MOVIE REVIEW: AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER

 

Jake Sully and Ney'tiri have formed a family and are doing everything to stay together. However, they must leave their home and explore the regions of Pandora. When an ancient threat resurfaces, Jake must fight a difficult war against the humans.

Director: James Cameron

Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Giovanni Ribisi, Dileep Rao, Matt Gerald, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Jemaine Clement, Brendan Cowell

Release Date: December 16, 2022 

Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence and intense action, partial nudity and some strong language

Runtime: 3h 12m

The first Avatar was a huge film and leave it to James Cameron to deliver a larger more immersive experience with the sequel Avatar: The Way of Water.  Cameron's film delivers some truly awe-inspiring visuals which feel like another high point in technical achievement akin to Star Wars or Jurassic Park.  So much so that this is the first film since the original Avatar that'd I'd recommend be seen in 3D.  The massive world that is painted onscreen is so incredibly detailed and vibrant that it's almost overwhelming.  Cameron is fully aware of what he's achieved and reiterates the point with a handful of "wow" sequences which simply serve to show off the technical tenacity even if it doesn't do much for the actual story.  The story does tend to take a backseat to the overall experience almost to a detriment.  

This entry's plot focuses more on family/legacy drama with splashes of the overreaching conflict from the original.  It’s fairly straightforward with nearly everything playing out the way you'd expect with a scant amount of surprises.  It doesn't help matters that the story is so large and expansive that it lacks a defined focus even with a heavy emphasis on characters.  Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña's characters from the original still anchor the film but they play more of a secondary supporting role here with the film focusing more time on their children. 

Those characters are lead by Sigourney Weaver, Jamie Flatters and Britain Dalton and do their best with fairly clichéd roles.  Their characters are the film's focus, but they are never as engaging as they should be.  Stephen Lang fairs slightly better here as the resurrected Na'vi avatar of Colonel Miles Quaritch.  Lang, again, nails the gruff, laser focused solider with the script adding a subplot with his son who's gone native in his absence. His son, Miles "Spider" Socorro, played by Jack Champion is one of those characters that stands out for all the wrong reasons.  Champion isn't a strong enough of a performer to make the character work even though he serves an important role in the story.  It’s a shame because it does take you of the moment every time he pops up on screen.  

It’s one of the few glaring missteps overall but it's easy to overlook especially once the final act starts.  Cameron delivers a hodgepodge of his greatest hits by borrowing moments and beats from Aliens, The Abyss, Terminator and Titanic in a rousing finale which reminds you why he's one of the best big film directors in history.  Avatar: The Way of Water is a testament to his talent as a director and his ability to deliver the kind of memorable big screen experience which have been lacking in the current glut of superhero.

B+

Cindy Prascik’s Review of CBGB

Dearest Blog, it is customary for a number of good little (and not so little) films to pass my 'burb right on by. Evidence: Neither of my local cinemas is showing 12 Years a Slave, Dallas Buyers Club, The Fifth Estate, or About Time...but by golly we could see Grown Ups 2 on the big screen right up through the Thursday before it was released on DVD. *sigh*

It was disappointing, but not surprising, when one of my most-anticipated movies of 2013, CBGB, never played locally. Thankfully, XFinity On Demand was around to save the day!

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from a trailer if you happened to see one.

Rebounding from two failed attempts to run a club, Hilly Kristal rents a dump in the Bowery section of New York City and becomes the man who launched a thousand careers.

Dear Blog, it would be dishonest in the extreme if I didn't admit that I was bound to love this movie. The subject matter is so near to my heart that, handled with anything but absolute malice, CBGB had to rank among my favorite films of the year. That being said, the movie has its pros and cons.

The filmmakers elected to go with a very light tone that, while it makes for a quick and engaging movie, I daresay it barely touches what living in that environment every day must have been like.

Even when you know you're a part of something monumental, slogging through the day-to-day in filth and poverty is no fun, but CBGB mostly plays the negatives for laughs. Smashing roaches and stepping in dog poo are running gags...and if you've got a weak stomach, you're going to want to turn away from the kitchen scenes entirely!

Introductions and transitions are handled via comic-book panels. The movie gets away with it because it's consistent, and because, all these years later, all's well that ends well, eh?

Performances range from terrific to so-so to poor. Alan Rickman is, of course, fantastic as the good hearted but sometimes unrealistic Kristal. Ashley Greene is great as his loyal but frustrated daughter, and Donal Logue and Freddie Rodriguez are both entertaining as Kristal's partners/employees/co-horts at the club. Of the folks tackling the difficult task of mimicking the familiar, Joel David Moore and Julian Acosta are especially good as the ever-battling Joey and Johnny Ramone, and Mickey Sumner does a great job as Patti Smith. I don't think folks will have a hard time forgetting Ron Weasley once they've seen Rupert Grint's turn as Dead Boy Cheetah Chrome! Justin Bartha and Malin Akerman are merely okay as Stiv Bators (my favorite of the lot) and Debbie Harry, and Taylor Hawkins (who, in fairness, isn't really an actor) and Kyle Gallner are sadly underwhelming as Iggy Pop and Lou Reed, respectively. The real Cheetah Chrome has an amusing cameo that you won't want to miss!

It's fair to say a person's enjoyment of CBGB probably will be commensurate with his or her nostalgia for the club and the bands. I don't imagine it's a great enough piece of filmmaking to win over folks to whom this music means nothing, but if the movie barely scratches the surface of real events, it's an entertaining enough couple hours.

Thanks in no small part to my own affection for the subject matter, I loved it.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, CBGB gets eight.

Until next time...



Thanks for the memories!

Movie Reviews: AVATAR 3D

Saturday, December 19, 2009
Movie Reviews: AVATAR 3D
IN THEATERS

AVATAR 3D

AVATAR takes us to a spectacular world beyond imagination, where a reluctant hero embarks on an epic adventure, ultimately fighting to save the alien world he has learned to call home. James Cameron, the Oscar-winning director of “Titanic,” first conceived the film 15 years ago, when the means to realize his vision did not exist yet. Now, after four years of production, AVATAR, a live action film with a new generation of special effects, delivers a fully immersive cinematic experience of a new kind, where the revolutionary technology invented to make the film disappears into the emotion of the characters and the sweep of the story.


Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore


Director: James Cameron


Opened ..December 18, 2009..


Runtime: 2 hr. 30 min.


Rated PG-13 for warfare, intense battle sequences, some smoking, sensuality and language


Genres: Sci-Fi Action, Science Fiction


Review:


James Cameron’s Avatar is a thrilling and mind blowing visual feast for the eyes and ears. It’s the type of film that will leave you with your mouth wide open on more than a few occasions. Cameron’s Pandora and the Na’vi are completely realized creations that feel entirely real and believable the entire way through. The lush landscape and its inhabitants are incredible marvels of technological achievements. This is epic filmmaking in every sense of the word and nothing here is done on a small scale. The environments are massive there isn’t nary a sense that anything was skimped on. While this is Cameron’s crowing achievement in visual and technical feats, the story and characters don’t come anywhere close to living up to them. The plot is a predictable rehash of the “gone native” themes that’s been done plenty of times over the years. The characters are mostly single dimensional and paint by the numbers. Sam Worthington gives a mostly wooden performance throughout but he’s not really done any favors by thread bare scripting. He does his best to emote passion in the last act but it never reaches a believe level. Faring much better is Zoe Saldana who gives life and energy to her CGI Na’vi character. Saldana adds as much depth and pathos to her character as she can. Sigourney Weaver is mostly in Jane Goodall mode for the better part of her time on screen. Stephen Lang plays the one dimensional army head well and I would have liked to have seen what he could have done with a more fleshed out role. Michelle Rodriguez and Giovanni Ribisi are in the film for what amount to extended cameos and neither really adds anything to the goings on. Regardless of the story’s shortcomings, this the type of movie watching experience that will leave an indelible experience and won’t be quickly forgotten. It’s a real disservice to not see this film in 3D as it adds a wonderful level of immersion to the entire thing.


B