Avatar

Leaving Avatar, I was acutely conscious that in the 3 hours (or so) that I was in the cinema, anything could have happened. Nuclear war could have been declared, natural disaster could have struck, the Jonas Brothers might actually have released a decent track!! Yes that's right... anything could have happened! Naturally I was anxious.

Let us cut to the chase, Avatar is astounding. It is so amazing for one reason and one reason alone - the animation. The 3D is like nothing I've seen outside of real life. It is a true breakthrough in film making. The sheer scale of the project is quite unlike anything ever realised before.

In addition to being astounding, Avatar is also a giant piece of crapola! The story is dreadful with a million clichés bundled into one. The acting was passable, but not impressive. And there were moments of sheer laugh-out-loud ridiculousness when, even though I'd been willing to buy the 8-foot tall blue aliens, I could suspend my disbelief no longer.

There were also moments when I wanted to hang myself because I was so sick of being lectured. Yes lectured. The subtext goes something like this "Blah blah war in Iraq is wrong... blah blah... Native Americans ripped off... blah blah no respect for nature..." Not the most subtle of messages. Do you remember the Narnia films when you expected to see that the thing was Vatican-funded because of the Christianity being shoved down your throat? Yeah. This is worse!

Every film has a message, but that doesn't mean it has to be so blunt. I felt like I was back in the lecture halls being pelted with useless personal opinion rather than fact. I remain convinced there are bruises on my brain because of the preachy assault of morality.

Enough though! Flaws aside, I have to commend James Cameron for his vision. What a massive undertaking! He may have spent a decade on this (and what's rumoured to be more than $500 million US) but he's set the bar at a new high and forged a new path for film makers.

And credit where credit's due - even while I was cringing at the terrible motivational speeches, or rolling my eyes at the native religious ceremonies, it's really quite difficult not to get caught up in the emotion Cameron wants you to feel. A great soundtrack always goes a long when when you're trying to sweep people along so well done James Horner!

One really interesting comment I heard while I was leaving was that for many people in the audience, this was their first 3D film. Having seen so many myself, I find this amazing. I am actually amazed by this! If you have a couple of seconds, please feel free to leave me a comment below: Have you ever seen a 3D film? If you've seen Avatar, was that your first 3D experience in the cinema?

I can't emphasise this point enough: Please see this film in 3D! Don't waste your time or money on the regular 2D experience - it won't be worth it. I myself saw it in IMAX and aside from the usual problems with dreadful seats, no leg room and a person sitting nearby that smelled like, well I won't tell you what they smelled like because even the internet isn't ready for that sort of language... apart from that, the sound and image (along with the 3D) makes this the perfect place to see Avatar.

Anyway, Avatar is quite something. Visually everything I could ever have wanted. It's just every other element that disappointed, though not quite enough to detract from the amazing 3D and visuals and affect the rating.

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4 Stars

The Resistance - Muse

One of the things I'm really enjoying at the moment, is discovering that there are a whole slew of really good bands out there that I'd previously incorrectly written off as samey-heavy-rock not worthy of my time.

The first listen to The Resistance was, for me, a revelation. Muse had been ascribed the before-mentioned status and it was really only hearing the single Uprising on the radio that made me consider giving them a listen.

They're brilliant! It's like a modern-day Queen. OK so if darling Freddie were still with us today I doubt he'd be writing exactly this music, but the sound is fairly close. You listen to United States of Eurasia / Collateral Damage and tell me you can't hear the influence there!!

The first four tracks of the album (Uprising, Resistance, Undisclosed Desires and United States of Eurasia / Collateral Damage) are all excellent. Catchy and memorable tunes, upbeat enough for a summer drive, guitar driven with a strong "hell yeah!!" factor. And then at the end of track four there's a classical piano sonata dropped in. Lovely. To my ear it sounded very Chopin. I was, of course, right.

Unfortunately from this point on it's all a little too repetitive. We've heard the sweeping vocals, the Edge-esque guitar work and the tunes begin to morph into one.

That having been said this is a very fun album with plenty of merit. One of the best things about it is that Muse don't take themselves too seriously - they just have fun and make the music they want to make.

Don't make my mistake and assume you know the band. I'm going to be picking up their last album too. They're just too good to ignore really.

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3 1/2 Stars

Sherlock Holmes

Back from the family Christmas and as ever, it has served as a wonderful reminder of just how lucky I am to have running water, electricity, the internet and big-city learnin' in my day-to-day life. I also allow myself a brief ironic chuckle at that thought that despite all their warnings to the contrary, more often than not it is the "weirdos on the internet" who seem more normal to me than my own flesh and blood.

But I digress...

Sherlock Holmes opens in cinemas today and having now had a few days to mull it over, I thought I'd offer you my opinion:

Meh.

Yes. That's my opinion of the film. Meh.

Perhaps Meh is a little harsh, but it's mono-syllabic and onomatopoeic to the point where is sounds like what I want to say about the film.

I really enjoyed director Guy Ritchie's last effort Rock n Rolla and had been looking forward to Sherlock immensely, while also managing to keep my expectations in check. I read some poor reviews out of the UK and that managed to really hammer said expectations into the ground.

As it turns out I should have left them right where they were, as while the film didn't "wow" me, it really isn't that offensive and it's generally entertaining.

Robert Downey Jr (adore!!) is fun and easily the best part of the film, however I didn't quite get my fix when it comes to witty dialogue delivered in quirky style.

Jude Law - is fine.

Rachel McAdams is completely miscast and really didn't need to be Rachel McAdams at all. I would have preferred to see the part to go an unknown actress who could probably have played the part with the same amount of skill.

It's a fun Sherlock Holmes we get to meet this time, although I couldn't recite a single passage back to you as it's all rather generic and forgettable. Bit disappointed.

I humbly submit that there are better films to watch at the moment, but you probably won't regret watching this if you do go.

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3 Stars

The Princess and the Frog

After complaints about the number of computer generated films they were churning out either through their own channels or with Pixar, Disney have gone back to basics with this charming hand-drawn animated film.

Was I sceptical? Sure. But I was also excited, and in the end I was won over by this fun film.

I guess it would help to know what my Disney benchmarks are. Well for me, Aladdin, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid and The Jungle Book are the epitome of the best cartoon movies ever. The best Disney, and in fact anyone, has offered. I'm violently opposed to Tarzan, Mulan and Pocahontas (obviously excluding the Vanessa Williams parts of the later). My middle ground of being mildly enjoyable would include Hercules, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Robin Hood ... OK so you see where I'm coming from.

So where does The Princess and the Frog sit in comparison to these? I'd say truth be told closer to Hercules than Aladdin, however it gets full points for the rush of excitement I got when I began to watch. It's a movie that looks like one from when I was a kid!! Definite excitement quotient to factor into the final rating.

The story - nice. Unremarkable. Like most Disney cartoons it's very simple and easy to follow with a few scary moments, some ups, some downs and some romance. Perfect really.

The script - I think one of their better efforts of late. It really did feel like an old-school Disney classic.

The animation - Fantastic. It's hand drawn, but it's advanced from the days when Mickey and Donald would build boats together.

The music - Just OK. I really want to emphasise that the music really plays a big part in my enjoyment of these cartoons. Look at my list - Lion King (come on! Elton John!!), Aladdin, brilliant songs! Little Mermaid - Alan Menken!! They make an effort to theme the music in a New Orleans style so it was always going to be tough to get me to like it. Randy Newman was a poor choice in my opinion. Basically - I tapped my feet, but I didn't leave the cinema humming, let along belting out The Circle of Life like I did as a 9 year old leaving the Lion King having seen it for the first time.

I know what you're thinking... Wrap it up you fussy, rambling fool. You're right to think that. So I will.

I enjoyed the film, but perhaps what I enjoyed more was the idea of the film and the nostalgic value. Still a decent family watch of course.

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3 1/2 Stars

Glee: The Music - Vols 1 & 2

I couldn't possibly continue on without putting in a small plug for the best new show to come out of 2009 - Glee!

This breakout show features a young cast singing old and new songs as a show choir for their high school. Now let's be frank - if you're not a fan of the show, you ain't gonna like the music. For those of us with discerning taste who adore the show, these CDs are must haves! If you don't know the show, maybe give the music a listen and see what you think. You can find Volume 1 here and Volume 2 here.

Some of my favourite tracks include:

Vol. 1

• Don't Stop Believing (the song that stole our hearts in the pilot episode)
• Take A Bow
• Taking Chances
• Maybe This Time (with the aye-may-zing Kristin Chenoweth)
• Sweet Caroline
• Defying Gravity (from the brilliant show Wicked)

Vol. 2

• Endless Love
• I'll Stand By You
• Don't Stand So Close To Me / Young Girl (great mash-up of the two songs)
• And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going (from Dreamgirls)
• Don't Rain On My Parade (from Funnygirl)

So go go go! Buy buy BUY! Enjoy! (that last word was two syllables so didn't get the extra repetitions, but it did get to be in bold.)

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4 Stars & 4 Stars

Backspacer - Pearl Jam

First up my apologies for leaving it so long in between posts. I've just finished a rather massive project at work which has stopped me from being able to see, hear or attend anything let alone find the time to formulate opinions and then put them down in writing. I see a few of you have been checking in regularly so thanks for that!

Backspacer is, I'm afraid to say, decidedly average.

My first Pearl Jam album was No Code, way back in 1996. Who remembers those heady days long since past? Clearly not Pearl Jam, who have lost their edge and their ability to release memorable tracks.

Have you liked the tracks released as singles? The Fixer and Just Breath. One heavier and the other a little more laid-back and introspective. Both alright aye? Yeah well the pretty much sums up the whole album. Just alright. These two tracks are easily the best, but are, I'm sorry to say, forgettable.

Yes they've still got Eddie Vedder, genius behind one of the best original movie soundtracks ever Into the Wild. But they don't have a great deal more than that.

I didn't hate it, but I probably won't listen to it again. Give it a go if you're a die-hard fan, but if not maybe just give it a skip!

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2 Stars