Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington in "Avatar"
courtesy of Fox Home Entertainment
“’Avatar’ Comes To DVD”

My initial introduction to “Avatar” was not good. The trailer I had seen left something to be desired. Plus it is in 3-D which to some people is a hindrance rather than a help. Also the running time of the film is close to three hours and that is too long for a large segment of the population. That however is one of the glories of DVD and Blu-Ray in that you can stop and start it at will.

When you actually sit down to watch the movie it is great from the start. The movie takes off and it is a rip-roaring treat of a film from beginning to end. This is moviemaking unlike anything you have ever seen in this lifetime. James Cameron is absolutely the “King of the World.”

The story of “Avatar” concerns a paraplegic man named Jake Tully (Sam Worthington). He is a marine who is offered a slot in a special program after his twin brother has died. The government needs a man with a special DNA. Jake’s brother had it and that is why he was in the program. Now they need Jake so they continue the work. Jake says yes and soon he is on his way to the planet, Pandora.

It seems the government has come up with a way to transfer a person’s brain waves to the body of a Na ‘vi. These are creatures who look semi-human and live on Pandora. Jake is to be transferred into a Na ‘Vi body and used to convince the people of the planet to move their home site to another area. It seems their home site is located over a rich mineral vein that the government wants.

Jake infiltrates their tribe and befriends a young female Na ‘Vi named Neytiri. She helps him explore the planet which is a new type of world. It is also a place that Cameron has created for the film and it is amazing. The creatures on the planet as well as the vegetation are mind blowing.

All of the visuals are letter perfect. There is also a melodious score by James Horner that adds to the overall effect of the film.

You can’t be prepared for the spectacle that is “Avatar.” It is stunning in its presentation of another world and this presentation appears to be actual rather than computer generated. It is baffling to try to understand how these “tricks” were done. Just be thankful that James Cameron and all his crews are geniuses in their fields.

Just as “Titanic” attracted crowds for multiple viewings, “Avatar” will do the same. The DVD sh0ould add another trillion to its coffers.

“Avatar” earns high marks for being inventive as well as being totally entertaining. It is the movie of the year and maybe of the decade. 

Alice Sebold wrote a haunting book titled THE LOVELY BONES. It became a major best seller and captured a huge group of adoring fans. Then Peter Jackson of “Lord of the Rings” fame brought the story to the screen and now it is on DVD. It is a beautifully crafted piece of work but it is a pale imitation of the power of the book.

‘The Lovely Bones” tells the story of Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan), a fourteen year old girl living with her family in Pennsylvania. One day coming home from school she is lured to a field, then raped and murdered. The film does not show the rape and murder, but only shows Susie’s ghost fleeing the scene.

Later she watches her father (Mark Wahlberg) and mother (Rachel Weisz) go through their grief. Susie is stuck in a place between life and Heaven. She can not go forward or go back but instead spends her time observing. This goes on for years.

Peter Jackson chose not to incorporate the rape and murder into his film. He does not ignore it occurred but doesn’t film the incident either. By removing this portion of the story from the visual portrayal he in a sense desensitizes the audience. There is still horror at the murder but not the abhorrence that should have been felt. Susie goes from life to ghost in the flash of an eye without any of the turmoil necessary to create the mood of the story.

Ronan is excellent in her portrayal of Susie. She brings to the character the exuberance of youth along with the sadness of her loss. Ronan holds the film together and is the perfect narrator for the story. Stanley Tucci is equally good as the suspicious acting neighbor. He gives him the slightly flawed actions of a man with a secret.

Not so good is Mark Wahlberg. His portrayal of Susie’s father is bland in the extreme. Wahlberg is one of the best young actors in Hollywood but in this role he brings nothing to the screen. Not as bad, but not good either, is Weisz. You never get a sense of who her character is or what she is feeling. You know she is hurting but there is never more than that.

Then there is Susan Sarandon who is playing Weisz’ mother. She seems to come out of another movie altogether. Her mannerisms and actions are so bizarre that they never find a place in this film and remain on the outside looking in. What was Jackson thinking, or who was Sarandon playing?

Some of the visuals in the film are stunning. This is where Jackson excels. But visuals without a compelling and well thought out story are not enough. Jackson should have kept his focus on the plot and let the visuals be a background effect.


Oscar winner Jeff Bridges has had a long and illustrious film career but he never had the perfect role until he was cast as Bad Blake, a country musician, in the film “Crazy Heart.” If ever a man was destined to play a role it is this one. As Blake, Bridges looks world weary but is still appealing, and he makes the movie appealing too.

Bad Blake has had an up and down career in the world of country music, and when the film opens he is in one of the down cycles. He is cris-crossing the western states playing in bars and even bowling alleys. 

His protégée’ Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell) is on top and is packing them in. He extends Blake a chance to open for him and also asks for any new songs he has written. Seeing Sweet so successful is difficult for Blake as this reminds him of his own glory days. Alcohol, tobacco and too much carousing have led him to the place he now inhabits.

Things perk up when he agrees to an interview with a female reporter in Santa Fe. Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is a single mother to a four year old son. When she begins to interview Blake she has no personal interest in him at all but that soon changes. She opens her heart and her life to him.

The film is a chronicle of a man’s road to destruction, which is only altered in the face of a personal tragedy. Blake has so many demons and so much guilt about his life that he doesn’t see any way up. Yet there is always his music that is his constant friend.

Bridges is amazing as Blake. He looks dissolute but he manages to keep a charming spirit in his eyes. His chemistry with Gyllenhaal adds greatly to the entertainment value of the film. Farrell adds a soulful charm as Tommy and Robert Duvall scores as one of Blake’s oldest friends.

Also adding to the film’s enjoyment is a lyrical assortment of songs as well as stunning photography of the panorama of the western landscape. These elements plus the acting and the story make “Crazy Heart” a movie you do not want to miss.

Jeff Bridges’ performance is the key ingredient of the film and the main reason you will want to watch the DVD, but the film is more than him. It has a tender love story, a message in the script, and some great music that enhances it all. ‘Crazy Heart” is not a perfect movie but it is a genuinely enjoyable one.

Finally there is “Adopt A Sailor,” a comedy about a New York City couple (Bebe Neuwirth and Peter Coyote) who “adopt” a sailor (Ethan Peck) from Arkansas during Fleet Week in New York. They have always been a couple who only thought of themselves but now they have someone else in their lives and the results are transforming.

The film takes place in a very short period of time but the way the relationships are formed make up the crux of the movie. The couple changes the sailor’s life and he in turn changes theirs. The acting by Neuwirth and Coyote is particularly strong and the film packs a lot of fun and emotion into its short running time.
 

 

 

 

 

©2010 Jackie K. Cooper

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