Guest Columnist: Gianna reviews Avatar

Unless you’ve been under a rock for the last year, you’ve heard that James Cameron’s fantasy epic Avatar has been hailed as the future of movies. Critics have been touting this movie as amazing and visionary, and I’d like to know what kool-aid they’ve been drinking quite frankly. Is Avatar a bad film? No it’s not. But it is no where near the cinematic masterpiece that we’ve been led to believe. Yes, technically it’s overwhelming. However, that does not make up for the fact that the characters are cardboard, the dialog is awful and its story is boring and has already been told.

The main story concerns itself about the planet Pandora. Evidentially, planet Pandora houses a mineral called ‘unobtainium’ (think un-obtainable) which we never really find out what its purpose or function is; only that it’s expensive and some corporation from Earth wants it badly. However, wouldn’t you know that those pesky indigenous aliens’ village (a giant tree, named Home Tree) is smack dab on the top of one of the largest supplies of unobtainium. Enter Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and the Avatar program, in which real-life avatars allow us humans to interact with the Na’vi (the aliens on Pandora). Despite the fact that you evidentially have to train for years and years to get in this program, Jake (a paraplegic ex-marine) gets in sans any training. Why? Because Jake’s twin brother (who had trained for years and years) was killed and avatars are so damned expensive, that’s why. To add to the fun, Jake is also part of the military action at Pandora that is concerned with containing, or killing off, the local aliens. As you can guess Jake soon finds himself immersed in the Na’vi culture. Before you know it he is accepted as part of the tribe and finds himself a Na’vi girlfriend ( Zoe Saldana). In the end Jake must decide whether he wants to side with the human world, in which he’s paralyzed and the other soldiers call him ‘meals on wheels’; or with the Na’vi where he’s 9 feet tall, practically indestructible and worshiped by all. Guess which side he joins.

That is the basic story of Avatar, and that is where its problems lie. Yes the visuals are impressive. At 300 million dollars, they should be. The film has been art-directed within an inch of its life; and while the forests of Pandora are beautiful, after a while it starts to remind one of a Kincaid painting. The Na’vi aliens are a step up from the usual CGI humanoids that have been created in the past, but there are still those herky-jerky movement issues. Also the design of the aliens reminded me too much of the character animation from a Canadian film Rock ‘n Rule. When we strip away all the pretty spectacle what we are left with is a film that is essentially a re-tread of Dances With Wolves that is populated by stock characters and bad dialog. What’s infuriating about this movie is not the movie itself, but the fact that so many critics have been willing to overlook its mediocrity because the effects are so cool, and elevating what is, at heart, a summer blockbuster to Citizen Kane status. Go read some of the reviews; you’ll find almost every critic admitting that the core of the film (its story) is not very good, but those visuals are just amazing! Well, I’m not buying it. It very well may go on to win a ton of Academy Awards come March 7^th. Most Oscar watchers have confirmed that its winning Best Picture is already a done deal. Which is a shame, when you consider that films like Hurt Locker, Up in the Air, Precious, Up, hell even Inglourious Basterds (all far better films) will be steamrolled at Oscars for this bloated over-hyped mess. Avatar shows that if you have a big name and some fancy special effects, you can fool most anyone.

Mini- Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Jami's Take

So Sean & I finally got out of the house and saw "Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince" and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. Despite the fact that it was critically very well received, I had only personally know 2 people who enjoyed it at all! Couple that with the fact that it was being directed by the same man, David Yates, who I thought had ruined the film adaptation of Book 5, and I went in very skeptical that I would get much enjoyment out of this new film at all. Still, while I had a few quibbles with things here and there, I wasn't nearly as bothered by Prince as I was by Phoenix.

Why not? My problems with Phoenix were much more sweeping: the whole tone of the film felt off for me, I hated the performance of the usually wonderful Imelda Staunton as Delores Umbridge, and it felt so rushed and chopped that I felt there needed to be at least another half hour to properly tell the story the way Yates was choosing to. Prince felt much more properly paced to me and the with the lack of Imelda Staunton and addition of Jim Broadbent, the performances were mostly pitch-perfect.

While there were a lot of cuts again, I felt that the cuts made were acceptable in the scope of the film. The small additions, save one egregiously erroneous scene, didn't feel as though they were distracting us from the story at hand. The Half-Blood Prince story line was seriously trimmed down to nearly-nothing, but even this is forgivable in my book as the bulk of that storyline involves Harry using it in classes, which would have been hard to fit into a film without sacrificing alot of time better spent on plot. It's sad that this makes the reveal loose al ot of its punch, and that the very title of the book/ movie becomes more or less of an afterthought, but so it is.

Bottom line for me is that Rowlings books are so dense with action and plotting, that it is impossible for anyone to squeeze it all in without a lot of allowances. For me, this movie is right in league with the film adaptations of Books 3 & 4 - not as great as the first two films, but an acceptable adaptation.

Guest Columnist: Gianna's take on Harry Potter and the Half-Assed Prince

Editor's note: Sean& I have yet to see this and reserve the right to counter this argument later on.

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If you’ve never read any of the Harry Potter books, you will probably have a good time at the sixth installment of the saga. However, if you are a fan of the series you will most likely be dismayed by the copious amount of cuts and liberties that are taken with Rowling’s novel. I understand that turning a 650 page book into a 2 ½ hour film, many storylines will have to be cut or trimmed. But I always take issue when so much of the original story is cut only to make way for unnecessary scenes that have no bearing on the story. It always makes me feel that the screenwriter and/or director doesn’t care for the source material and that they know better how to make the story work.

I won’t go into much about the cuts and changes, because there are a lot of them and they give away the story. But suffice it to say that the film barely resembles book six and surprisingly leaves out some key plot points. I’m not sure who is more to blame, director David Yates or screenwriter Steve Kloves. Kloves has penned all but Order of the Phoenix, and most of his adaptations-to this point have been fairly solid. Yates had directed Phoenix, which I found to be the worst out the cannon to that point. I feel both are responsible. Yates clearly has no love for this series and it seems Kloves works with each director to give them a script they like.

Some of the cuts and changes might have been easier to take if Yates’s direction wasn’t so sterile. While the film goes crazy with art direction, it never inhabits Rowling’s world. Yates also has a heavy hand with camera angles that become more of a distraction than an enhancement. The cast is, as usual, excellent and we have two nice cast additions of Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn and Jessie Cave as Lavender Brown. Sadly though, a great deal of regulars are barely used and become little more than set dressing. The only weak spot in the cast is Helena Bonham-Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange, who has become completely obnoxious in her over-the-top performance.

After seeing the sixth film I worry greatly for Deathly Hallows. Yates is on board to direct and I am dreading to see what he and Kloves have in store for the last book. They have a good deal of exposition they will have to attack to make up for information cut from film six. My hope is that they will listen to the fans and make up for the crimes they committed in Half-Blood Prince.

Guest Columnist: Gianna reviews "Up"

Up, Pixar’s 10^th feature film is another fantastic addition to their already impressive canon of films. It follows the late-life adventure of Carl Fredricksen (voiced by Ed Asner), a newly widowed elderly man, who dreamed with his wife of going to live in South America’s Paradise Falls-a jungle wilderness discovered by their childhood hero explorer Charles Muntz (voiced by Christopher Plummer). When the threat of being ejected from his beloved house looms, Carl decides to tie millions of helium balloons to his house and set off for his beloved South American destination. Of course along the way there are a few problems thrown his way; an unwitting stowaway, an electrical storm and his old childhood hero: who has been living in Paradise Falls along with his army of dogs.

Up, strongpoint is Pixar’s always-stellar animation. The storm sequence is particularly stunning animation achievement. The wordless opening piece of Carl’s life with his wife is sweet and touching. Voicework and character design blend seamlessly together, as opposed to other animated films that like to draw attention to their famous voice actors. Especially impressive is the detail and thought done to the animating and execution of the dog army. However, Up is not without its shortcomings. Mainly I felt the some of the story might have been lost to edit it down to a more kid-friendly time of 96 minutes. There’s a lot going on in Up, but we rarely do more than scrape the surface. The character of Charles Muntz suffers greatly from his limited screen-time, not really allowing us to get invested in him as the villain of the film. There are also some issues of improbability, but I guess it’s hard to really argue that as a detraction of a film who’s main plot is flying a house to South America with helium balloons.

In all Up is still a charming, wonderful film. It’s not a masterpiece like Toy Story, Finding Nemo or WALL-E, but it is far better than the mass-produced animation junk that is so prevalent nowadays.

Mini Review: Star Trek

Hooray for Grandparents! We have a few days off from parenting and saw our first in-theater movie in a long time! I should start by saying I am not a Start Trek fan. And when I say that, don't think I mean "I'm not a Trekkie" (or is it Treker?) No, I mean I really don't enjoy Star Trek. I watched "The Next Generation" a tiny bit in high school, but that's about it. I was always firmly in the "Star Wars" camp. So imagine my surprise when the second wave of "Star Wars" movies sucked ass while the reboot of "Star Trek" kicked major ass! This movie is everything it should be (and, for me, everything "Star Trek" usually isn't.) It was fast, exciting, funny, and interesting. God bless J.J. Abrams (and producer Damon Lindelof) for knowing exactly what this franchise needed. He assembled a pitch perfect cast (especially the sublime Simon Pegg!), threw in a few winks for the true fans, and crafted a thoroughly enjoyable thrill ride for the masses. No geek-cred required. Simply put, it's the perfect Summer movie.

Guest Columnist: Gianna's review of Azur & Asmar - Indescribably Gorgeous

French animator Michael Ocelot’s latest film Azur & Asmar is a film that every animation buff should seek out, filled with some of the most beautiful and intricate animation we’ve seen in a long-time.

Azur’s Middle-Eastern nurse raises him alongside her own son Asmar. Treated as brothers, she regales the young boys with a story about the Djin fairy, imprisoned in a country across the sea and who awaits a prince who will free her from plight. As the boys grow-up Azur’s father decides to separate them, sending Azur off to school and Asmar and his mother back to their own country. When Azur reaches adulthood, he decides to cross the sea on a quest to free the Djin fairy. He is eventually reunited with Asmar and his mother and the two young men join together in their quest.

Composed of vibrant jewel tones, and intricate backgrounds Azur & Asmar is a joy to watch. The story is told simply and devoid of the usual American conventions of creating snappy characters and pop-culture references. Ocelot’s stunning animation actually becomes a sort of narrator and washes over the viewer. Some viewer’s may be put off by the odd computer animation techniques. Much more attention and detail is given to the backgrounds, than actual character animation. And while the physical details of the character’s faces and bodies are nicely achieved, the clothing for the characters is flat and block-y.

The film has had an extremely limited theatrical release, and will be very unlikely that you can go to your local multiplex and see it. However, it has been released on DVD recently and is worth seeking out. If you are lucky enough to encounter a movie theater that is showing it-GO! You won’t be disappointed.

Mini Review: Slumdog Millionaire

Yes, the streak continues! With very special thanks going out to our very good friends - and Ryan's favorite sometimes-babysitters, Lynne & Forest, we were able to see at least one of the nominated Best Pictures before the awards ceremony. Nothing like cutting it close, huh?

So, is it even worth mentioning at this point that "Slumdog Millionaire" was really good? It's won just about every major award at this point and is by far the front runner to take home the Oscar for Best Picture on Sunday. Even Jon Stewart has been pimping its virtues as opposed to those of "Benjamin Button. ("Is the old baby OK?") But in a way, it was surprising to see such a fresh, simple movie when you go to see an Oscar contender. This is no sweeping epic with a soaring score and cast of thousands. There's no "I never learned to read" moment. It's hard to say there is no weighty subject matter when the movie takes place amidst the bleakest landscape of abject poverty - it's enough to make even the most jaded of us thank our lucky stars we live in America. Still, it's handled so matter-of-factly. This is the reality of living in Mumbai. Never do you feel as though they are stacking the deck in order to manipulate your emotions.

Everything was impeccably done: performances, editing, cinematography, casting. It even has great closing credits. So if you haven't yet checked it out, and you can wrangle some awesome babysitters, do so. You won't be disappointed.