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About Jon
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Let’s go to the movies! I love the movie experience, study what happens on the screen and am writing about it to help you with your movie going decisions. Hopefully something in the blogging of a film’s big elements – screenwriting, cinematography, directing, acting, visual effects, sound, and editing (and sometimes automobiles) – will help movie fans discern where their entertainment dollars should go. I’ve been blogging about movies on 99x.com since April 2008 and have been listening to 99x since moving to Atlanta in 1996. I’ve worked on the Olympics and short films that have appeared at Sundance and other film festivals in the U.S., Europe, and Australia. I have a Master’s degree in film from Florida State University and regard film school as one of the best experiences of my life.
I currently live in Atlanta with my wife and two labs; love baseball, music, family and friends, good food, and of course movies. Just to blog down thoughts from an eyewitness perspective I avoid reading other movie blogs or reviews on a new release until I’ve posted my own. All references to box office results or cast and crew are culled from boxofficeguru.com, boxofficemojo.com, or IMDB.com. Wikipedia is not used in the writing of this blog. Follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/jonlamoreaux for additional movie updates.
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Jon's Movie Blog
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Jul
2
Written by:
Jon Lamoreaux
7/2/2010 3:01 PM
 Superman II begat Howard the Duck which begat The Golden Child which begat Power Rangers which begat Mortal Kombat which begat The Matrix Reloaded which begat Star Wars: Attack of the Clones which begat this total blow of hard earned dollars. The only way I can describe it is to use the same kind of parable Bible speak M. Night Shyamalan uses for this his 9th feature-length film as writer-director, and that is to say a chain is no stronger than its weakest link. And therein lies the problem. Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense (1999) and Signs (2002) had success and to a certain degree, and rightfully so in terms of portraying characters outside-the-genre. But somewhere along the way the long, amateur delivery of dialogue, the lengthy takes where actors reel off long pages of words and give expressions of stoic inner turmoil, finally caught up with him becoming his signature traits rather than his flaws. And part of the problem I have to say is that it’s because he’s a writer-director. Not everyone is cut out to do that. Shyamalan’s credit at the end of The Last Airbender is Written by, Produced by, and Directed by. Way too many “bys” for M. Night. He only needs one and that should be either Written by or Directed by. Hey, but kids will probably like The Last Airbender because it centers around a ten to twelve-year-old named Aang played by Noah Ringer who is the reincarnated Avatar, a supreme master of the elements Air, Water, Earth and Fire—the four parts of power and peace that in The Last Airbender world (like the ring in Lord of the Rings) bind all people and nations together. Kids will enjoy the adventurous Tai Chi, Martial Arts journey Aang must take to restore peace. But adults might be journeying back to the box office seeking a refund, as some threatened to do at the sold out, packed screening I sat in.
The Story: Adapted from the episodic, animated serial (2005) running currently in syndication on cable channels, the Avatar, not to be confused with James Cameron’s mega-million dollar hit from last year, is a reincarnated deity who cycles for eternity in the avatar bodies of humans. He is born and grows old like any human but when his body gives way to death he is reborn again in the new shell of another. Aang is the name of his current incarnation and he’s trying to get back to his foster nation of Air. He’s part of a “tribe” that uses and controls air in a supernatural manner much the same way other groups of people control water, earth, and fire. It seems the leader of the Fire nation, Fire Lord Ozai played by Cliff Curtis (Blow (2001), Training Day (2001)), however, has plans to horde all of the elements and has created vast armies of darkly clad soldiers and machinery to conquer the others. And he’s doing quite well with his plan but not well enough since he doesn’t own the Avatar. As Buddha said, “There is no fire like passion, there is no shark like hatred, there is no snare like folly, there is no torrent like greed.” Without the Avatar his total domination and control of the world, his sole desire, is imperfect.
The Goods: The Last Airbender is lyrical, I’ll say that much. It really blends movement and music well. The soundtrack by Composer James Newton Howard (The Dark Knight (2008)) gives it a sinister but Disney, Epcot World experience. And it never lets up as Aang moves like air, wind-milling his arms and legs and fanning to life forms of air and later water to help him find answers to why he is the chosen one. And what he needs to do to save all the elements from fire.
Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire (2008)) who seemingly over-acts every moment on screen gives his role as Prince Zuko, Prince of the Fire nation an almost pungent sensibility with facial tics and emotional outbursts as the Fire ruler’s son. Humiliated by his father, and outcast from the Fire kingdom for failing to fight an important battle, Zuko is trying to catch the Avatar and bring him to his father where he can once again hold his head high in pride and redeem himself amongst his people. It’s annoying at first, Patel’s range of Kabuki theater-like emotions, but as the film progresses so does Prince Zuko and you realize he’s a much more complex character than thought. Actually, I think Patel’s performance turns out to be one of the best parts of the film.
Another good thing is that this huge budgeted big picture is a stretch for Shyamalan. If anything, he’s learning from this experience and I almost guarantee he’s going to hit the Oscar nail on the head in the next ten years. I’m not really a fan of his direction of actors but I think there’s a quality there that he needs to continue exploiting as his style that will improve if he shapes it, if he bends it moving forward like Aang the Avatar bends air. Let’s just say the comfort level of only sticking to what Shyamalan knows started to show with Unbreakable (2000), peaked with Signs and has been stale ever since. I think this film will break him of some of those bad habits.
The Flaws: A two hour film fable about war over the control and “bending” of four elements, air, water, fire and earth just seems too remedial, too easy, and too far removed from reality. Like who cares. Because these elements are there for us at any instance of the day, currently in plentiful quantities, it has less of a rarity to its value, as an object of desire in the film. It’s nearly impossible to see these elements as diamonds or gold, but it would behoove Shyamalan to do that, to remind us how much of a necessity these elements are to our existence before throwing them around like weapons and tools. Only in their absence will we appreciate them. The notion of peace, too, then becomes invaluable because it’s talked about more than shown. It’s like talking about love, or beauty. Poets can conjure the words to express these things but it’s difficult to talk about them in a movie without showing us examples. Or giving us creative vision.
The 3D: Like Clash of the Titans the 3D in The Last Airbender is nonexistent and does nothing for the film but cloud the photography and darken the color. Much of the film takes place at night so for one to sit in a dark theater wearing dark glasses for scenes in the dark it makes for a very dark experience. Did I mention it’s dark? Someone should start a petition to have the 3D removed from this film and others like it. For kids, convince them to see it in 2D. They’ll enjoy the color more than the added, fake dimension. If anything, this variety of “3D” being shoved down our throats is offensive. If studios aren’t careful it’s really going to make audiences mad.
The Call: Certainly don’t waste your money on the 3D, but if you have kids between the ages of ten and fourteen they might like this tale of war and peace, and might learn a lesson or two, about notions of greed and inner strength from examples set forth by the peace seeking people of the film. Otherwise, I’d suggest seeking out the peace of mind knowing Toy Story 3, The A-Team, or The Karate Kid will be worth the cost(s) if planning to hit the theaters this weekend.
Rated PG for fantasy action violence. Running time is 103 minutes. Paramount is gunning for a franchise of Avatar films so expect three to four more sequels as this one is labeled Book One: Water.
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