Ehi, è
Balla Coi Lupi coi Puffi! .png)
Ok, ok, seriamente...
Negli extra di un filmetto quale
2001: Odissea Nello Spazio, un tale che di nome fa
James Cameron argomentava:
"[...] as our films get ever more spectacular 2001 reminds us that it's the ideas behind the spectacle that are still the most important special effect of all".
Non si può dire che con
Avatar abbia del tutto mantenuto fede alle sue convinzioni.
Intendiamoci: non è neppure quella catastrofe che alcuni vorrebbero far credere, ma d'altra parte non vedo come possa meritarsi tutte le lodi ricevute (al netto che ognuno ha i propri gusti...)
Il mio problema fondamentale con
Avatar, infatti, rientra nella categoria
"ah, cosa avrebbe potuto essere, se solo...", che inevitabilmente tende a far perdere molti punti a qualsiasi film che sia inciampato proprio a metà (o forse ancora sulla linea di partenza) della corsa per diventare una ottima pellicola.
La storia la sanno anchei sassi: sulla luna
Pandora c'è abbondanza del solito
Unobtanium (stavolta così letteralmente nominato, scelta discutibile: posso essere trattato in maniera un poco più adulta, nella scelta dei
McGuffin?) e la solita
Evil Mega-Corporation vuole estrarlo; sfiga vuole che l'atmosfera sia velenosa, la vita particolarmente ostile ed anche i nativi siano un poco incazzosi, specie se gli si chiede di sloggiare dall'albero su cui nascono-vivono-copulano-muoiono.
Un approcio "soft" viene tentato attraverso il progetto Avatar: dei tizi pilotano degli ibridi umani/nativi grazie ai quali possono inserirsi nella loro società.
Come prevedibile i risultati sono nulli, e la cosa passa in mano ai militari che combinano l'usuale casino.
Storia banalotta, ma ci si potrebbe anche passare sopra; in fondo nelle sue due ore e 42 minuti "accadono cose" più o meno costantemente (per quanto tutte prevedibili con ampio anticipo) e mediamente non annoia.
Il vero difetto è la caratterizzazione dei personaggi: passi per i buoni che fanno tutto ciò che ci si aspetta da un
Buono Tormentato®, ma i cattivi sono niente meno che
atroci.
Sia gli uomini della compagnia che i militari sono ridicole macchiette, del tutto inadeguate a sostenere un confronto, neppure contro dei buoni da operetta morale come questi.
Ed è questo che fa rabbia: strutturato meglio, tagliandolo meno con l'accetta, il conflitto tra le parti poteva sostenere un film tanto lungo e dare uno sfondo adeguato ai messaggi che intendeva presentare.
A proposito dei messaggi: sì, certo, c'è il tema ambientalista (che onestamente sembra essere spiattellato in maniera un poco datata, forse a causa dell'eterna gestazione del film), ma francamente è talmente ostentato da suscitare più sbadigli che interesse.
Poteva anche starci se fatto bene, ma qui a tratti pare di sentir parlare un
Verde italiano, che tutte le volte che aprono bocca ti vien voglia di dar fuoco ad una pila di copertoni...
Poi c'è l'antimilitarismo e la pseudo-critica sociale, ma fatta con delle parodie perde tutto il suo valore, scusami James.
Insomma, a tratti sembra di assistere ad una lezione per bambini deficienti (cielo, che cosa politicamente scorretta...
)
Discutere se i
Na'vi rappresentino questo-o-quello è francamente ridicolo: per quanto sono delineate le parti in causa,
Jake Sully può benissimo essere il
Borghezio locale che si oppone alle orde d'invasori che gli vogliono imporre la loro Cultura Differente
.
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Effetti speciali: niente da dire. Non si brilla in quanto ad originalità né per gli avatar né per le creature (e neanche per il mecha-design), ma la qualità dei pervasivi effetti è impressionante; di fatto non c'è scena che non sia stata ampiamente rimaneggiata al computer.
Si potevano sfruttare le enormi risorse a disposizione in maniera più creativa? Sì certo, ma impressiona anche così, e lo dico da persona che non ama a morte il fantasy, specie a livello visivo.
Sì, fantasy: pur ammantandola con quasi tutti i crismi della fantascienza, Cameron ha fatto un film che a livello estetico è in tutto e per tutto un fantasy (per la distinzione tra i generi rivolgersi al compianto
Arthur C. Clarke); scelta che a me suscita un po' di noia, ma che ha senza dubbio i suoi vantaggi commerciali: ad oggi, la fantascienza pura al cinema non la vendi, punto.
Alla regia Cameron non aggiunge nulla a nessun genere, ma fa il suo discreto lavoro; sulle prove attoriali non mi esprimo: quelli in carne ed ossa sono mediamenti ridicoli (sì, anche
Ribisi e la
Rodriguez), ma restano talmente poco sullo schermo che non ha molta importanza.
[3D]Sì, sì, amanti del 3D, l'ho visto con gli occhialini.
Continuo a pensare che questa tecnologia non aggiunga davvero nulla al cinema - prezzo del biglietto a parte. In un film di 2 ore e 42, costato 280 milioni di dollari ed a cui hanno lavorato l'ILM e la Weta, non c'è un momento in cui il 3D abbia assolto ad una qualche funzione. Ed il film è interamente in 3D.
Anche qui, abbiamo visto qualche fucile puntato contro il pubblico, qualche felce nella foresta e creature alate assortite. E quindi? Speravi mi distraessero dalla prevedibilità della trama?
Aggiungiamoci che costa di più, può risultare fastidioso per alcuni e che si vede peggio, e davvero continuo a non capirne la necessità per il pubblico.
Sì, si vede peggio: la luminosità ne risente eccome (e stiamo parlando di un film che ha i colori di un cartone animato) e ti costringe a tenere la testa ferma e gli occhi fissi sul centro dello schermo; anche così, poi, di tanto in tanto qualche pezzo di scena risulta fuori fase.
E che cazzo, bel cesso di tecnologia: va bene se devi mostrare un giro in giostra, ma se devi anche raccontare una storia, lasciamo perdere.
Conclusione: tornando all'inizio, non è che annoi a morte nella sua estenuante lunghezza, quindi alla fine non si può dire che sia una tragedia. Peccato non ci abbiano però messo una storia e dei personaggi degni di nota.
Voto: bah. forse siamo dalle parti di un 6.5 o giù di lì.
PS: non riesco a smettere di pensare alla larghezza di banda necessaria per il link bidirezionale tra pilota ed avatar: come minchia funzionava, quella baracca?
Tags: fantascienza, fantasy, avventura, azione, Na'vi, Avatar, James Cameron, Pandora, luna, viaggio, marines, fratello, nativi, paraplegico, topa, criogenesi, morte, gambe, inseguimento, attacco, armi, sparatoria, elicotteri, militari, compagnia, alieni, misticismo, natura, albero, invasione, unobtanium, imboscata, energia, 3D, tradimento, divinità, sciamano, anima, new-age, scontro di civiltà, esplosione, coraggio, scienziato, pilota, vita, capo, vendetta, accoppiamoci così senza pudor nella giungla.
Dances with Wolves (1990)
Balla coi lupi
Regista: Kevin CostnerScrittore: Michael Blake,
Michael BlakeGenere: Drama, Adventure, Western
Valutazione: 8.0/10 (67715 voti)
Durata: 181 min
Paese: USA, UK
Lingua: English, Sioux, Pawnee
Cast:Trama:Lt. John Dunbar is dubbed a hero after he accidentally leads Union troops to a victory during the Civil War. He requests a position on the western frontier, but finds it deserted. He soon finds out he is not alone, but meets a wolf he dubs "Two-socks" and a curious Indian tribe. Dunbar quickly makes friends with the tribe, and discovers a white woman who was raised by the Indians. He gradually earns the respect of these native people, and sheds his white-man's ways.
Trivia random: Because of budgetary overruns and general industry reluctance to invest in a Western, Kevin Costner was forced to dig deep into his own pockets to make up the film's $18 million budget. As it then went on to gross over $100 million, he himself earned an estimated $40 million from his original investment.
Citazione random: Wind In His Hair: [watching Dunbar dance around like a buffalo] His mind is gone! Link this quote
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Avatar (2009)
Regista: James CameronScrittore: James CameronGenere: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Valutazione: 8.5/10 (193084 voti) [#53 nella top250]
Durata: 162 min
Paese: USA, UK
Lingua: English
Cast:Trama:In the future, Jake, a paraplegic war veteran, is brought to another planet, Pandora, which is inhabited by the Na'vi, a humanoid race with their own language and culture. Those from Earth find themselves at odds with each other and the local culture.
Trivia random: Michael Biehn was considered for the role of Col. Quaritch. Cameron rejected him because he'd already cast Sigourney Weaver, and he didn't want people to think it was Aliens (1986) all over again.
Citazione random: Trudy Chacon: Yeah, you know what that is. Down, all the way down. Link this quote
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Rodriguez, Michelle (I)
Nome di battesimo: Rodriguez, Mayte Michelle
Data di nascita: 12 July 1978
Altezza: 5' 5" (1.65 m)
Ultimi lavori: Biografia:Known for tough-chick roles, Michelle Rodriguez is proof that there is a cross between beauty and brawn. Born in Bexar County, Texas on July 12, 1978, Michelle always knew she was destined to become a star, she just didn't know how to get there. Michelle lived in Texas until the age of 8 when her family moved to the Dominican Republic where she lived for two years before moving to Puerto Rico. At 11, Michelle's family relocated for the last time to Jersey City, New Jersey. Although she has been working since 1999 as an extra in such films as Summer of Sam (1999) and Cradle Will Rock (1999), it only took a magazine ad announcing an open casting call in New York for Michelle to decide to finally step into the spotlight. The role was the female lead, the movie was Girlfight (2000). Despite the lack of experience in film and boxing, Michelle auditioned, along with another 350 girls. After various trials inside an actual boxing ring and five arduous months of training in Brooklyn's Gleason's Gym, she was finally chosen to portray the role of Diana Guzman. As soon as the independent film began making the rounds at various film festivals, Michelle began gaining critical acclaim for her performance earning her awards like the Deaxville Festival of American Cinema award for Best Actress and the Las Vegas Film Critics Society for Female Breakthrough Performance. As Girlfight (2000) continued to gain notoriety with its September 2000 release, Michelle was already hard at work with films like 3 A.M. (2001), the blockbuster hit The Fast and the Furious (2001), and Resident Evil (2002). With Hollywood calling her name, the future for this feisty Jersey girl is as strong as the punches she throws.
Trivia random: She beat out 350 other girls for the role of Diana Guzman in Girlfight (2000).
Citazione random: My favorite part of my body is my brain. I think no matter what my body looks like I wont be satisfied unless I know how to use it.
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Clarke, Arthur C.
Nome di battesimo: Clarke, Arthur Charles
Data di nascita: 16 December 1917
Data di morte: 19 March 2008
Coniuge: Marilyn Torgenson::(15 June 1953 - December 1953) (divorced)
Ultimi lavori: Biografia:Arthur C. Clarke was born in the seaside town of Minehead, Somerset, England in December 16, 1917. In 1936 he moved to London, where he joined the British Interplanetary Society. There he started to experiment with astronautic material in the BIS, write the BIS Bulletin and science fiction. During World War II, as a RAF officer, he was in charge of the first radar talk-down equipment, the Ground Controlled Approach, during its experimental trials. His only non-science-fiction novel, Glide Path, is based on this work. After the war, he returned to London and to the BIS, which he presided in 46-47 and 50-53. In 1945 he published the tecnical paper "Extra-terrestrial Relays" laying down the principles of the satellite com- munication with satellites in geostationary orbits - a speculation realized 25 years later. His invention has brought him numerous honors, such as the 1982 Marconi International Fellowship, a gold medal of the Franklin Institute, the Vikram Sarabhai Professorship of the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, the Lindbergh Award and a Fellowship of King's College, London. Today, the geostationary orbit at 42,000 kilometers is named The Clarke Orbit by the International Astronomical Union. The first story Clarke sold professionally was "Rescue Party", written in March 1945 and appearing in Astounding Science in May 1946. He obtained first class honors in Physics and Mathematics at the King's College, London, in 1948. In 1953 he met an American named Marilyn Torgenson, and married her less than three weeks later. They split in December 1953. As Clarke says, "The marriage was incompatibe from the beginning. It was sufficient proof that I wasn't the marrying type, although I think everybody should marry once". Clarke first visited Colombo, Sri Lanka (at the time called Ceylon) in December 1954. In 1954 Clarke wrote to Dr Harry Wexler, then chief of the Scientific Services Division, U.S. Weather Bureau, about satellite applications for weather forecasting. Of these communications, a new branch of meteorology was born, and Dr. Wexler became the driving force in using rockets and satellites for meteorological research and operations. In 1954 Clarke started to give up space for the sea. About the reasons, he said: "I now realise that it was my interest in astronautics that led me to the ocean. Both involve exploration, of course - but that's not the only reason. When the first skin-diving equipment started to appear in the late 1940s, I suddenly realized that here was a cheap and simple way of imitating one of the most magical aspects of spaceflight - weightessness." In the book Profiles of the Future (1962) he looks at the probable shape of tomorrow's world. In this book he states his three Laws: 1."When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong." 2."The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible." 3."Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." In 1964, he started to work with Stanley Kubrick in a SF movie script. After 4 years, he shared an Oscar Academy Award nomination with him for the film version of 2001: A Space Odyssey. He co-broadcasted the Apollo 11 , 12 and 15 missions with Walter Cronkite and Wally Schirra for CBS. In 1985, He published a sequel to 2001 : 2010: Odyssey Two. He worked with Peter Hyams in the movie version of 2010. They work was done using a Kaypro computer and a modem, for Arthur was in Sri Lanka and Peter Hyams in Los Angeles. Their communications turned into the book The Odyssey File - The Making of 2010. His thirteen-part TV serie Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World in 1981 and Arthur C. Clarke's World of strange Powers in 1984 has now been screend in many countries. He made part of other TV series about the space, as Walter Cronkite's Universe series in 1981. He has lived in Colombo, Sri Lanka since 1956 and has been doing underwater exploration along that coast and the Great Barrier Reef. So far it has been to over 70 books, almost as many non-fiction, as science fiction. In March 1998, his latest, and probably last, novel: 3001: The Final Odyssey was released.
Trivia random: According to a 1980 issue of "Science Digest," the Flat Earth Society credits him for scripting the allegedly fake moon-landings.
Citazione random: A well stocked mind is safe from boredom.
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Cameron, James (I)
Nome di battesimo: Cameron, James Francis
Data di nascita: 16 August 1954
Altezza: 6' 2" (1.88 m)
Coniuge: Suzy Amis::(4 June 2000 - present) 3 children, Linda Hamilton::(26 July 1997 - 1999) (divorced) 1 child, Kathryn Bigelow::(17 August 1989 - 1991) (divorced), Gale Anne Hurd::(1985 - 1989) (divorced), Sharon Williams::(14 February 1978 - 1984) (divorced)
Ultimi lavori: Biografia:James Cameron was born in Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada, on August 16, 1954. He moved to the USA in 1971. The son of an engineer, he majored in physics at California State University but, after graduating, drove a truck to support his screen-writing ambition. He landed his first professional film job as art director, miniature-set builder, and process-projection supervisor on Roger Corman's Battle Beyond the Stars (1980) and debuted as a director with Piranha Part Two: The Spawning (1981) the following year. In 1984, he wrote and directed The Terminator (1984), a futuristic action-thriller starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, and Linda Hamilton. It was a huge success. After this came a string of successful science-fiction action films such as Aliens (1986) and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). Cameron is now one of the most sought-after directors in Hollywood. He was formerly married to producer Gale Anne Hurd, who produced several of his films. He married Kathryn Bigelow in 1989.
Trivia random: On the 14 March 2004 episode of "Inside the Actors Studio" (1994), Kate Winslet claimed her nude portrait for Leonardo DiCaprio in the Titanic (1997) was drawn by Cameron. She also said the artist's hand shown in a close-up was Cameron's.
Citazione random: If I did Titanic (1997) today, I'd do it very differently. There wouldn't be a 750-foot-long set. There would be small set pieces integrated into a large CGI set. I wouldn't have to wait seven days to get the perfect sunset for the kiss scene. We'd shoot it in front of a green screen, and we'd choose our sunset.
Salario massimo: $115,000,000 ($600k for screenplay + $8m salary + backend participation), per Titanic (1997)
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Ribisi, Giovanni
Nome di battesimo: Ribisi, Antonino Giovanni
Data di nascita: 17 December 1974
Altezza: 5' 7½" (1.71 m)
Coniuge: Mariah O'Brien::(18 March 1997 - 3 November 2001) (divorced) 1 child
Ultimi lavori: Trivia random: Was born at 8:15pm.
Citazione random: (On getting into character) I do have a certain technique that varies from part to part because everybody is different. But I don't want to have a viewpoint in terms of fame or being a leading man. I feel like I'm on a certain path as far as my technique and I'm trying to get better and better and better. I want to maintain that and be more committed every time out and learn more about myself.
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
2001: Odissea nello spazio
Regista: Stanley KubrickScrittore: Stanley Kubrick,
Arthur C. ClarkeGenere: Mystery, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Valutazione: 8.4/10 (150828 voti) [#75 nella top250]
Durata: 141 min
Paese: UK, USA
Lingua: English, Russian
Cast:Trama:"2001" is a story of evolution. Sometime in the distant past, someone or something nudged evolution by placing a monolith on Earth (presumably elsewhere throughout the universe as well). Evolution then enabled humankind to reach the moon's surface, where yet another monolith is found, one that signals the monolith placers that humankind has evolved that far. Now a race begins between computers (HAL) and human (Bowman) to reach the monolith placers. The winner will achieve the next step in evolution, whatever that may be.
Trivia random: In honor of the book and movie, NASA named a Mars orbiter: 2001 Mars Odyssey. This was not the first time NASA had a connotation with the film; the Apollo 13 command module's callsign was Odyssey during the ill-fated mission.
Citazione random: Dr. Frank Poole: [playing chess with HAL, Poole studies the chessboard] Let's see, king... anyway, Queen takes Pawn. Okay?
HAL: Bishop takes Knight's Pawn.
Dr. Frank Poole: Huh, lousy move. Um, Rook to King 1.
HAL: I'm sorry, Frank, I think you missed it. Queen to Bishop 3, Bishop takes Queen, Knight takes Bishop. Mate.
Dr. Frank Poole: Huh. Yeah, it looks like you're right. I resign.
HAL: Thank you for a very enjoyable game.
Dr. Frank Poole: Yeah, thank you. Link this quote
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb. 
