AVATAR Update

Opening Weekend

It's official: Avatar is the #1 movie in America. It opened up with a cool $73 million--not spectacular, but slightly more than I expected. My theater only had about 50 people attend the midnight show on Thursday. Friday was slow all up until the evening when I left work. Business picked up on Saturday. All day we had people calling in, asking if the show was sold out. It was funny to me because people didn't call the theater this much for New Moon, and when they did call, their worries were valid. James Cameron did such a great job marketing this picture that people thought it would be huge, like the second coming of Star Wars, when this wasn't the case at all. People seemed flabbergasted, almost disappointed when they came into the theater early to buy tickets for a later screening and didn't have to contend with long lines and sold out shows.

As Saturday became Sunday, the traffic increased. Not only that, the crowds seemed to be more enthusiastic. I remember feeling sorry for Cameron during Friday because no one (aside from my managers) gave any indication that they liked the movie. They just shuffled to the bathroom with their eyes glazed over from 3+ hours of 3D. But by Sunday, our matinee totals nearly doubled Saturday's, and crowds couldn't wait to get their seat. For first time since I heard James Cameron was making another movie, you could actually feel the excitement surrounding this film. The masses showed up for a good time, and they didn't leave unsatisfied. Both showings in the big screen enjoyed applause from the crowd. People were talking about it as soon as they came out of the doors. "Wow, that was really good!"

Either the people in the Sunday matinees were feeling blessed from their morning mass, or they were just excited having an excuse not to watch the Bears get pummeled again. Here's my theory: The people who came out to the Friday and Saturday shows were more of your die-hard Cameron fans like myself, who just couldn't wait to see the movie. They had their hopes set so high, there was no way it could reach them. The Sunday crowd consisted more of families and larger groups, so right there you've already got a higher level of excitement. But then when you consider that these folks are just looking to see a matinee for family entertainment on a Sunday afternoon, without all the expectations and preconceived notions, their margin for enjoyment is exponentially larger than that the previous crowds'.

Ya Know What Really Grinds My Gears??

I myself still haven't seen Avatar, otherwise this post would be a review. I have however, seen a good chunk of the movie from doing 'walk-throughs,' and I've come to two conclusions:

A. I still don't like CG

B. And I don't like 3D

Right at the beginning of the film, Cameron tries to 'wow' you with this insane corridor shot consisting of about 50 different levels of depth. If you plan on seeing this movie, heed my advice: wait to put on the glasses. This shot will hurt your eyes and give you a headache. I'm sure it would look great if your eyes were adjusted to the 3D already...but they're not. And instead, it's like getting stabbed in the eye. Although there are some beautiful scenes in the film, the 3D barely enhances the experience. As I mentioned earlier, 3 hours of 3D is 2-much. If you want to see the 3D in IMAX, I'm guessing that would be awesome. But if its just in your garden-variety theater, try to find a screen playing it in 2D, or wait to see if the studio releases it in 2D. Otherwise you'll spend half the time cleaning your glasses and squinting to distinguish the background from the foreground.

And lastly, my rant about CG. Ya know what really grinds my gears?!

CGI. Computer-Generated Imagery.

Here's what I want to know: If they can make the characters' faces look so realistic, why did they have to skimp on the body? I mean, seriously. The faces look unbelievable. But then the body looks like a bad instructional video from the 90's. They're just blue and lifeless. They don't move anything like a human! And don't tell me "that's because they're not human." They are played by human actors. If they can motion capture the faces, why couldn't they do it with the body as well?! Is it because they're supposed to be 10 feet tall? That's no excuse. They've been making people look tall and short for as long as there's been cinema--they could've done this and done it well. But instead they chose not to. Maybe to save time or money...I don't know. All I do know is that it makes me much less excited to see this movie. I don't care how good this movie is, it will never be great because of that one major flaw. I can totally buy in to the rest of the film. It all looks fantastic and feels like a James Cameron film. You feel like you're in Pandora. But then you see the na'vi and the whole fantasy is ruined. It's like having a dream about the girl of your dreams, and then right before you're about to score, she turns into your mom. Thank you, Buzz Killington.

AVATAR Preview

Tonight at the Paramount Theater we open James Cameron's epic sci-fi adventure, Avatar. Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez and Giovanni Ribisi, Avatar is the story of a marine and...ah who the hell cares, it's f***in' James Cameron! He not only directed two of the greatest sequels in the history of cinema (Aliens & Terminator 2), but also Titanic, which not only took home 11 Academy Awards, but became the highest domestic grossing film of all-time, with $600+ million! (not accounting for inflation) It's no wonder there is so much hype and such high hopes for this movie.

More than just direct Avatar, Cameron wrote the entire story himself--a project 14 years in the making. So what took him so long to film it? Get this: He wanted to wait until the technology would allow him to create photorealism. THANK YOU! FINALLY, someone in Hollywood with half a brain, who actually considers the audience and sacrifices short-term profits for long-term quality. Hallelujah!

Cameron has used CGI in his films before, but he used it sparingly, and when he did, he did it very well. How can anyone forget the scene where the T-1000 comes out of the checkered floor and stabs the security guard right through the eye? Classic! Or how 'bout during Titanic, when Jack and Rose are at the top of the ship while everyone's plunging to their death, bouncing off of propellers and hand rails like it's going out of style? That's right, no one. Those iconic scenes are forever etched into our psyches. And unlike today's superhero shitfests, he didn't rely only on computer-generated special effects. He actually sank ships and blew up buildings. The set for Titanic included a 17-million-gallon tank of water.

People just don't know how to feel about Avatar. We knew Aliens, Terminator and Titanic would be mega hits. But an original story about blue aliens? Immediately red flags go off in my head. Dreadful visions of Battlefield Earth, Jar Jar Binks and blue penis spring to mind. Does Cameron hold enough sway with the public as he does with Hollywood? Can we keep the faith, or are we all too weary of boys who cry Beowolf?

So like Hitler, I was very skeptical about the CG characters. That was until I saw this next behind-the-scenes preview....

Motion capture is a relatively new technology for filmmaking. Sinbad: Beyond the Veil of Mists (possibly the most expensive direct-to-video movie ever made) was the first feature length film created exclusively using motion capture. Robert Zemeckis brought it into the mainstream in 2004 with The Polar Express, and has continued using it ever since--his latest effort being Disney's A Christmas Carol featuring Jim Carrey. Many have complained though, (myself included) that his films look too cartoonish and unrealistic. While some like to immerse themselves in the computer-generated fantasy world, others would rather play a video game than watch it.

If Zemeckis pioneered motion capture, Peter Jackson mastered it in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Return of the King. He and Andy Serkis received all kinds of accolades and recognition for their portrayal of Gollum. I think it was a great concept considering the character's huge role in the books, and therefore his involvement throughout the film, but I still didn't like it. I'm just not a fan. I've had some pretty awful experiences with CG sidekicks and blue aliens alike.

But hey, all-blue is not all bad...

It should be no surprise that people aren't taking to Avatar immediately. It won't have the record-breaking first weekend that New Moon had (we sold out 2,000 seats for the midnight shows a week in advance; Avatar opens at midnight having sold less than 100 presale tickets at our location). If you remember though, Titanic spent an unprecedented 16 weeks at #1--absolutely unheard of in modern cinema. Cameron is hoping Avatar will perform in a similar fashion, accumulating buzz and box office numbers as the weeks go on. I think it will do fairly well, but not to the extent it's being hyped. It has some real stiff competition this holiday with The Princess and the Frog still fresh atop the pile and Robert Downey Jr.'s Sherlock Holmes coming out on Christmas Day. Also being released that day are two Oscar worthy heavyweights: Nine and Up In the Air. And don't count out the rest of the pack--A Christmas Carol has been surprisingly consistent, as has Michael Oher's biopic, The Blind Side. The film may pick up steam if he wins the NFL's 2009 Rookie of the Year (keep an eye out for him in the Bears game this Sunday).

If you get a chance to see Avatar, comment back and let me know what you thought. I'm interested to hear your reaction to the blue aliens.

Vampires, Werewolves and Cougars, Oh No!

No Rest for the Weary

It's early Monday morning here, and I'm finishing up an exhausting, yet exhilarating weekend at work. For me, it was 4 days long, beginning on Thursday. I came in at about 8pm that night to help get everything ready for the midnight showing of The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Already the lines were wrapped around our building and down the next block. We showed the film in 4 separate screens, and to handle the capacity crowds, we recruited two local police officers and two more managers from our sister theater, the Meadowview. Out of our five screens at the Paramount, the biggest theater holds 800 people. Tickets for that show sold out a full week in advance. The other 3 screens playing New Moon have between 2-400 seats, all of which sold out on or before Thursday. Altogether we had around 2,000 people in our modest little movie house.

The biggest weekend we've ever had there was last August, for the opening of Dark Knight. We also played that on 4 screens and it ended up being the highest grossing week in our theater's history. The way tickets for New Moon were disappearing just a few weeks ago, it looked on pace to beat the Batman, and it already did in some respect: it was the fastest we've ever sold out for a midnight show.

Bad Romance

As you might've guessed, the weekend was utter madness. Women of all ages flooded the theater to the ceiling with estrogen and sexual pheromones. Yes, ALL ages. I was anticipating the droves of screaming preteens covered head to toe in Twilight garb, but I completely underestimated its lure to middle-aged women. I got a real wake up call this weekend when I found this left behind in the main theater on Friday:

Of course! Women love cheesy romance novels--why wouldn't they come see New Moon?? That's really all it is, a smut novel for kids. Hey, get 'em while they're young.

So while the vampire might find himself the dangerous and seductive object of a young woman's affection, the werewolf will learn that the hunter is now hunted . . . by cougars. Every woman over 30 (and there were plenty--without children!) was there for one reason and one reason only: Jacob, the roid-happy werewolf oozing machismo.

• New York City Single Mom (Team Jacob)
• Mommy FC is Team Jacob
• Goth Cougar Moms for Twilight

Every time he came on screen Friday night, the entire theater would shake from the shrieks of hysterical women. This is because he and every other guy in the film are shirtless indefinitely. It's as if the writer and director decided they would flip the sexist double standards of cinema on their head by finding every excuse possible to show off the male physique. If that was their intention, they overachieved. I happened to catch one scene in particular where Bella (played by the lovely Kristen Stewart) crashes Jake's motorcycle and bumps her head. The blood is barely noticeable, and its obviously not serious, as indicated by her character's mannerisms. But nevertheless, Jake has to rip off his shirt in the cold of autumn to dab what little blood there is onto his article of clothing that will most likely never recover from the stain. "Seriously? Who does that?!?"

When I mentioned this to my manager he shared the same sentiment. I asked him if he was on Team Edward or Team Jacob, to which he answered, "Team Cedric," as in Cedric Diggory from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I never cared enough to notice that this character was in fact played by Robert Pattinson, aka Edward Cullen, the vampire from Twilight.

In A Different Light

As an usher, I am required to do 'walk throughs' to make sure the film and projector are running properly and to make sure no one is on their phone or has a six pack of beer with them (which happens more than you might think). I do this no less than once or twice each set (time slot) for each separate film being shown. Altogether I worked about 12 sets of New Moon over the weekend, multiplied by 3 screens equals 36 screenings. What this means is that inadvertently, I have seen nearly all of New Moon. And I am a bit ashamed to admit it, but not all of the viewing was against my will. There is one scene in particular that made me question whether I was watching a sequel to Twilight or a sequel to The Matrix (only, a good one). I'm not sure where it fits into the plot or even at what point in the movie it occurs (which btw, is over 2hrs long), but it involves a pack of 'werewolves' (I use quotes because they are really just men who turn into over-grown wolves--I guess they didn't want to compromise the sex appeal) chasing a redhead vampiress through the forest. Part of it can be seen in this trailer:

What makes this scene so awesome is the perfect blend of gorgeous cinematography, atmosphere and special effects with a soundtrack that is refreshingly unexpected. Here, check out the song that plays during the sequence and read what moviegoers and music lovers had to say in the comments: "Hearing Damage" by Thom Yorke

Music of the Night

While I am reluctant to say I have enjoyed some of what I've seen in New Moon, I am anything but ashamed to say I love the soundtrack. Any haters out there just need to shut up and listen. I couldn't believe it when I first heard it. I was at a party with some old friends and new acquaintances when out of nowhere there came on a Death Cab for Cutie song I was unfamiliar with. I rushed over to the living room only to find someone had uploaded the New Moon soundtrack onto their Playstation 3, and it contained a host of reputable indie bands. It was as if the music supervisor of the project was playing a joke on the audience, saying, "Here ya little brats, turn off those damn Jonas Brothers and get educated in some good music."

1. Death Cab for Cutie, 'Meet Me on the Equinox'

2. Band of Skulls, 'Friends'

3. Thom Yorke, 'Hering Damage'

4. Lykke Li, 'Possibility'

5. The Killers, 'A White Demon Love Song'

6. Anya Marina, 'Satellite Heart'

7. Muse, 'I Belong to You (New Moon Remix)'

8. Bon Iver and St. Vincent, 'Rosyln'

9. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, 'Done All Wrong'

10. Hurricane Bells, 'Monsters'

11. Sea Wolf, 'The Violet Hour'

12. Ok Go, 'Shooting The Moon'

13. Grizzly Bear, 'Slow Life'

14. Editors, 'No Sound But The Wind'

15. Alexandre Desplat, 'New Moon (The Meadow)'

I immediately bought the soundtrack (which is saying something considering I never by CD's anymore) and I've since listened to it as much as or more than any other album this year. And what's more, I was very excited to find out at the midnight show that almost the entire soundtrack is played throughout the film! It really makes an otherwise mediocre movie seem much more interesting. Also, I've read something along those lines recently that makes a case for the actors involved, asking us to give them credit for acting so well that we forget how bad the dialogue actually is, which I have to agree with. Robert Pattinson does a good job as the sensitive, brooding vampire with an American accent (like Hugh Laurie, he's very Bristish), and Kristen Stewart does extremely well as the damaged emo teen vixen. Perhaps I am being sadistic, but I especially like the scenes where her heartache causes her to have nightmares, where rather than waking up in a cold sweat she screams bloody murder. The emotion is intense; palpable. If there were an Oscar ceremony for just teens, she would most definitely take best actress.

Eclipse

New Moon met everyone's expectations this weekend by breaking box office records. It set the record for midnight screenings with $26.3 million. It eclipsed The Dark Knight for opening day with $72.7 million. However, it only went to 3rd place for highest grossing weekend (140m), just behind Spider Man 3 (151m) and The Dark Knight (158m). Now everyone is waiting to see if it will outgross this year's biggest hit so far, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, a film that like New Moon, I felt only had one worthwhile scene. The only way I see New Moon making more than $400 million is if it has replay value and the fans come out to see it more than once. I would predict that after Thanksgiving weekend, it will have met its full potential and will begin a steep decline in sales. It simply does not reach as wide a demographic audience as Transformers or The Dark Knight. However, never underestimate the buying/staying power of obsessive teens and desperate housewives. I became rather familiar with one young lady as she came out to see the film 3 times in the same weekend!

Capitalism: A Love Affair

Ever since his first film, Roger and Me, Michael Moore has been trying to get into the General Motors headquarters in Detroit, Michigan. In his newest film, Capitalism: A Love Story, he tries one last time to get inside with his cameras for an interview with the CEO. To no avail.

Well in an ironic twist of fate, General Motors went bankrupt during post-production of the film. GM was taken over by the government and Moore's good buddy Barack Obama (heard of him?) became CEO by default. As luck would have it, Moore would not only gain entrance to the GM headquarters, he would screen his new film inside them!

Marcy Kaptur is right on the money. And to make another shameless play on words, I must say that buying a ticket to see Capitalism is a great investment--worth it's weight in gold. It was one of the more enjoyable movie theater experiences I've had all year. I laughed, I shrieked, I fumed, and I cried. There aren't too many films today that can make someone feel so depressed and yet so inspired.

The film begins with a brilliant comparison of our current state of the nation to the fall of the Roman Empire, with Dick Cheney of course playing the role of 'evil emperor.'

He's so creeeeepy!!

Moore then goes on to talk about how much better we had it in the years following WWII, when people didn't complain so much about paying their taxes, and those tax dollars actually went towards creating jobs and infrastructure. "Then came along Debbie Downer," Moore says over a speech by President Jimmy Carter. People didn't seem to like his bleak messages of doom and gloom, warning us of our greedy, unsustainable and excessive lifestyles.

Enter Ronald Reagan, the capitalist cowboy who went from the wild west of Hollywood to the even wilder Wall St. and Washington. Moore's portrayals of Reagan and Bush go from the being funny to downright ridiculous. He shows a line graph attributing everything from the rise in unemployment and a spike in the sales of antidepressants to Reagan's deregulation policies. While his facts are true, he won't let you believe anyone else had anything to do with it. He receives most of his criticism for being so exaggerative, sensational, biased and leftist. But I think that's part of what make Moore's films so much fun to watch. He always has an ax to grind and he does it with such conviction, eloquence and style. He's a spiteful bastard and God bless him for it. He can take the most depressing realities about our country and make just enough fun of them that you almost forget they are real.

I'd talk more about the film, but I really urge you to go see it if you can find it playing anywhere. Besides being very enjoyable, it's also informational, dealing with some really important issues of our day. Check out his website, MichaelMoore.com, and see how you can get involved.

Also, what's your take on Capitalism? If you love it, how can we improve it? If you hate it, how can we replace it? If you think its fine just the way it is, you should probably get your head checked. And then watch this movie.

October Film Review

* Films are rated based on an average between my feelings toward the quality of the film and how much I enjoyed them overall.

Paranormal Activity 7/10
The Informant 5/10
Zombieland 6/10
Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 9/10
Where the Wild Things Are 4/10
Capitalism: A Love Story 9/10

My 31 Favorite Movies for Halloween

*Note- This list is not equivalent to my favorite movies; It is just my favorites to watch near Halloween

31. Killer Klowns From Outer Space

30. The Blair Witch Project & Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2

29. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Meyers & Halloween H20

28. Creepshow

27. The Gate

26. Shaun of the Dead

25. Bride of Chucky

24. Child's Play 1-3

23. Pumpkinhead

22. The Blob (1958) & (1988)

21. Scary Movie 1 & 2

20. Freddy vs. Jason

19. The Ring

18. Sleepy Hollow

17. Scream

16. The Evil Dead & Evil Dead 2

15. House On Haunted Hill (1959) & (1999)

14. House of 1000 Corpses

13. Michael Jackson's Thriller

Ok, so this is not exactly a movie, but it is ten minutes long and I enjoy it more than half the movies on this list. Its just so damn good! And now that Michael's joined the ranks of his zombie counter-parts, I thought I might "throw him a bone."

Or perhaps, 'give him a piece of my mind?'

12. Cabin Fever

11. Teen Witch

*So bad its scary

10. My Best Friend Is A Vampire

9. Ghostbusters

8. Beetlejuice

7. Idle Hands

6. The Nightmare Before Christmas

5. A Nightmare On Elm St.

This is probably my favorite of the whole slasher genre, mostly because it actually scared me. The beginning is super creepy, and it just keeps getting better from there. The special effects are awesome, the women are beautiful, and its even got Johnny Depp. Instant classic.

4. Donnie Darko

This is my favorite movie of all-time. But as far as Halloween's concerned, there's a few movies I'd like to watch more. The whole story takes place in October of 1988, and everything comes together on Halloween. During the party you can hear Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (or Echo and the Bunnymen in the director's cut). Its not a teen-slasher flick like it was marketed as--its much better. Frank the bunny is really creepy, and Donnie takes Gretchen to see The Evil Dead during a Halloween Frightmare Double-Feature. How much more Halloween can you get? I guess we'll find out...

3. Hocus Pocus

I don't care who you are, you gotta love Hocus Pocus. I remember seeing this in theaters and absolutely loving it. And Thora Birch (its ok, she was older than me). Its got Sarah Jessica Parker and a cat that gets smooshed. C'mon, what could be better?

Stupid virgins.

2. The Monster Squad

Its the Monster Squad. What more can I say? I grew up on this movie and its one of my favorites of all-time. Nothing beats the group of kids in this cast and the dialogue written for them. Somehow they found the perfect balance- its like a sincerely edgy kid's movie. Its not too gruesome for children, and its not too stupid for adults. Its just...perfect.

1. Halloween

Yes, that's right. And not just Halloween, but Halloween 2, 4 & 5 as well. I love the entire series (except 3 of course--we all know that one doesn't count). And although it may seem cliche, they truly are my favorite movies to watch this time of year. I've watched them every Halloween for probably the past 10 years. Donald Pleasence as Dr. Loomis just never gets old. (Ok, he gets really old by the 6th movie) He always acts with the same intensity--without him, Michael would only seem half as scary. And the absolute best part of these movies: The music. There is an atmosphere to the original series that is unlike any other. It has single-handedly changed the holiday for good. When I was younger, I would look forward to hearing it every time I'd trick or treat. Now its the whole reason I go to Fright Fest. Halloween just wouldn't be Halloween without the Halloween soundtrack.

It just so happens that the best movies to watch on Halloween are the Halloween movies.

Honorable Mention:

These are classic Halloween movies that everyone can enjoy. Each one of them however, I've only seen one time and don't remember very well, so it wouldn't be fair to consider them "favorites." Either way, you should definitely check them out if you get the chance...

>Universal Studios Classic Monsters

>Young Frankenstein

>Its the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!

>Halloweentown

>Earnest Scared Stupid

>Nosferatu

>Psycho is one of my all-time favorite horror flicks, but I don’t necessarily like to watch it around Halloween. Its good any day of the year.

>Poltergeist, but only because I forgot to put it on the list of Scariest Movies Ever. Again, I’ve only seen it once, and “it was all a long time ago.”

And these aren't really 'Halloween movies,' I just like to pretend they are:

>The Burbs

>The Stuff

>Troll 2

So that's my list. I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any thoughts or suggestions, make sure to leave a comment. Also, if you feel so inclined, leave me a list of YOUR favorite movies for Halloween!