I have quite a few weird habits, and one of them is that I love seeing movies by myself. As long as it’s not a comedy, for I like sharing the jokes with my friends, I love going to an early matinee of a film all by my lonesome. I get to have the “movie” experience, with all that visual stimulation, but then I have the rest of the day to work.
So today I went to the first showing of Avatar–IMAX and 3D, cause I’m fancy like that. And the movie? My most powerful impression is this: Avatar is totally manipulative, full of those sorts of emotional tableaux that fill Titanic, and there’s never a second when you don’t know exactly what will happen next.
That said, it’s gorgeous, nearly perfectly paced, and has some wonderful performances. It also has that element of katharsis that so many other James Cameron movies have, especially Titanic. I loathed that film. Or, I tried to. In reality, I refused to watch it for as long as I could, and then I cried my entire way through it. There are old people! Holding each other in bed as the ship goes down! They know they’re going to die, yet there they are holding one another!
Cameron knows what Hallmark learned from Aristotle: show us certain images (such as a little girl dancing with her father, then cut to that girl dancing with her dad at her wedding) and we will cry. Cameron understands the power of communal drama, of those visual cues that are nearly archetypal in their resonance, and he has no compunction about wrenching about our heartstrings. In fact, I would say that his genius is in how he pulls and pulls and pulls. It’s almost a form of chutzpah: he’s like Dylan, repeating “lay, lady, lay,” ad infinitum. Just when we think, “Holy shit, he can’t tell her to lay across his big brass bed one more time,” Dylan does. Eventually, we discover to our surprise that we want to lay across his damned bed.
Cameron does something similar. He finds very good actors and actresses, and he has them do and say the things we know deep in our bones they are going to say. We know because they’re the expected actions of villains, heroes, and heroines everywhere. We know because they’re what we would like to say, or do, or think, but usually we’re too cowardly, or petty, or busy.
Cameron gives us what we want, and–like a skilled lover–he knows that good things can only get better if they’re done with enthusiasm, confidence, and at least three times.
So I was hooked from the first few moments of the film. It doesn’t hurt that I’d sop Sam Worthington up with a biscuit, but Avatar is, quite simply, a really entertaining and worthy film. And I mean worthy in both senses of the word: it’s worthy because it’s obviously had buttloads of talent poured into it, from all sides, but also because its message is eminently worthy.
As most of you know, the point of Avatar, in a nutshell, is that humans are greedy, destructive, corrupt little monsters. You are told that from watching the previews, this is not a spoiler. After all, the point of watching a film by Cameron is not to try to figure out the surprise ending; it’s to plug yourself into the emotional ride he takes you on as he gives you the message you know is coming.
Aristotle thought this sort of emotional manipulation was important. He believed that drama could help purge humanity of emotions (both positive and negative), making them more productive, malleable members of the community. Even today, catharsis is still a concept discussed in dramatic theory, and any member of any audience will attest to the special power of viewing a production as a member of a large crowd. It’s the only reason movie theaters exist in the age of On Demand and Netflix; there’s something special about seeing a film in the company of lots of random strangers.
For me, that’s why I love seeing a film on my own. I love being a member of an audience (part of a crowd) and yet I am alone. I’m not holding anyone’s popcorn while they go to the bathroom, or checking to make sure my husband turned off his cell phone. I come in, I sit down, and before the film starts, I people watch.
Today, at the theater, I got an eyeful. It is only a few days after Christmas, after all, meaning that families who are used to the buffers of school or work have been with each other for a while. And they’re getting stabby. Parents were whining at children not to whine; children were moaning they’d rather be at home playing with their new toys.
One especially delightful gentleman–sensing the real meaning of an American Christmas–shouted from the aisle to a woman sitting in the center of the theater, “Are those seats taken?” When she responded, “Yes, they are,” he peered across the dozen or so children sitting between them and yelled:
“Bitch!”
It was wicked classy. So much so I gave him my best sarcastic clap, which was picked up by a smattering of people around me. He responded with the finger, so I gave him the British reversed peace sign. The kids next to me loved it, mostly because they appeared to think I just didn’t know how to give the finger. The oldest boy was about to correct me when his mother intervened.
Anyway, yeah, it was a rowdy crowd that went in. But going out? We were all quiet. We’d watched beautiful blue people (if bizarrely nippleless in the case of the women) fight and die for their planet, defending themselves against humans who had already destroyed their own home.
Filing past the overflowing bins full of popcorn and candy boxes, I knew that few of us were going to go home and reduce our carbon footprint. But ya know what? We all waited, patiently, to hand back our 3D glasses, despite the fact the kid kept dropping the bag. Nobody swore, or tried to push through. Then we waited in line for the bathroom, all of the ladies washing their hands reflected pleasant expressions in the mirror. And driving out of our rather stupidly-planned local theater, not a single person honked his or her horn. People even waved through those waiting to cut in, and those who were let in waved their hands in front of their rear-views, in thanks.
For a few moments, it felt almost like Christmas, the way it used to be when I was very young.
Until, on the main road, I was nearly sideswiped by someone who wasn’t looking and tried to pull in my lane. I’m no lip reader, but I could see that her response to the audacity of my existing in her path was to call me a bitch.
She should really go see a good movie.
Yes! As usual, you said exactly what I was feeling but couldn’t articulate!
You made me want to go see it, but not alone cause I’d scrap. LOL
Wish I could have been there for that…of course I would have sat by myself and pretended I did not know you so you could have your time by your self
Can’t wait to see it. I had the joy of The Chimpmunks the Squeakquel. BIG FUN!
I love the idea of catharsis — but I have trouble with the idea of purposeful manipulation that’s *expected,* or, at least, irrelevant to the plot. (Shanna Swendson did a great entry at http://shanna_s.livejournal.com awhile back on how Nicholas Sparks movies seem to use emotional manipulation in place of plot development. That’s something I find problematic.) I also have trouble with the base plot that we saw in Dances with Wolves, The Last Samurai, and to some extent, Fern Gully: white hero stands up for oppressed culture and leads them in resistance (rather than hero from oppressed culture stands up for himself and leads his own people in resistance). From the trailer, it looks like Avatar is right in that school… and despite its being beautiful, I don’t think I’ll be able to get over that element to allow myself to be manipulated.
That said, I’m glad the catharsis worked for your audience — and I hope that the lady who cut you off goes to see one herself! We went to Sherlock Holmes and found ourselves pleasantly surprised (but our expectations were for schlock rather than Sherlock *g*).
I love to go to movies alone also. I’m planning to see Avatar hopefully next week after the small humans are back in school.
Your review is both articulate and insightful, Impressive, but I didn’t see mention of muddy jizz or smurf sex once. Not once! You might not be able to play in the kids pool anymore.
Aww, thanks Diana. LOL And you do the same for me. It’s called being a critique partner.
Natasha: Dude, seriously, it was the most pissy, belligerent audience EVER going in, and the calmest filing out. So weird! Soooo weird!
Dawn: We will go watch comedies together!
And what makes me stabby is the word “sqeakual.” LOL BTW, I keep eating really bad stuff, and I tell myself I’m doing it for you. You are never getting rid of me (or my ever-spreading can).
Alana: I hear ya on the manipulation! And I totally agree! That’s why I hated Titanic; I felt it was totally a bunch of Hallmark moments strung together with violin music. But I cried like a freaking baby because I am SUCH A SUCKER FOR THAT SHIT. And I hate it! I know I’m being manipulated! I resent it. And yet I cry. I don’t know what that says about me. Anyway, I also agree on the White Man’s Burden aspects of this film and the ones you mentioned. And I thought of all of those issues, too, while I was watching Avatar. But I still cried! Because I’m a sucker! And I can’t wait to see Sherlock Holmes. That may be tomorrow’s film.
Qwill: Isn’t it relaxing? You just have to watch. And you don’t have to say whether you liked it, then defend it. Although I sort of defeated myself in writing this blog post, but you know what I mean.
Mark: That will be tomorrow’s post at the League. I was wondering what the hell to blog about . . .
Touche! I will chase the dragon. Beauty in tragedy beauty in triumph.
@NicolePeeler what a fun and well written entry..made me want to see them movie…
you know what? I LOVE to go to movies by myself.for reals
via Twitoaster
Wow, this is really a wonderful review! I’m just stunned! Gosh, nuttin to say. Nice job.
@NicolePeeler exactly..like sneaking away
via Twitoaster
Discussion on Avatar hotting up at http://www.nicolepeeler.com/2009/12/on-a…. Tomorrow? I’ll post my NAUGHTY reactions at the League.
via Twitoaster
@psynde And thanks, doll. And I hear ya! I love it! It feels somehow selfish and extra pleasurable. Like the experience is JUST yours, alone
via Twitoaster
I saw it opposite of how you did, a late show that got out at godawful o’clock in the morning instead of an early matinee. I loved it. I loved the fact that somebody finally figure out that CGI might work better if you did a really detailed motion capture of someone’s face since that’s how humans communicate emotions. I loved the Wayne Barlowe alien ecology because I love Wayne Barlowe’s alien ecologies. I loved seeing Sigourney Weaver and Michelle Rodriguez reunite in another Space Soldier versus Alien movie.
It was all sorts of fun.
The one thing I hear that people complain about, something that came up with Wall-E as well, is the fact that there was a bit of an environmentalist message in the film. I’m not sure how environmentalism became something that makes Baby Jesus cry, but I don’t see how you can pull off a movie where the audience roots for destroying nature in the name of financial profit.
I liked the Braveheart Dancing With Wolvesitude of the film. I liked that it was Ewoks versus Stormtroopers, only much more bad ass. I think that my be a particularly American thing too. It’s not that we hate technology so much, but we really loved underdogs because our mythology is based on that fact that this country was established by rag tag underdogs with big hearts who managed to defeat the most powerful army on Earth despite all the odds. Nevermind the fact that now we are now the most powerful army on Earth. We still like to think of ourselves as those brave blue cat-people with nothing more than bravery and a faith in Eywa to help us in out fight against powered armor marines with really big machine guns.
Or something like that.
This is on our list for New Years day to check. Personally, I want to see Sherlock Holmes first, but its not my turn to pick. I do want to see this, but I agree you can tell what the story is about from the preview on TV without too much guessing. The effects do look amazing. I hope we can see the 3D version.
I really enjoyed Titanic,but I must be the only person on the planet that didn’t cry. My engineer brain just figured, ‘Hey, its the Titanic. Things are not going to end well.’
But I still cried! Because I’m a sucker!
Heh, right with you on that score on *most* films. And a heck of a lot of books, too. I’m a crier.
Saw Avatar and enjoyed it immensely!!!
Here is my post about it: http://www.cherrymischievous.com/2009/12/avatar-trailer.html
I love going to movies alone, too! My friends thinkI’m wierd, but thats okay.
Thanks for the review. I was going to pass on seeing this movie in the theater, but I think you’ve changed my mind.
Michael: When you catch the dragon, plug your hair into it. Then you drive it, apparently.
Carolyn: Thanks!
And I’m so excited for RomCon!
Thom: It does have a super OTT message re: environmentalism. I absolutely do not agree with those who are just annoyed that it’s got such a message, but even I was like, “Okay, I get it, save the planet.” Interestingly, however, that message doesn’t seem to include saving OUR planet. For Avatar seems to be telling us that humans just are NOT going to get it. We’ve destroyed our world because we just don’t get it and never will. Which I think is patently ironic, considering the fact that as it’s a big studio, big budget Cameron vehicle, it’s got corproate tie-ins out the wazoo. So we’re being berated for being bad, bad humans in the film, even as the studio is encouraging the manufacture and shipping of millions of tons of plastic shit (and yes, I’m including the Whopper in that category) all over the world. So, basically, by merely spending my nine dollars to see a film like that I’m probably marginally increasing my carbon footprint. Multiply that marginal increase by the millions of people seeing that film, buying those Whoppers, toys, etc., and we have a huge fucking foot print.
Heather C: Sherlock was good! That’s my next review. Move over Siskel and Ebert!
Alana: Crying is my default reaction to everything. I cry when I’m sad, or happy, or angry . . . pathetic!
Thanks for sharing, Cherry!:-)
Sasha: I’d definitely see it in the theater if you wanted to see it. The special effects really are incredible. I didn’t talk about this here, but the thing I was most impressed by was the intelligence of the alien biology, etc. It really is spellbinding to look at, the detail is so smart and so incredible. And seeing movies alone is awesome!!! Everyone should do it!
I’m going to see this tonight, in a little over an hour from now, in IMAX 3D. And I am going by myself. Not because it is New Year’s Eve, but because I too always go to the movies alone. I tend to enjoy movies more when I go alone. Don’t know why but I do.
Amber: I do too! It’s like you’re just going to see it, not be part of the cultural event which is “going to see a movie.” The “event” includes talking about your feelings about the movie, discussing reviews beforehand, blah blah blah . . . I like just sitting there and absorbing. LOL Especially a movie such as Avatar that I watch on so many levels (geek, academic, girl, etc) that expressing what I felt about it needs time and quiet. Maybe a blog post.
I think diferrent because my friends use another brand name.It’s secure and i love it’s very much.But next 3D Products I can consider this 3D stuffs that you present.Grate!!!