_Avatar_, directed by James Cameron

am i the only one that thinks it's actually p rad that james cameron went to the bottom of the ocean in a bright green submarine? i guess i kinda like holding onto the idea that not everything that happens involving a famous person is necessarily despicable. the ocean is tremendous!

Was reading a book about big disastrous movie productions recently, and it included Abyss. Cameron's a trained physicist, among other things, which surprised me (though it fits with the attention to detail he gives to _most_ of his special effects stuff, in terms of making it look/feel right. Boobs on egg-layers aside, of course.)

no, it is really cool. i cant wait to see the footage

Cameron's a trained physicist, among other things

― Not only dermatologists hate her (James Morrison), Monday, March 26, 2012 7:42 PM (1 hour ago)

Cameron enrolled at Fullerton College, a 2-year community college, in 1973 to study physics. He switched to English, then dropped out before the start of the fall 1974 semester.[18]

dont think that really qualifies, sort of like when metal dudes claim to be classically trained, going to the bottom of the sea is sweet but hes not doing it for anything but his own amusement, i mean theres a reason people went there first 50 years ago and didnt go back, theres nothing a guy can do that a lil robot or a camera on a string or w/e cant, camerons nerdly seriousness re being an explorer or physicist or w/e is so v lol

Going places is cool though.

Instead of going to work tomorrow I'm gonna just send in a lil robot.

I'm sending a string

tying one around my finger to remind myself to go

:( my book mislead me

Cameron is totally self-taught when it comes to science stuff and in particular undersea exploration, but I want to say he's been a significant contributor to the field, not just financially but (obviously) directly as well.

directorly u mean?

Directorly, too, but also directly (as in, he designs submarines and cameras and tech and goes diving all the time). But he also films what he does.

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/05/james-cameron-on-chinese-filmmakers-censorship-and-potential-co-productions/

From now on Cameron will be dedicating his time to diving and making Avatar sequels. That's it.

"I’ve divided my time over the last 16 years over deep ocean exploration and filmmaking. I’ve made two movies in 16 years, and I’ve done eight expeditions. Last year I basically completely disbanded my production company’s development arm. So I’m not interested in developing anything. I’m in the “Avatar” business. Period. That’s it. I’m making “Avatar 2,” “Avatar 3,” maybe “Avatar 4,” and I’m not going to produce other people’s movies for them. I’m not interested in taking scripts. And that all sounds I suppose a little bit restricted, but the point is I think within the “Avatar” landscape I can say everything I need to say that I think needs to be said, in terms of the state of the world and what I think we need to be doing about it. And doing it in an entertaining way."

He is also "in awe" of Zack Snyder, the only new filmmaker that blows him away.

this fuckin guy
thank god he's not working for DC or marvel i guess

watched avatar again a few weeks ago

still sucks

he is the only person alive who is still stuck in that universe

Avatar sucks

i can see exactly why Cameron would love Zack Snyder

i have yet to rewatch Avatar. i know i will cringe throughout even though i enjoyed it as theatre spectacle.
i sort of hope the 2nd movie will be really good, a la Empire Strikes Back or Aliens, though i have a feeling it could easily be worse than Temple of Doom...

Loved the shit out of Avatar in the theater. Have not rewatched since then.

maybe “Avatar 4,”

*prays*

cameron is so fucking hate-able

for the most popular movie of all time its kind of amazing how a year or two later it has zero cultural currency at all... am i wrong about that?

i kind of felt that way two weeks after it came out!

it's the "jolson sings again" of 2009

to be fair i kind of like "jolson sings again"

cameron is so fucking hate-able

― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Monday, May 7, 2012 6:09 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

for the most popular movie of all time its kind of amazing how a year or two later it has zero cultural currency at all... am i wrong about that?

― A Little Princess btw (s1ocki), Tuesday, May 8, 2012 12:11 AM (13 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

cameron is eminently, definitively hateable, and yeah, avatar's currency did evaporate pretty much upon issuance. i did dig it though, and am looking forward to the sequel. pity me if you must.

"am looking forward to the sequelsequels. pity me if you must."

I've asked this before, but did this movie make an impression on the most impressionable? On 11 and 12 year old kids? Do kids play Avatar? Do they dress in Avatar costumes?

I mean, I'm sure Cameron does, but other than him?

thats what im saying

I dunno I mean as far as major_pop_culture_events no one talks about ANYTHING after it's been out a few months do they?

yes

There is still a considerable cultural footprint for (EG) Aliens, Terminator and Titanic. There's still things you can do to reference them in a joke and be certain people* will get the reference. Avatar, not so much.

*of an appropriate age

There was that avatar hair sex joke on 30 rock this season.

ya or titanic, which was the big record holder before

avatar is more like a ride© than a movie

© copyright dr morbs

"Avatar" didn't introduce 3D to the world either, I saw "Beowulf" in 2007. And it had a 3D naked Angelina Jolie demon.

how is that different than just naked angelina jolie HAHAHAHA BRAD PITT

B.R.A.D. P.I.T.T.

duders 3D goes back like many decades

i think it's ~interesting~ how little this matters now

Yes, but actually good 3D is a relatively new thing. As a massive and vicious generalisation, Avatar wouldn't have made this much if you still couldn't use 3D and regular glasses :)

old 3D was much better than new 3D, tho - greater dimensional depth, greater clarity of image, more impact etc etc

good 3d does not exist

3d is kinda counter productive, except in avatar

good 3d does not exist

CORALINE

yeah, disagree that good 3D does not exist. great 3D may be in short supply, but there's plenty of good stuff.

There is still a considerable cultural footprint for (EG) Aliens, Terminator and Titanic.

the extent to which avatar has dropped off the map is kind of funny/weird. i mean, compare with pixar's cars, which is still alive and kicking, minting money hand over fist - and was even before the sequel. kids glommed onto that and never let go. much more so than they did with wall-e, which got all the critical love, and certainly more than they did with avatar. if you want proof that pop culture event films can linger long in the cultural mind, you don't have to look any farther than star wars.

i don't think it's funny/weird, the movie is really stupid and bad and everybody knew it at the time.

more interesting that it was such a successful spectacle upon release, but that's not that hard to figure out either i guess

If ever you feel the need to enlighten us...

Successful marketing, hype, etc. It was the most-hyped movie since The Phantom Menace.