Avatar

I was debating whether to do a Bulls/Illini post or an Avatar post because I saw the movie on Friday night. I went with Avatar, but a basketball post may be in the near future. Anyway, I saw Avatar in 3D last Friday. I know its been out a while, but I really don't see too many movies anymore. I should start from the beginning. When I first saw previews for this film a while back I thought, "This is going to be horrible." When I heard how much it cost to make I said, "This is going to be a disaster." I wasn't really interested until I heard how much money the movie continued to make so naturally I had to see what all the fuss was about. Standard spoiler warning applies.

• 3D Glasses. So this is the first, non-Disney park movie I've seen in 3D. I had a little problem with viewing it at first. It kinda strained my eyes for the first half hour. I really took me out of the movie, because I couldn't really get comfortable. I eventually got used to the glasses even if they were a bit over sized and would occasionally fall down my nose. I'd like to see it again without 3D to see the difference.
  
• Storyline. The storyline was a bit predictable. From the moment, you see Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and the Navi you realize there's going to be a Pocahontas/Dances with Wolves theme developing here. You also get a bit of a Last Samurai feel the way Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) teaches Jake how to be a Navi and train like them, which results in Jake leading them against the enemies with the advanced technology which he is familiar with. The movie doesn't seem to dwell too long and Jake's decision to accept Navi culture. From the start he is curious about it, so it seems as though the movie accepts that you must know the building theme. The only real suspense storywise happens near the end of the movie. I was curious to see how dark James Cameron would take the story. Would Jake lead the Navi over the humans and their profit driven ways, or would the machines of industry continue to destroy the nature world and rid it of its wonder? Well Cameron chose the safe side and lead the hero to victory, but I wonder if the movie would have held more meaning or if it would have been too moral or preachy they other way.
  
• Graphics/Visuals. The visuals were very impressive it the way that you accept the environment. I sat there watching the film and about 30 minutes after arriving on Pandora I realize that I'm not looking at anything real. This planet it fake. Its plants are not real. The Navi are CGI. The ground does not light up under their feet. I think that's a real credit to the movie that the visuals are so impressive you forget its computer generated. I remember watching the Matrix Reloaded and seeing the scene where Neo fights the Agents Smith in the courtyard between two buildings. The graphics were obviously trying to mix CGI shots with live action. The CGI was apparent and it took you out of the moment. Avatar was different.
  
• Empathy. I also liked the movie, because of the empathy Cameron creates with the Navi. They are these large, blue human-like beings who dwell in a large tree. Besides the obvious underdog status, if done wrong, the audience could be made to not care about these beings at all. But you get a sense for their way of life and how they think they are smarter than the "Sky people" because the Sky people don't understand certain things about life and nature.
• Negatives. One thing I though was very annoying was the name unobtainium. Really? Unobtainium? I almost laughed when I heard it. Sounds like something they would make up on a children's cartoon. I also didn't understand the character of Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi). I understand he's like the on site company executive who seems to have a conscious, but still driven by profit. He also seems vindictive too when Jake and Grace (Sigourney Weaver) fail to evacuate the Navi from the tree. I guess he's there to show the business side as opposed to the Science side (Weaver) and the miltary side (Stephen Lang as Col. Quaritch). Maybe I'm nitpicking but the character didn't seem very consistent. Another nitpicky thing was the names of the Navi. Now this ends up not really mattering, but I couldn't tell you the name of any of the Navi without looking it up. Its harder to remember unfamiliar names without a memory device.
  
• Connectivity. This is the part of the movie I enjoyed the most. The contrast between the humans and the Navi. The humans get in large armored vehicles which they control. The Navi use organic connections to control flying and horse like animals. Humans enter in data in computers and other informational networks to keep track of it. The Navi are connected to the past and their surroundings by an organic network of trees and electrical impulses that connects the environment. It's kinda of a science fiction way of looking at Native American view of the connectivity of all lifeforms. All of that said without central aspect of the film, the Avatar. Now Avatar, the movie, really ignores the moral implications of growing a lifeform to take it over. This is something which probably distracts from what Cameron was trying to achieve, but what I think is a very unexplored side. Do the Avatars have thoughts besides what the humans think? Do the Avatars dream? Is there no consciousness in the Avatar? Is it right to grow a being just to use it essential as a tool? Once again, very unexplored but not the aim of the movie.

The movie is definitely worth a look and far surpassed my very low bar for it. If nothing else it is visually stunning and crafts enough depth to make it a good movie.

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Psych

Over the past weekend, I was able to catch up on a few shows. I have to admit I've started to follow the USA weekday line up of Psych, White Collar, and Burn Notice. USA shows are in general an hour long and some combination of action, comedy, and a little drama. Psych is pretty light on the drama, but heavy in comedy with a little action. The show is in its 4th season. I started watching at the end of last season. The show is based around Shawn (James Roday) and Gus (Dule Hill) who run a psychic detective agency. Of course, Shawn is really not psychic, just really observant. They are regularly hired by the police to solve crimes, thus their involvement with most of the other main characters

The show is pretty formulaic with each hour revealing a mystery and solving it. The reason to watch the show isn't exactly for the drama or the deep characters. The show is successful due to the comedic exchanges between Shawn and Gus. Shawn also has funny exchanges with his dad (Corbin Bernsen) and Det. Lassiter (Timothy Omundson). Juliet (Maggie Lawson) is there to as a romantic attraction for Shawn, as well as to balance out the overly straight-laced Lassiter. The plot of each show is mildly interesting as the viewer often is guessing, along with Shawn and Gus what the answer is to the unsolved questions.

From my limited viewing of the show, I think Psych is a good balance of humor and action. Don't expect things to get that deep or last longer than the hour it takes to watch the show. This was particularly apparent as Juliet makes a difficult decision with her brother in one episode, yet seems completely unaffected by it in the next episode. The only thing that seems to bridge episodes are the love connections. However, if you want to be entertained for an hour Psych is a good show to sit back, let the TV take over and watch.

Super Bowl thoughts

Well, I wish this was a post about the Bears, but the closest we got was a commercial redoing the '85 Bears shuffle. Anyway, this game was built up to be a battle of the QBs, Peyton vs. Brees, and it was. Many predicted that Indy would cruise to a victory. I didn't think so I thought that the Saints had a good shot at this game. The Colts seemed too often to be digging themselves out of a hole and although they may have missed a perfect season by one half of Peyton sitting on the bench, they never seemed to have the domination factor the Patriots did a couple season ago. But they had Peyton and a slew of unheralded, impressive receivers, similar to the Saints. Speaking of the Saints, I knew that Drew Brees was good for my fantasy team. I was impressed by how Brees could spread the ball out to so many receivers. I liked the toughness of Pierre Thomas, although I have some U of I bias. I also thought both teams defenses were underrated due to their strong offenses.

Dual of QBs Fates. This was a battle of the QBs in my mind. They combined for a Super bowl record 63 completions. Brees, the MVP, was an impressive 32 for 39 going 288 yards with 2 TD. Meanwhile, Peyton was 31 for 45 going 333 yards with 1 TD and 1 interception. Those may seem like ordinary numbers for those two QBs in a regular season game, but both QBs took what was given to them. Both either had a lot of time to throw of was able to locate a check down. Both teams passed about 70% of time (IND: 45 passes in 64 plays NO: 39 passes in 57 plays). The crucial stat was there was only 1 turnover. As the game progressed, I felt that which ever team made a mistake first was going to lose. In this case, Brees and the Saints stood firm while Peyton and the Colts blinked.

Saints outplayed Colts in all but 1st quarter. The Colts owned the 1st quarter, but the rest of the game was won by the Saints, starting with two Garrett Hartley field goals in the second, the onside kick to start the half in the third, and the Tracy Porter interception in the fourth.

Gutsy calls by Payton. Sean Payton made some gutsy calls in this game. Two that immediately come to mind are going for it on 4th down and goal near the end of the 1st half and of course the onside kick to start the 2nd half. Payton was definitely seemed like he was going to take the risks to try and get the reward. Luckily for him it worked. If the onside had not worked, the decision to go for it and give Peyton Manning the ball on his own 40 would have definitely been questioned. Especially after the Saints had just worked their way to a 10-6 margin.

Content to take whats underneath. Too many, the game seemed a little lackluster for such a close game. I think this is because of the way both teams approached each other. Both teams were afraid of a total aerial assault, so they were willing to give up the short plays. As a result there didn't seem to be too many huge plays for large gains. It was methodical drives down the field with each team gaining just enough to advance the ball.

Garrett Hartley, Pierre Thomas, and Joseph Addai. An impressive day for Garrett Hartley easily kicking field goals of 46, 44, and 47 yard, the first kicker to kick 3 40+ field goals in a Super bowl. Hartley not only put the ball right down the center, he kept the Saints from sliding out of the game in the early going, bring the halftime score to a 10-6 match. Although Pierre Thomas only went 9 carries for 30 yards and a TD, he was hard to bring down and was very impressive in his one TD. Ditto of Joseph Addai who bested Thomas with 13 carries for 77 yards and 1 TD. I was impressed at how Addai exploded through the hole. He also had 7 receptions for 58 yards.

2010 November Notion

Dexter Finale

So finally a Dexter post. The season's only been over for half a year. Michael C. Hall and John Lithgow have already won Golden Globes. Anyway, this year's Dexter finale was intriguing. It wasn't has anticipated as the Season Two ending, but I was interested how they would tie everything together. There are a couple codes the show lives by: Whoever finds out who Dexter truly is killed (his brother, Lila, Doakes, Jimmy Smits) and Dexter always why he should follow Harry's code and pays the price for straying. It was clear in the finale that the Trinity killer (John Lithgow) was going to be killed. I thought that Deb would find out as well. What was unclear to me was how was Dexter going to pay the price for straying from Harry's code. Throughout the season, Dexter had grown to accept his role in his new family. It almost seemed as if he had outgrown the code. Gone from the latter half of this season was the incessant urge to kill. Could Dexter truly outgrow his nature? Spoiler alert.

Of course he couldn't. The writers definitely delivered in the finale. They took care of the obligatory killing of the Trinity Killer. As I was watching, I was thinking this is a very average and mundane ended for Dexter. It seemed like it could have been the ending to any episode. Then I looked at the time. There seemed too much time left and that's were the excitement really kicked in. What could happen in a few minutes? Is it going to fit in with the plot? Is it going to be out of the blue? Is Deb going to confront him? Then the reveal that Rita was killed, presumably by the Trinity killer, truly shocked me. At first, I didn't like it. I thought this is horrible how could they just unexpectedly kill her.

The more I thought about it the greater I thought the ending was. The whole season was how Dexter was growing into this suburban role of father. A role he first idealized in the Trinity killer. Throughout the season, he grew less attached to Dexter the killer and more to the family man. There was a light at the end of the tunnel. By killing Rita, it completely dashes all of that. The season was building him up just to destroy all he had built.

Now the speculation about the next season begins. First of all, I think the writers, looking back at it, had to kill his suburban life. I don't think we could have gone through another season trapped in suburbia with a happy Dexter. Second, this gives the writers a great opportunity to go back to a dark Dexter who nexts to control his urges. As Michael C. Hall alluded to after the finale, Dexter might be even darker than past seasons, seeking revenge instead of justice. There is the additional question of what happens to the rest of the family and his son. Additionally, I think there is the opportunity to start the next season right were the last one left off. I can see them investigating Dexter for Rita's murder. Dexter has no alibi for when she was killed (he was killing Trinity). She was killed is a specific manner, which Dexter the blood analyst knew about. Masuka saw Rita cheat on Dexter. Quinn saw Dexter clearly upset. I don't know if they go this route, but I can see a clearly frustrated Dexter early next season. He feels the urge to kill because of Rita, but can't because of the eyes watching him because of Rita's death. I just hope my expectations aren't too high.