of the project means that it could easily cross $200m at the US box office in time. But for that to happen it needs very strong word of mouth.

In short, if it opens to $40m and people think it's crap and it drops 50% in it's second weekend, it's fucked and would be lucky to cross $100m in the US.

But that's all speculation at this point. But Avatar needs long, long legs to make a dent at the box office.
 
S

SpeedingUptoStop

will totally Facebook friend you! *giggle* *LOL*
Solo said:
$40M would be an epic bomb. Im hoping it does twice that.
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Titanic
Opening Weekend: $28,638,131
% of Total Gross: 4.8%


Not gonna lie, in this day and age, those numbers are totally irrelevant.:lol
 
S

Solo

Member
SpeedingUptoStop said:
Titanic
Opening Weekend: $28,638,131
% of Total Gross: 4.8%


Not gonna lie, in this day and age, those numbers are totally irrelevant.:lol
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They were irrelevant even in 1997 :lol Titanic was a certified bomb after opening weekend.


AND THEN......
 
S

StuBurns

Banned
I see Avatar having a long tail, it seems like the kind of thing parents will take their kids to see in 3D, and considering the shit they show at the IMAX most the time, they might as well leave Avatar playing for the next year.
 
B

Busty

Banned
SpeedingUptoStop said:
Titanic
Opening Weekend: $28,638,131
% of Total Gross: 4.8%

Not gonna lie, in this day and age, those numbers are totally irrelevant.:lol
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That's actually a great point. But Titanic was the number film at the box office until April when it was knocked off by the Oscar winning, smash hit Lost In Space.





...Lost In Space did not win any Oscars and wasn't a smash hit either. But it did feature Heather Graham. Playing a scientist. And fully clothed....sadly.
 
S

SpeedingUptoStop

will totally Facebook friend you! *giggle* *LOL*
Busty said:
That's actually a great point. But Titanic was the number film at the box office until April when it was knocked off by the Oscar winning, smash hit Lost In Space.





...Lost In Space did not win any Oscars and wasn't a smash hit either. But it did feature Heather Graham. Playing a scientist. And fully clothed....sadly.
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My penis couldn't tell the difference.
 
J

jett

D-Member
I don't see Avatar getting the kind of legs that would overturn a 40 million opening weekend. It would have to get TDK-levels of reception among the movie-goers.

stuburns said:
I see Avatar having a long tail, it seems like the kind of thing parents will take their kids to see in 3D, and considering the shit they show at the IMAX most the time, they might as well leave Avatar playing for the next year.
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no shit lololol
 
P

pieatorium

Member
Busty said:
The LA Times weighs in with some interesting tracking info for Avatar.



http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-word26-2009nov26,0,3856425.story

Personally I've heard (from someone in a postion to know) that Avatar (as of last week I believe) is currently tracking to open at $40-45m which, with three weeks to go, isn't a definite number at all.

Tracking in general this year hasn't exactly been on the money, and like any prediction can go up over the coming weeks. And it has to be said, down as well. Abrams' Star Trek was, (IIRC) tracking at $50m three or four weeks out and opened at $76m give or take so that might be a comparable film.

But in saying that, it's clear that while Avatar won't bomb as some people think (hope?), it isn't going to be giving New Moon's record breaking weekend any sleepless nights either.

The question then becomes, if Avatar were to open tomorrow, would a $40m opening weekend be enough.

And the answer? A resounding 'maybe'.
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I Don't think 40m would be enough, it would have to have some epic holds from there for any positive spin to hold much weight, IMax and 3d Screenings will help it tho. You are right with the traking being all over the place this year though, Terminator Salvation was tracking at something like 100 mill for its 4 day long weekend opening about a month out and barely managed a total run of 125 mill.
 
D

Dead

well not really...yet
Yeah, Salvation was actually tracking at 120 million for the 4 day weekend, and it ended up making barely 60...

I don't see Avatar making anything less than a $70 mil opening
 
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