Sci-Fi Movies Tuesday: Avatar, Dune, Ghostbusters 3, Spider-Man 4, The Thing, Thor + more January 5, 2010
by Rosario T. Calabria , Filed under: Sci-Fi , trackback
In this week’s Sci-Fi Movies, we’ve got the latest updates on the record-breaking box office run of James Cameron’s Avatar, plus new details on a deleted scene to be included on the DVD / Blu-ray release. There’s also news this week on a new director for the Dune remake, as well as positive movement on production for Ghostbusters 3, ‘Captain America‘, The Thing and Cowboys & Aliens. All that and more, including the latest casting bites, images and videos.
GENRE MOVIE NEWS
Avatar Fastest Ever to $1B Worldwide + More Details on the DVD/Blu-ray
It’s safe to say that "Avatar" has lived up to the the enormous pre-release hype. Through just three weeks of release, the James Cameron-directed 3D sci-fi epic has grossed an incredible $1.06 billion worldwide ($360.2M domestic / $702.9M overseas). It only took 19 days for the film to hit $1B worldwide which is the fastest ever to that milestone. It’s currently in 4th place on the all-time worldwide list, sitting right above "The Dark Knight" ($1.00B), but below "Titanic" ($1.84B), ‘Return of the King’ ($1.12B) and ‘Dead Man’s Chest‘($1.07B). When all is said and done, James Cameron will have the two highest grossing films of all time. The only question now is whether or not "Avatar" will be #1 or #2 on that list. Speaking solely on the domestic box office front, there’s very little doubt that "Avatar" will cross $500M. And because of the incredible weekend — #1: $77.025M, #2: $75.62M (#1 all-time second weekend), #3: $68.49M (#1 all-time third weekend) — and weekday performances, it has a very, very good shot at surpassing "The Dark Knight" ($533.34M) and even "Titanic" ($600.79M). Here’s a graph I made tracking the performance of "Avatar" against ‘TDK’ [note how quickly the gap between the two has shrunk despite the two-fold stronger start for 'TDK']:
In other news, Cameron talked a bit about what he wanted to do in possible sequels, detailing his desire to visit other moons beyond just Pandora: "We have some story ideas for how to branch out into other moons of the Polyphemus and the Alpha Centauri A solar system." Watch the clip at LA Times’ Hero Complex Blog and check out the rest of their coverage here, here and here. On the DVD / Blu-ray front [slight SPOILERS], Cameron revealed that one of the deleted scenes will be a sex scene that had to be cut to achieve the film’s PG-13 rating:
"We had it in and we cut it out. So that will be something for the special edition DVD, if you want to see how they have sex."
Star Zoe Saldana ellobrated further on the scene:
"If you sync to your banshee and you’re syncing to a tree, why not sync into a person? I almost feel like you’ll have the most amazing orgasm, I guess. It was a very funny scene to shoot because there were so many technical things that sometimes you have to keep in mind that paying attention to all those might disrupt the fluidity of how a scene is supposed to take place.
And because Jim was shooting for a PG-13 rating, we couldn’t move in certain directions. The motion would look a little too past the PG-13 rating standards. So it was really funny for Sam and me. We had a lot of giggles there."
Behind the scenes with the cast and crew on their world tour [Life]
COMEDY: "Avatar: The Making of the Bootleg" [YouTube]
Watch another comedy skit, courtesy The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, at Comedy Central
Pierre Morel Will Direct Paramount’s Dune Remake
Last October, Peter Berg dropped out of Paramount’s remake of the sci-fi classic "Dune", but the project is now back on track with a new director. According to Entertainment Weekly, the studio has tapped Pierre Morel ("Taken") to direct the project. EW adds that Paramount is also looking into hiring a new writer for the project so as to incorporate Morel’s vision of the film, which Paramount now views as a "high priority". The original draft was written by Josh Zetumer ("Quantum of Solace").
Spider-Man 4 Script Troubles Are Real? Sony "Unlikely" to Make Scheduled May 5, 2011 Release Date
Turns out that "planned" Holiday hiatus — as reported on in our last Sci-Fi Movies column — is a bigger problem than Sony has led on. Deadline’s Nikki Finke has confirmed IESB’s scoop about troubles surroundingn the "Spider-Man 4" script and is reporting that as of today Sony has no official start date for the Sam Raimi-directed project. That means the film is "unlikely" to make its May 11, 2010 release date. Here’s a Dec. 11th e-mail that was sent out to the SFX crew [emphasis mine]:
Hey there–
We were just notified that our schedule is pushing. We will NOT be starting as planned. I’m terribly sorry for this news, and I hope this email reaches you in time to find other options. We do not know how long we are pushing, and we will not know until mid-January. By mid-January, we will be told how long the push is, whether it be 2 weeks, 2 months, or something else. The studio has every intention of making the movie, but we no longer have a confirmed start date.
Again, I’m terribly sorry, but Sam Raimi has story issues [that] need to be resolved before we are ready to shoot.
Feel free to call me if you have any questions.
VFX Team
Finke adds that Raimi has been very vocal inside Sony that he "hated" the script (which has gone through four different writers: James Vanderbilt, David Lindsay-Abaire and Gary Ross) and that they’re waiting on yet another script by screenwriter Alvin Sargent ("Spider-Man 2" and "Spider-Man 3"):
"It is unlikely that May 11, 2011, date will be made," a Sony insider just told me today. "It depends on how quickly the script can get in." However, agents have told clients in the movie to already expect the film to be pushed back.
My sources say Sony still intends to release that summer, even if the new date is July 2011.
"Spider-Man 4" was originally scheduled to begin production this February, but that was pushed to March and then to late March/early April and now to the current situation; no date. Although there haven’t been any new developments on the 3D front, it’s possible Sony/Columbia may use the delay to decide on shooting the film in 3D.
Ghostbusters 3 Shooting This Summer For 2011 Release
Harold Ramis told Heeb that "Ghostbusters 3" is on track to begin filming next summer and be released in 2011 [via Shock Till You Drop]:
"Something’s going to happen. Dan [Aykroyd] did write a spec GB3 screenplay a few years ago, but no one was motivated to pursue it. Now, 25 years after the original, there seems to be some willingness to proceed and apparently a substantial public appetite for a sequel. We’ll introduce some new young Ghostbusters, and all the old guys will be in it, too. Think Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Future…GB3 is progressing with plans to shoot next summer and release in 2011."
The Thing Prequel Begins Filming This March, Captain America in June and Cowboys & Aliens (Possibly in 3D) This July
In addition to that update on "Ghostbusters 3", several other sci-fi/genre properties are being lined up to enter production. First up, Production Weekly is reporting that Universal Pictures’ prequel to John Carpenter’s "The Thing" will begin filming this March. The film will be directed by Matthijs van Heijningen, Jr. from a script by Eric Heisserer ("A Nightmare on Elm Street"). The original script was written by Ronald D. Moore ("Battletar Galactica"). Meanwhile, director Joe Johnston has revealed that he begins production on "The First Avenger: Captain America" this June. And finally, Kim Masters of The Daily Beast is reporting that Jon Favreau’s upcoming "Cowboys & Aliens" (screenplay by Alex Kurtzman and Robeto Orci) will begin filming this July and DreamWorks is looking into possibly shooting the project in 3D.
Marvel’s Joe Quesada Talks Iron Man 2 and Thor
In a retrospective posted on Marvel.com, Marvel Entertainment President Kevin Feige shared his reaction to a recent costume screentest for Kenneth Branagh’s upcoming "Thor":
“To be honest the thing that I’m most excited about right now though, is the screen test we just finished for “Thor.” We’ve done some costume tests and watching the Asgardians walk onto the sound stage takes me back to that first time I saw the X-Men on the set all together in Toronto. Only it was unlike anything we’ve ever put on film before! It’s great to be starting the next decade in such an exciting way just as we did last decade. We’re really redefining the comic book genre and what a Marvel movie can be. It’s going to be great.”
Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada also offered praise of the upcoming project: "It’s going to be pretty epic, and regardless of what you think it’s going to be, it’s going to surprise people," he added. "It’s an interesting piece for a superhero movie. It’s going to change the conventions of the superhero movie." "Thor", starring Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Natalie Portman (Jane Foster) hits theaters on May 20, 2011.
NEW IMAGES
Alice in Wonderland
Poster art [Apple]
Image and poster of the Caterpillar [Facebook]
Battle: Los Angeles
Set images [manwithscaryspouse & Jonathan Hoffon via io9 & /Film]
The Crazies
Poster [/Film]
Daybreakers
Promotional stills [SCI FI Wire]
Poster [/Film]
Despicable Me
Poster [Trailer Addict]
The Last Airbender
Empire Magazine scans from their set visit [more at Last Airbender Fans Online]
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Promotional stills [Fantasy.fr via ComingSoon.net]
Shutter Island
Final poster [CHUD]
Toy Story 3
Color script art [more at The Pixar Blog, Upcoming Pixar & Pixar Talk]
CASTING BITES
- Sam Worthington is not in the running for the role of Flash Gordon: "there is no validity to the rumours…sometimes, as you know, studios tend to just scat ideas and they leak out – but its the first i have heard about it…" [AICN]
- Jude Law says that he is not attached to Kenneth Branagh’s "Thor" and has never been approached to play a role in the film. [MTV]
- Contrary to what he has hinted at in the past, Jeremy Renner says he won’t be playing Hawkeye: "That was just one of those things that got blown way out of proportion. It was an idea…So there’s truth that we talked about it, but there’s no truth to me doing it." [Movieline]
- Meanwhile, Bryce Dallas Howard has confirmed reports that she’ll be playing a role in Clint Eastwood’s upcoming supernatural thriller "Hereafter": "I’m really going to be totally vague, because I don’t want to speak out of turn. I just got hired." [SCI FI Wire]
- Head on over to The Nolder Blog for instructions on how to apply for a role as an extra in "The Hobbit". [via MTV]
NEW VIDEOS
Aliens vs. Predator [video game]
Story trailer [YouTube via USA Today]
The Book of Eli
Featurette: "Book of Stunts" [SCI FI Wire]
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Clip from the bonus features of the DVD / Blu-ray (out today) [ComingSoon.net]
Daybreakers
Clip: "Accident" [CinemaBlend]
Watch two more clips here
Despicable Me
Teaser trailer #3 [Trailer Addict]
District 13: Ultimatum
Trailer [SCI FI Wire]
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Interview with director Terry Gilliam [SCI FI Wire]
Inception
Teaser trailer #2 [Apple embed via Trailer Addict]
Two trailers reordered [via /Film]
How to Train Your Dragon
Trailer #2 [Trailer Addict]
Lobo
Director Guy Ritchie says it’s not so clear cut he’ll be directing the film [MTV]
Moon
Behind the scenes clip: "Creating the Visual Effects" [SCI FI Wire]
Watch another clip here
Toy Story / Toy Story 3
Blu-ray trailer [via Pixar Talk]
Toy Story 3
Sneak peek, featuring our first look at Mr. Pricklepants (Timothy Dalton) [YouTube]
MOVIE BITES
- Previously on TrekMovie: In addition to Star Trek; Avatar, District 9, Inglourious Basterds and Up were nominated for a Producer Guild Award.
- Universal Pictures has launched a website for Joe Johnston’s upcoming remake of "The Wolfman". [thewolfmanmovie.com]
- Mark Pellington has been tapped to direct "The Orphanage", New Line’s remake of the Spanish-language film "El Orfanato" from director Guillermo del Toro. [Variety]
- Peter Jackson is reportedly working on an adaptation of the "Mortal Engines" novels. [Dominion Post via SCI FI Wire]
- As expected, Marvel shareholders have approved the sale of the company to Disney. [Market Watch]
- There’s a report that Warner Brothers has canceled Jerry O’Flaherty’s CG-animated "Thundercats". The film was rumored to be an origin story based on the animated pilot. [Collider]
- Director Martin Campbell has filled out his crew for the upcoming DC Comics adaptation "Green Lantern". Dion Beebe, who won an Oscar for Rob Marshall’s "Memmoirs of a Geisha", has been brought on board as cinematographer, along with production designer Grant Major and costume designer Ngila Dickson, who both worked on Peter Jackson’s "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Also joining the crew as art director will be François Audouy ("Avatar", "Watchmen"). [Superhero Hype]
- Summit Entertainment has acquired Ben Magid’s spec script "Invasion". The film will be produced and directed by Eli Roth. [Shock Till You Drop]
- Mark Strong, who plays Matai Shang in Pixar’s "John Carter of Mars", says "Avatar" will have a big influence on director Andrew Stanton’s adapation of the property. [Collider]
- Quentin Tarantino says that he has completed work on 40 pages of his "Inglourious Basterds" prequel. [MTV]
- Michael Cera says he isn’t signed on for a sequel to Edgar Wright’s "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World", and he hasn’t heard of any sequel talk. [Collider]
- Contrary to online reports, Summit Entertainment says that they haven’t held test screenings for "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse": "There is absolutely no merit to this claim…We noticed it over the holiday on multiple message boards and sites, and it appears that some of this was spam." [MTV]
- "Paranormal Activity" director Oren Peli left a note thanking fans for the support he received for his film. Read it at MTV Movies Blog.
- A deal is in the works for Studio Canal to release "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" in 3D. [The Wrap]
- John Rodgers is writing the comic book adaptation "the forgotten". [Mania via /Film]
- Sony Pictures Classics is citing piracy concerns as their main reason for not pushing out screeners during awards season for Duncan Jones’ well-received sci-fi film "Moon": "The DVD and Blu-ray come out on Jan. 12 – next Tuesday – and it was felt that to preserve the integrity of the film, we didn’t want to send screeners…We’re concerned about piracy. The thing about Moon is that its particular genre is very predisposed toward being uploaded onto the Web. We really just wanted to protect that aspect of it. It’s a simple as that." [Collider]
- Paramount will be purchasing Super Bowl spots for "Iron Man 2, "Shutter Island" and "The Last Airbender". The three ads will air during the first and second quarter of Super Bowl XLIV (February 7, 2010 on CBS). [Advertising Age via ComingSoon.net]
Follow Russ on his blog: Your Entertainment Now and on Twitter: Twitter.com/YourEntNow.
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Comments»
I bet whoever owns Thundercats will be trying to ride the avatar success train.
Has anyone seen Avatar? I don’t have any friends that have seen it.
I have not really heard any local buzz here in jersey. But I am off tomorrow so I am going to catch a 3D cheap show. The preview just did not grab me.
But Iam hoping to see something cool tomorrow., So if any one really liked it pleas let me know
Interesting
I thoroughly enjoyed Avatar, and thought it was wonderful.. It deserves all the glory it’s getting, if you ask me. Was it a really touching movie, a la “The Notebook” or “My Sister’s Keeper”? No, but I admit I did get misty-eyed about 3/4 of the way through. ;3
But do I want a sequel..? No. I don’t think a sequel would be good for this movie. That’s like trying to make a sequel to “Titanic”, or to “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”, or something like that. I just don’t see how it could make for a good movie. I guess I’m just hoping that the film industry hasn’t completely gone to making movies solely for making money — Some of us still appreciate the art of filmmaking. Let’s keep it that way.
I have not seen avitar yet and i plan on going with my whole family who has not seen it yet either. Hopefully it will live up to the hype for me,
GOST BUSTERS 3 I CAN NOT WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How about a graph for “Dark Knight” v. “Avatar” grosses, adjusted for 3D surcharges?
You will love Avatar-everyone from my 91 yr old father to my sis n mom all loved it when i took them–especially the 1st half and yes see it in 3d—
Dune remade yet again sheesh? I loved the books what epic intelligent scifi–herbert created a real original universe—i just finished watching lynchs dune again-it holds up-entire cast incredible-from richard jordan to patrick stewart–its main flaw cramming too much story into 1 movie–but i prefer it to the tv movies remakes which just didnt seem big epic enuf to me—why make dune again–they should start with the sequel–oh yeh biggest sin the movie did was make it rain on dune at the end-anybody who reads herberts original trilogy knows that is ecologically suicide, destroying their planet,the worms n the spice-oh well..
I hope Lady Gaga appears in Ghostbusters 3 and has a cameo in Star Trek 12. Midway through Star Trek 12, I’d like to see Kirk, Spock and McCoy go undercover to a concert of hers on a distant planet like with Diva Plavalaguna in The Fifth Element (1997). Her character (the most famous and successful singer in the Alpha Quadrant) could have dark connections to the Orion Syndicate who should be the villains of the sequel as they are essentially the Mafia of the Star Trek universe, involved in piracy, smuggling, and extortion. An explosively intense, thunderous phaser fight could erupt interrupting the show when she sings Bad Romance, Paparazzi, Poker Face or Just Dance between Kirk, Spock and McCoy and some Orion Syndicate henchmen.
Regarding this Ghostbusters 3 news, I guess this means that we should expect a hip, young, all-star cast including some of the below names:
Penn Badgley, Mischa Barton, Rachel Bilson, Adam Brody, Sophia Bush, Chace Crawford, Miley Cyrus, Thomas Dekker, Kat Dennings, Hilary Duff, Zac Efron, Emile Hirsch, Shia LaBeouf, James Lafferty, Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Taylor Momsen, Chad Michael Murray, Ellen Page, Emma Roberts, Jessica Szohr, Ed Westwick, Evan Rachel Wood, Anton Yelchin.
Recent quote from Harold Ramis: ‘We’ll introduce some new young Ghostbusters’.
Past quote from Dan Aykroyd: “There will be a whole new generation that has to be trained, and that whole new generation will be led by an individual who you’ll all love when you meet him… They’ll be lots of cadets, boys and girls…”
Possible future quote from Bill Murray: “Oh, yeah. Dan, Harold, Ernie and I worked with all the kids. Shia is fantastic, Penn is really, really good. I think they made really wise choices in the cast. It was so much fun. We spent a lot of time playing guitar, hanging around singing together, playing chess. Basically just hassling each other.”
They should call it – ‘Ghostbusters 3: The Next Generation’. I hope Shia LaBeouf will be the new lead. He would make a good Ghostbuster. He can definitely play the straight faced smart-ass that Bill Murray was. It would be nice to see Murray, Aykroyd, Ramis and Hudson play mentors to the kids like Bruce Greenwood did in Star Trek as Christopher Pike to James Kirk.
Zeddmore: “Your father was captain of a Ghostbusters team for twelve hours.”
Spengler: “He saved 800,000 lives, including your mothers and yours.”
Stantz: “I dare you to do better.”
Venkman: “Enlist in Ghostbusters Academy.”
But I worry after Ghostbusters 3 comes out and the old cast have taken their final bow and said goodbye, they’ll no doubt be talking about Ghostbusters 4 in which we’ll get yet another tear-filled, overwrought, sentiment laden goodbye.
Shia LaBeouf’s character: You’re a scientist?
Venkman: Part-time.
7-
Dune is well known inside some circles. But it will continue to have a hard time breaking into the mainstream. Part of the problem is Herbert’s prose – which is sometimes almost Shakespearean in tone – just doesn’t translate well as a script for an action movie. Which is, unfortunately, what they usually try to present it as. This is particularly true of the long, drawn out exposition sequences, which will fly over the head of audiences that aren’t well versed in religion and philosophy. The references are too obscure. The language too subtle. Herbert also has characters giving long monologues during battle, The knife fight at the end, for example, always feels rather preposterous because they had to stop every couple seconds to deliver lines. This is true of both the film and TV versions. I actually think Dune might work better as a stage production than a summer blockbuster with a huge budget.
#8: Only if she gets shot 10 seconds into the first song.
*shudder*
I look forward to the new Ghostbusters film but I hope that the Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts all get a great share of the script.
Ghostbusters is one of my all time favourite movies and I want to see the characters/actors I loved from the two movies. That is why I loved the game so much.
Does anyone else think Hollywood is lazy with all these remakes?
I love Nightmare on Elm Street but I feel the new remake is going to be a bad move.
I wish they would leave Dune alone. I’m a big fan of the book and of the SyFy version of the movie. C’mon Hollywood, be creative and move on!
When I read about Jeremy Renner not playing Hawkeye, I must admit I was a little shocked…not at the story, but because I mistook it for meaning they were remaking M*A*S*H. Oops :P
#14: “Does anyone else think Hollywood is lazy with all these remakes?”
I really think it has a lot more to do with timidity than laziness. The people who sign the checks want their ROI, and that means discouraging creativity, discouraging boldness, discouraging real exploration of theme, discouraging creative bravery … and encouraging (or demanding) timid, cut-and-paste formula work attached to recognizable, well-regarded trademarks (preferably performed by recognizable, well-regarded star actors).
The tragedy is the sheer amount of hard work and talent that this hackwork still requires … so I don’t think it’s really fair to call the people involved lazy. They work their ass off to cut and paste the same old crap with real professional shine.
no the film makers do their best but the fact that the studios are greenlighting them is sad. To me there is no origanlity or creativity in movies these days, well not in the mainstream films.
Guess this is why I hate the mainstream these days.
INCREDIBLE NEWS JUST IN. from The Melbourne Free Sunday Edition.
- In a surprise move director JJ Abrams along with Writers Alex Kurtzman and Bob Orci have decided to dump the new crew of the enterprise and return to the Next Generation Era.
The new movie due out in April 2010 will be titled Star Trek 12 The Search For B-3
The film will star those lovable bananas B-1 and B-2 as themselves and actor Brent Spiner will reprise his career defining role as B-4 as they search for their long lost brother en rout to the planet of the pre schoolers.
Along the way they encounter what looks like some sort of “space ship” only to discover that inside are four cryogenically frozen men from earths past known as The Wiggles.
After eating them they continue their epic journey, overcoming obstacles and having their friendship tested through the fires of trial and tribulation before an emotional reunion with B-3.
DON’T MISS THIS APRIL – STAR TREK 12 THE SEARCH FOR B-3
Have any of you played any of the Fallout games? Book of Eli looks almost exactly like “Fallout: the Movie”, only played deadly serious,and with the retro-future-y goodness taken out.
“Alice”’s Cheshire Cat makes me want to crawl behind a sofa and hide. Man, I’m hyped for that movie! :D
Notice how all the 1 billion dollar movies were released in the last 13 years?
Gee, wonder if inflation contributed to that? Not that they were bad movie, at least the ones I saw. I still think we should count tickets sold, not money earned. Then we could more equally compare modern movies with older movies.
Ah, at last some hot human on alien action. Trek always hinted at it but never gave us the hot interspecial (is that a word?) sex scene we always wanted. Oh and by “we” I mean “I”.
In my opinion, one or two of the following recognisable actors with comedic experience will probably star in GB 3 in a small role or cameo to support the kids in their first outing as the new leads of the Ghostbusters film series/franchise:
Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Ricky Gervais, Simon Pegg, Eddie Izzard, Rowan Atkinson, Owen Wilson, Jack Black, Rob Schneider, Chris Rock, Jeremy Piven, Mike Myers, Jim Carrey, Eddie Murphy, William Shatner, Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin, Tim Allen, Chevy Chase, John Goodman, Billy Connolly, Danny DeVito, Robin Williams, George Lopez, John Cleese, Steve Coogan.
Please, no Shia LaBeouf, Penn Badgley, Ed Westwick (and that ridiculous god-awful American accent), Zac Efron , Chad Michael Murray, or Adam Brody! I’d prefer to have serious actors such as Christian Bale, Colin Farrell, Ryan Gosling and Josh Lucas as the new Ghostbusters rather than the entire casts of One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl, The O.C., 90210, Glee, Smallville, The Hills, The City, Laguna Beach, Melrose Place as well as these heartthrobs and comedians.
Avatar lived up to the hype, for the most part. I felt like I had seen some of this movie before (”Titanic”, “Aliens”, “Battlestar Galactica”) but that didn’t lessen its impact… just the opposite: I thought maybe I was seeing an event that occured in another place and time in one of Cameron’s other cinematic worlds.
Unfortunately (unless you ask my wallet) I didn’t get to see it in 3D – which I heard was the thing to do – but I didn’t have that option at the time I saw it.
But I can say that even though I may get the chance to see it in 3D I’m not going to cry if I don’t because I just saw the movie that ratchets everything up a notch and I can’t wait to see how any future projects try to match or out-do it. Wow!
Making of the Bootleg… Too funny!
Another version of DUNE? Seriously? I mean, it’s a thinky book. It’s a great, thinky book, but it’s not really a great idea for a movie…
OK. I know. CGI and $700M can do anything. Big worms. Got it. So now, I can have a third version to file next to the excellent book, the duller than death Patrick Stewart/Sting version, and the somehow even duller William Hurt version.
Daybreakers looks cool.
Unimpressed with what I’ve seen so far for “Despicable Me”, but “Daybreakers” is looking interesting.
@27 Yes, we needed more vampire movies. Conan O’Brien’s show last night had a hilarious making-of-this-point “trailer”.
Maybe if they broke Dune up into a duology or trilogy, there is just too much in the novel to cover in one movie. Perhaps break it after the Harkonnens take over Arrakis, and the second movie ending with Paul becoming Emperor?
Coming out of Avatar 3D Imax, i thought that Dragonriders of Pern can now be done. what do you think???
“Avatar” is great because of what it is. The plot is pure meat & ‘taters and is geared towards 6-year olds (the villain makes Darth Vader look like PeeWee Herman) or lobotomized hippies. It is so visually stunning that it totally works.
I’m still not sure about the AVP game :/
I didn’t see any mention of it here so forgive me if I just overlooked it. But any form of live action Starblazers is worth a mention. It is a HUGE part of many of us 35-50 year old sci-fi fans that raced home from school to watch it.
Behold Starblazers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBu1cZm4Gqg
seems like such a long wait for all *my* shows to come back (or even start!) … so exciting :)
I’d also like to point out how much I hate Pacific Time…
I WANT TO PLAY STARTREK ONLINE TOO!! BOO HOO! :)
I’ll be there on 2/2/10 at the latest!
…same week as LOST!’s long, long awaited return.. and my birthday (6th).. what a week for me :)
(I think I mentioned it before)
Now we’re going to see a lot of Avatar knockoffs with wooden, Beowulf caliber effects.
Ho-hum.
Dune again? I was fine with the TV movies, which were almost classics.
35:
“Now we’re going to see a lot of Avatar knockoffs with wooden, Beowulf caliber effects.”
You are so right, and it’s extremely depressing.
Paramount is most likely pushing hard on DUNE now because of the AVATAR success. I would not be surprised if it’s shot in 3D. DUNE was the first AVATAR after all. And before some of you jump me for comparing them, I’m referring to the overall sense and message; alien world, indigenous population displaced, etc. AVATAR is brilliant by the way so def go and see it! It’s a very different take than DUNE, but no less brilliant in its vision. As to naysaying a sequel, Christine, Cameron already has the next two films in his head and has always planned this as a franchise. That part of how he sold it to FOX, so he made the first one with more in mind. Therefore, he has more story to tell, perhaps even different in tone than this one. I’ve always said that if sequels are made because there’s more to say, more story to tell, then go for it (and they’re usually the best sequels). If sequels are made simply to mine for more money (think NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2), then they’re usually a bit steamy pile of crap!
Am I the only one who thinks Avatar was nothing more than a rehash of Dances With Wolves….IN SPACE……with a lot of shiny new CG in 3D? It wasn’t a bad movie, but “ground breaking” or a “game changer” is was not. I found it very formulaic and incredibly predictable. Please, please please–no sequel (or prequel)!
#8. Dan Paine – that name….
…is not to be confused with me, Thank You, as I really can’t stand Lady Gaga, or whatever she’s called.
Just a clarification.
#8
I love sarcasm. Well done!
Dune is a near-impossible book to film. Really, there are so many more adaptable works out there. I don’t think it’s possible to do Frank Herbert’s work justice on the screen.
And really, the HLP halfwits who are ripping Dune off with increasingly dreadful prequels, sequels and interquels are involved, meaning there will be endless misconceptions and errors in the films. Dune is best left as a superb piece of 20th Century literature!!
Ghostbusters 3? Could be great: depends on whether they avoid the temptation to drag us into ‘CGI Hell!!’
@ 30 – Wow, great idea! I know I would pay to see that…
Walking out of Avatar (in 3D) the one thought I kept coming back to was, “Now it’s possible to do anything in a movie…”
So what do I want to see?
Ender’s Game
Cat’s Cradle
Blood Music
Lord of Light
Rendezvous with Rama
The Mote in God’s Eye
The Diamond Age…
Eliza Dushku would make a great Ghostbuster. Chuck her in a pair of knee-highs and I don’t care how good her acting is.
Since this is a Star Trek site … “Avatar” has the same basic plot as “The Paradise Syndrome,” with a crippled guy substituting for an amnesiac Kirk, a blue kitty substituting for Miramanee, another blue kitty substituting for the jealous Salish, and an evil planet-destroying military-industrial conglomerate substituting for a planet-destroying asteroid. It does have a slightly less poignant ending though.
It’s also a thinly disguised swipe at the Iraq War. My biggest gripe with that analogy is that the main villain is a military guy, rather than a surrogate (or avatar), for the Bush Administration, as it should have been. If I were in the U.S. military, this movie would really cheese me off.
It is pretty to look at and very entertaining though.
Scott B. out.
Still have not seen AVATAR, and I will not after seeing this clip…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dwUl9u5QW4
Especially after what James says at 1:48 into the video.
He’s playing you all for fools.
Just my 2 cents here….
Avatar was visually fantastic. Wonderful to look at. Technically brilliant.
But as a movie….
It was a tired cliche ridden we’ve-seen-it-all-before piece of horse crap.
#42
You forgot Ringworld…
New Dune might be interesting. Won’t be seeing the next Ghostbusters.
#46
NEWS FLASH:
Many of the creative, talented people whose creations/products that you more than likely patronize, buy, or enjoy are a**holes. Roddenberry was distinctly un-nice to many of the cast and crew of Trek. It has been no secret that Cameron is a difficult human being to have to be around. It doesn’t detract from an artist’s creation in my opinion. He didn’t owe that autograph seeker an autograph. The implication in the video was that since the fan spent his money on Avatar (I’m guessing) James had to give him a signature. A different perspective would be that Cameron made Avatar as a product and someone purchased a viewing of their own free will. I don’t think that the ownership of the auto company that built the car I bought owes me an autograph.
Was Cameron a complete d***head tool? Yes. Did the fan deserve to be smacked down verbally like that? No. Is the world a hard and difficult place in which to live? Yup. Better wear a helmet.
If you decided to boycott every product or movie or whatever because the maker/designer/creator was a jerk you would find yourself owning or enjoying very few things in life and having nothing to spend your money on.
8. Dan Paine – January 6, 2010
With her futuristic music and style, she would fit right in. Maybe if she is shot in the phaser fight, the assassin turns out to be her real-life arch-nemesis, Katy Perry! By the way, maybe, Taylor Swift should have a cameo as well since she publicly revealed at the Country Music Awards that she dreamed of being a part of the new Star Trek film. J.J., make it so!
Lets hope they ditch the glowing blue eyes in the new Dune. I thought the Sci-Fi channel produced it very well, it might be hard to top theirs.
Ringworld would kick serious ass. What a story, no reason not to produce it.
#47
Absolutely.
Besides people, I’m talking (as per post #33) STARBLAZERS. We need more news about this:
http://www.yamato-movie.net/
9. James Monroe – January 6, 2010
Don’t let the younger people’s popularity or infamousness eclipse the film. In the first Ghostbusters, the main characters were all probably in their 30s. I think they should cast guys that seem mature as well. I don’t want to see some kid that looks like he’s 16 firing dangerous proton beams like it’s a toy.
Why should we “think Christopher Lloyd in Back To The Future”? If they’re talking about passing the baton on, that doesn’t fit. If they’re talking about old guys that are central to the entire plot and help out at every quarter, then that sounds like such a big role why mention Chris Lloyd/Doc Brown at all?
23. Mr. Church – January 6, 2010
Please, no Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell, Owen Wilson, Jack Black, Simon Pegg, Adam Sandler or Ricky Gervais!
Its confirmed, doc brown takes the time machine back to 1984 and visits the ghost busters.
11 JohninWA– I agree with ya there…Dune is complex, and requires the reader to think and grow-its scope is epic and juggles world ecologies, messiahism, religion, drugs, cosmic consciousness, prescient prophecy, and yes action and wars and civilization all in its story. It does not spoon feed the reader anything, it uses its own words/vocabulary and you learn what it all means as you read…societies under a microscope–Frank Herbert was from WASH state also just like you and me john…unless u are from wash dc…Im in the tacoma/seattle area meself.
I guess trying to turn it into a action blockbuster could not work….the david lynch version was faithful for the most part but confusing for those who did not read the books already….I agree with 2 versions out already why are they remaking it yet again?
the sleeper must awaken, BUT THREE TIMES? ENUFF ALREADY…
But I would not mind them starting with say Dune Messiah and just recapping what went before….I would like to see the story continue..it is an interesting universe that Herbert created. Brilliant really….
OH yeh Cameron does lift at least a few elements from DUNE for his AVATAR storyline…..as have other filmakers like Lucas etc….
Update from post #2 I am at the movies watching avatar in 3D. I am so bored half way through. This movie is pretty much Star Trek Insurrection, with better effects. Sagorny Weaver is hot as a red head.
I saw Avatar. It’s about the evil, vicious, and murderous US military preying on a peaceful larger-than-life race of tree-huggers whose skin happens to be the color Democrat Blue. I was appalled.
I’m sure I saw Al Gore in the audience and he loved it.
In Fern Gully the evil humans want to destroy a beautiful rain forest full of fairies.
In Avatar the evil humans want to destroy a beautiful rain forest full of giant fairies.
In Fern Gully and Avatar a young, good looking, white male who is their to help destroy the forest ends up siding with the fairies/Navi to save the forest.
In the end of both movies the male human becomes one of the fairies.
Nx how could u be bored? the characters n acting are great-the world has never been seen before in a movie like that-eye candy at least should stop u from being bored-the 1st half especially was magical to me like touring a real alien world-and the native people are awesome especially zoe–n how our main hero feels in his avatar body that xan walk n run n jump–good stuff maynard at least to me…imho
2.
Avatar was awesome. Not subtle at all politically, but still a well-told story. I mean, come on: it’s James Cameron. Terminator. Terminator 2. True Lies. Titanic. The man knows what he’s doing…and he has an odd propensity for movies beginning with “T.” One more: The Abyss.
The T movies plus Abyss and Avatar? So he is successful with T & A?
#61, If Avatar=Ferngully then Star Trek XI=Nemesis:
Evil angry Romulan, with no clear reason, seeks revenge on the federation by destroying Earth. He possesses a weapon of great destructive power, deployed from a gigantic super-ship, which is virtually indestructible. He specifically goes after the Enterprise to confront its captain personally. But the captain of the Enterprise single-handedly saves the Earth by figuring out the bad guy’s plan and then secretly beams onboard, fights the bad guy (with superior strength) in hand-to-hand combat and ultimately escapes before the entire ship is destroyed by the actions of its science officer who destroys the super-weapon onboard the ship.
See, I can do it too.
As far as the Ferngully comparison goes, it was an animated movie from 1992 that did poorly at the box office. I never saw it. Frankly, I could care less if it is the exact same movie. The point is not necessarily how original the movie is, but rather how effectively the story is told. Do you know how many times Titanic has been remade since 1912? Only one version I know of made almost $2 billion at the box office. Avatar will likely as well. If Avatar was nothing more than Ferngully, then surely Ferngully should have made over a billion dollars too? Seriously, who cares? If it’s a good movie, it doesn’t matter if it’s the same story or not.
#65
“If it’s a good movie, it doesn’t matter if it’s the same story or not.”
It’s so nice to see a Hollywood producer on this board.
#66
LoL
Avatar is Fern Gully with big budget special effects. Avatar had a weak story (because it was ripped from a 1992 cartoon) with awesome special effects.
It was a good movie because of it’s special effects. Not it’s story.
#67
“It was a good movie because of it’s special effects. Not it’s story.”
I presume you are directing this comment at Star Trek XI then?
I’m looking forward to Ghosbusters 3, but I keep seeing all of these “Venkman is a ghost” stuff on the net….if GB3 is going to kill off Venkman, then I can’t say I’m too excited about anything. To me, it seems like that’d just kill (pun not intended) the whole movie. :(
#68
No…Fern Gu…I mean Avatar.
#65 There was a Titanic movie made before James Cameron’s. I haven’t seen it, but I do know it was made in the 50’s. Its in black and white.
#68 I thought “Star Trek” had a better story than “Avatar”. But that is from a male perspective. I do understand why you as a woman would prefer “Avatar”. “Avatar” with its characters is a much more female friendly movie than any Star Trek movie to date. Since “Avatar” has made 3+times the revenue, it stands to reason then that many more women prefer that movie. Hopefully, J.J Abrams takes some notes on how to better incorporate female characters better into a mostly boys club such as Star Trek.
As for “Spider Man 4″, I really hope they consider putting the movie on hold for a while longer. With all the super hero movies out there, I am not sure there is as big an appetite. Except for Wolverine, The Avengers, Batman and Iron Man. And I hope the suits at Sony sit down, have a nice cold glass of water and forget about doing a “Venom” movie.
#70, well you were describing Nemesi … I mean Star Trek XI. ;-)
#71, Really? What is with the sexist comments? What proof do you have that the three-fold increase has anything to do with an increased female audience over Star Trek? How does it stand to reason more women saw it? I read that over 60% of the opening weekend audience was male. If that trend continued, then men are driving its unprecedented success.
All of my girlfriends and I saw Star Trek. We thoroughly enjoyed it, particularly looking at Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto. But only on this Star Trek site do I see people insisting Star Trek was so much more original and better than Avatar. Almost universally, everyone on the streets are talking about how fantastic Avatar is. It has a higher major critical review than Star Trek and similar general public review to Star Trek. So how is Star Trek so much better, and why does liking it necessarily mean it is a chick flick?
#71 :: I second the words of #72, Red Skirt. Me, I liked Avatar and ST09 equally, and last I checked, I’m a girl. Do I hope that the next Star Trek movie has better female characters, and that a certain communications officer doesn’t jump from her post every other scene? Well, yes, but that’s besides the point. Pleny of my girl friends saw ‘Trek and loved it — many are even tuning into TOS because they loved it so much.
#38; I was thinking the same thing. People seem to get caught up in all the hype! Dances with wolves was a much better film than Avatar.
What I didn’t like about Avatar was, I didn.t care what happened to the -
people on the planet or the humans. In Dww they made feel for all the people in the movie,( I cared about them).
# 72
Not sure what your point is about Star Trek 09 and Nemesis and how it relates to my post that Fern Gully and Avatar are the same. I am aware of the similarities of both Trek movies.
Essentially you are arguing that you agree with me.
#72
I wasn’t being sexist. I based those figures on the fact that when I went to see “Star Trek” five times in the theatre, about 70% of the audience was male. That was the same ratio every time I went. I grant you that it was only one theatre in one city visited by myself. But judging by how well “Avatar” has done at the box office, I was stating the obvious. The numbers don’t lie. I went only once to see “Avatar’, but there many more women in the audience. And yes, I do agree that the general audience was 60% male, but so what? That just proves my point further. 40% female is a large percentage for a movie that has made over a billion dollars. And the film is on pace to break the record (before adjusting for inflation) of “Titanic”. A film can’t do that without a sizeable female audience. You even seem to indicate that you like “Avatar” over “Star Trek”.
And yes, I know that you liked “Star Trek”. I just happen to like it over “Avatar”, which I also thoroughly enjoyed. And I DID NOT SAY THAT “AVATAR” IS A CHICK FLICK! All I said was there were more elements in “Avatar” that appealed to women than was in “Star Trek”.
And I still don’t know why you accused me of sexism. I said nothing derogatory about you or any other female fan on this site. Unless you felt that I was “stereotyping” in regards to what women like in movies. “Star Trek” 09 clearly appealed to many more women than in the past, but judging by the fact that it has been surpassed by “New Moon” in terms of revenue and the fact that “Twilight” swept the People’s Choice Awards over “Star Trek” proves their is still a lot of work to be done in regards to getting a bigger female audience. And yes I do understand that those movies appeal more to teen girls rather than adult women, but that is still part of the challenge.
I DID NOT WRITE ANYTHING SEXIST, NOR AM I A SEXIST SO STOP ACCUSE ME OF IT!!!! FOR F**K SAKES!!!! YEEEESH!
Three quick observations:
Was anyone else blown away by Zoe Saldana’s voice and motion-capture performance? I loved Avatar, and her character moved me as the heart of the movie.
To those who say this movie is anti-US military, the human soldiers in this film were HIRED guns — mercenaries — not US anything.
To the critics who say this storyline has been done before… well, almost every story line has been done before on a general level. I don’t see people complaining after a love story saying, oh, they’ve done boy meets girl before, or oh, they’ve done an alien invasion movie before. If anything, the story of an outsider becoming part of an indigenous community hasn’t been done enough, imho.
I do not understand how the example of Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Future compares when there’s no Back to the Future 4.
I think he meant Christopher Lloyd in the sense that Lloyd was central to the “Back to the Future” plot, but it was Marty who was sort of being trained by Doc. I guess that’s what he’s referring to in how they plan on using the old Ghostbusters with the new. I just hope they don’t use any Apatow guys or current SNL guys to be in this. The Ghostbusters, first and foremost, are scientists. The Ghostbusters aren’t buffoons and they carry extremely dangerous technology on their backs that could kill people. So whoever they cast, they need to seem like they could actually handle the job. They shouldn’t be goofballs.
“We’ll introduce some new young Ghostbusters”
No thanks, Harold. Honestly.
I either want the original Ghosbusters, or none at all. >:(
It’ll be great to see Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Rick Moranis, Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts return in supporting roles in 2011. I’m sure it’ll be a complete tribute to the classic two films.
Next week’s news: Shia LaBeouf will be the new lead. The other new ghostbusters will be played by Anton Yelchin, Zac Efron and Ed Westwick. Their love interests will be played by Sophia Bush, Evan Rachel Wood, Kat Dennings and Emma Roberts.
I predect Dan Akroyd and harold Ramis will be the old Ghostbusters with the biggest roles.Bill Murray will most likely be an expanded Cameo.Appearing In the first part of the film and at the end of it.Considering Sigourney weaver’s recent comments maybe the plot has him being turned Into a ghost and the Ghostbusters trying to bring him back.Ernie Hudson will probally have bigger screen time than Murray but not as much as Akyroyd and ramis.I just hope the new Ghostbusters are eather credable to be scientists or credabile In getting jobs by working for the ghostbusters.That Is how ernie Hudson joined them.
Bit annoying that after only one GREAT film and one mediocre one, they’re already passing the baton onto younger Ghostbusters. Can’t they just have a well written sequal with just the original cast if they’re bothering to do it at all after 25 years? Harrison Ford can still do his thing in his 60s, so why not the original Busters? Who wants to see a load of younger characters on screen? We fell in love with Ghostbusters BECAUSE of the actors/characters. Don’t screw with the chemistry.
Hollywood….. ARGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh and please, no ****ty attempts to be hip wit da kidz on the soundtrack on this one….. It really cheapened GB2!
10. General Garza – January 6, 2010
Zeddmore: “Your father was captain of a Ghostbusters team for twelve hours.”
Spengler: “He saved 800,000 lives, including your mothers and yours.”
Stantz: “I dare you to do better.”
Venkman: “Enlist in Ghostbusters Academy.”
Shia LaBeouf’s character: You’re a scientist?
Venkman: Part-time.
LOL
Regarding the undeserved commerical success of Avatar, now Chris Nolan and co. have to make BATMAN 3 so it becomes the biggest movie of all time.
How to make Spider-Man 4:
6 different villains
4 different love interests
ugly old actors and actress frowning and crying for 2 hours straight
multiple cringe inducing scenes
lots of cheese
recycled moral themes
PROFIT !
#72 – If you really think I am agreeing with you, then you also agree Star Trek XI was as bad as Nemesis. Because that is the argument you are making.
#76. ryanhuyton, you really need to look up the sexism in the dictionary. Stereotyping women based on your casual profiling observations, especially when taken in a negative context, is the very definition of the word.
Well, I still want to see Bill Murray in a Captain’s uniform for the next Star Trek movie. This guy has real talent, I’d love to see him as Commodore Robert Wesley.
Hey Trekmovie, how bout some info on the Yamato/Star Blazers movie that I just saw the trailer for. Any chance it’ll get dubbed and premiere over here in the states? I sure would like to see it.
#90 If you think that I was being sexist, then you are overly sensitive. I wasn’t stereotyping anybody and you know it. I damn well know the definition of “sexism” but its clear to me that you do not. I said what I said based on how much more money “Avatar” has made versus “Star Trek”.
I have said ABSOLUTELY NOTHING NEGATIVE ABOUT OR TOWARDS WOMEN on this site ever. I merely offered my opinions on why “Avatar” has vastly outgrossed “Star Trek”. And I most certainly wasn’t profiling anybody at all. I was just telling you what I saw. But there is really no point in arguing with an IDIOT like you. You have decided to label me a sexist and I have tried to convince you otherwise but to no avail. It ia apparent that you are a bully, looking to pick a fight. Congratulations, I’m sure you are feeling pretty high and mighty right now.
I stand by what I said and will not respond to anymore of your insulting replies. Have a nice f**kin’ day!
ryahhuyton, I don’t mean to pick on you and I don’t mean to imply you are some kind of misogynist. But there is a subtle sexism in society that has kept women back for years. People don’t even know they are doing it. Let’s break down what you actually said that rubbed me the wrong way _ and by the way I’m not directing this at you but all men who may read this:
“I thought “Star Trek” had a better story than “Avatar”. But that is from a male perspective. ”
You are saying Star Trek is a better movie than Avatar, because women can’t appreciate it. You are inversely saying Avatar is not as good since men can’t appreciate it. One has absolutely nothing to do with the other. Neither movie has a particularly strong story, and in my opinion and those of many other men, both friends, fans and critics, Star Trek has a weak story. That has nothing to do with whether it appeals more to men or less to women.
“I do understand why you as a woman would prefer “Avatar”. “Avatar” with its characters is a much more female friendly movie than any Star Trek movie to date.”
“Female friendly”? You mean overly-emotional, PMS induced irrational thinking? You’ve already made it clear you don’t think Avatar is as good a film as Star Trek and now you say it’s because it has characters men can’t relate to as well as women. The equation you have subtly set up is that it is inferior because it panders to women. The characters in Star Trek are plenty female friendly. I recall reading that Spock was a sex symbol when the show was on the air in the sixties, receiving huge amounts of fan mail from women. Certainly the actors in the new film only increased the sexual appeal of the characters. But give women a little credit, women can see through a bad story no matter how many hunky actors and sappy, touchy-feely dialogue spouting characters are written into it, which Hollywood has also chauvinistically assumed is what women want.
“Since “Avatar” has made 3+times the revenue, it stands to reason then that many more women prefer that movie.”
While this may have been meant as an innocent casual comment, it is the underlying analysis that ruffles my feathers. There is absolutely no scientific proof to your theory. Just your observations, based on your perceived stereotypes of women. To prove your assumption, you merely make a casual assessment of your unique experience. The first night I saw Star Trek, the theatre was mostly couples. I recall seeing a few pairs of women together, and some guys together as well. So, at worst, that’s a 50/50 ratio. At Avatar, I saw mostly families. Mom, Dad, and seemingly more boys than girls. I also saw several single men. Besides me and my girlfriends, I saw no other women together or alone. Now I would never assume I knew the exact demographic makeup of those screenings without sitting at the door and clicking off the the men and women as they exited. But you’re saying you eyeballed exact percentages. Not only that, but it represents every audience in every theatre everywhere. Then the final insult is that of the almost 200 million people who have seen Avatar, you’re saying almost 130 million of them are women? Really? Whereas of Star Trek’s 52 million audience, you claim 70% were men. The implication is that had Star Trek been more female friendly, it would have gotten those 130+ million women to see it as well. The irony is that either way you slice it, Avatar is even drawing more men than Star Trek did.
But it really isn’t even the unscientific way in which you are supporting your observations, but the fact tat your conclusions seem to be based on your initial assumption that Star Trek appeals to men and Avatar appeals to women. And the underlying reason for that assumption is that Avatar isn’t as good a story.
Again, I am not calling you a sexist, I am only pointing out that your argument is sexist, despite your actual intentions. Your point is not lost on me. Avatar has a wider appeal, whereas Star Trek is more limited. But to say that appeal is limited to women alone, especially when you think Star Trek is a better film because you are a man and then go on to offer unscientific evidence to prove it, well, what can I say … that is a sexist way to voice it, even though you did not necessarily mean it that way.
If I had to guess, I would say that Avatar is drawing more children of both sexes than either adult men or women. This is the same reason Star Wars did so well. And E.T. But again, I have read absolutely nothing about the demographics driving Avatar’s meteoric numbers and I would not presume to offer my guesses as proof of anything.
For me, I thought that Avatar was a great movie and yes the themes and plot have been told before but I imagine that it needed to be told again. The majority of the board here are probably young american males that squirm at the idea of being reminded about the past colonialism of their country. Colonialism is afterall thoroughly taught in every school across north america in all its forms. Back to the movie, the 3d experience was at first somewhat odd, like I could only focus on one thing , a fixxed perspective like say on a character, That went away after awhile because I focused on the ideas that are thrown around in the movie. All interesting stuff and fully realized with great attention to detail, however I do agree that the fauna and flora should have been more alien. It was too similar to what is found on Earth. As for sequels, I hope they will add to the store rather than be just a sloppily slapped together battle royale story.
As for Ghostbusters 3, I am not ageist and would not mind seeing elderly people running around chasing ghosts. I really do not like the idea of bringing in younger, hip, pretty people for the sake of modernizing the series. If they are going to go that route, then they really should not bother with bringing in the veteran cast. It would work against them in two ways. The veteran cast would be left with little to do and the younger folk would be left with little screen time to establish themselves. An additional thing to consider would be that the writer or writer’s would have to consider that the veteran audience would hunger to see more of the veteran ghostbusters and the newer viewers would quickyly want to see the newer, younger ghostbusters. If they do this, they could follow the Police Academy model. That way the following movie after 3 would be with the new gb without the training wheels. :P
Anyway, as for the rest. I really don’t care for Spiderman, The Thing prequel, or news about Lady Gaga. Oh… and Vampire movies. I am sick to death about Vampire movies… they all suck. A vampire is basically a parasite in my mind… we have those in real life. Tapeworms! Imagine that Twilight chick making out with a giant CG tapeworm with Robert Pattinson’s face on it. :P
I can’t pick up on what the big idea of Twilight is supposed to be. On GB3 though, dittos to your comments. I’m from the veteran GB fan generation, and couldn’t care less about seeeing younger, hip ghostbusters. If the new movie isn’t going to give us much of the originals, or if worse they end up using this movie to kill off GB’s most stapled character, then I have absolutely not interest in seewing this movie. I imagine there are probably others out there who would agree with me. At least Star Trek brought back the original characters. This movie is just trying to replace them for the purpose of making a quick buck.