Friday, December 18, 2009

Avatar released

Avatar

Released: December 18, 2009

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: sci fi/fantasy

Box Office (numbers in millions)

Domestic: 760.50 Worldwide: 2923.71

Adjusted for Inflation:

Domestic: 911.79 Worldwide: 3824.00

Directing: James Cameron

Screenwriting: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Sigourney Weaver

Review:

“It might be more impressive on a technical level than as a piece of storytelling, but Avatar reaffirms James Cameron’s singular gift for imaginative, absorbing filmmaking.” ^RT The movie held the title for biggest box office hit for a decade before being overcome by Avengers: Endgame.

The original story by Cameron focuses on Jake Sully (Worthington), a former marine confined to a wheelchair. He is recruited to go to an outpost on Pandora, where a rare mineral could solve Earth’s energy crisis. However, the Na’vi, the natives of Pandora, stand in the way and the toxic atmosphere means humans can only enter via remote-controlled biological bodies which mix the DNA of humans and the Na’vi.

As an avatar, Jake can walk again. In his mission to infiltrate the Na’vi, he falls for Neytiri (Saldana) after she saves his life and he becomes part of her clan. He gains appreciation for their way of life and ends up leading the Na’vi in battle to defend Pandora against the military operation set to destroy them.

Sources:

^RT Rotten Tomatoes

Awards/Honors/Lists:

Dave’s Movie Database Lists:

Dave’s Movie Database Genre Lists:

Box Office:

Awards:

Oscars:

Wins: 3: Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Visual Effects

Nominations: 9, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing

Other Lists/Honors:

First posted 9/6/2019; last updated 6/4/2023.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Ben-Hur released 50 years ago

Ben-Hur

Released: November 18, 1959

Studio: MGM

Genre: war epic

Box Office (numbers in millions):

Domestic: 74.0 Worldwide: ?

Adjusted for Inflation:

Domestic: 961.94 Worldwide: 2578.10

Directing: William Wyler

Screenwriting: Karl Tunberg

Starring: Charlton Heston, Hugh Griffith, Stephen Boyd, Jack Hawkins, Martha Scott, Cathy O’Donnell

Review:

This remake of the 1927 silent film with Ramon Novarro, itself an adaption of the 1880 novel by Lew Wallace, is “one of the cinema’s greatest epics.” ^FS It is a “character-driven, action-filled, star-studded extravaganza” ^FS and “compelling human story of revenge, bitterness, redemption and forgiveness.” ^FS

Heston is Judah Ben Hur, the Prince of Judea. His boyhood friend, Messala (Boyd), has become “a tyrannical Roman Governor.” ^VD Messala banishes and enslaves Ben Hur and his family (Scott and O’Donnell). Ben Hur “saves the life of Roman nobleman/admiral Quintus Arrius (Hawkins), is adopted and becomes a respected citizen and a famed chariot racer under the tutelage of an Arabian horse racer (Griffith).” ^FS Years later, Ben Hur seeks revenge against Messala in the Roman Chariot Race, “often regarded as one of the most exciting action sequences ever filmed.” ^FS

Along the way, Ben Hur has “an inspirational encounter with Jesus.” ^FS When Ben Hur returns to Judea, “rescues his suffering, leprous family and witnesses the crucifixion of Jesus.” ^FS Heston finds “forgiveness and redemption when he tries to help Jesus Christ, the man who once saved him” ^A7 “and is inspired to convert to Christianity.” ^FS

Sources:

^A7 American Film Institute (2007). “AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies – 10th Anniversary Edition”
^FS Filmsite.org “100 Greatest Films”
^VD Video Detective (1997). “Top 100 Films of All Time”

Awards/Honors/Lists:

Dave’s Movie Database Lists:

Dave’s Movie Database Genre Lists:

Box Office:

Oscars:

Wins: 11, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Charlton Heston), Best Supporting Actor (Hugh Griffith), Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Original Music Score, Best Production Design, Best Sound Mixing, Best Visual Effects

Nominations: 12, included Best Adapted Screenplay

Other Awards:

Other Lists/Honors:

First posted 9/13/2019; last updated 5/29/2023.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

North by Northwest released 50 years ago today

North by Northwest

Released: July 28, 1959

Studio: MGM

Genre: mystery/thriller/action

Box Office (numbers in millions):

Domestic: 13.28 Worldwide: ?

Adjusted for Inflation:

Domestic: 232.40 Worldwide: ?

Directing: Alfred Hitchcock

Screenwriting: Ernest Lehman

Starring: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason

Review:

North by Northwest is “one of the all-time great entertainments” ^LM and is “considered by many to be Hitchcock’s best picture.” ^VD It “treads a bizarre tightrope between sex and repression, nightmarish thriller and urbane comedy,” ^T95 but is also “a sly, witty satire on the shallow ethics of modern advertising man.” ^T98

“Cary Grant is truly superb” ^T95 as Roger Thornhill, a Madison Avenue ad executive travelling cross country from New York to Mount Rushmore. He is desperately “trying to find out what’s going on and slowly being forced to assume another man’s identity” ^T95 as he is chased “by both spies (who think he’s a double agent) and the police (who think he’s an assassin).” ^LM

The movie is marked by “one memorable scene after another,” ^LM including “Grant getting frantically chased by a machine-gun firing crop duster through a corn field.” ^VD There’s also “a literal plot-twisting cliff-hanger…and the chase across the face of Mount Rushmore.” ^FS

“Grant allegedly told Hitchcock that the script was ‘terrible’ halfway through filming and that he had no idea what was going on. Grant believed the film was going to be a bomb. Hitchcock banked on his confusion aiding his character and therefore the film.” ^MSN