Watch the Brave Pixar Trailer

The new Brave trailer is out. Brave is the next Pixar movie slated to make its theatrical debut on June 22, 2012. Pixar has been known to produce high quality, clean, family friendly movies on a consistent basis. I always look forward to Pixar movie releases. They never really disappoint especially compared to lot of the garbage “family” movies out there.

Pixar Brave’s Story & Premise

Brave follows the story of Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald). Merida is a young Scottish woman from the Highlands. She is out to “carve out her own path in life,” breaking the traditions of her people. It delves into the themes of tradition, bravery and self-journey.

Watch Pixar’s Brave Movie Trailer

Traditions vs “Being True to Yourself”

One thing I wonder is how Pixar will go about portraying the breaking of traditions. In our culture, media often romanticizes and promotes the idea of self independence and doing what you feel is right, often at the expense of tradition and responsibilities. It is the idea to forget what everyone tells you because you need to be true to yourself. Rebelling against authority, and following your own sense of right and wrong is sprinkled everywhere because inwardly, we all want to do what we want to do. That is why it appeals to us. In many ways, tradition and duty is often given very little weight, though often traditions are there for good reason.

Movies that take protagonists that breaks traditions, relationships, perhaps cause a lot of hurt and pain, but in the end has everything work out, makes us a little bit more open to that idea that it really is all about being true to oneself. The value of self-sacrifice and holding to responsibilities and duty even if it puts a damper in one’s own desires and plans is undermined in many cases. Think about sacrificing careers to be with your family, giving up own interest for the betterment of the group, giving up your dream because of your commitment to something or someone.

Some movies do fine with these themes. Mulan comes to mind. Mulan is shown as self-sacrificial. She breaks traditional roles, not because she wants to gain something for herself, but to save her Father. But then there are movies where the main character simply does what he or she feels like because it makes them happy or in the name of love or because they are trying to be “true to herself,” meanwhile leaving a string of pain and hurts behind. (But then it all magically works out in the end right? So why not?)

But I will always give Pixar the benefit of the doubt. Unlike most movies, Pixar has always managed to churn out a good message and their movies seems to be sensitive to the family viewers. So hoping for the best and looking forward to Brave.

Chime in Pixar Fans

• What was your favorite Pixar movie of all time?

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collin Short Review: It’s Awesome

Super Short Review: Wanting to find a fun book to read? Have extra credits on Audible and want wondering what book to download next? The Hunger Games Trilogy. I read it. Ok. So I listened to the Audiobooks. Almost the same thing. It’s an excellent read (listen?). Very gripping. Dives deep into the psychology of it’s characters and touches upon themes of independence, big brother, the sinfulness (evil) of people, trust and relationships. It’s not for children however, tons of violence as expected from a book centered around… 24 youths forced to… battle to the death… more info below.

The Hunger Games Story

16 year old Katniss Everdeen lives in a post-apocalyptic world in a country called Panem which lies where United States once existed. Panem consist of a wealthy Capitol and 12 surrounding run down districts. The government holds power through an annual event called the Hunger Games where each of the 12 districts chooses a boy and a girl representative or “tributes” to a highly televised battle royale to the death. The Hunger Games is as much as a “show” as is a fight to survive as your popularity can gain you more favors and donations from the outside world. Unfortunately only one of the 24 tributes are allowed to walk out alive. It is a government that controls through fear and resource control. The winning district is rewarded with food and benefits in a world where resources are scarce. Katniss’ younger sister is chosen as a tribute, so Katniss chooses to volunteer to replace her and thus enters the Hunger Games a place of shaky alliances, friendships, suspicion and a lot of posturing.

The Hunger Games Tributes are Chosen - Peeta & Katniss

Katniss Displays a "Special" Sign to the District

The Hunger Games the Movie is Coming – Watch the Trailer

This past week, the first theatrical trailer for The Hunger Games was released to the delight of many fans of the book. The Hunger Games the Movie is set to release on March 23, 2012 featuring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen. It is expected to be a huge blockbuster considering the Hunger Games Trilogy is one of the best selling books in the modern era. It is regularly in the top reads on Amazon, one of the first to hit 1 million sales on the kindle and easily one of the highest downloaded book on Audible. The rights were picked up by Lionsgate. Word is that it will be PG-13. Watch the trailer below!

The Hunger Games Themes

Government vs Independence: The majors themes in The Hunger Games involve topics of government control vs. personal independence. The “capital” in this book controls the populace through fear and forces the hunger games upon them as a means to assert their power.

Survival vs Value of Human Life: Through the struggle through the hunger games, the themes of survival vs humanity becomes very apparent centered around the value of human life. Lot of the characters struggle through being put in a position of placing their own life against the life of others. What is acceptable for survival? Is it ever ok to hurt (or kill) another person in order to survive? Should one feel guilty over lying and deceiving others as needed?

Will Katniss be able to Kill other Youths if it Came Down to it?

Selfishness of Man: Personally, one thing I appreciate about these stories is that it is very blunt about the innate selfishness of man. People often want to think that deep down inside all people are “good,” but let’s be honest here. When we look at little children who have no concept of image or wearing masks, we know we are born innately selfish. You need to teach them to share. You need to teach them to be thankful. You need to teach them that they just can’t cry because they don’t get what they want and not to bite the kid next to them. When we are honest with ourselves and our thoughts, our motives, we know that we think mainly of ourselves and how we feel above everything else. We know if all boundaries and rules were removed as it is in the scenario in this book, all hell would break loose and eventually everyone would simply do as they please. Thank God for laws, and punishing sticks.

This book is very real about this truth. When it comes down to it, everyone innately wants to serve themselves. It is a beautiful thing to see characters fight their way away from this innate desire to survive to thinking for the good of someone else even while everyone else is becoming dead to their sensitivity. It is often the thoughts of someone Katniss loves that helps her fight from spiraling into just forgetting humanity altogether. But the struggle is very real and very difficult especially for the main protagonist Katniss. You can tell her natural inclination is to mistrust and watch out for herself. Having compassion and love is a considered a “weakness” within the book especially when everyone in the hunger games are just simply trying to outlive one another. This is true of the real world, where the message often tells us that ultimately we need to watch out for ourselves and do what we need to do to get ahead in life. But just like in real life, it is compassion and love that we all know is how it is meant to be. When we see people suppress the urge to serve oneself out of love for another, it is something we know to be right. When people sacrifice their own good for someone they love, we know that is right. Yet again, this is something that does not come naturally. It is hard and something we need to fight for. I think this is portrayed well within the story.

Other Themes: There is this “love conquers all” type of feeling which is not necessarily a great theme to take in blindly without some context.

Warnings: This is NOT a children’s book. When it comes down to it, it is a battle royale so many people die. Also there is a lot of discussion on deception and posturing which without proper understanding can be really confusing. However it is a relatively clean series in all other aspects.

The Hunger Games Trilogy – The Books

The Hunger Games originally released in 2008, followed by Catching Fire in 2009 and Mockingjay in 2010 completing the Hunger Games Trilogy. It has since become one of the most popular, bestselling series. It remained on the New York Times list for over 100 consecutive weeks.

HEY! Book 1 of The Hunger Games is only $5 on Amazon. Great filler to get that $25 free shipping
Link to the The Hunger Games Book 1 Here

Audiobook

The Audiobook version of the Hunger Games is fantastic. The reader Carolyn McCormick does an excellent job portraying all the various characters guys and girls! Two links for you below.

Audible Subscribers: Book 1 of Hunger Games on Audible is link is HERE

Non-Audible Subscribers: Click on the image below and get the Audiobook Free!

Have you read the Hunger Games?

Let us know your thoughts on the book!

• Did you read it or listen to it? Like it?
•  Any other themes you found to be interesting?
•  Are you looking forward to the movie? Why?
•  Other similar books you’d like to recommend to others?

Related posts:

1. The Teen Choice Awards Chooses R-Rated Movies?
2. Peter Jackson’s Hobbit Preview Video

Band of Brothers TV Series Review: Story

Band of Brothers is ten-part HBO TV series about World War II, based on the Band of Brothers book written by historian and biographer Stephen E. Ambrose. Band of Brothers received considerable attention because it was produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks who both worked together on “Saving Private Ryan,” another realistic World War II movie.

The series follows Easy Company of the 2nd Battalion who is assigned to the 101st Airborne Division. It follows their experiences from before landing in Normandy to the end of the war. The events are based on real life accounts from the soldiers of easy company. Before every episode the surviving members describe their experiences, often in tears thinking about their fallen friends and the experiences that will forever haunt them the rest of their lives.

The series mainly focuses on Major Richard Winters (1918-2011), played by Damian Lewis, as he grows into a leader and strives to keep his band of brothers together and alive. However different episodes often highlights different soldiers of E Company, and their various experiences. Through out the series you get to know each of the character from the first time they step onto soil, to hard veterans, battle tested, growing into leadership roles… for those who survive through the battles. As a viewer, you get to experience both the forming and loss of relationships as well as the hardship of war life especially mentally and emotionally.

Band of Brothers TV Series. Is it Clean? Safe?

Band of Brothers by no means should be shown to children. It’s a war movie, and a realistic one at that. Just like Saving Private Ryan, there are plenty of realistic violence. There is also plenty of cursing, which of course is expected as it is a war movie.

There is also a sex scene in the beginning of episode 9. Avoid it. It is explicit and completely unexpected as all the episodes up to this point was clean in this area. Why the directors chose to add this scene is beyond me as it seems completely out of place.

Band of Brothers TV Series: Morals? Opinions?

Personally, I loved Band of Brothers. Though it may be hard to follow all the characters as the cast is large, you can easily sympathize with the various characters as they struggle mentally and emotionally through the war. The loss of key people are disheartening but there is also a sense of triumph as the various characters grow up, and step up as is needed. As the title says, you can definitely come to appreciate how these men draw together, put their differences aside and become like brothers. Every battle is tense as you don’t want anyone to die or get hurt. The struggle of dealing with death is a big theme as well.

Major Winters – Lessons on Leadership

Major Winters is a person to be admired, someone who deeply cares for his men and does everything in his power to protect them and train them properly. Watching him grow from a fellow soldier into highly respected leader has many lessons packed in itself. He leads by example, he is always in the front lines, he seeks to understand his men, he is decisive, he follows the rules, he cares deeply about his men, he thinks through how his interactions with his unit affects their morale, their behavior and the level of respect he needs to command the unit. An example is when Major Winters reprimands his his Lieutenant for gambling with his soldiers because he says he should never put himself in a position from taking from his own men. A leader must always give in every way to the people you lead. From the beginning, he slowly earns everyone’s respect and you can see how it plays out with each of the characters. There are many other men you can compare leadership qualities with such as E Company’s first commander, Herbert Sobel (great trainer, but horrible leader), the mysterious Captain Ron Speirs (everyone feared but respected him), and Lieutenant Norman Dike (who no one had confidence in).

Major Winters Quotes about Leadership

“The qualities you are looking for in a leader include: Does the individual have the respect of the men? How do you get the respect of the men? By living with them, being a part of it, being able to understand what they are going through and not to separate yourself from them. You have to know your men. You have to gain their confidence. And the way to gain the confidence of anybody, whether it’s in war or civilian life or whatever, you must be honest. Be honest, be fair and be consistent. You can’t be honest and fair one day, and the next give your people the short end of the stick. Once you can achieve that, you will be a leader.”

“You maintain close relationships with your men, but not friendship. You have mutual respect for one another, but yet you have to hold yourself aloof, to a degree. If you are too friendly, it works in a negative way when you need to discipline your men. You can have your men’s respect and friendship, but there is a point where you have to rise above this relationship and make sure they are following the orders that are in effect for everybody. In leading groups effectively, you have to rise above camaraderie. You have to be fair to everyone. Everyone must know that they are treated equally.”

Major Winters

The Pacific – Band of Brothers Followup – Quick Note

NOTE: “The Pacific,” the followup mini-series covering WWII battle in the pacific is NOT A CLEAN MOVIE. It is unlike Band of Brothers which was relatively clean throughout. Also “The Pacific” less centered around brotherhood and leadership but more centered around the degrading psychology of men – Highlighting how innocent people’s mind becomes jaded and ruthless in war. Thus the series is much darker.

• How did you like Band of Brothers?
• Any addition lessons to note?
• What was your favorite episode?

Related posts:

1. Ever Fading Sensitivity to Violence in Media

Just a discussion starter. So share your your thoughts below…

What are your thoughts on the fact that three R Rated, raunchy comedies earned multiple nominations at the TEEN choice awards?

Sneaking into the Minds of Unaware Teens

R-Rated Nominees – The Hangover Part II, Bridesmaids, Bad Teacher

The three R rated movie in question are “The Hangover Part II”, “Bridesmaids” and “Bad Teacher”. The Hangover Part II earned a six nominations, while Bridesmaid and Bad teacher were nominated for best comedy. Remember this is the TEEN choice awards for 13-19 year-olds voting for what they consider the best movies, shows, and music of the year. Anyone under 17 must still be accompanied by an adult to watch these movies due to their content. The Hangover Part II and Bridesmaid have been one of the more popular movies of this summer. The Hangover centers around a Drunken Bachelor party romp where the characters can’t remember what happened.

What is the Meaning of This? That's Evil! - Voldemort

“The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” led the pack with twelve nominations including best sci-fi fantasy film. TV Musical “Glee” follows with nine including top TV Comedy. The Twilight Saga swept the awards last season, but expects to face stiff competition from “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1″, “X-Men: First Class”, “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” and “Super 8.”

Something is Just not Right

So I pose the question again.

What are your thoughts on the fact that three R Rated, raunchy comedies earned multiple nominations at the TEEN choice awards?

I think, it’s a testament to how much our standards have fallen in terms of what is considered appropriate and not appropriate for our teen’s consumption, let alone public consumption as a whole (including adults!). I bet for most reader, this news doesn’t seem like big news at all. Is there anything that can be done or will our standards just fall lower and lower? Did you know the US Superior court overruled a law, saying it is ok for stores to sell Mature Rated video games to children? Also I remember just a mere 10 years ago, what passes as PG-13 today would cause a riot even though it was Rated R. It’s a slipper slope folks.

Related posts:

1. The Social Network – Business Ethics in Movies
2. Media’s Impact on Sexual Freedom

Peter Jackson’s Hobbit Preview Video

Peter Jackson posted a 10-minutes production video with tons of behind-the-scenes footage for the Hobbit. In this video he revisits some of the locations of the footage as well as gives us a chance to see some of the cast members interacting with one another. See Andy Serkis, Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman and Richard Taylor of Weta Workshop in action. [That is Ian McKellen aka Gandalf in the picture above with Peter  Jackson]

The Lord of the Ring series, though contains a lot of violence, is a very clean set of movies with tons of great themes such as friendship, love, morality, and deeper themes of the human condition of pride, power, and greed.

Check it out Below! Let us know what you think in the comment section below! Anyone excited to see this?

Related posts:

1. The Hunger Games Trailer: Book to Movie

Have you seen the Adjustment Bureau?

The Adjustment Bureau is a science-fiction, romance hybrid film featuring Matt Damon as David Norris, an aspiring politician aiming for the senator seat of New York who meets a mysterious ballet dancer on the night of his defeat. This brief encounter was orchestrated by agents from the Adjustment Bureau, a Bureau that constantly controls the fate of people’s lives. These agents intervene to guide people in the path they are intended to follow. Unfortunately things don’t go as planned. Through this story, the film touches on the theme between free will and predestination.

Do we have have complete free will or are things predetermined?

First time director George Nolfi tackles this interesting topic of free will versus fate with this adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s short story “The Adjustment Bureau.” George Nolfi is best known as the screenwriter of “Oceans Twelve” and “The Bourne Ultimatum”. In an effort to promote discussion over this topic of free will (and of course promote the film), there has been heavy national outreach to colleges and Christian churches.

Director George Nolfi Speaks!

Below are excerpts from an interview with the director at “Big Hollywood.” It gives us a nice window into this theme of free will versus predestination through the eyes of the director:

BIG HOLLYWOOD: How were you drawn to this subject matter? Were you just a fan of Philip K. Dick, or was there a spiritual element?

GEORGE NOLFI: I’ve long been fascinated with the question of how much we control our own destiny or how much we’re controlled by larger forces. When I think of that question it’s not explicitly theological, though I think that’s one of the answers. I studied philosophy in grad school and it intertwines with theology. Is it social forces, like what family you’re born into, or God’s plan for you that shapes your life most? We’re set on a path by something much bigger than ourselves, and yet we also know we have choices and that they matter.

BH: Are you spiritual or religious yourself, and if so, how did that tie into the project, and if not, how did you find a grasp on this and did you realize this would resonate with Christian audiences in addition to secular ones?

GN: I’ve not talked about my personal views because of this reason: I want the movie to be viewed by people whether religious or not or whatever religion they are. I want them to engage with the central question bringing their faith and views and grappling to the table. So when they leave, the question of how much of your life is handled by outside forces and how much by you is key, and that has been around since the ancient Greeks. I just want to have people have a great time at the movies in a romantic thriller with a sci-fi tinge to it all, leaving with their own questions brought to the table.

As a kid I’ve been interested in this issue. I studied it in college and graduate school, and studied various ways people grapple with that. My own family background dealt with it as well. I was also fascinated with the problem of evil in theology and if there’s a higher power that’s all powerful, benevolent and all knowing, then why do bad things happen to good people?

I think that for religious people period, but certainly Christian audiences, it is a part of their daily life to engage in discussions of why are we here. I don’t think that necessarily people who are completely secular deal with those issues, but I think it’s almost impossible to be a religious person without struggling with this issue. It’s ultimately a movie about a character going through character changes. It’s a thriller, a sci-fi tinged one, and hopefully you’re on that ride. But it does have these issues, and i thought it would have extra interest to those who struggle with it on a daily basis.

Free Will vs. Fate

Full disclosure here. I have not seen this movie. I don’t have any plans on seeing this movie. The science fiction aspect draws me, but the romance part does not. But I did want to note it here because I am curious what kind of impression people will walk away with.

• For those of you who have seen the movie, what impression do you leave with?
• Is the movie objective or do you walk out feeling one way or another?

• Do you personally believe life is completely “free” or pre-determined?
• If so, why? Do you believe just because you feel it’s true or do you have a good logical argument?

Related posts:

1. Ironman and Prince Caspian – Clean Cut or Not?
2. Reacting to Religion Based Movies
3. Movie Review: Watchmen Morality Review

“…virtually all of the practices that nearly wrecked the global economy back in 2008 were legal—all of which goes to prove that just because something is legal doesn’t make it ethical or right… So the question isn’t “why?” but “why not?” If the only thing standing between you and millions, even billions, is other people’s disapproval, why not do what you want to do?”

Social Network the Movie- Business Ethics

The following is an excerpt from Breakpoint discussing Business Ethics. The question that is asked is:

If it is legal – does that make it ethical?

Thought it was interesting so wanted to share here. Enjoy.

Facebook’s Beginnings in The Social Network

Even before the critically acclaimed film The Social Network opened in theaters, there was one big financial winner: Newark, New Jersey’s public schools.

While critics were screening the movie, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg donated $100 million to the struggling school system. Not only that, he made the announcement on Oprah.

Apparently, Zuckerberg was looking for a little bit of good PR. He’s concerned that people who see the film may question his personal ethics. The more important concern ought to be, however, what the film says about business ethics in our culture.

I personally don’t have an opinion on whether the $100 million donation was a PR move versus perhaps something he wanted to do all along. Maybe his PR people told him to do it now versus later. Either way, I do want to acknowledge that this is a very nice gesture on his part and definitely hope to see more of it in the future.

• What are your thoughts?
• Do you think it was a PR move? Or do you think it was intended all along? or both?

The Social Network, based on the book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich, tells what’s been called a “creation myth” about the wildly successful Facebook. The “myth” alternates scenes from Zuckerberg’s days at Harvard and depositions taken in connection with two lawsuits filed against him by former schoolmates.

One lawsuit alleged that that Zuckerberg stole the plaintiffs’ idea. The other lawsuit was brought by Zuckerberg’s best friend, who accused Zuckerberg of cheating him out of his share of Facebook.

Well, regardless of the legal merits of the allegations, Zuckerberg has reason to be concerned: His actions depicted in the film ranged from merely duplicitous to outright treacherous.

While the filmmakers have acknowledged taking some creative license, Zuckerberg’s ruthlessness is well-documented, which prompts the central question of the film: Why? In the film, the answer is that he’s an insecure outsider who wants to be one of the “cool kids.” Others have speculated that he suffers from autism spectrum disorder, which is unfair to autistic people: They may be socially awkward, but they are the farthest thing from ruthless.

Personal Failure or Broken Culture or Both?

This is where it get’s interesting. Everything Zuckerberg did was very legal. His lawyers made sure of that. but does it make it right? But if it’s legal why not? Interesting to think about.

Focusing on Zuckerberg’s foibles misses the point: The most important failure wasn’t personal but cultural. Every one of the actions depicted in the film was arguably legal: You don’t have a proprietary interest in an idea. Zuckerberg’s friend signed away his interest in Facebook because he wrongly thought that Zuckerberg’s lawyers were looking after his interests as well.

Similarly, virtually all of the practices that nearly wrecked the global economy back in 2008 were legal—all of which goes to prove that just because something is legal doesn’t make it ethical or right. Any lawyer worth his hourly billings can find a way to exploit weaknesses in the system.

So the question isn’t “why?” but “why not?” If the only thing standing between you and millions, even billions, is other people’s disapproval, why not do what you want to do? Especially since you can subsequently buy their approval with a check and an appearance on Oprah?

Of course, if this becomes normative, then the kind of trust that makes free markets possible would dry up, which is exactly what happened in the aftermath of sub-prime crisis. Lenders have money to lend—what they lack is confidence in borrowers’ ability or willingness to repay.

What is your take? Thoughts?

• Love to here your thoughts on this matter?
• Are you going to watch the movie? If you have, how was it?

Related posts:

1. The Teen Choice Awards Chooses R-Rated Movies?

Some interesting news.

James Cameron Shooting Avatar 2 Underwater?

James Cameron is planning to shoot some of Avatar’s Sequel 6.8 miles under water…

|| James Cameron is going to do what? ||

Why would James Cameron do such a thing when he could easily do it through CG and special effects? James Cameron has always had a passion for exploring the deep having shot deep sea documentaries such as Aliens of the Deep and Ghosts of the Abyss. This time he may be eying the $10 million X-Prize.

What is the X-Prize Award?

The X-Prize is a $10 million award given to pioneers in scientific exploration. The previous prize was given to develop a manned spacecraft. This new prize is to be given to the first private crew to be able to make manned dives to “Challenger Deep”, the deepest known point on Earth. The last time explorers visited the Challenger Deep was some 50 years ago by Jacques PIccard and Don Walsh.

|| It's all about the Money Folks. Bling Bling ||

Why Shoot Avatar 2 Underwater?

|| NO! Get out of Pandora! Stop making these War Movies! ||

Does James Cameron really need $10 million dollars? Probably not. But as someone who has a passion for deep water exploration, it would not be a surprise if he tries to hit two birds (Fish?) with one stone. Avatar 2 is reported to be set in the oceans of Pandora and thus figures to include a lot of underwater footage.

Most may laugh at such an endeavor, but James Cameron has experience with deep water exploration and was the creator and or director of the two most successful films ever in Avatar and Titanic. The former making almost 2 billion dollars at the box office. You would figure if James made it down there, he would take some great footage to be used perhaps both in his film as well as future deep water exploration documentaries.

• What are your thoughts?

Related posts:

1. Avatar Movie Review: The Best Movie Ever?
2. Bias of American Media – Influence of Media Money

Avatar recently screamed past the $1 billion mark, easily placing itself as the second highest grossing film in history right behind titanic, which not by coincidence was also directed by James Cameron.

Everyone has heard the talk. The CG is stunning. The immersive land of Pandora is breathtaking. Viewing a movie in 3D finally was worth the extra $2-3. All that talk is true. It’s really an awesome piece of work and the visuals is well worth the ticket price.

When you visit movie sites and read the user reviews, you would think this is the movie of the century. A+’s all around. Best movie ever. Highest praises you could possibly mark. But is Avatar the best movie ever?

Avatar Movie Review Part I – The Story

This will be part I of hopefully a two part series. In this first post let’s discuss the Avatar’s most sticky point and point of contention: the story. Then in the next post we can talk about the themes and worldview.

Avatar’s Story, Is it novel or is it predictable?

Some quotes from various sources and user reviews.

“At the same time, “Avatar’’ is merely the latest white man’s romance, and it hits every stop in the playbook: The broken hero who finds renewal by leaving his decadent people, who joins a tribe of noble savages and becomes purified, who leads his new children to victory (because they can’t lead themselves) and becomes a legend in the doing. Tarzan has been here, and Herman Melville, and so has Kevin Costner. As a cultural cliché, it reflects profound disgust with the society of men and a yearning for authenticity – for a connection deeper than anything our fallen modern world can provide.”

Now the story of Avatar is not bad. You have to understand, I enjoy movies. Where people criticize some lines being corny or something being unrealistic, I like to immerse myself into the movie, suspend my critical side (in terms of realism or plausibility) and just enjoy it as it is. So the story itself is fun and acceptable. However it is true in Avatar the plot is very linear, has no twists or movement making it very predictable. You simply know what is going to happen and how everything will play out. So then what could they have done differently?

Let’s hear what others are saying!

Avatar Movie Character Review: Character Dynamics

“…giving the corporate slimeball an idealistic edge. Maybe he’s not just thinking of the quarterly report: maybe he wants the unobtainium because it offers the chance to restore the ruined Earth and make life better for the people living in poverty there.”

“My biggest ‘want’ would be for them to make the villains folks you can identify with. In my opinion, the best villain is a villain you fully sympathize with. Magnito from the first X-men movie for instance was an awesome villain. The opening scene is his parents being dragged into a gas chamber and then fast forwarding 60 years into the future where he gets to watch a nation move towards repeating that horror. Anyone who can’t put themselves in Magnito’s shoes and sympathize with his views isn’t thinking hard enough.

In Avatar, the villains are universally folks you have no sympathy for. The corporate guy is a traditional big ol’ evil corporate villain. The military guy is a psycho who gets his rocks off blowing up the natives. Eh, it isn’t hard to root for their downfall.”

I completely agree with these sentiments and that was one of the first thing that came to mind. As a bit of a creative junkie myself, I was disappointed in the fact that the most of the characters were very one dimensional. Let’s touch upon three of these Avatar characters.

Colonel Quartich: Avatar’s Bad Guy:

Talk about a charicature of a bad military man. Don’t get me wrong, he played it to perfection. Loved the acting, but the character itself was a bit cartoonish. You simply can’t imagine a person being so one dimensional and narrow minded. Cameron could have at least developed perhaps a deeper fatherly relationship with Jake putting their ideals at odds. Even better perhaps we could have had some background history on why Colonel Quartich became the way he was. Perhaps he used to be sympathetic to the natives until he lost a close military friend? Perhaps there was some other idealistic and perhaps understandable reason he is doing what he is doing? Perhaps they needed the unobtainium (did you catch that fun name) in order to help or save the people back on earth? By the end of the movie you just know he is going to be in the final battle and will die after some gruesome battle and as a viewer you simply don’t really care all that much what happens.

I fought Wolverine. I’m not lying… look at my scars. I worked him.

One military “bad guy” I adored was Ed Harris as Brigadier General Francis X. Hummel in “The Rock”. That is a man you respect and hope he would never die despite being the lead of the enemy group.

By the way, same comments about Parker Selfridge (image below), the man who is the leads this whole expedition. Again it would have been a nice twist if all he did was not just for money but if there was some sort of altruistic benefit such as helping people back home – that would have created some better drama.

See this stinkin’ rock? It was in my shoe. It hurt real bad. Why me?

Jake Sully: Avatar’s Hero:

I had some issues with the type of character Jake was which I’ll address more in the next post. It is typical of our current culture that a young guy who breaks all the rules, never listens to authority, that chases personal love (Neytiri) above any sense of loyalty to his people or any sense of obligation ends up being the hero. Think Wolverine. Think Harry Potter. Our culture eats up bad boy characters who break all the rules but in being true to their own desires wins the day. I’ve already gone into it too much. For a later post.

You want me to what? Isn’t the blue man’s group a bunch of performers?

Jake Sully was also quite one dimensional. He really didn’t develop as a character all that much. Yes you can argue he warmed up to the Na’vi, but he was never all that opposed to them. The moment he met the girl he was already fascinated and open. He was already one who delighted in what he found in Pandora. It would have been great if we were given some backstory of what happened to his legs. Even better if he started off heartless towards the Na’vi and completely self-focused in wanting to earn his legs back. Perhaps he could have started with a terrible bias against the Na’vi either due to some misunderstanding or just a lack of empathy. He was open to the Na’vi, very brash and careless from the beginning to end. Also after seemingly completely betraying the Na’vi, all he has to do is ride the big dragon creature (The Great Leonopteryx) and suddenly all the Na’vi treat him like a war hero. That was an incredible jump that was only forgivable by the sudden eye candy war sequences that made us forget all about it.

My dragon is bigger than yours. Plus I am the only Na’vi with a gun! Growl!

Tsu-tey (Future Leader of the Na’vi):

Speaking of War Heros. Tsu-tey, the future leader of the Na’vi could have been a lot more dynamic. He was just really angry all throughout. Then when Jake came in riding on his new fancy ride, it was suddenly ok that he stole his future bride and his leadership position. Perhaps Tsu-tey should have met a tragic but brave death in an earlier battle where his bravery becomes clear and he tells Jake to help protect his people. Perhaps Tsu-tey learns to trust Jake during a big battle scene and Jake earns his trust as they fight together. I am reminded of Last Samurai (very similar story) where the leads of the samurais are never displaced but slowly warm up to Tom Cruise as a brother in arm. That was far more realistic then Tom Cruise betraying the samurai then suddenly he comes riding in a giant elephant and all the samurai including all the military leads decide to concede all their power. I understand the Na’vi are more spiritual beings and had special beliefs about people who can rode on the Great Leonopteryx, but that was quite the stretch.

Also when Tsu-Tey dies, as a viewer, again you don’t really care all that much. It’s not tragic. When the lead characters in Last Samurai die, you agonize because you’ve come to know them and appreciate them. There is very little attachment to characters like Tsu-Tey because there was a lack of character development.

Basically the characters could have used more depth and a richer background and growing development.

Plot could have been more Dynamic

The story was good but very predictable and cookie cutter. My first wish would have been to make Jake’s decision to turn against his own people and side with the Na’vi much harder. Perhaps make it a moral delimma. The story brings a guy with no legs living a life trying to prove to others he can keep up – and given a chance to have new legs, live in an incredible new world, get a beautiful prominent girl and gain considerable prominence and stature. It’s a brand new life that is a million times better than the first. Also he is going against evil people who only cares about killing a human like species for financial game. Well that is a pretty easy decision to make. He is a man with nothing to lose and everything to gain. Yes he was promised new legs by the Colonel, but he already had new legs and a superior body as an Avatar. It never really became something that hindered him.

I wish the story would have shown depth and make the decision much harder. Give him some historical background that makes the decision harder. Is there someone back on earth he loves and would have to give up? Family? Wife? Perhaps the earth is degrading or some disease is spreading and the technology they can use with this new mineral could help it? Perhaps he develops a deep friendship with some of the other soldiers who he has to face in battle? The possibilities are endless. Makes me tingle just thinking about it. His decision to betray his own people and watching the scene as he ends up killing 100s of his own people had no moral dilemma or no emotions attached to it.

Additional Thoughts: Avatar is a Great Movie!

I offer my opinions above not to hate on this movie. I really enjoyed this movie. I thought it was worth every penny. Only because the visuals were so wonderful and the scale so big, do I wish so much that the plot was developed much better. I am completely satisfied with the movie as is, but I thought it would be fun to share what other people (not just me) have been expressing in terms of what the movie COULD HAVE BEEN.

< h3>Interesting Backstory on Avatar

Let’s give credit where it’s due. James Cameron (left) did an incredible job on this movie. The man wrote and created this vast world. Also before everyone goes bashing the story, let’s make one thing clear – the movie was originally some 4-5 hours in length. Tons were cut out. I am very excited to see not only the makings of (remember – creative junkie) but all the deleted scenes. The original written story had far more depth and all the scenes and wishes viewers are clamoring for (even some I noted above) were actually in the original story. For the sake of cutting down the movie, much of the content was cut out. This is understandable.

So what are some of the interesting backstory of Avatar and Pandora?

Here are few tidbits.

• Pandora is a well known planet by the people on earth. The corporation that is trying to utilize the resources on Pandora is charated by the Interplanetary Commerce Administration (ICA) which is earth’s trade regulating body. They have been given permission to exploit planets and moons as long as they follow strict rules. One such rule is that they can only have a limited military presence and cannot use weapons of mass destruction.

Note: Many viewers comment why the military doesn’t just nuke the Na’vi especially after they have been sent off the planet. Well this is why.

• Earth IS going through an energy crisis. Part of the reason unobtainium is highly sought after. It could be a source to help relieve this problem back home.
• The reason they wanted Jake Sully was because the na’vi clone was built using his brothers genes. The fact that this Avatar is growing is considered a big deal because it is very rare for that a human/Na’vi Avatar to be successfully linked and created.
• Also intersteller travel from earth to pandora takes massive amounts of energy, costing about one million dollars PER POUND. Many of the initiatives to relate with the Na’vi is with the purpose of training them as an indigenous workforce. It is much cheaper than spending trillions and trillions of dollars to bring workers from earth. All the resources they put into this is chump change to the potential economic benefit. The hope was to have the Na’vi help refine the unobtainium in their refineries on Pandora so it’ll be cheaper to ship the refined material back home.
• The backstory also includes tons of psudo science that helps explain many of the phenomena found on Pandora. It explains why the floating mountains float and how it relates to the unobtainium. The unobtainium is a powerful room-temperature super-conductor. The floating mountains are able to float because Pandora is actually a moon of Polyphemis, an enormous gas giant with a super magnetic field. The floating mountains holds ton of unobtainium so the gravitational pull keeps the moutains afloat.
• Jake also doesn’t win the trust of the Na’vi by just jumping on the back of a giant bird. He actually voluntarily leads a group into a very dangerous mission to save Na’vi prisoners. Many had died trying to execute this mission, but his bravery and success earns much of the respect from the Na’vi. That would definitely have been more realistic.

Interesting no?

What would you have changed or added to Avatar’s story?

• Love to hear what you thought about the movie.
• What was your favorite part of the movie? What was the most disappointing?
• Also what story elements would you have changed or have added?

let us know!

Related posts:

1. James Cameron Shooting “Avatar 2” 7 Miles Underwater?
2. Monsters vs Aliens: Movie Review for Parents & Children
3. Movie Review: Watchmen Morality Review

Best Movie Films of 2009

2009 seems to have gone in a blur. Every year seems to go faster the one before!

As we look back at the films of 2009, it was really a huge for the film industry. Several movies had record-breaking box office figures and we saw the success of more sequels then ever before. As we speak Avatar, a movie that cost half a billion dollars to get out, is ringing up the box office.

How many transformer movies were there? How many alien movies? How many remakes of old series? Batman returned with a bang. Terminator returned with a thud. So did Star Trek. The fantasy genre is exploding off the coattails of Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter now followed by vampires and greek mythology. Comic book movies continue to be popular from Wolverine to Watchmen. Pixar continues to bring out masterpieces such as UP (saw it, loved it) and others produce movies that breaks my heart because it truly is a depiction of our degrading culture: Bruno (did not see it).

I barely remember but luckily through the power of YouTube and the people’s desire to create mashups of just about everything, we can watch this 2009 film mashup. Enjoy.

• What was the best film you saw in 2009?
• What was the worst movie you saw in 2009?

I’ll start -
Best: UP (Pixar) & Star Trek (J.J. Abrams) – Ok I cheated and picked two.
Worst: Knowing (we went expecting to watch Monsters vs Aliens, then we switched… never watching anything nicholas cage is in again).

Related posts:

1. Star Trek 2009: Movie Review – Themes Galore
2. Monsters vs Aliens: Movie Review for Parents & Children
3. Avatar Movie Review: The Best Movie Ever?

Clean Family Friendly Movie Reviews

Help us start a list of Clean Family Friendly Movies!

One of the goals of Clean Cut Media is to raise awareness of the influence of media on our culture and our Worldview. It is not an easy task as by nature much of what is written pushes up against what our culture would consider the norm. However in addition to this primary goal, Clean Cut Media aims to also be a resource where people can come to find fresh perspective and reviews on movies, music, tv shows and other media.

Hard to find Good Clean Family Friendly Movies Online

There are so many ways to watch or rent a movie. These days you can stream movies online at a flick of a finger, yet it is not an easy task to figure out which movies are wholesome, safe, and free of sexual innuendos, sex scenes, violence, vulgar scenes, and bad language. It’s nearly impossible outside of a few children movies (and even many of those are questionable). As someone who spends tons of time with youth students myself, it isn’t easy to find a definitive list of clean movies I can check out.

So I’d like to start a list of Clean Movies as well as Clean Family Friendly Movies so those who will find this post can have a list of movies they know is safe to watch both for their children and for themselves. Also please contribute popular movies that seem safe at first glance.

Please Share Your List of Clean Movies & Clean Family Friendly Movies

Here is what you can do.

Comment below with the Names of Movies that you consider to be clean and/or family safe.

Please label them as Family Friendly / Clean

Clean Movie: This means no sex scenes, no or minimal sexual innuendos, no or minimal bad language, no excessive violence/gore, and no bad message!

Family Friendly: Basically would you take your 10 year old daughter to this and be perfectly comfortable with what she is taking in?

Exceptions: I realize finding perfectly “clean” movies is really hard, so if you know of any movies that violates a portion of these categories, just notate it next to the name. You MUST note any amount of bad language, sexual innuendos, sexual scenes, bad message, violence – think about parents of very young kids who may want to use this list to choose a movie. More information the better. Also if you know the RATING, please note it as well.

Please also contribute movies that come off as family friendly but you found to be unacceptable as well as any popular movie titles! (Ex. The Later Shrek movies are NOT for kids! Tons of Sexual innuendos and jokes). If you see movies below that do not have proper warnings, let us know!

Below are some samples to start off. Please follow the general format.

I’ll update this as people comment. Red = Not Family Friendly

List of Clean / Family Friendly Movies [+ Unclean "Children" Films]

What the Deaf Man Heard Hallmark [NR]XX”Extreme Violence, but Excellent Message”

Please take a minute to contribute some movies!
It would help a lot if you noted the movie rating!

This will take a long while to become a comprehensive list but slowly and surely we’ll build out this list!

Related posts:

1. Movie Review: Twilight, Love Conquers All?
2. Monsters vs Aliens: Movie Review for Parents & Children
3. Movie Review: High School Musical 3 – The Message

Harry Potter (2009)

Primary Audience: Teens, Adults
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance
Length: 2 hr. 33 min.
Rated: PG

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy), Alan Rickman (Prof Severus Snape), Michael Gambon (Dumbledore), Helena Bonham Carter, Jim Broadbent, Robbie Coltrane, Timothy Spall, David Thewlis
Director: David Yates
Producer: Warner Bros. Pictures, Heyday Films
Writers: Steve Kloves, J.K. Rowling

The Bulletpoint Movie Review: Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince

Pros:

• Movie Making Quality – Best of the Series (Cinematography, Special Effects)
• Enjoyable - One of the more enjoyable in the movie series.

Cons:

• No Character Development
• Plot Development Lacking
• Teenage Love Drama – Half of the film was all about crushes and love triangles, while the actual plot development and character development was lacking. Bad Priorities.
• Faithfulness to Book - Not very faithful to the book (large gaps and missing scenes)

Extras:

• Very Dark Throughout- Not a film for the family. Kids would be scared out of their minds.
• Underlying Messages – Teenage Love Drama is “cute” but sends way too many inappropriate messages to the youth culture.

Some Themes & Questions about Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince

Is Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince appropriate for young children and families?

The movie is very dark. From beginning to end there is a sense of somberness and a lack of hope that lingers throughout the film. When we think “PG” we think Pixar or Disney (ok maybe not Disney…). This is not a “fun movie” to take your family to. It is serious. Characters make bad decisions. People get killed. There is visible blood.

Without going into details, there is a pretty disturbing scene of girl being thrown around like a rag doll, a scene that seems to be straight out of exorcism. There is a scene where gollum like creatures in mass volumes are crawling towards one of the characters. Both scenes being way too much for children.

Then there is this huge theme of teenage love drama…

Is there really that much teen love drama as been rumored?

Yes. The movie might as well been called “Harry Potter and the non-stop teenage romance drama”. Even Dumbledore, who you would think is pre-occupred with the end of all that is good, starts asking Harry Potter about his romance life.

While the the theme of “Half Blood Prince” was barely mentioned, the theme of love, girlfriend/boyfriend, and kissing is prevalent throughout the film. More time was dedicated to this drama then the actual plot at hand! I can understand that teenagers are going through that time in their life where their hormones are shifting but so much of the movie is dedicated to this theme that the actual ingredients of what makes a good story is lost. Consider this:

Where was the character development? Plot Development?
Harry is the same guy beginning to end. Hermione who was so strong, independent and most sensible of the three regressed to a girl held captive by her emotions for Ron. Ron was rendered insignificant. We also never grow in our attachment to key characters like Albus Dumbledore. I enjoyed the scenes with Draco Malfoy and his emotions, but again this could have been developed much more, perhaps showing scenes of his actual struggle with what he is doing.

In the book we get a good amount of background on, Tom Riddle (aka Lord Voldemort), probably the most fascinating character in this particular book. In the movie we only get short flashbacks and we learn very little other than that Tom Riddle is one freaky child. There is so much that could have been done with this, but wasn’t. Rather it felt like a full 30 minutes was given to driving home the very obvious point that Lavender Brown was obsessed with Ron (I refuse to use the word “love” here, this is not love). A full 2 minutes is given to her drawing a heart shape on a foggy glass in front of Ron. Also is it really necessary to show them kissing so many times especially knowing how young the audience was going to be? How about a little more info about the Horcruxes?

The Youth Culture painted by Harry Potter: Half Blood Prince

• Teenage Love theme heavily emphasized & romanticized
• Teenagers shown kissing in dark secluded areas
• Lavender Brown suggests to Ron Weasley that they find another private room..
• Ron Weasley mentioned that his lips are chapped (from kissing too much)
• Plenty of hand holding, going into secluded rooms as a pair.
• Underage drinking

Most people (especially Harry Potter fans) might instinctively think that mentioning these scenes is a bit overboard. I don’t think so. It really isn’t the explicit, shocking scenes that impact our culture. It is the more subtle scenes that shape what we consider the norm.

Power of Images: The Painting of the Norm
If you saw someone getting brutally murdered, you know that is wrong. You see a guy punch another guy because he was talking to his girl? Not as clear. Seems a bit justified. If you see it numerous times, then it becomes a little more acceptable. All the teen love emphasis in this movie is no exception. You see two teenagers that like each other holding hands entering into a room together. Seems so harmless right? Imagine your daughter who likes some guy who wants to have some time together in a secluded room. In the moment of decision, all the images fed to her through the media tells her hey, its not abnormal, it’ll be ok.

Teenagers who perhaps wasn’t thinking too much about romance is shown a world where the crushes seem so cute. The idea of being with a guy or a girl seems so alluring. It influences people, who influence culture which then creates peer pressure and the ball just keeps on rolling. Let’s be frank, it’s not just teenagers, grown adults get influenced by these themes as well.

Appealing to Teenage Rebelliousness and Desire for Independence
One “image” painted in this series (as well as in most teenage centric books) is the image of the main protagonist. One thing that really concerns me is the fact that Harry Potter is a very rebellious character. He doesn’t listen to authority well. He does basically as his emotions lead him to (which is not good considering he has anger issues). He thinks very highly of himself, trying to tackle more than he can chew. Yet despite all his bad decisions and mistakes there is surprising very little consequences. He goes after guys more powerful but does not get killed. He nearly kills someone but there is no repercussions. Talk about the perfect world for teenage boy.

Another Quick Worldview Consideration: Cheating
Is it ok to cheat? Of course not, but did you notice Harry was cheating throughout the film secretly utilizing his special book to get to the top of the class? How about Hermione conveniently helping out Ron so he could become the quidditch goalie. We just laugh and never think about what worldview these scenes are painting.

Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince: Last Thoughts

Lest you think I don’t like the Harry Potter Series, I do. I think it’s entertaining and it has some good characters and messages. I just think the image that it paints is not very constructive to our teenage culture. What is worse is that it did it at the cost of plot and character development that was sorely needed. I understand the book itself was not very action packed as some of the rest of the series, but the movie was already a bit off of the original story so why not use that creative flexibility to develop the story more rather than dedicate literally half the movie on crushes, love potions, showing tense moments of teenagers kissing?

• What did you think of the movie?
• Did you think the plot & characters were developed enough?
• What is your opinion about the heavy emphasis on teenage love?
• Do you think movies like this affect our culture? Teenage Culture?