Avatar movie

[Turbinator]

You need to read this:

 

[francisdrake]

Turbinator, thanks for the script :lol:
It seems the 22nd century will not be too different from the 17th century, at least in the Hollywood perception. Just imagine how many SciFi plots could emerge from "ye ol' pirate stories", like Blackbeard or Captain Kidd ...

 

[tblaxland]

Unobtanium...had an extremely strong magnetic field, reversing prior knowledge that all superconductors repel magnetic fields.

Fairly typical for Hollywood psuedo-science. All superconductors actually exhibit strong diamagnetism, meaning they have a magnetic field. Therefore diamagnetic levitation is not unique to unobtanium. It is not even restricted to superconductors...

 

[Turbinator]

An object does not need to be superconducting to levitate. Normal things, even humans, can do it as well, if placed in a strong magnetic field. Although the majority of ordinary materials, such as wood or plastic, seem to be non-magnetic, they, too, expel a very small portion (0.00001) of an applied magnetic field, i.e. exhibit very weak diamagnetism. The molecular magnetism is very weak (millions times weaker than ferromagnetism) and usually remains unnoticed in everyday life, thereby producing the wrong impression that materials around us are mainly nonmagnetic. But they are all magnetic. It is just that magnetic fields required to levitate all these "nonmagnetic" materials have to be approximately 100 times larger than for the case of, say, superconductors.

 

[T.Neo]

Therefore diamagnetic levitation is not unique to unobtanium. It is not even restricted to superconductors...

Indeed. While the floating moutains are nonsense (or are they... could large chunks of superconductor float in natural magnetic fields?), they work on real principles.

EDIT:
That script is awesome... and a bit scary...

 

[Hielor]

An object does not need to be superconducting to levitate. Normal things, even humans, can do it as well, if placed in a strong magnetic field. Although the majority of ordinary materials, such as wood or plastic, seem to be non-magnetic, they, too, expel a very small portion (0.00001) of an applied magnetic field, i.e. exhibit very weak diamagnetism. The molecular magnetism is very weak (millions times weaker than ferromagnetism) and usually remains unnoticed in everyday life, thereby producing the wrong impression that materials around us are mainly nonmagnetic. But they are all magnetic. It is just that magnetic fields required to levitate all these "nonmagnetic" materials have to be approximately 100 times larger than for the case of, say, superconductors.

Not sure why you included the "liquid magnetic sculpture" video in that list, since the material in question is pretty much iron filings suspended in liquid...

 

[Turbinator]

Avatar is now officially the 2nd largest grossing movie in the history of cinema:

1. Titanic $1,842,879,955
2. Avatar $1,137,846,909
3. Return of the King $1,119,110,941
4. Dead Man's Chest $1,066,179,725
5. The Dark Knight $1,001,921,825

And is moving up the North America box office chart:
(now I don't understand why this chart is so important to movie critics when it only represents a tiny fraction of all ticket sales)

1 Titanic Par. $600,788,188 1997
2 The Dark Knight WB $533,345,358 2008
3 Star Wars Fox $460,998,007 1977^
4 Shrek 2 DW $441,226,247 2004
5 E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial Uni. $435,110,554 1982^
6 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Fox $431,088,301 1999
7 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest BV $423,315,812 2006
8 Spider-Man Sony $403,706,375 2002
9 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen P/DW $402,111,870 2009
10 Avatar Fox $380,540,297 2009
11 Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith Fox $380,270,577 2005
12 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King NL $377,027,325 2003
13 Spider-Man 2 Sony $373,585,825 2004
14 The Passion of the Christ NM $370,782,930 2004^
15 Jurassic Park Uni. $357,067,947 1993
16 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers NL $341,786,758 2002

Is the mighty worldwide "Avatar" box office performance directly tied to its readability as an anti-American, anti-military (yet happily militaristic in its entertainment value), anti-colonialist tract? Charles Mudede of Seattle's alt weekly the Stranger, put it this way: "The American culture industry exports an anti-American spectacle to an anti-American world and makes a killing ... it's really all about American power and its decline. According to this movie, America is over and done with — the thrill is gone, the glory can not be restored."

















.

 

[Artlav]

The most interesting thing about the movie is that my eyes didn't hurt from three hours of watching it in IMAX glasses. Usually, 45 minutes is more than enough.

 

[Dig Gil]

Something in that film made you to not strain you vision. :hmm:

 

[cljohnston]

Turbinator, thanks for the script :lol:
It seems the 22nd century will not be too different from the 17th century, at least in the Hollywood perception. Just imagine how many SciFi plots could emerge from "ye ol' pirate stories", like Blackbeard or Captain Kidd ...

Well, the real script has been made available by Fox...
http://www.foxscreenings.com/media/pdf/JamesCameronAVATAR.pdf

I saw it at 11:40am on opening day, and it was my first 3D experience. My only problem being that my eyes kept drying out because I was forgetting to blink! So much incredible detail!

I thought the story was just fine, but I really love this parody from Jimmy Kimmel Live from Dec. 18th...

James Cameron was the guest that night, and he said he really liked Kimmel's version!

 

[Pilot7893]

Just saw the movie last weekend. It was amazing.

 

[combrown]

So is anyone going to start building those ships, or does this mean I need to become a ship builder

 

[Ghostrider]

Charles Mudede of Seattle's alt weekly the Stranger, put it this way: "The American culture industry exports an anti-American spectacle to an anti-American world and makes a killing ... it's really all about American power and its decline. According to this movie, America is over and done with — the thrill is gone, the glory can not be restored."

Some people should understand that, sometimes, a 3D SF flick with stunning SFX, visuals, spaceships, aliens, guns and explosions is just a 3D SF flick with stunning SFX, visuals, spaceships, aliens, guns and explosions.

 

[JamesG]

But not this one. It is intentionally a touchy-feely lecture/guilt-trip dressed up as a 3D SF flick with stunning SFX, visuals, spaceships, aliens, guns and explosions. As per the director/writer himself.

 

[Ghostrider]

Well, Cameron has reasons to feel guilty: he left us without gun/spaceship/robot action for 12 years. Ain't no way to treat people, folks. He's no Terrence Malick. Make movies, dude, with explosions and stuff. Don't leave the place to the Michael Bays.

 

[jedidia]

allthough micheal bay movies are usually just explosions, without "stuff"...:dry:

 

[T.Neo]

Explosions and bad science, if we count Armageddon.

 

[Ghostrider]

allthough micheal bay movies are usually just explosions, without "stuff"...:dry:

Unless by "stuff" you mean Megan Fox's "assets".

 

[Pilot7893]

Bay's movies are visuals, not much else. I have to admit, Transformers is a very "cool" movie, just not a "good" movie.

 

[martins]

I finally managed to see the movie, and it left me somewhat underwhelmed.
The 3D effects certainly work, as a gimmick - in fact they were so much fun that by the time I was ready to concentrate on the plot line, I had pretty much missed the premise. Anyway, it basically seems to depict the plight of the native American, interspersed with the occasional Harry Potter-style dragon ride. Contrary to the historical outcome, this thing turned into a silly happy ending that was as unlikely as it was predictable.

I guess 3D, like CGI, will turn into another useful device to distract from thin plot lines.

PS: The 3D thing seems to work well when you focus on the scene elements you are meant to look at. As soon as you try to look at out-of-focus objects in the fore- or background, they stay, well, out of focus, ruining the illusion. I guess for the real 3D experience we'll have to wait for Avatar: The stage play.