Golden Globes ready to go gaga for 'Avatar'
Could history really be repeating itself for James Cameron?
Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington in alien form in James Cameron's "Avatar."
Over a decade ago James Cameron was battling media reports that his delayed and pricey epic "Titanic" was a creative disaster and ready to sink at the box office like the famed ocean liner whose story it dramatically re-told. Instead, the Paramount Pictures/20th Century Fox production became a cultural phenomenon and grossed over $1.8 billion worldwide and won a staggering 11 Academy Awards including the prestigious Best Picture trophy. In less than two weeks, Cameron returns to the big screen with his almost as hyped Sci-Fi motion capture adventure "Avatar." The film has sparked heated debate among genre fans and everyday moviegoers as well as finding itself under the microscope of the testy entertainment media. Factoring in the substantial negative responses to the IMAX and Comic-Con previews, many in the industry were coming to the conclusion that "Avatar" would be a nice hit (i.e., $200 million plus in the U.S.) at best thanks to some nicely cut TV spots. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone who expected the picture to stand alongside the critical favorites of Cameron's previous work. Boy can things change after one screening in Hollywood. No one who has seen the film is allowed to go on record [and this writer has not seen the film himself], but word has leaked that Fox's gamble may have paid off and "Avatar" may be way more than meets the eye.
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About This Blog
With over a decade of experience in the movie industry, Ellwood survived working for two major studios, launched the Hollywood Hitlist on MSN Movies and revamped The Envelope for the 07-08 season. A co-founder of HitFix, Ellwood spends his time relaxing on the basketball court. And even at his advanced age, can still hit a clutch 3 and keep up with those youngin's on the defensive end.
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Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupMichael Brumfield I've never had a moment of doubt about this film. This is Cameron we're talking about here, some names just inspire trust and his is definatly one!
December 8, 2009 at 3:39AM EST Reply to CommentNeal Enzeda I'm a huge fan of Cameron's and of this film...but seriously a Golden Globe nomination?
December 8, 2009 at 3:53AM EST Reply to CommentREALLY??
My brain just refuses to accept that, but I guess I'll have to watch the film and see for myself!
Woah!
Michael Brumfield I get what you mean. Though I may have trusted Cameron through and through (A bit thrown by the first trailer true, but I kept faith)I still had to read that article about 10 times to get it through my head. Then again, I guess thats what we get from a filmmaker whose WORST film is a 3 1/2 star effort (True Lies for me). In Cameron We Trust.
December 8, 2009 at 4:08AM ESTrramirez64 Why not an oscar for avatar?. Just think about "The Lord of the Rings", We all knew it was a great film, great CGI, but we did not think about Oscars until it was nominated.
December 8, 2009 at 5:47PM ESTDiego15 To the Author of this article:
December 8, 2009 at 8:40AM EST Reply to CommentFYI,
Your statementt:
"Factoring in the substantial negative responses to the IMAX and Comic-Con previews"
is probably not an accurate reflection of reality. The overwhelming responses to both the Avatar Day 15 minute preview in IMAX and the 25 minute ComiCon preview were positive, Very positive (around 85/90%).
You are, more than likely, referring to the first (teaser) trailer where the only words spoken were "this is great" and it consisted of quick cuts, but no full scenes showing the E/motion-captured performances of the actors interacting. Despite mixed reviews, this trailer was still downloaded 4 million times on apple.com, a new record.
Most people who were able to see the Avatar Day preview were BLOWN AWAY because the clips were breathtaking and immersive in 3D. I saw this preview twice and I was captivated and mesmerized both times. If the entire movie is anything like that preview, it is worthy of Golden Globe, Oscar, and any other awards it can garner. Well deserved, and I can say for certain that visually, it should live up to the positive hype.
stormshadow4life Sounds good! I was already going to go opening day (looks amazing to me)....but to hear that people actually liked the film, makes me even more excited!
December 8, 2009 at 9:01AM EST Reply to CommentChris I smell studio plants...
December 8, 2009 at 10:24AM EST Reply to Commentchutneylix I don't know if we can rely on one group's reactions. SAG apparently went gaga for Nine but look how the later reviews turned out so mixed. I hope this is true. I want Avatar to be a commercial success, don't really care about the awards, except perhaps technically which it was always going to be up for.
December 8, 2009 at 10:33AM EST Reply to CommentNicole I knew this film had something going for it when my parents AND grandparents said they wanted to see it -- and my folks are in no way sci-fi geeks. As for me, I'll be there opening day to see it.
December 8, 2009 at 10:57AM EST Reply to CommentNathan D. ..."very reliable sources have told Awards Campaign that the HFPA were incredibly positive about Cameron's latest endeavor."
December 8, 2009 at 11:23AM EST Reply to Comment"Very reliable sources" is always the most trustworthy thing to read on the internet. Page 6 eat your heart out.
Trust me. Every other studio in town already knows...
December 8, 2009 at 1:06PM ESTChris When in doubt because you have doubted this film all along, now that very positive feedback is starting to come on, fall back on "studio plants". You look like a complete tool saying it, but hey, at least you feel better!
December 8, 2009 at 5:42PM EST Reply to Commentomgroland@gmail.com Can this movie fucking come out already. Jesus.
December 8, 2009 at 5:54PM EST Reply to Comment
Reserving judgment before watching a movie like Avatar is the prudent way to go. People who bash the movie based on mere trailers and tv spots fail to see the whole picture.
December 9, 2009 at 2:40AM EST Reply to CommentJames Cameron had developed the story for more than a decade. He knows what he is doing. He's the man who conceptualized, wrote and directed Terminator and Titanic. What more could we possibly want?