Avatar: A Film Review

After initially seeing the trailer for "Avatar" a couple months ago, I was sure of one thing:
That I would definitely see the film on opening night. I wasn't as enthused about it as I would become in the following weeks, but was sure with James Cameron directing, it would be visually stunning even if everything else was a giant fail.

The setting of the entire film is on Pandora in the year 2154. Earth has been destroyed. Pandora is a thriving planet in which the natives (Na'vi) are inherently connected to the planet specifically their town's base, HomeTree.

The Na'vi are beautiful, 10 foot tall blue/green creatures with golden wide set eyes. Jake Sully, played by Sam Worthington initially tries to become one of the Na'vi through a groundbreaking "virtual reality" system in order to get them to relocate from HomeTree, which sits on the richest deposits of "unobtanium." Eventually he develops a strong bond and ultimately falls in love with Netyiri, played by Zoe Saldana.

Unobtanium is the mineral that Earthlings are mining on the planet. The only other character that enters the world of the Na'vi is Dr. Grace Augustine, played by Sigourney Weaver. She is, as usual, fantastic. Did I mention that she looks amaZing in this film. She appears far younger than her 60 years.

This is where, both fortunately and unfortunately, the plots gets a little predictable. It irrevocably becomes the epitome of the epic love story. There are two main characters from different worlds with all obstacles and reasons to not be together laid out in front of them. And, true to form, they overcome all those obstacles and figure out a way to be together in the end.

Albeit, fantastically non-traditional... Earth Shattering even. We've seen this story time and time again. It's just never been presented in such spectacular form.

We saw the 3-D format, which didn't give way to silly, archaic visuals of weaponry or debris flying out of the screen. It simply provided eXtra depth and more vivid coloring.

Overall, this was definitely a thumbs up! The story, we've seen before, but the direction, cinematography, and effects... we haven't.

All to soon...

Like some fever pitch time,
Out of left field,
Quick and new to our end,
Trusts withered up,
Like old papers and books,
Full up with dry rot.
Foundations, rocked
Cooled off and ashen,
A shifted place,
All this did become.
Bleak days,
That the sun gave no reprieve,
Realizing newness, unwanted,
Not believed
Whistles blow,
Trains pass,
Emotions swell,
And the rains did last.
Like some ironrod,
Stern.
Whole and full and learned.
You stand,
Here,
Fresh,
At this time,
Wonderment, bleak
Arising into a heart, vacant
And, new.
A challenge to the truth,
Of your insistent blue.
Like some seaborn storm,
It came in,
With a flourish dark and bleak,
And, we pushed acceptance,
Mild and meek.
It sat here,
Stirring,
Building,
Growing,
Ruminating,
In a foreign place,
At some distant and dreaded pace.
We walked to you,
With outstretched hands,
Still paints and illustrations,
Of new, unchartered lands.
A future changed,
Hope,
Disdain,
Wonderment stifled,
And fear contained.
Then a morningyear did come,
Fogs lift, panes are wiped clean.
Tears dry and hearts beat calmer.
Winds still,
Limbs and stillbrush will be cleaned away,
Long nights will falter,
Give way to sun,
Days...easier.
Not as long.
Truth settles down,
Like a soft hot afternoon.
And, peace.
Peace will come,
All to soon.

Already Gone...

We spoke of the night sky,

I liked the way your eyes smiled,

When you did.

I loved the way you walked,

At once assured, and boyishly shy,

I wondered who you came here with,

And, if you were alone, why?

We spoke of schools and jobs

And of dreams and soon, very

Soon.

Of invitations. Awkward moments,

Spent fiddling with iPhones in the thunderous,

Chaos of that place.

Performers danced, and sang, and we...

Watched. Each. Other.

You smelled fresh, like the way the Earth looks at sunRise.

You danced into me, not just on me.

And, I trusted you.

Like someone I'd known,

For years long.

I noted the way you held me,

Like a protector of me,

Like a guardian I didn't need,

A warning I didn't heed.

Your place was nice,

A bachelor pad, not.

I felt comfortable,

Homespent and new,

Excited and true,

It began to rain,

And, the thunder crasHed around,

All the pain,

Lightning punctuated,

The harmonious howl of the wind,

The heat of you,

Distinct and nestled in.

A passion,

We had not known,

An intensity neVer shown,

Like some newborn,

And true thing.

Your arms were,

Full up and strong,

My heart murmured and eeked out,

A new, favored song,

And, the winds kept howling,

The rain was beating down on the roof,

The window panes,

The car hoods below,

The street,

Trickling down drains,

Into raveens,

Water, there

No longer seen.

Slumber came,

In your arms.

The morning intruded,

Brightly.

Like some new sun thing,

I had never seen.

I smiled down on you,

Remembering this thing,

This LoveMake we had done.

At that moment,

I gathered me still,

Moving past ruffled sheets,

And pillow indentions,

And when you would awake,

I would already be gone...

SunRise

This morning's sunRise,
Entered in a softer repose,
Delicate, as if Sol Invictus himself,
Knew that I couldn't handle the brutality of light.
My nightime year, was long and cold,
Twas unclear and remiss,
In it's handling of me.
There was no amount of reasoning,
That could proVide shelter.

Hindsight is an interesting,
And precarious,
And terrible thing,
We always have to wonder,
Why didn't I see that before,
How could those things,
Have been ignored?

Transitions go too into the smooth,
When did I trade my dreams for plans,
When did I sell my whimsy for comfort,
When did I walk down from my altar of me,
When did I pack up all my ideals,
Just to shaRe my spaces,
When did all the smiles,
Wipe down, rinse away from our faces?

The nights can be so harsh,
Bleak.
Dark.
Untrusting.
Foolish.
Hapless.
Distant.
Thick.

This morning's sunRise,
Entered in a softer repose,
My dear friend (Jordan),
Listened to all my caGed madness,
My rambles on the shambles,
Of my cardstacks,
The delicacy of my rooms,
And the trusses,
Positioning me.

So, I took the gentle,
And, pit it against,
The night's frenZy,
And the morning, with this softness,
Doesn't win,
But, I am willing to give up the fight.

So, I looked out on my fair citySpace,
This lovely brisk morn,
Still somewhere between,
Whole and torn,
With ruminations of the laughter times,
I've eXperienced recently,
The fact that my life has been really,
Really beautiful,
As of late,
I tucked swords back into sheaths,
And, smiled to the skies,
And, remembered to just breathe,
All of it in and out.

Battles have to be chosen,
And sought,
In a particular way,
There is always a greater good,
A larger picture,
That we cannot focus into,
That we cannot draw, paint, sketch,
Design.
It is just there, slightly outside our own reasons,
Lingering in some different season.
And, that's okay.

We just have to keep breathing,
Still our hearts,
Smooth them out,
Close our eYes,
And, wait for the next,
sunRise...

I'm scaRed...

Outside a closet,
Outside in the cold, bleak,
Evening twilight,
Outside the comfort,
Of home's dim light,
Outside the places we walked,
And stood,
Outside the moon's light,
Outside the warmth,
Of all the past nights,
Outside the screams,
Of our fright.

Against these steps,
Forward,
Against these movements,
Toward,
Some new, unfettered plane,
Against,
The way my tongue can roll off,
Your name,
Against large, old,
Trees,
Rooted and unmoving in this place,
Planted by rivers,
Nurtured into ease,
Simple capture.

Toward some renounced dream,
Some new and consumed mean,
Toward a different night and sky,
Toward all the questions,
The how, the why,
Toward a better movement,
Toward a more true feeling,
A constant interest,
Toward a pinnacle of,
Ease.
Resting here,
Nestled in fear,
That the movement was wrong,
The notes played,
Were for a different song,
The trip was short,
Or too long.

I know more,
Than is good.
I know too little,
About the can't and the should.

I have pushed outward,
Into this landscape,
I have carved, and drilled in,
And shaped,
An intrusion,
A foreboding circumstance,
An indifference,
To the charms,
Of any dance.

I feel this possession,
This fear,
I haven't seen or heard,
But, I realize,
The mistake,
The wrong,
And, I am scaRed.

WinterWonderland... Not wonderful yet...

Baby, it's cold ouTside... But for how long? We are in Alabama. This has been a strange year's winter for me. Everything is different from winter year last. Work is harder, but it's more manageable without all the travel. It's like I have more time for my friends. It's really an amaZing thing.

For all the uncertainty that surrounds me, they make up my aXis. As long as I have them, I guess the world is right.

I wish they could change the weather but they can't. I just want it to get winterCold and remain winterCold. Football games would be more fun, so would dinners and sweater wearing. I'm ready for this thing to start: Winter that is...