Of Avatar and Movie Theaters

If you haven't seen the movie Avatar, I might mention things that could be considered spoilers. I'm not going to give away the plot or the ending or anything, but I do talk about stuff from the film. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Last weekend we went and saw Avatar. We saw it in 2D. Some people have looked down on us because of that, but that doesn't bother me. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, the special effects, and the story. Teresa did too, so it was good all around. We had our reasons for seeing it in the boring mundane way we've been watching movies all of our lives. Teresa was concerned that she would get a headache. I was concerned that 3D ticket prices were 150% higher than normal prices. In the end, I'm happy we made the decision we did. We may decide that we want to go back and see it in 3D eventually, and if it gives us headaches, we at least don't have to be worried about closing our eyes and missing some of the story or something.

We went to a new movie theater. We don't go to the movies that often, but up until now we'd been going to a theater near the mall in Asheville. It's an older theater I think, with just the regular seating that is on a ramp from the front to the back of the theater. On our trip back from South Carolina for Christmas we passed through Hendersonville on I-26 which is just south of Asheville. They have a large theater there called the Regal Biltmore Cinema 15. We decided that would be where we saw Avatar and that's what we did. This place was very big, very nice, and had very large screens and stadium style seating. In fact, the place is so nice that their small popcorn costs a whole six dollars. I didn't bother to see what the large cost. We used a Fandango gift card to get the tickets (thanks mom!) and when we got there, we saw there was a Coldstone ice cream place in the same place the theater was. So we're determined to go back for a movie and for ice cream when the weather gets warmer.

I liked Avatar because the world was amazing, and the story was easy to follow. We watched Transformers 2 at home the other night, and after a while I gave up trying to follow the plot and just tried to enjoy the robot battles. I have a feeling that's what the writers and director did too. Haha, I know, Transformers was out like a bazillion years ago and I'm behind the times. But you should already know that because I said we watched Avatar in 2D.

Right, back to the more recent movie. It was great. The crazy cool world of Pandora where everything has an outlet for you to plug your hair into. Animals who you can share a brain with. I don't think I've ever seen a movie where they brought an imaginary world to life as well as they did in this movie. Lord of the Rings is close, but this was slightly different because it was not from a book. In fact, it's so real to some people, that it causes them to be depressed because they realize they can never actually go there. If you don't believe me, check out this article from CNN that a friend on Facebook shared with me.

As I said before, the story was very easy to follow. I've heard some say that the simple story has played a part in how this movie has appealed so well to a world wide audience. I've also heard that the plot of this movie is eerily similar to the plot of Disney's Pocahontas. Granted, Disney's story isn't necessarily original either. I saw this on Failblog. I got a chuckle out of it.


see more Epic Fails

One thing about the movie that had me wondering a little bit was why the only human presences on Pandora were a money hungry corporation, and a bunch of scientists. I feel like there should have been some form of political organization there doing more diplomatic work. We didn't get a whole lot of background on what the state of Earth is in 2154. At one point they mention that it's devoid of life or something due to the ravages of the human race, but it wasn't really explained if anyone was still living there, or if humans were just spread out across the universe now. Teresa and I are also trying to figure out the timeline of things. How long had it been between the time that the main character's brother had died and when he got to Pandora? He had been in cryo for over five years just to get there, so have they been waiting for someone to pilot his avatar for over five years? And if that's the case, why are they in such a hurry to bulldoze the planet once he does get there? Seems like something doesn't line up.

Maybe if I see it in 3D, I'll get it.

Oh Ten

Happy New Year everyone!

In 2010 I hope to do everything I wanted to do but didn't do in 2009. Is that a good one? Meh. I'm not really one for new years resolutions. Being active and losing weight would be nice. I consistently tell myself to get back to the Forza routine that Teresa bought for me years ago. It's exercise with a sword. I mean if you're going to do exercise, getting to exercise with a sword is pretty awesome. It for sure beats exercise with a mat, or a ball, or weights. Am I right? Yes.

Resolutions aside, I am looking forward to a lot of stuff in 2010. I turn 29 this year, which means that 2010 will be where I spend the majority of the last year of my own personal third decade. Exciting! And also a little scary. I'm don't feel old, but I don't feel like I'm a kid anymore. Some of you who are aware of my gaming hobbies might beg to differ.

Speaking of gaming, there are a few awesome titles coming out in 2010. Top of the list is Final Fantasy XIII. Number 12 came out in late 2006, so it's been a long wait for this one. Also, 12 was on the PS2, so 13 will be the first Final Fantasy on the latest edition of consoles. Namely the PS3 and the Xbox 360. Which of course means that in order to play it, I will have to acquire one of the aforementioned systems. My brother-in-law might sell me his old 360 at a bargain price which would be great. There are a few games already out on the 360 that I'd like to try as well. I've sort of debated between PS3 and 360, but the only real advantage of the PS3 is theya include blu-ray player, and I don't think my current TV even handles the resolution a blu-ray would put out, which makes it kind of pointless now. I figure by the time I get a TV that's good for it, blu-ray players will be even cheaper than they are now, and they aren't that bad now.

Cataclysm, the next expansion to World of Warcraft will be released sometime this year. No one knows when for certain, but my guess is somewhere between August and November. Teresa and I are both excited for this one, though we're a bit worried that the new game may require an upgrade in computers. Sigh. I must be really behind the times if all the games I want to play require me to get new hardware just to play them. I'd say more about the game, but I'll save that for my WoW related blog, so I won't bore you if it's not your thing. You're welcome.

Oh! Chuck comes back on TV this year. And LOST! That will be exciting. Last season of the show. All our questions will be answered! Actually, probably not. But hopefully the big ones will be. I look forward to exchanging goofy theories with my mother over what the heck is going on on that island. Wait, the island's gone? Blown up? Disappeared? Well, shoot. Hopefully Teresa and I can finish our viewing of Star Trek: TNG. We finally decided to settle down and watch season 6 after having the first 3 discs for a couple months... only to discover that two of the discs were broken before we opened them. Grr. To make matters worse, when we requested replacements, they put them at a low spot on our movie queue, and we got some other replacement movies instead. Oh well. At least Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is an awesome movie. That last sentence was sarcasm, you know, in case you didn't get that.

I got a new job in 2009, back in April after we moved to NC. It has been a real challenge and a lot different from any job I've had. I think overall it's a bit more stressful, but more rewarding in the job experience I'm getting. I like the shop, I like the people, and I don't mind the work. Now that I've got eight months under my belt, I'm looking forward to actually making some changes and being a bit more assertive. It's a management position, so I think it's time I lead instead of just worked. Mike Hayes, if you're reading this, I'm thinking about everything we learned in that class, as well as the organizational behavior private study we did. +1 for using my education. Woot!

I haven't asked Hannah what she expects from the new year yet. I'm not sure if she knows it's a new year though. She slept through the ball drop last night. She probably resolves to steal more food of the counters and table, and to bark more when she hears mysterious noises outside. Good resolutions for a three year old dog. But if I see her on the counter, I'm going to yell at her. It's just how it works.

Teresa is still looking for work, and I hope she finds something she really likes. We're still enjoying the new house, and hopefully this year we'll get a fence put up in the back yard so we can go out there and play with Hannah. Which, come to think of it, might be another resolution of Hannah's. Get humans to play with me in the backyard more.

Okay, so that's what I know about, but I'm sure 2010 will bring a lot of things that I don't yet know about. Hopefully more good things than bad. And hopefully flying cars.