Re: Avatar
Agreed. Just got back from seeing it. Wow. The movie business just jumped into another dimension with this one. I had two Brin-L related thoughts while watching this movie: 1) Did Brin come up with the name Unobtainium? and 2) Hollywood is definitely ready to do Startide Rising! On Sat, Dec 26, 2009 at 2:31 AM, Charlie Bell char...@culturelist.orgwrote: No spoilers here. Just got home from the World's Larg^H Secon^H Third Biggest Screen in 3D. Just see it. The story may be kitsch and predictable, but it's definitely a leap forward in CGI realism, and it's a hell of a ride. Charlie. ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: Avatar
No spoilers here. Just got home from the World's Larg^H Secon^H Third Biggest Screen in 3D. Just see it. The story may be kitsch and predictable, but it's definitely a leap forward in CGI realism, and it's a hell of a ride. Charlie. ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: Avatar
Ronn! wrote: Complete article: Op-Ed Columnist - Heaven and Nature - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/21/opinion/21douthat1.html http://tinyurl.com/ye43c8x He concludes: Religion exists, in part, precisely because humans aren’t at home amid these cruel rhythms. We stand half inside the natural world and half outside it. We’re beasts with self-consciousness, predators with ethics, mortal creatures who yearn for immortality. This is an agonized position, and if there’s no escape upward — or no God to take on flesh and come among us, as the Christmas story has it — a deeply tragic one. Pantheism offers a different sort of solution: a downward exit, an abandonment of our tragic self-consciousness, a re-merger with the natural world our ancestors half-escaped millennia ago. But except as dust and ashes, Nature cannot take us back. I see it a bit differently. We stand half outside the natural world and half inside it because, in part, of religion. Intelligent humans found that they could use their intelligence to manipulate and control other humans including the more traditional leaders, those who used their strength and size to their advantage. The race began to select for intelligence and voila, here we are. And I further disagree that there is no escape upward. You survive; your DNA survives when you reproduce and further if you do a good job of parenting, your ideals are perpetuated. I don't know about pantheism, but I see a balance with nature as vital to our survival and perpetuation. We may conquer nature here on earth, we may even go on to conquer nature on numerous planets but we will never, ever have the wherewithal to conquer all of the natural universe. What always bugs me about religion is how it seems to excuse the rape and destruction of the natural world that they believe that their god gave to them as a precious gift. Imagine spending hours of your time and the depths of your soul to create something for someone and then seeing that person trash your creation with little regard for what went into it. So while I don't believe that there is any place where I can stick my pigtail into a magic tree and awaken gaia, I think we have much to learn from nature, I have a tremendous appreciation for the geological and biological creations nature has taken millions of years to construct, and I think it is tremendously important to take care of our environment for our own sake. Doug ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: Avatar
On Dec 26, 2009, at 12:31 AM, Charlie Bell wrote: No spoilers here. Just got home from the World's Larg^H Secon^H Third Biggest Screen in 3D. Just see it. The story may be kitsch and predictable, but it's definitely a leap forward in CGI realism, and it's a hell of a ride. And, for a completely different take on the film from the OMG! Best. Movie. EVAR! that seem to predominate the reviews of Avatar: http://io9.com/5422666/when-will-white-people-stop-making-movies-like-avatar There's more substance in the comments than the article, I think. Dave Land White^H^H^H^H^H^H Usurper Guilt Maru ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: Avatar
At 02:34 AM Thursday 12/24/2009, Bruce Bostwick wrote: On Dec 23, 2009, at 2:56 PM, Max Battcher wrote: On 12/23/2009 13:11, Julia wrote: When I've seen the preview, I've had uncanny valley issues. I don't think I could sit through the whole thing without having a brain-ache. :( I don't think the previews do justice to the film because this really is one of those rare films that needs 3D to do it justice and is better the bigger the screen that you watch it on. I particularly think the uncanny valley issues with the film dissolve the more you let the film immerse you and large screens and 3D are key to that. This is something that James Cameron seems to have known all along, and part of why it has become the message to get out to encourage people to pay for that 3D or IMAX upgrade at their local popcorn stadium. I actually had few if any uncanny valley problems with it at all. I think one big factor was facial expressions -- this is the first movie about which I've been able to say that the CG characters had a full enough and rich enough range of expressions for the faces and nonverbal cues to hold their own with the dialogue, and in fact successfully replace it in ways that really surprised me. But there was an incredible attention to detail all around, and it required very little suspension of disbelief, and particularly visually, less than I'm used to from most movies. The previews really don't do it justice at all, and I agree with Max that it's a movie that does really need 3D to really get all of it. As for the themes I found most interesting .. well, those would be spoilers .. ;) Here's an opinion from the NY Times that was reprinted here today: Its fitting that James Camerons Avatar arrived in theaters at Christmastime. Like the holiday season itself, the science fiction epic is a crass embodiment of capitalistic excess wrapped around a deeply felt religious message. Its at once the blockbuster to end all blockbusters, and the Gospel According to James. But not the Christian Gospel. Instead, Avatar is Camerons long apologia for pantheism a faith that equates God with Nature, and calls humanity into religious communion with the natural world. Complete article: Op-Ed Columnist - Heaven and Nature - NYTimes.com - http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/21/opinion/21douthat1.html http://tinyurl.com/ye43c8x (Reading nytimes.com articles may require free registration.) FYI Maru . . . ronn! :) ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: Avatar
On Dec 23, 2009, at 2:56 PM, Max Battcher wrote: On 12/23/2009 13:11, Julia wrote: When I've seen the preview, I've had uncanny valley issues. I don't think I could sit through the whole thing without having a brain-ache. :( I don't think the previews do justice to the film because this really is one of those rare films that needs 3D to do it justice and is better the bigger the screen that you watch it on. I particularly think the uncanny valley issues with the film dissolve the more you let the film immerse you and large screens and 3D are key to that. This is something that James Cameron seems to have known all along, and part of why it has become the message to get out to encourage people to pay for that 3D or IMAX upgrade at their local popcorn stadium. I actually had few if any uncanny valley problems with it at all. I think one big factor was facial expressions -- this is the first movie about which I've been able to say that the CG characters had a full enough and rich enough range of expressions for the faces and nonverbal cues to hold their own with the dialogue, and in fact successfully replace it in ways that really surprised me. But there was an incredible attention to detail all around, and it required very little suspension of disbelief, and particularly visually, less than I'm used to from most movies. The previews really don't do it justice at all, and I agree with Max that it's a movie that does really need 3D to really get all of it. As for the themes I found most interesting .. well, those would be spoilers .. ;) ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Films of the year (was Avatar)
On 21 Dec 2009, at 21:53, Doug Pensinger wrote: I saw Avatar last night in the Imax/3D format. It was by far the most awesome audio/visual experience I've ever had. The story was fair to good, but the eye candy was spectacular. I wouldn't have thought I could get vertigo while sitting in a comfortable arm chair. Cool; see it and pay the extra for Imax. Doug I don't think I'll get to see that until 2010. My favourite of the films I did get to see in 2009 was _Let The Right One In_ And other movies I rated highly were (in the order I saw them) _Slumdog Millionaire_ _Watchmen_ _Anything For Her_ _Moon_ _District 9_ _Fish Tank_ _The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus_ Lists Maru -- William T Goodall Mail : w...@wtgab.demon.co.uk Web : http://www.wtgab.demon.co.uk Blog : http://blog.williamgoodall.name/ “Babies are born every day without an iPod. We will get there.” - Adam Sohn, the head of public relations for Microsoft’s Zune division. ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
RE: Avatar
I saw Avatar last night in the Imax/3D format. It was by far the most awesome audio/visual experience I've ever had. The story was fair to good, but the eye candy was spectacular. I wouldn't have thought I could get vertigo while sitting in a comfortable arm chair. Cool; see it and pay the extra for Imax. Doug ___ When I've seen the preview, I've had uncanny valley issues. I don't think I could sit through the whole thing without having a brain-ache. :( Julia ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: Avatar
On 12/23/2009 13:11, Julia wrote: When I've seen the preview, I've had uncanny valley issues. I don't think I could sit through the whole thing without having a brain-ache. :( I don't think the previews do justice to the film because this really is one of those rare films that needs 3D to do it justice and is better the bigger the screen that you watch it on. I particularly think the uncanny valley issues with the film dissolve the more you let the film immerse you and large screens and 3D are key to that. This is something that James Cameron seems to have known all along, and part of why it has become the message to get out to encourage people to pay for that 3D or IMAX upgrade at their local popcorn stadium. -- --Max Battcher-- http://worldmaker.net ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: Avatar
We saw it in regular 3D last Saturday night. I'm *still* gob smacked. What a beautiful film. The story was a bit pedestrian, but it's on my absolutely must see list for friends/family. Amities, all. Jo Anne evens...@hevanet.com Doug wrote: I saw Avatar last night in the Imax/3D format. It was by far the most awesome audio/visual experience I've ever had. The story was fair to good, but the eye candy was spectacular. I wouldn't have thought I could get vertigo while sitting in a comfortable arm chair. Cool; see it and pay the extra for Imax. ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Avatar
I saw Avatar last night in the Imax/3D format. It was by far the most awesome audio/visual experience I've ever had. The story was fair to good, but the eye candy was spectacular. I wouldn't have thought I could get vertigo while sitting in a comfortable arm chair. Cool; see it and pay the extra for Imax. Doug ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: Avatar
On Mon, Dec 21, 2009 at 4:53 PM, Doug Pensinger brig...@zo.com wrote: I saw Avatar last night in the Imax/3D format. It was by far the most awesome audio/visual experience I've ever had. The story was fair to good, but the eye candy was spectacular. I wouldn't have thought I could get vertigo while sitting in a comfortable arm chair. Cool; see it and pay the extra for Imax. I saw the IMAX 3D version yesterday as well. It's fantastic. I normally don't care for 3D movies, but a reviewer I trust that normally hates 3D said it was the first 3D movie that made him realize the potential it has, so I decided to give it a shot. After a minute or two to get used to it, it pretty much felt natural and doesn't make you think about the 3D. There's no comin' at ya! effects, as far as I remember. Even without the 3D, I suspect this will be a visually beautiful movie, but with the IMAX screen and 3D, it's awesome. I thought the story was good - not terribly original, but well-told. Probably my favorite movie this year. ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: Avatar trailer
On 21 Aug 2009, at 16:54, Chris Frandsen wrote: Apple - Movie Trailers - Avatar Uncanny valley. -- William T Goodall Mail : w...@wtgab.demon.co.uk Web : http://www.wtgab.demon.co.uk Blog : http://web.me.com/williamgoodall/blog/ Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire. ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Avatar trailer
Apple - Movie Trailers - Avatar learner ___ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
