The general populace of this country has a nasty habit of self-medication. But in this case I'm not referring to pain relievers and narcotics. I mean people have a habit of turning their brains off and sliding into a state of comfortable numbness. Life is stressful, so the most restful thing a person can do sometimes is turn of their brain. But many people refuse to snap out of that cozy veil; they choose to live with their brains set on snooze. And that is something that mainstream media is all to happy to help with.
Whether it be film, TV, or music, most branches of media are full of meaningless drivel. They just work to keep your mind in a state of sedation. The clearest example of this is in action is the standard Hollywood style of editing. That is to say Hollywood works to keep everything flowing smoothly and not cause the audience to question anything. For example, if a man was to walk into a store, it would show him walking through the door from the outside and then cut to the inside of the store to show him complete his entrance. Everything in the Hollywood style of editing makes visual sense, so the audience winds up shifting their brains to idle. And as I've said in other posts, that's when dangerous things can be slipped into the subconscious.
So, considering the towering mountain of media that's trying to abuse us, I've come to respect those branches that aren't. And near the top of that list is punk rock. Sure, the anti-establishment lyrics giving the man the middle finger found in the genre are nice, but that alone does not an awakening make. After all, if the lyrics are just the opposite of what is found in mainstream music, then that's playing the same game but for the other team. What is necessary is to change the style of the music; not just the substance. And punk rock also delivers in this.
Breaking away from the soupy guitar soloists found in the early 70s, John Holmstrom, the founding editor of Punk magazine, said punk rock was seen as the genre for musicians that weren't very talented but still felt the need to express themselves through music. This resulted in a shift from the very orchestrated music at the time to a more raw, frenetic style.
This uprising of untrained musicians perfectly embodies the Do-It-Yourself ethic that is at the heart of punk. And it is that DIY ethic that truly fights back against the mainstream media. Instead of allowing those who are trained in the field to do a job for you, you rise to the occasion and take action yourself. After all, with a little bit of know how and effort, what's to stop you from doing as good of a job, if not better? Most of the public loves the idea of having others do stuff for them, which is exactly why businesses like fast food chains do so well. It's quick and easy and there's no fuss. But as a result, you clog some arteries, raise your cholesterol and blood pressure, and, well, generally become less healthy. And that's exactly what I think most of mainstream media does to your mind.
So, over the course of the next few weeks I'm going to be highlighting and thanking a director, a TV show creator and a musician for their work in pushing forward the DIY ethic and trying to free our minds of the filth so many others try to jam in there. So, stay tuned!
Monday, February 8, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Top Five Wrestler Movies
Well, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has a new movie coming out soon. In it, he plays a Tooth Fairy. The movie is called "Tooth Fairy." This reminds me of something: Professional wrestlers have a habit of embarrassing themselves when they cross the line from sports entertainment to film. Steve Austin, John Cena and Kane all had films that were shown on the silver screen and bombed, and a handful of others had been in straight-to-DVD releases (surely nothing to be too proud of). Despite all the failures, wrestlers keep coming back for more. But really? The Rock as the Tooth Fairy. That's too much.
However, not all wrestlers have been doomed in the realm of film. Actually, some of them have been in truly good movies, and that's what should be remembered. So please, ignore "Tooth Fairy" and just keep in mind the following films.
5. "Ready to Rumble" (2000) Alright, when I said that some wrestlers were in truly good movies, this was not one I was thinking of. It is, however, funny, and that's better than nothing. It centers around two huge WCW fans who believe wrestling is real, so when their favorite wrestler, Jimmy King, gets thrown out of the business, they make it their quest to put him back on top. Never refraining from making a joke about wrestling fans or the business alike, this film hit close to home for me. I was one of those rabid fans who would get wrapped up in wrestling's artificial world. But as opposed to being offended, I was able to relate to many of the jokes and that made the entire experience that much richer. Considering its premise, you know it has to feature a hefty amount of wrestlers. Most prominently, though, you'll notice Diamond Dallas Page as the film's antagonist. He did a decent job playing a jerk, but that hardly stretches a person's acting limitations.
4. "Southland Tales" (2007) Despite his upcoming film, Dwayne Johnson is one of the better wrestler / actors out there. "The Rundown" was a fine action film, and he was pretty funny in "Be Cool." But when it comes to his best film, and also his best role, "Southland Tales takes the cake. Directed by the man who did "Donnie Darko," "Southland Tales" is a Philip K. Dick book on hallucinogens. The original cut screened at Cannes was seen as so incoherent and rambling that it was almost universally hated by the audience. The re-cut version, though, is amazing. To attempt to sum it up in one sentence, the movie is about the end of the world. Of course, if the movie was as simple as that it wouldn't be very interesting. In fact, the movie focuses on the impending energy crisis, the government impeding civil liberties to maintain security, the evolution of reality television and a dozen other themes. Johnson stars in it as Boxer Santaros, an amnesiac action star whose role in the end of times is of the utmost importance. Still, as much as I like Johnson in this movie, Justin Timberlake stole the show for me.
3. "The Princess Bride" (1987) While I have problems with this movie as far as Princess Buttercup is concerned, the rest of it is fantastic. The land of fantasy portrayed in the film is pretty middle of the road, but that doesn't matter thanks to the amazing characters written in every scene. The stalwart Westley, the honorable Inigo, the maniacal Vizzini and treacherous Prince Humperdinck make the movie as great as it is. Perhaps obviously, the wrestler in this movie is Fezzik, played by Andre the Giant. His penchant for rhyming and overall gentleness helped him find a way into viewers' hearts, and I think it's safe to say that without Andre, this movie wouldn't be quite the same.
2. "Predator" (1987) This movie is something of an oddity. Not one, but two of the actors in this film went on to become governors. Of course, there is Arnold Schwarzenegger who has been running California since Gray Davis was kicked out. But secondly is Jesse Ventura, a former wrestler with the WWF, who went on to govern Minnesota. Known as Jesse "The Body" Ventura, he never accomplished much in the world of wrestling beyond being a great color commentator, but I suppose his political achievements make up for that. In "Predator" he plays Blaine, a musclebound man with a minigun. Next to the Colonel Miles Quaritch in "Avatar," Blaine is one of the biggest badasses in film history all thanks to one line. Perhaps in some cinematic timeline the two characters are actually related to each other. One can only dream.
1. "They Live" (1988) John Carpenter is a director that has managed to garner my affection in a way that not many others have. I mean, he's that man to bring us "Halloween," "Escape from New York," "The Thing" and "Big Trouble in Little China." How can I not love the guy? Especially when he also made "They Live." Possibly my favorite meld of science fiction and social critique, "They Live" delivers an interesting view of our world. In it, aliens have furtively placed themselves in our society disguised as the elite and powerful. In this position, they've began planting humans' minds with subliminal messages of "Obey" and "This Is Your God" in our advertisements and entertainment. The aliens also encouraged the expenditure of fossil fuels because pumping carbon dioxide and methane makes our atmosphere more like theirs, therefore more habitable. The hero to lead the charge against these aliens is George Nada, played by "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. With a pair of special sunglasses he can see the aliens for what they really are and help stop them. Possibly the most famous of the movie's scenes is one of the best / worst fights ever filmed. But beyond that, Piper does a great job as the hero, and will be remembered in sci-fi film history.
It really shouldn't be surprising that professional wrestlers can be good actors. What they do on a weekly basis is live drama with fairly complicated choreography. Sure, I don't expect Dwayne Johnson to take home an Oscar any time soon, but just because a wrestler is featured in a movie I don't think it should automatically be considered trash. And, perhaps in time, others will join me in this open-mindedness. But movies like "Tooth Fairy" sure aren't helping the cause.
However, not all wrestlers have been doomed in the realm of film. Actually, some of them have been in truly good movies, and that's what should be remembered. So please, ignore "Tooth Fairy" and just keep in mind the following films.
5. "Ready to Rumble" (2000) Alright, when I said that some wrestlers were in truly good movies, this was not one I was thinking of. It is, however, funny, and that's better than nothing. It centers around two huge WCW fans who believe wrestling is real, so when their favorite wrestler, Jimmy King, gets thrown out of the business, they make it their quest to put him back on top. Never refraining from making a joke about wrestling fans or the business alike, this film hit close to home for me. I was one of those rabid fans who would get wrapped up in wrestling's artificial world. But as opposed to being offended, I was able to relate to many of the jokes and that made the entire experience that much richer. Considering its premise, you know it has to feature a hefty amount of wrestlers. Most prominently, though, you'll notice Diamond Dallas Page as the film's antagonist. He did a decent job playing a jerk, but that hardly stretches a person's acting limitations.
4. "Southland Tales" (2007) Despite his upcoming film, Dwayne Johnson is one of the better wrestler / actors out there. "The Rundown" was a fine action film, and he was pretty funny in "Be Cool." But when it comes to his best film, and also his best role, "Southland Tales takes the cake. Directed by the man who did "Donnie Darko," "Southland Tales" is a Philip K. Dick book on hallucinogens. The original cut screened at Cannes was seen as so incoherent and rambling that it was almost universally hated by the audience. The re-cut version, though, is amazing. To attempt to sum it up in one sentence, the movie is about the end of the world. Of course, if the movie was as simple as that it wouldn't be very interesting. In fact, the movie focuses on the impending energy crisis, the government impeding civil liberties to maintain security, the evolution of reality television and a dozen other themes. Johnson stars in it as Boxer Santaros, an amnesiac action star whose role in the end of times is of the utmost importance. Still, as much as I like Johnson in this movie, Justin Timberlake stole the show for me.
3. "The Princess Bride" (1987) While I have problems with this movie as far as Princess Buttercup is concerned, the rest of it is fantastic. The land of fantasy portrayed in the film is pretty middle of the road, but that doesn't matter thanks to the amazing characters written in every scene. The stalwart Westley, the honorable Inigo, the maniacal Vizzini and treacherous Prince Humperdinck make the movie as great as it is. Perhaps obviously, the wrestler in this movie is Fezzik, played by Andre the Giant. His penchant for rhyming and overall gentleness helped him find a way into viewers' hearts, and I think it's safe to say that without Andre, this movie wouldn't be quite the same.
2. "Predator" (1987) This movie is something of an oddity. Not one, but two of the actors in this film went on to become governors. Of course, there is Arnold Schwarzenegger who has been running California since Gray Davis was kicked out. But secondly is Jesse Ventura, a former wrestler with the WWF, who went on to govern Minnesota. Known as Jesse "The Body" Ventura, he never accomplished much in the world of wrestling beyond being a great color commentator, but I suppose his political achievements make up for that. In "Predator" he plays Blaine, a musclebound man with a minigun. Next to the Colonel Miles Quaritch in "Avatar," Blaine is one of the biggest badasses in film history all thanks to one line. Perhaps in some cinematic timeline the two characters are actually related to each other. One can only dream.
1. "They Live" (1988) John Carpenter is a director that has managed to garner my affection in a way that not many others have. I mean, he's that man to bring us "Halloween," "Escape from New York," "The Thing" and "Big Trouble in Little China." How can I not love the guy? Especially when he also made "They Live." Possibly my favorite meld of science fiction and social critique, "They Live" delivers an interesting view of our world. In it, aliens have furtively placed themselves in our society disguised as the elite and powerful. In this position, they've began planting humans' minds with subliminal messages of "Obey" and "This Is Your God" in our advertisements and entertainment. The aliens also encouraged the expenditure of fossil fuels because pumping carbon dioxide and methane makes our atmosphere more like theirs, therefore more habitable. The hero to lead the charge against these aliens is George Nada, played by "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. With a pair of special sunglasses he can see the aliens for what they really are and help stop them. Possibly the most famous of the movie's scenes is one of the best / worst fights ever filmed. But beyond that, Piper does a great job as the hero, and will be remembered in sci-fi film history.
It really shouldn't be surprising that professional wrestlers can be good actors. What they do on a weekly basis is live drama with fairly complicated choreography. Sure, I don't expect Dwayne Johnson to take home an Oscar any time soon, but just because a wrestler is featured in a movie I don't think it should automatically be considered trash. And, perhaps in time, others will join me in this open-mindedness. But movies like "Tooth Fairy" sure aren't helping the cause.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
From the Hut
There aren't a lot of celebrities that I look up to. Most of them are fine enough, but not many actually do anything worthy of admiration. Jason Statham, for example, seems like an awesome guy but beyond starring in kickass action flicks, what worth does he have? Haitian-American musician Wyclef Jean, though, is somebody I can respect.
A 7.3 earthquake hit Haiti on Tuesday, followed by two strong aftershocks. This seismic occurrence was the largest the island has experienced in 200 years. Its destruction was so immense that the presidential palace, the house of parliament and a myriad of other government buildings all collapsed in Port-au-Prince, a city of 2 million people. This isn't even mentioning the mass destruction that people in the rest of Haiti experienced. In total, the Red Cross believes that as many as 3 million people were affected by this natural disaster.
Today saw Jean returning to his homeland to help where he can. As Jean said, "I cannot stress enough what a human disaster this is, and idle hands will only make this tragedy worse. The over 2 million people in Port-au-Prince tonight face catastrophe alone. We must act now." And beyond his immediate physical return to Haiti, he was quick to set up means of donation to help combat the wreckage through texting and yele.org.
And while I respect Jean's actions during this sad time, he's had my admiration long before now. Showing that he hasn't forgotten where he came from, Jean has been running the Yele Haiti Foundation since 2005. This organization has been helping feed hungry women and children, providing scholarships to thousands of Haitian students, and creating employment opportunities that help support agricultural production. Jean said, "Our mission is to create small-scale, manageable and replicable projects to contribute to Haiti’s long-term progress." With an 80 percent unemployment rate, restoring Haiti was quite the feat for Jean before the earthquake but now seems like one of the labours of Hercules. But through his passion, Jean continues on.
This pride in his homeland has existed through Jean's work, starting from his first solo effort The Carnival. The last three songs on the 1997 album are sung in Haitian Creole, and the 2004 Welcome to Haiti: Creole 101 was performed completely in the language. Most artists in the American hip-hop market would be too nervous to do something so different, but Jean embraced it. He's true to himself and to his culture.
And now he's in Haiti, trying to help rebuild a country that nature tried to snuff out. If everybody in the world had a tenth of his passion, Earth would be an amazing place.
You can donate to help Haiti in their time of need here.
A 7.3 earthquake hit Haiti on Tuesday, followed by two strong aftershocks. This seismic occurrence was the largest the island has experienced in 200 years. Its destruction was so immense that the presidential palace, the house of parliament and a myriad of other government buildings all collapsed in Port-au-Prince, a city of 2 million people. This isn't even mentioning the mass destruction that people in the rest of Haiti experienced. In total, the Red Cross believes that as many as 3 million people were affected by this natural disaster.
Today saw Jean returning to his homeland to help where he can. As Jean said, "I cannot stress enough what a human disaster this is, and idle hands will only make this tragedy worse. The over 2 million people in Port-au-Prince tonight face catastrophe alone. We must act now." And beyond his immediate physical return to Haiti, he was quick to set up means of donation to help combat the wreckage through texting and yele.org.
And while I respect Jean's actions during this sad time, he's had my admiration long before now. Showing that he hasn't forgotten where he came from, Jean has been running the Yele Haiti Foundation since 2005. This organization has been helping feed hungry women and children, providing scholarships to thousands of Haitian students, and creating employment opportunities that help support agricultural production. Jean said, "Our mission is to create small-scale, manageable and replicable projects to contribute to Haiti’s long-term progress." With an 80 percent unemployment rate, restoring Haiti was quite the feat for Jean before the earthquake but now seems like one of the labours of Hercules. But through his passion, Jean continues on.
This pride in his homeland has existed through Jean's work, starting from his first solo effort The Carnival. The last three songs on the 1997 album are sung in Haitian Creole, and the 2004 Welcome to Haiti: Creole 101 was performed completely in the language. Most artists in the American hip-hop market would be too nervous to do something so different, but Jean embraced it. He's true to himself and to his culture.
And now he's in Haiti, trying to help rebuild a country that nature tried to snuff out. If everybody in the world had a tenth of his passion, Earth would be an amazing place.
You can donate to help Haiti in their time of need here.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Lilith or Eve?
Megan Fox, generally speaking, strikes me as an anti-feminist. She's nothing more than a brunette Barbie. I mean, imagine her on the set of either of the "Transformers" movies. Michael Bay's directions probably didn't expand beyond, "Megan, baby, arch your back more. Really push out those breasts. Great, now trying running slower and...bouncier." The entire last half of "Transformers: Rise of the Fallen" was her running toward the camera in slow-mo, with the camera of course centered on her massive mammaries. With roles like that, how can I not question her position on gender equality? But after watching "Jennifer's Body" I'm beginning to suspect that there's a hidden layer to Ms. Fox.
"Jennifer's Body," written by "Juno" scribe Diablo Cody, is the story of the popular girl at school. You know the one I'm talking about. The one who won't give you the light of day unless she feels she can use you for something. It's about her (played by Megan Fox) and her plain-Jane friend Needy (not her real name, but considering even her boyfriend calls her that, it's what I'll call her, too), and a night gone wrong.
They live in a small town called Devil's Kettle and decide to drive out to a country bar to see visiting indie band Low Shoulder. Jennifer's plan is to hook up with the lead singer. Unfortunately, the bar catches fire, killing many of the occupants and ruining the show. After barely escaping with their lives, Needy and Jennifer are offered a ride by Low Shoulder in their spooky van. Jennifer being in shock from the trauma agrees to go with them, leaving Needy by herself. The problem is that the band planned on sacrificing Jennifer to Satan in order to gain musical success. As the lead singer, Nikolai, says, "Do you know how hard it is to make it as an indie band these days? There are so many of us, and we're all so cute and it's like if you don't get on Letterman or some retarded soundtrack, you're screwed, okay? Satan is our only hope."
Things didn't go as planned, though. The ritual required a virgin, which Jennifer was not. As a result, Low Shoulder got their wish, but Jennifer's body was possessed by a boy-hungry demon. So, she goes on a sort of killing spree (a spree involving only four victims) until Needy catches on and stops her.
Here's my reading of the film, though. Jennifer represents a woman in tune with her sexuality. She is in control of her own sexual nature, and the world is in balance. Low Shoulder, on the other hand represents men. Not just "men" per se, but men who wish to exploit women's sexuality for their own goals. In real life this happens constantly. Just look at most TV shows, commercials, movies and video games. Big busted women are everywhere because the people in power (generally men) know it will earn them money. Likewise, Low Shoulder wanted to be famous musicians. So they used her and tossed her aside when she had nothing else to give them.
However, men tainted the sexually confident woman. Thanks to their efforts, Jennifer was transformed into the lustful man-eater that mothers warn their boys about instead of the relatively harmless sexual entity she once was. This causes Needy, who represents the more stereotypical feminists, to turn on her and eventually kill her. This equates to the death of women being able to use their sexuality and remain feminists (a view often taken by naive junior feminists). Men caused women to turn on each other, but Needy never forgot Low Shoulder's role in the matter. The movie ends with Needy getting revenge on the band for making her turn on her best friend.
This movie, and Megan Fox in general, reminds me of Atom Egoyan's "Exotica." The film is centered on a stripper, and even though she is on stage dancing for men, she's put in the position of power. She takes their money. They can't touch her. She's in control. That's kind of how I see Megan Fox now. And all this reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend about the Wonderbra. The product isn't inherently feministic or anti-feministic; it's all about how it's used. I think the same thing can be said about sexuality. After all, Megan Fox is probably a millionaire by now thanks to the dollars spent by drooling males.
Now, I'm not saying I like Megan Fox. I'm not saying that she is in fact a good feminist, or even a feminist at all. I'm simply stating that this movie complicates my view of her and caused me to rethink some things. Still, if there's another "Transformers" film I'm going to vomit.
"Jennifer's Body," written by "Juno" scribe Diablo Cody, is the story of the popular girl at school. You know the one I'm talking about. The one who won't give you the light of day unless she feels she can use you for something. It's about her (played by Megan Fox) and her plain-Jane friend Needy (not her real name, but considering even her boyfriend calls her that, it's what I'll call her, too), and a night gone wrong.
They live in a small town called Devil's Kettle and decide to drive out to a country bar to see visiting indie band Low Shoulder. Jennifer's plan is to hook up with the lead singer. Unfortunately, the bar catches fire, killing many of the occupants and ruining the show. After barely escaping with their lives, Needy and Jennifer are offered a ride by Low Shoulder in their spooky van. Jennifer being in shock from the trauma agrees to go with them, leaving Needy by herself. The problem is that the band planned on sacrificing Jennifer to Satan in order to gain musical success. As the lead singer, Nikolai, says, "Do you know how hard it is to make it as an indie band these days? There are so many of us, and we're all so cute and it's like if you don't get on Letterman or some retarded soundtrack, you're screwed, okay? Satan is our only hope."
Things didn't go as planned, though. The ritual required a virgin, which Jennifer was not. As a result, Low Shoulder got their wish, but Jennifer's body was possessed by a boy-hungry demon. So, she goes on a sort of killing spree (a spree involving only four victims) until Needy catches on and stops her.
Here's my reading of the film, though. Jennifer represents a woman in tune with her sexuality. She is in control of her own sexual nature, and the world is in balance. Low Shoulder, on the other hand represents men. Not just "men" per se, but men who wish to exploit women's sexuality for their own goals. In real life this happens constantly. Just look at most TV shows, commercials, movies and video games. Big busted women are everywhere because the people in power (generally men) know it will earn them money. Likewise, Low Shoulder wanted to be famous musicians. So they used her and tossed her aside when she had nothing else to give them.
However, men tainted the sexually confident woman. Thanks to their efforts, Jennifer was transformed into the lustful man-eater that mothers warn their boys about instead of the relatively harmless sexual entity she once was. This causes Needy, who represents the more stereotypical feminists, to turn on her and eventually kill her. This equates to the death of women being able to use their sexuality and remain feminists (a view often taken by naive junior feminists). Men caused women to turn on each other, but Needy never forgot Low Shoulder's role in the matter. The movie ends with Needy getting revenge on the band for making her turn on her best friend.
This movie, and Megan Fox in general, reminds me of Atom Egoyan's "Exotica." The film is centered on a stripper, and even though she is on stage dancing for men, she's put in the position of power. She takes their money. They can't touch her. She's in control. That's kind of how I see Megan Fox now. And all this reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend about the Wonderbra. The product isn't inherently feministic or anti-feministic; it's all about how it's used. I think the same thing can be said about sexuality. After all, Megan Fox is probably a millionaire by now thanks to the dollars spent by drooling males.
Now, I'm not saying I like Megan Fox. I'm not saying that she is in fact a good feminist, or even a feminist at all. I'm simply stating that this movie complicates my view of her and caused me to rethink some things. Still, if there's another "Transformers" film I'm going to vomit.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
We Opened the Box
When I first saw a trailer for "Avatar," I had no idea what I saw. Not because it blew me away but because I literally didn't know what I just watched. There was so little information I couldn't put anything together. And then the hype-storm hit. Everywhere I went people began talking up James Cameron's newest movie. Somebody in one of my film classes said it was going to revolutionize films. That seemed like a stretch, but you never know. So, the movie finally hit theatres and people began raving about it. Once I realized it didn't suffocate on its own hype I got excited. I finally watched it (twice now), and it didn't disappoint.
I had a lot of friends who fell in love with the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. With each movie clocking in at more than three hours and being full of walking, I wasn't as impressed. However, even I can admit that they were epic on a scale not often seen in film. The massive battles, colossal towers and in-depth lore all made the movies what they were. "Avatar" is the first movie since that I can say captures that kind of tremendous feeling. The build up throughout the first two-thirds of the movie established characters we actually cared about and a plot that was actually interesting, and in the third act all hell broke loose. Infantry wearing robotic battle suits fought hammer-nosed rhinos. Helicopters and bombers were in dog fights against dragon-looking beasts. It was magnificent.
And it shouldn't be overlooked that the movie had underlying ideologies. There was the whole "global warming" and "humans are destroying Earth" message, which while I whole-heartedly agree with, I am getting a little bored of it. I guess Hollywood will just keep sending the same message until we listen, though. At least "Avatar" sent the message in a more articulate way than M. Night Shyamalan did in "The Happening." Most of the argument is visible by the films usage of props. The marines in the film need face masks in order to go outside on the alien planet Pandora. This serves as a literal as well as a metaphoric symbol for how we humans aren't capable of adapting to live in an untarnished ecosystem. The main villain, who I will talk about later, tries to muscle his way into the world without protection from time to time, but he always ends up needing a mask to breathe. This is the weakness of humans. And that's not to mention that our species is constantly in search of some unobtainable substance and are willing to destroy whatever it takes to get it.
But, the unspoken theme I appreciate more in "Avatar" was the questioning of identity. The main character, Jake Sully, was enlisted in the avatar program because his twin brother who was already a part of the program had been killed. Since they were twins and avatars were gene-specific, Jake was the only person who could operate the avatar. So, when Jake plugs into his avatar, it's not even his, really. It's his brother's. And when he is plugged into the avatar, where is Jake Sully? Is he in the bed with his eyes closed, or is he in the avatar running through the forest?
But by far, my favorite part of "Avatar" is the main antagonist, Colonel Miles Quaritch. This man is the epitome of all things masculine, human and American. I'm betting he snorts whiskey and opens beer bottles with his eye socket. The is a true testament to his manliness: at one point during the film his shoulder catches fire, and he doesn't care. He doesn't do a thing about it. Then, a couple of minutes later he remembers that a part of him is burning and puts it out. He doesn't extinguish the flame because he's in pain; he does it because the flame annoyed him. Also, when he realized Jake was working with the aliens, he was so angry that he chartered a helicopter to take him miles away to the scientists' camp, kicked in the door, unplugged Jake while he was connected to the avatar, punched him in the face and left. If I ever get to the point where I am willing to travel 50 miles just to punch somebody, and my anger remains present throughout the entire trip, then my life will be complete.
So while I wouldn't call "Avatar" revolutionary in terms of narrative design (many people have commented on how the story is just a rehashing of other films, such as Disney's "Pocahontas"), I do think it was one hell of an experience. It didn't change me as a person, or give me a better outlook on life, but it kept me entertained for three hours, and really, that's a feat all on its own.
I had a lot of friends who fell in love with the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. With each movie clocking in at more than three hours and being full of walking, I wasn't as impressed. However, even I can admit that they were epic on a scale not often seen in film. The massive battles, colossal towers and in-depth lore all made the movies what they were. "Avatar" is the first movie since that I can say captures that kind of tremendous feeling. The build up throughout the first two-thirds of the movie established characters we actually cared about and a plot that was actually interesting, and in the third act all hell broke loose. Infantry wearing robotic battle suits fought hammer-nosed rhinos. Helicopters and bombers were in dog fights against dragon-looking beasts. It was magnificent.
And it shouldn't be overlooked that the movie had underlying ideologies. There was the whole "global warming" and "humans are destroying Earth" message, which while I whole-heartedly agree with, I am getting a little bored of it. I guess Hollywood will just keep sending the same message until we listen, though. At least "Avatar" sent the message in a more articulate way than M. Night Shyamalan did in "The Happening." Most of the argument is visible by the films usage of props. The marines in the film need face masks in order to go outside on the alien planet Pandora. This serves as a literal as well as a metaphoric symbol for how we humans aren't capable of adapting to live in an untarnished ecosystem. The main villain, who I will talk about later, tries to muscle his way into the world without protection from time to time, but he always ends up needing a mask to breathe. This is the weakness of humans. And that's not to mention that our species is constantly in search of some unobtainable substance and are willing to destroy whatever it takes to get it.
But, the unspoken theme I appreciate more in "Avatar" was the questioning of identity. The main character, Jake Sully, was enlisted in the avatar program because his twin brother who was already a part of the program had been killed. Since they were twins and avatars were gene-specific, Jake was the only person who could operate the avatar. So, when Jake plugs into his avatar, it's not even his, really. It's his brother's. And when he is plugged into the avatar, where is Jake Sully? Is he in the bed with his eyes closed, or is he in the avatar running through the forest?
But by far, my favorite part of "Avatar" is the main antagonist, Colonel Miles Quaritch. This man is the epitome of all things masculine, human and American. I'm betting he snorts whiskey and opens beer bottles with his eye socket. The is a true testament to his manliness: at one point during the film his shoulder catches fire, and he doesn't care. He doesn't do a thing about it. Then, a couple of minutes later he remembers that a part of him is burning and puts it out. He doesn't extinguish the flame because he's in pain; he does it because the flame annoyed him. Also, when he realized Jake was working with the aliens, he was so angry that he chartered a helicopter to take him miles away to the scientists' camp, kicked in the door, unplugged Jake while he was connected to the avatar, punched him in the face and left. If I ever get to the point where I am willing to travel 50 miles just to punch somebody, and my anger remains present throughout the entire trip, then my life will be complete.
So while I wouldn't call "Avatar" revolutionary in terms of narrative design (many people have commented on how the story is just a rehashing of other films, such as Disney's "Pocahontas"), I do think it was one hell of an experience. It didn't change me as a person, or give me a better outlook on life, but it kept me entertained for three hours, and really, that's a feat all on its own.
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