James Cameron's Oscar acceptance

God bless you, Vanity Fair. Click the picture to enlarge.

"Avatar 2" is on the way

Maybe now we won't have to wait 12 years for James Cameron's next film. That would sure be nice. Although knowing him, I'm sure he'll find a way to reinvent the wheel yet again and we won't see Pandora again until at least the middle of the new decade.

Source: Unknown
King of the Box Office James Cameron Talks Avatar 2
Today 8:58 AM PST by Breanne L. Heldman and Megan Masters

Mark Fellman/Twentieth Century Fox

The numbers don't lie—moviegoers are loving Avatar just as much as the Hollywood Foreign Press.

So it would stand to reason that a sequel to James Cameron's opus is in the works, right?

Right.

"We always planned on continuing the world and continuing the characters," the director told E! News at the Producers Guild of America Awards Sunday night. "In fact, that was part of the original pitch to 20th Century Fox."

All the necessary elements, he says, are already in place.

"We're going to spend a lot of money building this world and all these digital characters and digital plants and trees and mountains and so on, and then once we've got it, we've got it. It's not like it's a practical set that when you build it, you have to tear it down and you're left with a big pile of lumber out behind the studio. We have all that stuff so we can go again."

But don't start lining up at the theaters just yet. There's a long way to go before Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington turn blue again.

"We just have to come up with a great story, which we haven't done yet," Cameron says. "I have a rough story, but you need to make a script, so that might take some time. Don't start going to buy your tickets."

So, since he's already topped himself once, is he aiming to do it again?

"Oh yeah, we have a plan in place already for how to break these records," he says sarcastically. "Are you kidding?! This is so random that this is happening. There's no way to have predicted this."

EDIT (now it's official): Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new (or should I say "old"?) King

As of January 24, 2010, Avatar is the new highest grossing film of all time, topping another James Cameron epic, Titanic. Maybe it's time to finally bow down and admit that Mr. Cameron actually is the King of the World; two Billion-Dollar Babies isn't exactly a small achievement. I guess this is the reward Mr. Cameron gets for reinventing the technological wheel every time he makes a movie.

Source: AP

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Titanic" just hit an iceberg named "Avatar."

James Cameron's sci-fi spectacular replaced his maritime melodrama as the biggest international release of all time during the weekend and is on the verge of claiming its worldwide crown, which also includes North American receipts, distributor 20th Century Fox said Sunday.

The News Corp-owned studio said "Avatar" has sold $1.841 billion worth of tickets worldwide during its unbroken six-week reign, and was a day or so away from surpassing the seemingly insurmountable $1.843 billion racked up by "Titanic" in 1997-1998.

The international portion stands at $1.288 billion, eclipsing the $1.242 billion haul of "Titanic."

In North America, "Avatar" may have to wait up to two weeks to sink the $601 million total of "Titanic," Fox said. Moviegoers in the United States and Canada have chipped in $552.8 million, enough to replace 2008's "The Dark Knight" ($533 million) as the second-biggest movie of all time.

Data are not adjusted for inflation, and "Avatar" ticket sales got an additional boost from premium pricing for 3-D screenings. Imax Corp said its big-screen engagements have sold a record $134 million worth of tickets worldwide.

The biggest movie of all time in North America -- adjusted for inflation -- is 1939's "Gone with the Wind," with sales of almost $1.5 billion, according to tracking firm Box Office Mojo. "Avatar" ranks No. 26 by that measure.

"AVATAR" RULES IN FRANCE, CHINA

During the latest weekend, "Avatar" earned $36 million in North America and $107 million from 111 international markets, far outpacing other offerings.

It led the field in at least 29 foreign markets, including France ($123 million to date), China ($102 million), Germany ($96 million), Russia ($95 million) and Britain ($93 million).

In North America, "Avatar" was trailed by the new supernatural action thriller "Legion" at No. 2 with $18.2 million, while the Denzel Washington drama "The Book of Eli" slipped to No. 3 with $17 million in its second weekend.

"Legion," released by Sony Corp's Screen Gems budget label, cost about $25 million to make, and played primarily to men, the studio said. Paul Bettany, Lucas Black and Tyrese Gibson star in the tale of an of-the-way diner that becomes the unlikely battleground for the survival of the human race.

"Eli," a similarly themed apocalyptic drama released by Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros. Pictures on behalf of independent producer Alcon Entertainment, has earned $62 million after 10 days.

Two other films opened in the top-10: Fox's Dwayne Johnson family film "The Tooth Fairy" at No. 4 with a promising $14.5 million, and the Harrison Ford medical drama "Extraordinary Measures" at No. 7 with a disappointing $7 million.

"Extraordinary Measures" is the debut release of CBS Corp's CBS Films, which said its fact-based storyline about a father trying to save the lives of his children made it a tough sell. Older audiences in the Midwest and mountain areas were the primary demographic, the studio said.

Fox said "Tooth Fairy" played well across the board, despite or because of its depiction of former wrestler Johnson, a.k.a. "The Rock" in a tutu and wings.

"It's a very sweet, wonderful message movie," said Chris Aronson, Fox's senior vice-president of domestic distribution.

(Reporting by Dean Goodman; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

Video of the Week: Who wants to be a Na'vi?

The year sci-fi struck back

The sci-fi genre, like any, has seen quite a few ups and downs. From the early, cheesy B-movies of the 40s and 50s, to the rise of the space opera in Star Wars, to the fusion with horror in the Alien quadrilogy starting in 1979. Now, 30 years later, at the end of the first decade of the 2000s, the film release gods aligned the stars for a spectacular slate of sci-fi films spread across 2009. There were also the Star Wars prequels and two Terminator sequels, which raked in the millions but weren't so satisfying to series fans on many levels. What the sci-fi genre needed was something different, something innovative, something willing to push the conventions of what sci-fi could accomplish as a genre. And thanks to four very different films, that's exactly what happened.

First was JJ Abrams Star Trek reboot, blasting off into theaters in mid-May, and taking in just over $250 million domestically. Add to that the hugely positive response from critics and audiences alike, Abrams reboot became more than just 2009's Iron Man 0f sorts. Boasting snappy editing, and young, fresh-faced cast (with best-in-show honors going to Zachary Quinto as Spock), slick special effects, and quite a few genuinely emotional moments amid the flashing lasers, the film stands as a great achievement not only because it breathed new life into a franchise long on life support, but was also totally accessible to those who have never seen an episode of "Star Trek" before. The humor wasn't always executed sharply, and the final act wasn't as thrilling due to a ho-hum villain, but overall this hip, modern, reboot of the classic franchise deserved every penny and rave it got. Even after seeing it three times, it's still a blast.

Bottom Line: The movie that showed us that not only is sci-fi cool again, but that in the right hands, any franchise can bounce back.

Then we have the midsummer psychological thriller Moon, starring Sam Rockwell. What makes this one different from all of the others? It's *gasp* totally an art house movie. Sci-fi has for decades now been associated the big, the flashy, and the expensive. So for Moon to rank as one of the year's best films, and star the most criminally overlooked performance of the year from Mr. Rockwell, is something special, even if it didn't light up the box office. Duncan Jones' debut feature is an elegant psychological thriller, starring Rockwell and, really, ONLY Rockwell (in dual roles, no less) as an astronaut on contract to oversee a mining station on the moon. In his two roles, Rockwell shines, never leaving the audience begging for something more. It's truly a one man show and Rockwell takes command of it, and the results are excellent. The film itself has a few problems, mostly from hinting at trying to take on something grander, but never actually going there. On the whole, however, Moon stands as a stellar achievement, bolstered by impressive debut direction and Clint Mansell's haunting score.

Bottom Line: The film that showed us that sci-fi could not only work in "art house" territory, but also be driven by performances instead of spectacle.

August isn't exactly the high point of the summer movie season, but along with Inglorious Basterds, August brought us a genuine sci-fi wonder: Neill Blompkamp's District 9. The best part of the film was its premise: aliens have landed on earth not as bringers of peace or destruction, but as lost refugees. Add to the fact that the mothership was stranded over Johannesburg, and not a traditional city like New York, and the parallel's to apartheid, and what you get is a non-stop thrill ride, centered around a surprising performance from unknown Sharlto Copely. Even more impressive is the seamless way in which the effects blend in with the environments, and this is in a film shot for only $30 million. The use of faux documentary and security tape footage throughout helps up the intrigue, and despite the villains being too easily swayed to doing nasty things, the overall result is a charge of energy packed with gritty thrills and a heart-wrenching story.

Bottom Line: The movie that showed us that there are still unique sci-fi ideas out there.

Last is Avatar, which I've already talked about in my review, and still need to see a second time to settle my thoughts on the screenplay and acting (the same is true for Nine). The true star, as I've said, are the special effects, and they are indeed special. The best part of Avatar is simply getting to experience the creatures and vistas all generated from nothing, and how real they feel. The myriad creatures that inhabit Cameron's world are impressive and there were even times when I wished the film had simply been nothing more than a full faux documentary about Pandora. Where Cameron's world comes alive is when the least is said; the epic battle, the soaring flight sequences are all evidence of this. Like a sci-fi equivalent of Moulin Rouge!, sometimes it's not the story you tell, but simply how you tell it, that can make it great.

Bottom Line: The movie that showed us what special effects were capable of, and that motion capture can actually look realistic.

"Avatar" - REVIEW

James Cameron can sometimes take forever (case in point, this film right here) to make a movie, but more often than not, it's worthy it. Such is the case with Avatar, Cameron's sci-fi extravaganza that is more of an experience than a movie. Set in the year 2154, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) awakes from deep space slumber aboard an interstellar transport shuttle above Pandora, a moon of the much larger planet Polyphemus. The reason? His twin brother, a scientist participating in an important research effort, has been killed, and Jake has the exact same genome. Once on Pandora, he's introduced to two sides: the military/corporate side (headed by General Quaritch [Stephen Lang]) and the research side (headed by Grace Augustine [Sigourney Weaver]).

The real reason Jake is there, is to participate in the Avatar Program, in which humans plug themselves into the hybrid body of a human and a Na'Vi (the native humanoid population). After a mishap in his first run in his Avatar, Jake encounters Na'Vi princess (sort of) Neytiri (Zoe Saldana, who's having a great year in sci-fi after JJ Abrams Star Trek reboot). From here, the story isn't the most original in the book. Jake grows to know the Na'Vi after initial hostility, the humans' real interest rears its ugly head, conflict escalates, etc... So why does it work for the most part? Well, I'm not really sure, and I'm strongly considering running back to the theater to experience Avatar again, now that I'm over the initial shock of the spectacle. Whatever emotion is felt in Cameron's film seems to come from the sheer intensity of his vision, and not from his characters or performances, which are merely "nice". There seem to be long gaps between the more "cliched" scenes, just to allow Cameron's world to thrive. The romance that thrives between Jake and Neytiri feels like it's barely there, as opposed to Cameron's last monumental blockbuster, Titanic. And as long (yet well paced) as the film is there are a few blips when Cameron seems to cut corners, giving a bad sense of time, or leaving the proceedings feeling rushed. A scene when Jake and Augustine are arrested cuts from a shot of the pair in a cell to Trudy (Michelle Rodriguez) coming in to break them out. It just happens, and feels too sudden. The dialogue, while not cringe inducing like some have suggested, is mostly serviceable. Of course, the real star is the effects work. I saw the film in Real D 3D (not sure how it's different from regular 3D...) and it looked gorgeous. The images are bright, vibrant, and unbelievably sharp. The 3D is a subtle effect, simply giving greater distance between fore-and-background, which keeps it from feeling like a gimmick. Even without the 3D, the effects would still be jaw dropping. Unlike The Lord of the Rings, in which real people interacted with photorealistic creatures, here everything in the Na'Vi world (except the real humans) is built from the ground up using either green screen or motion capture, which is so mind-bogglingly detailed that it doesn't take long before you stop wondering about the images on screen and simply take them as real. This allows many sequences, namely those involving characters flying on Banshees, to really soar with the help of engaging photography and James Horner's big yet somewhat generic "epic" score.

So what does it all boil down to? I'm still scratching my head over it all. The spectacle is awe-inspiring and yet the other elements feel totally ordinary. In spite of how derivative it is, the film is still compelling and exciting, but I can't name a single moment that wowed me on an emotional level; the "wow"'s all come from the grandeur. So where does that leave me?

Grade: B+ (for now)

Final poster for "Avatar"

Fantastic new faux-documentary "Avatar" featurette: Pandora

New "Avatar" TV spots

2 new Avatar featurettes

"Avatar" clip: Thanador chase

Avatar Movie Clip - Thanador Chase

This was one of the scenes I saw at Avatar Day back in August, and I have to say it looks like it has improved a bit. We weren't shown the bit with the waterfall, but those shots with Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) coming out of the water and grabbing onto a branch are actually quite stunning. Granted, the blue avatars still take a little time to get used to, but everything else in the scene is stunningly well done.

"Avatar" featurette: Col. Quaritch

"Avatar" featurette: Human hardware

Sample from James Horner's score for "Avatar"

French "Avatar" poster

New "Avatar" featurette: Themes

"Avatar" featurette: James Cameron's Vision

High-quality, full-length "Avatar" trailer is finally here, and it looks gorgeous

Bootleg version of the full-length "Avatar" trailer!

I actually didn't have any problems with the original teaser, but a lot of people did. Something tells me this one will go over a lot better with the general public and the fans who have been following this film since day 1.

6 new "Avatar" stills