Congratulations are in order for ol’ Jim lad Cameron for winning Best Motion Picture – Drama for Avatar at this year’s Golden Globes. The awards, which took place yesterday in LA, also saw Cameron take home the Globe for Best Director.
I’m not sure how I feel about Avatar winning Best Drama. Don’t get me wrong, it is a beautifully realised adventure film but it didn’t really have the emotional punch that I was hoping for. Having seen it on IMAX 3D, I was gobsmacked by the grandeur and scale of Cameron’s production but it wasn’t anchored by an engaging enough narrative. I can understand that with all the technical spectacle on offer James Cameron probably felt it best to use a classic narrative structure, not unlike the monomyth simplicity of Star Wars, but for all the 3D melodrama I was left slightly cold by the time the credits rolled. Anyhow, I’ll be seeing it again soon so hopefully I can forget the hype and let the story win me over.
In reference to the box office success of Avatar, which is hot on the heels of Titanic’s colossal $1.8 billion, film companies have set about ‘3Ding up’ some old favourites in preparation for re-release. I’m particularly excited to hear that The Lord of the Rings will be re-released as a 3D spectacular. WETA DIGITAL are currently running test footage of battle scenes in 3D, so look forward to Orlando Bloom being even more annoying than usual as his bow and arrow are thrust in your face! Other movies mooted for 3D re-releases include Star Wars, The Matrix and that other classic fantasy film, Top Gun (yeaaaaaaaaaaaah).
After recent news that both director Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire are off Spiderman 4, who is to take over and in what direction will Sony decide to take the franchise? These are serious questions folks that require serious answers. I have heard rumours, mainly thanks to Empire Online, that Robert Pattinson is being sized up for the role of Peter Parker. Surely not! I can just see him pouting as his spidey senses start tingling or frowning as he wrestles with his inner turmoil.
I think the general direction that the studios want to take the franchise is a ‘gritty’ origin story, similar to the Batman reboot, but do we really need another dark take on a comic book hero? I personally felt that the tone of the Spiderman films, particularly the first two, suited the subject matter and more importantly were fun. With so many realistic, almost ‘kitchen sink’, dramatisations of fantasy and comic hero material it’s always good to enjoy real popcorn movies. That was why I loved last year’s Star Trek reboot so much. Good old fashioned adventure with wit and daring do.
Anyway, let me know your thoughts. Post a comment below or on my facebook page.
Off to see Legally Blonde The Musical tonight (ooohhh get me).
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