Photo of the Day #9.

Bobby and Marty ♥

The One with those "Amazing" Avatars.

Wow, I know I haven't done this in such a long time, and, FYI; I saw this film back on the 12th of January. I'm a little behind on my reviewing, but I'll catch up :)
Okay, I really did not have an interest in seeing this film. I thought it was full of special effects and nothing else...and I was pretty much right about that. Seeing this film was not my intention, but then I thought, I might as well. Apparently it's great, everybody loves it, so why not? Why not(?) you ask, I'll tell you why not...

Written & Directed by: James Cameron

Jake Sully is a paraplegic marine who is set on a mission to travel to a new world; Pandora, and report back to the U.S military. There, Sully meets Neytiri, falls in love, and gets caught up in the Na'vi Native world of Pandora because he now feels as if it's his home, therefore defies his initial orders of reporting to the U.S military.

I shall report back to my golden globes blog where I said that Avatar was very weak. This, in my eyes; is the truth. It had a boring screenplay and the acting wasn't anything special. I was so glad that it only won the academy awards it did, because that's all it deserved. Yes, I have to admit I loved the visuals; the scene where Jake first arrives at Pandora & the one where Jake and Neytiri first meet are visually stunning, but so what?
Jake and Neytiri weren't so believable as a couple to me at all, although it is a nice enough concept...a little familiar though. And that sex scene; cringe-worthy! I must say; I did love Giovanni Ribisi in this film. I am a fan of him, and I think he was great, and it was a shame that he wasn't in it more than he was.

Okay, many people say this and it is completely true; this film is as if it's anti-American. Americans are depicted as the enemy, merely because Jake sides with the natives and rejects Colonel Miles Quaritch's project altogether. In my opinion, this was frustrating, and also very predictable, but sometimes there is nothing wrong with that, I suppose.

The long-winded, near 40-minute battle at the end was just ridiculous. It went on a little too long for my liking. It was the same thing happening over and over again. Frankly; I wanted this scene to end... fast! Usually, I'm very patient with viewing films, but this scene was painful.

Now, I know this 3D phenomenon is catching on, and I'm not it's biggest fan. It did make Avatar a wonderful experience, but that's all this film was; an experience; nothing else. Most people love it because it's visually stunning; blah, blah, freaking blah, but as I've said; that doesn't cut it. That doesn't make it one of the greatest films ever! Not on my watch, anyway.

This film is still in cinemas here, since December 17 actually; and I find this silly. But I must applaud you, James Cameron. You've created a hell of an experience. Avatar sequels have been discussed; but please don't make them.
I give it 2 out of 4 stars.

Judge for yourself.
Watch the trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1_JBMrrYw8

Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 162 mins.

Taysha. x

The One With the Last Minute Oscar Talk.

I know it's been a long time; and I've been caught up in school work; again. so let's start this bad boy up one more time, shall we? :)
Let's talk oscars!
This is what/who I think will win and what/who I think should win?
If there isn't a 'SHOULD WIN' spot in any category, this simply means that I haven't seen any of the films nominated.

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year:
Nominees:
Ajami (2009)(Israel)
Das weisse Band - Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte (2009)(Germany)
El secreto de sus ojos (2009)(Argentina)
Un prophète (2009)(France)
La teta asustada (2009)(Peru)
WILL WIN: Das weisse Band - Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year:
Nominees:
Coraline (2009): Henry Selick
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009): Wes Anderson
The Princess and the Frog (2009): John Musker, Ron Clements
The Secret of Kells (2009): Tomm Moore
Up (2009): Pete Docter
WILL WIN: Up

Best Achievement in Visual Effects:
Nominees:
Avatar (2009): Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham, Andy Jones
District 9 (2009): Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros, Matt Aitken
Star Trek (2009): Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh, Burt Dalton
SHOULD WIN: Avatar
WILL WIN: Avatar

Best Achievement in Sound Editing:
Nominees:
Avatar (2009): Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson, Tony Johnson
The Hurt Locker (2008): Paul N.J. Ottosson, Ray Beckett
Inglourious Basterds (2009): Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti, Mark Ulano
Star Trek (2009): Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson, Peter J. Devlin
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009): Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Geoffrey Patterson
SHOULD WIN: Inglourious Basterds
WILL WIN: Avatar/The Hurt Locker

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing:
Nominees:
Avatar (2009): Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson, Tony Johnson
The Hurt Locker (2008): Paul N.J. Ottosson, Ray Beckett
Inglourious Basterds (2009): Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti, Mark Ulano
Star Trek (2009): Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson, Peter J. Devlin
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009): Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Geoffrey Patterson
SHOULD WIN: Inglourious Basterds
WILL WIN: Avatar/The Hurt Locker

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song
Nominees:
Crazy Heart (2009): T-Bone Burnett, Ryan Bingham("The Weary Kind")
Faubourg 36 (2008): Reinhardt Wagner, Frank Thomas("Loin de Paname")
Nine (2009): Maury Yeston("Take It All")
The Princess and the Frog (2009): Randy Newman("Almost There")
The Princess and the Frog (2009): Randy Newman("Down in New Orleans")
SHOULD WIN: Nine (2009): Maury Yeston("Take It All")
WILL WIN: Crazy Heart (2009): T-Bone Burnett, Ryan Bingham("The Weary Kind")

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
Nominees:
Avatar (2009): James Horner
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009): Alexandre Desplat
The Hurt Locker (2008): Marco Beltrami, Buck SandersSherlock Holmes (2009): Hans Zimmer
Up (2009): Michael Giacchino
SHOULD WIN: Not Avatar. It's score is very boring.
WILL WIN: Avatar/The Hurt Locker

Best Achievement in Makeup
Nominees:
Il divo (2008): Aldo Signoretti, Vittorio Sodano
Star Trek (2009): Barney Burman, Mindy Hall, Joel Harlow
The Young Victoria (2009): John Henry Gordon, Jenny Shircore
SHOULD WIN: Star Trek [I haven't seen this film, but I have seen the brilliant makeup.]
WILL WIN: Star Trek/The Young Victoria

Best Achievement in Costume Design
Nominees:
Bright Star (2009): Janet Patterson
Coco avant Chanel (2009): Catherine Leterrier
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009): Monique Prudhomme
Nine (2009): Colleen Atwood
The Young Victoria (2009): Sandy Powell
SHOULD WIN: Nine
WILL WIN: The Young Victoria

Best Achievement in Art Direction
Nominees:
Bright Star (2009): Janet Patterson
Coco avant Chanel (2009): Catherine Leterrier
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009): Monique Prudhomme
Nine (2009): Colleen Atwood
The Young Victoria (2009): Sandy Powell
SHOULD WIN: Nine
WILL WIN: The Young Victoria/Nine

Best Achievement in Editing
Nominees:
Avatar (2009): Stephen E. Rivkin, John Refoua, James Cameron
District 9 (2009): Julian Clarke
The Hurt Locker (2008): Bob Murawski, Chris Innis
Inglourious Basterds (2009): Sally Menke
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009): Joe Klotz
SHOULD WIN: Inglourious Basterds [Hi Sally! We love you!]
WILL WIN: Avatar/The Hurt Locker/Inglourious Basterds.

Best Achievement in Cinematography
Nominees:
Avatar (2009): Mauro Fiore
Das weisse Band - Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte (2009): Christian Berger
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009): Bruno Delbonnel
The Hurt Locker (2008): Barry Ackroyd
Inglourious Basterds (2009): Robert Richardson
SHOULD WIN: Inglourious Basterds
WILL WIN: Avatar

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Nominees:
District 9 (2009): Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell
An Education (2009): Nick Hornby
In the Loop (2009): Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009): Geoffrey Fletcher
Up in the Air (2009/I): Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner
SHOULD WIN: Up in the Air: Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner
WILL WIN: Up in the Air: Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Nominees:
The Hurt Locker (2008): Mark Boal
Inglourious Basterds (2009): Quentin Tarantino
The Messenger (2009/I): Alessandro Camon, Oren Moverman
A Serious Man (2009): Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Up (2009): Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Thomas McCarthy
SHOULD WIN: Inglourious Basterds (2009): Quentin Tarantino!
WILL WIN: Inglourious Basterds (2009): Quentin Tarantino/The Hurt Locker (2008): Mark Boal

Best Achievement in Directing
Nominees:
Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker (2008)
James Cameron for Avatar (2009)
Lee Daniels for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)
Jason Reitman for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds (2009)
SHOULD WIN: Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds (2009)
WILL WIN: Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker (2008)/James Cameron for Avatar (2009)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Nominees:
Penélope Cruz for Nine (2009)
Vera Farmiga for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Maggie Gyllenhaal for Crazy Heart (2009)
Anna Kendrick for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Mo'Nique for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)
SHOULD WIN: Penélope Cruz for Nine (2009)
WILL WIN: Mo'Nique for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominees:
Matt Damon for Invictus (2009)
Woody Harrelson for The Messenger (2009/I)
Christopher Plummer for The Last Station (2009)
Stanley Tucci for The Lovely Bones (2009)
Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds (2009)
SHOULD WIN: Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds (2009)
WILL WIN: Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Nominees:
Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side (2009)
Helen Mirren for The Last Station (2009)
Carey Mulligan for An Education (2009)
Gabourey Sidibe for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)
Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia (2009)
WILL WIN: Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side (2009)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Nominees:
Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart (2009)
George Clooney for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Colin Firth for A Single Man (2009)
Morgan Freeman for Invictus (2009)
Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker (2008)
SHOULD WIN: George Clooney for Up in the Air (2009/I)
WILL WIN: Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart (2009)

Best Motion Picture of the Year
Nominees:
Avatar (2009): James Cameron, Jon Landau
The Blind Side (2009): Gil Netter, Andrew A. Kosove, Broderick Johnson
District 9 (2009): Peter Jackson, Carolynne Cunningham
An Education (2009): Finola Dwyer, Amanda Posey
The Hurt Locker (2008): Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier, Greg Shapiro
Inglourious Basterds (2009): Lawrence Bender
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009): Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness, Gary Magness
A Serious Man (2009): Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Up (2009): Jonas Rivera
Up in the Air (2009/I): Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman, Jason Reitman
SHOULD WIN: Inglourious Basterds (2009): Lawrence Bender
WILL WIN: Avatar (2009): James Cameron, Jon Landau/The Hurt Locker (2008): Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier, Greg Shapiro

I hope you all have a fantabulous night.
Don't take it too personally, as I do :)

Taysha. x