Michael Bay’s uber-masculine, testosterone-fueled action cinema has long been the butt of many jokes. Even folks who have worked with the director (hello, Megan Fox) have joined in the mudslinging this year.
Now James Cameron’s right-hand musical man James Horner is getting on the action. While it’s a sideways diss, the composer suggests that someone like Michael Bay would never understand the heart, story or “soul” (as the LAT’imes puts it) of the impending mega-million dollar space aliens epic, “Avatar.”
LAT: It’s interesting, too, that small moments become so key when a movie gets as big as this one. The machinery of the movie is so big that without successful small moments and human emotion, it could turn into a video game. JH: Absolutely. Yes, that’s right. And, not to mention names, but if it was Michael Bay making this movie we wouldn’t be having this conversation. These things, [heart, story, soul], wouldn’t matter or they certainly wouldn’t matter as much. Jim knows the importance of it not just becoming mecha. Jim knows that a movie can become swamped in just unbelievable imagery and that it becomes hollow. Jim won’t allow that and my job is to make sure it doesn’t happen.
Meanwhile, despite James Cameron’s pretty nauseating self seriousness (and repeated anecdotes to every media outlet he talks to) about his blue alien film, and the studio’s insistence that the film is going blow our collective minds and change the way we watch movies, it seems “Avatar” is the film to mock this year which puts in similar company as the “Transformers” director.
A plethora of mashed up trailers, comics and general derision has flooded online, but now and then there is one we just have to share with one, that of course, ironically stars Michael Bay. Still, as cynical as we may sound, we won’t be counting out, “Avatar” just yet. Press screenings start next week, so we should know the final results, and whether there actually are elements like heart, story and soul therein, very soon.
This feels very much like a repeat of the period leading up to the release of the second two Matrix installments. We were assured by the studio that the CGI was such that we wouldn't be able to tell it apart from actual footage. That lie might have been forgivable if the story hadn't taken such a drastic wrong turn, to put it mildly.
I'm sure Avatar looks great, though probably not quite as great as we're being lead to believe. Public opinion of the visuals will be greatly helped if Cameron succeeds with story where the Wachowskis failed.
In that regard, from what I've seen so far, I'm kind of worried…
The lead-up to Avatar is fundamentally different from the lead-ups to The Matrix Reloaded or The Phantom Menace because everyone expected those to be good. Avatar is being met with endless pessimism.
I don't think the last two Matrix movies looked remotely realistic.
the fight on the freeway looks like two Gumby dolls fighting to the death.
Even when CGI does look real, if the story's not there under to make you care about what is happening to the characters, it's just a big jerk of.
exhibt "A" being the last Terminator movie.
I think we should never use CGI again. Also, we should live in teepees.
way to simplify.
Don't talk shit about teepees.
I think we've opened pandoras box and now were stuck with over hyped scifi movies.
That picture of Michael Bay is going to haunt my dreams tonight.
http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/12/02/philip-seymour-hoffman-cast-in-paul-thomas-andersons-next/
BREAKING NEWS!
Get your own website, dude.
I think it's quite funny that he says, "And, not to mention names…" and one second later "…but if it was Michael Bay making this movie…"
I find it kind of hilarious that people are looking for realism in "The Matrix."