REVIEW: James Cameron's "Avatar"

James Cameron is a director I've long admired, but for too long his reputation has rested on two brilliant genre films: 1984's "The Terminator" and 1986's "Aliens". Beginning with 1989's "The Abyss", he began to devolve into a cold technician for whom emotional resonance remained out of reach; 1991's "Terminator 2" was bigger than the original but far from better, 1994's "True Lies" had no redeeming qualities other than a few standout action sequences, and 1997's "Titanic" enveloped ripe cheese in an elegantly expensive package but proved in the end that cheese is still cheese.

After a 12-year hiatus during which he made documentaries and worked on new technology, Cameron is back with "Avatar", his biggest and boldest film ever. I want to say that this is the return to form I've been waiting for since "Aliens", but honesty forces me to grudgingly admit that Cameron comes ever so close to hitting the bullseye, only to end up with what is strictly a qualified success.

For most of the running time, though, Cameron temporarily restored my faith in the possibilities of cinema. "Avatar" takes a simple skeleton of a plot, a sturdy metaphor for man's inhumanity to nature and to The Other, and drapes it in seamless special effects (Cameron is the only active director other than Peter Jackson who can pull of modern fx credibly) that tell a larger-than-life tale of space travel to alien lands, and one renegade's stand against the twin evils of big business and mindless militarism. What makes it work is that Cameron is no wimpy liberal -- he respects the timeless values of the warrior while decrying those who would impose themselves on others by brute force.

The fantastical imagery is simply astonishing, a flora and fauna of Cameron's devising which suggests classic sci-fi paperback covers come to technicolor life. And the dazzlingly choreographed action sequences show up Michael Bay and his ilk as a bunch of slop-artists. Cameron is also an underrated actors' director -- Sam Worthington proves he has what it takes for a bright future as a leading man, and Sigourney Weaver is at her authoritative best. As the alien princess, Zoe Saldana has all the spark she lacked in Star Trek (which bodes well for the film version of The Losers), while as the king and queen, Wes Studi and CCH Pounder are positively iconic; and, miracle of miracles, Michelle Rodriguez is tolerable, her usual spoiled-brat sneer nowhere to be seen here.

But a genre film is only as good as its villains, and here is where Cameron comes up short. Stephen Lang (dishonorable warmonger) and Giovanni Ribisi (corporate twerp) try their best with their cartoonish roles, but Cameron's dialogue, always his weak point, defeats them, particularly Lang, who also must struggle with a climax that streches the suspension of disbelief to its breaking point.

Still, this is overall the kind of MOVIE-MOVIE that gives popcorn cinema a good name, and for that alone it deserves respect, though not reverence. I want to give it an A minus or a B plus, but it'll have to settle for a solid B.

R.I.P. Forrest J. Ackerman

We have lost the man who did more than just about anybody to make genre entertainment, and sci-fi in particular, reach out across the world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forrest_Ackerman

This is the end of an era. All we can do is build on the foundation he provided.

R.I.P. John Daly

An enormously influential figure in the entertainment world has died at age 71. Details below:

http://www.ibtimes.com/prnews/20081031/film-and-music-entertainment.htm

The Terminator may not have won any Oscars like some of Daly's other productions, but I think that, with its darkness and ambitious themes, it changed the face of live-action sci-fi entertainment in a much more positive way than, say, Star Wars. That's why it means so much more to me than anything else on Daly's long list of credits.

Cinema: Mother of Tears

Dario Argento's latest movie is his best since 1987's Opera. Unfortunately, that's not saying much because Argento's post-Opera pre-MoT movies range from bland to outright awful. But whatever else MoT is, it's not bland. The apocalyptic conclusion to the Three Mothers trilogy begun with 1976's Suspiria (now indisputably the best movie Argento will ever make) and followed by 1979's Inferno, MoT has more crazy conviction than Argento's shown in a long time. What it lacks is atmosphere and style, two things which used to be Argento's trademarks and which helped compensate for Argento's recurring flaws, namely his inability to direct actors or to come up with a coherent plot. What passes for a story here concerns Argento's usual plucky female protagonist (played by his daughter Asia Argento), trying to stop a coven of witches led by the Mother of Tears (played by the underwhelming Moran Atias) from bringing about the end of the world; in this she's guided by several characters including the ghost of her mother (played by Daria Nicolodi, Asia's real-life mother.) The movie reportedly had the biggest budget of Argento's career, but none of it shows on the screen. Hopes for Argento, who turned 68 this year, of renewing his fans' faith with a late-career comeback are dimmer than ever. And yet I'll still be watching his next offering, despite having the unpromisingly reductive title Giallo (that's the Italian name for a literary and cinematic subgenre of murder mysteries which many of Argento's movies fall under, so calling the film Giallo is like calling a comedy Comedy.)

R.I.P. Paul Newman

Another icon of the cinema has left us, after a long battle with cancer.

My favorite movie of his was The Sting. His character in it was so wonderfully wily.

Little known fact: comic book artist Gil Kane "cast" Newman as Green Lantern Hal Jordan, one of my favorite superheroes.

He will be remembered not only for his performances, but also for his charitable work and for proving that showbiz marriages can last.

My condolences to his widow, Joanne Woodward, another fine performer, and to the rest of his family and friends.