Upending The Avatar Zeitgeist

     So I finally saw "Avatar" on Wednesday in IMAX 3D Experience

 at the AMC Century City 15 theaters.  Well the first thing I'll tell you is boy this thing is still doing some boffo box office!  I went to a Wednesday afternoon show and still had to sit in the back and to the side, order tickets online first.  This my first time seeing one of the newer 3D movies.  Most of them before had been animated and I tend not to be a big fan of big screen cartoons with a few exceptions of course.  Science Fiction also doesn't tend to be my favorite genre as well but I really had to see what all the hubbub was about.  As you may have read in my last post if not go back and read it now, I'll wait. Okay great you're back.  I'm really trying to save money these days so instead of using the ticket kiosks I went to the box office and asked "Please don't laugh at me, but does my SAG card get me into the IMAX Avatar?".  SAG members can see some movies for free because we vote for the SAG Awards.  She didn't laugh but did say no.  So I payed $14.50 for my last row third from the corner seat, which actually was fine.  Wednesday is free popcorn day with your AMC MovieWatcher card; now I've written about movie popcorn before so I asked for a drink instead and they said yes.  I thanked the clerk for saving me all those calories and then noticed I had another free popcorn ticket I thought for about 5 seconds and then got a small popcorn.  Actually a movie, popcorn and a drink for $14.50 ain't too bad!

     An interesting thing about that scenario.  After blasting movie popcorn I said to the concession stand clerk that I would only eat the top part of the popcorn, which we all know is the best part anyway.  I went to the bathroom in the middle of the movie and announced to her that I put the rest of it under my seat.  What I need to realize is that people who I've never met before don't know I used to be a fat guy, she probably though to herself "What's this guy worrying about, he's not fat?".

     Anyway back to "Avatar".  Okay first off I do like the modern 3D systems and I really want to see "Alice in Wonderland" and the Hubble documentary.  I've always been a big fan of Tim Burton and NASA as well.  I've even liked some and I mean some of James Cameron's work ("Aliens" and "The Terminator" especially) but "Avatar" even in 3D left me flat.  Frankly you know what, I've seen this story before and done much better.  It looks like he just dusted off an old cowboys and Indians script and made every one blue.  I don't go to a movie for effects, I enjoy stories and performance.  Poor Sigourney Weaver how she must have cringed uttering such inane dialogue.  Jim Cameron can do better, in "Aliens" Sigourney's character Ripley had a back story, especially in the director's cut, you knew who she was, see it if you haven't already.

    So basically no I didn't like "Avatar" but it looked cool and I guess that's enough.  You would think the liberal union pinko in me would be happy that so many crew members made a living off this movie but most of the real work, the effects work, was done in New Zealand so I don't see how it helps your basic Hollywood working stiff like myself much at all. 

     At the end though when the evil colonel jumps out in his big old robot suit and goes after Navi I really, really wanted to yell "Get away from her you bitch!" which is from the end of "Aliens" the worlds first action chick flick.