Hurt Locker beats Avatar --- sane people DO exist!!

[pfflam]

Originally Posted by ghostnote

I am curious to know why many people posting here have expressed such strong emotions of dislike towards the film AVATAR?

Is it because [you] understand the film's messages as:
HURT LOCKER as pro-war and
AVATAR as anti-war?

NOTE TO MODS: I'm just asking simple question and not looking to start a political debate.

That's plain silly . . .I am more Granola than you, I guarantee it . . . and I generally am not enthusiastic about jingo movies, or heroic war movies (though Thin Red Line is great - certainly not a 'hero' movie though)

[pfflam]

Originally Posted by jtm622

Who said anything at all about a "MESSAGE" in either of those films???

Why does a "film" - as opposed to a movie - always have to have a frigging message...
Like Sam Goldwyn said: "If you want to send a message, call Western Union"...

Think about it a minute...



And I mean with an open mind...



Your question just reflects what YOUR beliefs and biases are...

the message IS the movie, the movie IS the message and . . .

But as with any message more complex than saying 'A=A' you have nuance and significance far surpassing the surface: every movie means far more than entertainment, every visual-sign says more than just what it presents immediately.

And 'Entertainment' moves mean far more because of how they are seen as entertainment: they reveal what we desire and find meaningful and our deeper ideological assumptions, what strokes and pacifies our Ids.

And, not to get too preachy - movies have different meanings for different peoples

[ghostnote]

pfflam
That's plain silly . . .I am more Granola than you, I guarantee it . . . and I generally am not enthusiastic about jingo movies, or heroic war movies (though Thin Red Line is great - certainly not a 'hero' movie though)

I never stated that I interpreted HURT LOCKER as glorifying war I was asking how others might have interpreted the story. By the way, I wouldn't describe myself as "Granola". LOL

[chrisjw5]

Originally Posted by iamdavea

Ah, I'll bet you 10 to 1 he was happy for her, and proud of her. Cameron has several ex-wives, and none of them has a bad thing to say about him (at least for the record!). I think he's a hyper-driven, total Type-A personality who simply wears a partner out. There's never a quiet moment with that guy.

With all the gushing, it sounds like you're angling to be the next Mrs. Cameron.

In truth, I liked Avatar. When I walked out of the theater, I was blown away (I saw it in 3D). After a day though, it was like Chinese food - good going down but didn't leave me feeling full. It was just ..... shiny. I really think that if I saw it in 2D, I would have found it trite. I got sucked in by the technology, because that what it was, a spectacular technology proving ground. Other than that, it was Dances With Wolves in space.

I haven't seen Hurt Locker yet, but I was hoping Avatar wouldn't win. Like another movie I really enjoyed at the time - Up In the Air - it just didn't feel fulfilling.

Avatar winning would have been like seeing Shakespere In Love beat Private Ryan again, and I'm not making a war movie analogy. It has nothing to do with Hurt Locker, it just has to do with an ultimately undeserving mass market film win (I'm NOT comparing a movie I haven't seen to the incredible Saving Private Ryan).

Avatar might have been enjoyable, but it won't stand the test of time. Eventually, the technology will move on - remember how cool Bullet Time in The Matrix used to be before it ended up in Coke commericals? - and the story isn't that great.

[daddyo]

Exactly.
I enjoyed Avatar but the plot and writing was strictly for 3rd graders. Even my kids said it was Fern Gulley on 'roids.

[chrisjw5]

Technological triumphs rarely stand up on their own without a GREAT story. Star Wars being the exception.... Lucas' dialogue is bad. Really bad.

Remember, Metropolis and Tron were groundbreaking at one point too.

[jtm622]

Originally Posted by pfflam

the message IS the movie, the movie IS the message and . . .

But as with any message more complex than saying 'A=A' you have nuance and significance far surpassing the surface: every movie means far more than entertainment, every visual-sign says more than just what it presents immediately.

And 'Entertainment' moves mean far more because of how they are seen as entertainment: they reveal what we desire and find meaningful and our deeper ideological assumptions, what strokes and pacifies our Ids.

And, not to get too preachy - movies have different meanings for different peoples

Huh???