AVATAR: Believe the Hype
by Jaden
In my family, it is tradition that on December 25th, my mom takes us all out to the movies and therefore gets to choose which one we see. Without fail, part of that tradition is that she picks the worst movie showing.
“I do not,” she argued during our last movie negotiations. “What about Independence Day? That was good. Or how about that one with Robin Williams in the museum? That was funny.” Agreed. Ok, so not all of them were terrible.
To play it safe, I went to see Avatar last night, as a preventative method, like taking vitamin C to prevent getting sick.
Not having any expectations of Avatar, other than to maybe see some interesting graphics, I and everyone else in the theatre were transported to magical place. In the audience, you could hear the gasps of people as we watched the blue natives walk through a glowing rain forest in the night — and we walked with them in their 3-dimensional world. It was like being on a ride in Disneyland, but way better!
Trailers and bloggers have been hyping the heck out of Avatar, and folks, you better believe it, Avatar is a whirlwind of modern technology that will have you in awe.
3D has never been this good.
You don’t get a headache and the entire movie is full of beauty and extensive use of the 3D medium with flying shots and rapid runs through the forest. It is a movie you absolutely must see in the theatre. No home viewing will do it justice.
The definition of the word “avatar” gives insight to the movie.
avatar |ˈavəˌtär|noun chiefly Hinduism
a manifestation of a deity or released soul in bodily form on earth; an incarnate divine teacher.• an incarnation, embodiment, or manifestation of a person or idea • Computing a movable icon representing a person in cyberspace or virtual reality graphics.
Writer-director James Cameron brings together the ultra violence and high tech worlds of his other movies Terminator and Aliens to the romance of Titanic, seamlessly sewing them together to create Avatar. Cameron is the grand puppet master of pulling your heart strings with his classic romances and hero journey storytelling style, making you feel love and life again.
After the movie I was sitting on a bench waiting for my friend in the bathroom. “That was the best movie I have seen all year!” I said to the man sitting next to me. Looking at everyone’s face who exited the theatre, we were all in a state of shock.
He said, “That is the best movie I have seen this decade.”
I don’t want to tell you too much about Avatar and spoil it, so just GO SEE THIS MOVIE!
WARNING:
Movie is too violent for small children.
MOVIE QUOTE:
Jake Sully: Everything is backwards now, like out there is the true world and in here is the dream.
On IMDB.com, out of 52,704 votes, Avatar received 8.9/10 stars, which is exceptional.
Best Movie Scripts of 2009
What Movies to Watch or Give as a Gift over Your Winter Holiday
by Jaden
There are some years that have so many great movies it is tough to choose which one to see when you are at the theatre; this was not one of those years. For this reason, I have to admit that I have not watched too many new movies this year. Although no film rocked my world this year, the movie storylines that intrigued me enough to fork over ten bucks (and that I enjoyed) are these:
# 1 – Inglourious Basterds
Anything with the word “terds” in it pleases me.
The last thing I wanted to see was another Nazi movie, but since it was written by director Quentin Tarantino, I figured it would be an unusual must-see film and indeed it was. Tarantino’s version of the exhausted topic was a Jewish fantasy pushed out to absurd extremities as an unorthodox United States military team go on a secret terrorist mission during World War II.
With old movie references and a stoic meticulous unfolding, Inglourious Basterds is a visually stunning movie made for and by the love of a film geek. The intertwining complex story and clever interconnected subplots feed the hunger of an appreciating screenwriter.
Tarantino is blessed with an ability to pull out unconventional performances from actors, making them behave unlike any other character they have ever played. Christoph Waltz who plays Nazi Col. Hans Landa gives one of the best ‘bad guy’ performances I have ever seen; he just has you on the edge of your seat wondering what he is going to do next because he is so observant and wickedly intelligent. Tarantino takes his time to build tension. The female performances by Mélanie Laurent and Diane Kruger feel like real women with complex psyches, which is refreshing. Brad Pitt gives a fun anti-hero crazy-guy performance.
#2 – The Men Who Stare at Goats
The Men Who Stare at Goats makes my Best Movie Scripts list for two reasons: title originality and because no one else has it topping their list of best movies this year. The three people with whom I saw this movie were mildly entertained by it. Personally, the story concept and its overall awkward delivery amused me plenty.
A reporter’s woman leaves him. To be a tough guy and impress this woman (who could not care any less about him), he sets off to find a juicy story in the danger zone of the Middle East. Through a series of uncanny coincidences, he stumbles upon a mysterious man on a secret mission from a United States special forces paranormal military unit.
Supposedly based on a true story, I love the goofiness of the performances by George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, and Kevin Spacey — all great actors of our time — as they pitch a light and funny movie.
# 3 — Public Enemies
A classic Hollywood film beauty, Public Enemies was directed by Michael Mann, the screenplay was written by Ronan Bennett, Michael Mann, and Ann Biderman, adapted from the book by Bryan Burrough (“Public Enemies: America’s Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34″).
Public Enemies is very much a “Bonnie & Clyde” type bank-robber film. The storyline does a good job of letting you get to know real people of notoriety and understand their personal motivations. For its costumes, cars, props, sets, and handsome actors (starring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, and Marion Cotillardor), this movie is riveting to watch.
What others have to say about the best movies of 2009:
UK’s TimesOnline 50 Biggest Movies of 2009
This list is nice and long, unfortunately, it is broken up over 11 pages full of advertisements that are slow to upload. I have done the dirty work for you and clicked through them all to find the number one movie and give you that link here.
Best Movies Of 2009 So Far, According To Josh
Josh’s list on CinemaBlend.com is simple and straight to the point, breaks down with a star system a lot of movies in rapid fire order for you without reviews.
The Ten Best Movies of 2009 – That’s Right, 2009
What I like about CoolerKing’s list on movieretriever.com is at the end of each movie selection and review, he has written “Why it Might Suck,” just in case you were wondering; no movie is without its faults, even the good ones.
Best Movies of 2009 (so far)
From discussions and forums, I find this list by Ryan Costantino on Amazon.com to most accurately reflect how most people feel about what are the best movies of 2009, except I have not heard of anyone who agrees that District 9 is the number one movie of the year as Ryan lists it – District 9 does have a solid classic Hollywood script and is a movie worth watching.
What are your top 3 favorite movies of 2009 and why?
25% off Screenwriting for Hollywood Products
For a few more hours, until 11:59pm Pacific time on December 17, get 25% off Screenwriting for Hollywood products. Also, you get a shipping upgrade from Standard to 2-Day, by selecting Standard and entering the coupon code MERRY25.
For 25% off and shipping upgrade,
ENTER CODE: MERRY25
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
2 Best Holiday Movie Scripts of All Time
by Jaden
If you are looking to cash in on writing a holiday movie, watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and A Christmas Story.
Writers and filmmakers have endeavored through the decades to entertain us during the holidays, but none have touched our hearts like the movies that came from these two simple and yet masterful scripts.
Watch closely how the stories unfold and what key story points change the main characters. Using these story arches, story-telling styles, and character developments as guides, you can change the holiday to meet your cultural and personal holiday preferences to write a timeless script with characters to which we can all relate.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)
This is my all time favorite Christmas movie.
Any good script will have character development wherein the character starts off with some less than desirable personality traits and through the course of some life lessons (story plot points, obstacles, and conflicts), the character changes and becomes a better individual. Our greedy green monster shall learn something from a darling little girl.
Animated characters with their larger-than-life facial expressions and body language are able to deliver emotional cues in a profound way that is relatable by all race, gender, and ages.
The original story was written by Dr. Seuss and further worked by Irv Spector and Bob Ogle; directed by Chuck Jones and co-directed by Ben Washam.
A Christmas Story (1983)
Overplayed in the U.S. and running incessantly through the holidays, most Americans have seen A Christmas Story countless times. Next time you watch it, contemplate why it is such an excellent family holiday movie script?
With moments everyone will forever remember, Peter Billingsley (as child actor playing Ralphie) gives a perfect performance and Jean Shepherd (as the voice of adult Ralphie and Narrator) tattoos the script words to the back of our brains.
Famous movie quotes:
[Ralphie is visiting Santa at the department store, only he can't remember what he wanted]
Santa Claus: How about a nice football?
Ralphie as Adult: [narrating] Football? Football? What’s a football? With unconscious will my voice squeaked out ‘football’.
Santa Claus: Okay, get him out of here.
Ralphie as Adult: [narrating] A football? Oh no, what was I doing? Wake up, Stupid! Wake up!
Ralphie: [Ralphie is shoved down the slide, but he stops himself and climbs back up] No! No! I want an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle!
Santa Claus: You’ll shoot your eye out, kid.
Later in the movie…
Ralphie as Adult: [narrating, after BB gun shot bounces off target and hits his face] Oh my god, I shot my eye out!
A Christmas Story is written by Jean Shepherd (novel “In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash”) with further writing on the screenplay by Leigh Brown and director Bob Clark.
Hollywood Chinese News
Hollywood Chinese
Museum Exhibit Opens
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Hollywood Chinese: The Arthur Dong Collection premiered at the Los Angeles Chinese American Museum with over 350 guests attending the red carpet gala. Visit our new museum exhibition web page for slideshows of the galleries and opening night ceremonies, streaming video, media coverage, and more.
CURATOR’S TALK: Visit the Museum, See the Film, Meet the Filmmaker
Join filmmaker Arthur Dong for a “Curator’s Talk,” including a screening of his award-winning film, Hollywood Chinese. Martin Wong, Giant Robot editor, hosts this special evening to lead a discussion on movie memorabilia research and the creative challenges of transforming a documentary film into a landmark museum exhibition.
FREE. December 3, 6–8pm. RVSP at rsvp@camla.org, with the subject heading, “Curator Talk”, or call 213/485-8567.
Museum hours extended for this event, 5–9pm. Visit the exhibition before or after the “Curator’s Talk.”
Chinese American Museum
425 N. Los Angeles Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
www.camla.org
Click here for directions
Annual Holiday Sale
25% off all home use DVDs and Videos!*
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Hollywood ChineseRegular price $29.95 Holiday Sale Price $22.46 |
Stories From the War on Homosexuality3-DVD Set includes Coming Out Under Fire, Licensed to Kill, Family Fundamentals Regular price $69.95 Sale price $44.95 |
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Enter Promo Code “Sale2009” at checkout.
25% discount will be subtracted from your total purchase. Order by December 14 for delivery by December 24.
Sale ends December 31, 2009.
*Holiday Sale applies to online purchases of Home Use Editions only, and limited to stock on hand. Educational and institutional editions available at regular prices.
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