It is official. James Cameron ranks right up there with Guillermo Del Toro as my favourite director. I was a fan of Terminator and Aliens as a kid, an even bigger fan of Titanic, and now Avatar is the best film I’ve watched this year.
Avatar is a sci-fi epic- full of action, special effects, heart and grandeur. The story is familiar but complex. Humans have discovered the indigenous Na Vi people in an unknown land called Pandora. To get close to these blue-elfin-alienish like species- which tower over humans, speak a different language, run a helluva faster while wielding arrows and riding majestic birds, scientists came up with the idea of an Avatar. A human gets into a special machine, enters a dream-like state, and is projected into an ‘avatar’ specially created for him. The ‘avatar’ has features like the Na Vi people, enabling the human to blend in with the natives they want to know more about.
The scientists who are genuinely interested in knowing about this other world form one camp while the financial backers of the project- aided by a crazy military man whose only high in life seems to come from mass destruction - form the opposing camp. The latter is only interested in one thing: getting the Na Vi people to relocate and kill them if they refuse to, so that they can get the precious resources buried deep in Na Vi land.
Avatar is first and foremost spellbindingly beautiful. The 3-D effects made Pandora come to life. The magical place, was by turns, my best dream and my worst nightmare. The strangely lovely flora and fauna made Pandora seemed like paradise at times while the ferocious creatures which dominate the place scare the hell out of me whenever they appear.
Beyond excellent special effects however, the premise of the film, while familiar, broke new ground by introducing a refreshing and creative spin on the typical understanding of an avatar. The glorious beauty of the film, together with an interesting plot which moved at a more or less good pace, and the ingenious and intriguing concept of an avatar made me completely immersed in the film. It’s like, well, a fantasy fan’s wet dream come true.
More importantly, the film was moving and had plenty of heart. Think Independence Day, only this time round, the enemy are humans and the poor Na Vi people are the ones sacrificing all to protect their motherland. The characters- Jake the cripple who was supposed to infiltrate the Na Vi community and pass on intelligence to the military in exchange for a chance to get his legs healed, Neytiri, the spirited Na Vi he falls for, the many other Na Vi people, the scientists who fought and gave up their lives to protect what they believed in- the sanctity of nature – all of them were well-fleshed out enough to make you feel for their struggles. The baddies on the other hand are so, so bad. But instead of making the film flat, the one-dimensional evil-doers just make viewers root for the heroes more.
There are flaws of course. The film is a tad too ambitious and there are so many issues environmentalism, patriotism, love, technology, how Jake is more alive as an avatar than as human being – that everything is like a touch-and-go. A couple of scenes are a wee bit draggy and very sappy. During those fleetingly brief moments, you almost think this is all crap, and then something exciting happens, and you are pulled right back. In the grand scheme of things, these are all pretty neglible.
Just go watch it. I know I am going to watch it again.
Some people see the name, some people think it is easy, many think it is glamourous/fun/exciting
but what many will not know
is that the work is tough. Very tough.
And it is really bringing out aggression (is that how you spell it? Dun care haha), impatience and all else negative.
So much to talk about in terms of work, but I’m very tired.
Yesterday, i got screwed (pardon my language cos’ i really can’t find a better description) by a certain elite institution here. U’ll know what I’m talking about if you happen to read today’s publication.
I lost it. I really did. And I wrote a lengthy, forceful email which must have scared the hell out of them because I am always unfailingly smiley. After I sent it, I got a bit freaked (Coward! Me! haha)- will they complain to my boss? are they going to accuse me of things as well? But in the end, i got my apology. I still don’t feel good though.
On a completely different note, for some strange reason, CW is pushing the 13th episode of Gossip Girl to next March. Supposedly to push up ratings. I don’t quite get it, but I just want to watch because I’ve got a feeling this could be the last season, and the pairings are going to the perfect ones- dan+vanessa, serena + nate and of cos, chuck and blair.
Ok, just got back from work. waiting for my hair to dry. and i can’t wait for sat to come.
Coldplay’s Viva La Vida
Neyo’s Closer
Flo Rida’s Low
What I’ve got on repeat mode right now, and a great beginning to Saturday (other than continuing on Friends Season 4)=)
We got the keys last night and we celebrated it feasting on my favourite ravioli with veal, porcini, truffle-scented sauce. I love truffles, yumz~~ but the thing is, i’d set a target for myself way back..to own my own at 28, and given that I think I will be able to settle things in a month or two, dreams r gonna come true!!
My legs hurt. Ouch, ouch, ouch.
Ran more than I was prepared for (my last run was two weeks ago, 10 km..and so far the longest runs I had done measured about 6km). I did 21 km…in close to three hours…then I gave up cos it was so darn painful!!
I am so impressed by some old people, they are slow but methodical and they really trudged on. Amazing=) And new records were broken, as I was doing my perhaps..er 7th kilometre, some of those international, elite runners were making their way back.
Here’s praying that I can walk properly tomorrow -_-.
Friends- Perfect cast, great chemistry, funny, very warm and sweet, Monica & Chandler, Rachel & Ross, silly Joey and naive Phoebe, the friendship, the messy love relationships, the great cameos and recurring characters (Janice’s OH. MY.GOD haha), the struggles with work, what’s there not to like? I’m currently on re-watch mode, at Season 3, when they are 28, and I can so identify with everything. And oh, Rachel makes me want to cut my curls haha. If there’s one sitcom I would advise busy, stressed working adults between 25 and 35 to invest in, friends would be that:)
Gossip Girl- Just for the sharp lines, very young and beautiful people, equally gorgeous clothes, and to indulge in a fantasy (at least for me lahz haha) world of immense weath, intrigue and people who’re so rich they just have sex with one another, fall in love sometimes, and get into all sorts of weird trouble. Chuck, muaks! ♥
Who’s the Boss- who would have thought little Samantha (Alyssa Milano) would grow up so hot? One of my favourites on Hallmark, really old, but really, really funny. My favourite afternoon past-time when i was in school.
Bewitched- This is so much better than the film version. Another favourite on Hallmark. Samantha, the hapless witch is darn cute, and her mother and clueless husband are even funnier. It (the re-runs) ran for a long while, and I spent many precious hours which I could have used to revise for the A-levels watching magic haha.
SATC- Carrie.is.me. minus the money she spends on branded items. Even my friends said her character reminds them of yours truly. Nuff’ said.
Beverly Hills 90210!!! That was my favourite when I was in primary school. Jennie Garth is so pretty!! Luke Perry’s the original bad boy of my generation!
24. Notice how Prison Break is conspicuously missing? You see, I think tv-watching should be mindless, or funny, or sexy, not mind-draining. So it’s rare that I watch anything requiring brainwork. 24’s an exception. I sat through three seasons in 2 weeks. It is that good. (though I really got sick of it by then haha)
Lost. Sat through the first season, in hall, while H was studying for his exams, and I was just bored. It was exciting, sexy, and very scary. Like 24, one of the rare need-to-use-some-brains show that I actually enjoyed. Totally got sick after the second season though- like won’t the monster/creature/whatever that’s lurking just come out already?!
The OC. Simply for Adam Brody and Rachel Bilson, Seth & Summer=))
Ally Mcbeal- It was so refreshing, funny, and I dunno, so true of women…until the third season. That’s when everything started falling apart.
There’re others of course – Party of Five, 7th Heaven (anyone else remember? haha), Heroes (first season that is), Grey’s Anatomy, 3rd Rock from the Sun, ER, Seinfield, Mad about You, but I just didn’t like them enough to watch an entire season:)
It’s raining again, and I was watching Friends, totally into the chemistry between Ross and Rachel at the beach-house, when i decided that I should write something about them. Duh, I know, haha. Movie-watching at 4pm, I’m gonna collect the race-pack but I am not going to run, not the full at least. I can barely do a 12km, and i do runs, only when I’m confident I can at least enjoy it. Haiz:(
This’s gonna sound even more duh but I really dig the snow flakes falling on the blog haha! Christmas’s almost here=))
Starts today, and ends on Mon 1159 pm. Shiok!
I am not gonna think work at all these three days.
Yesterday was shabu, shabu and karaoke (after knocking off at like 9pm), and today- I’m gonna get the hair done (I haven’t been to a salon in seven months, and my hair is looking less like my hair, and more like a lion’s mane) and it’s off for dinner with Shir! Tomorrow is the bummer- I’ve a great lunch at a great restaurant, but it’s a company affair. I’m just gonna get it quick, over, done!!!
Line of the day (from Rachel/Jennifer Aniston): How can I grow if you don’t let me blow? muahahaha.
Been spending some time re-watching Friends. I know it is a passe sitcom but I really like it=) And I’d better watch it, considering how i’ve spent a small fortune on all ten seasons (but hey, i got those DVDs at a darn good price! haha)
I’m hard-pressed to find my favourite character cos’ I like them all so much, but Phoebe, she tugs at my heartstrings for some reason. Maybe it is how kind she is, how people as quirky but so pure and innocent do not really exist in real life, her sad background, but her wedding, when she bade the triplets farewell, and how delighted she was at Ross’s gift of a pink bicycle- those were the rare scenes that made me tear. Tear big-time.
Finished the 10km charity run today. Timing was good (slightly under an hour?) but I hated the run. The sun was in my face (it has been grey and gloomy for weeks, and the sun just had to come out for an hour, just when i was running), the cheerleaders- i wouldn’t call them cheerleaders, they were really stony-faced, and aiya, just wasn’t one of those runs where you actually feel happy. But since it is supposedly for charity, shall not complain further!:p
