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Film review: Avatar
posted at 12:48 am on December 20, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
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The buzz on the film Avatar was that it would "change the way films are made," and that it would be as transformative an experience as the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Perhaps that advance promotion was unfortunate, because James Cameron has made an entertaining popcorn movie that moves quickly and creates a beautiful vision of a forest world with its stunning CGI. Unfortunately, it also uses stock characters and a plot that telegraphs every single punch, making it a fun amusement-park ride but not a terribly engaging story.
Let's start with the best aspects of the film, and the best of its best is the CGI for the scenes on Pandora with the Na'vi, an indigenous race on a planet whose natural resources are coveted by "the Corporation," an East India Trading Company for the 22nd century or so. That plot line revolves around an element laughably called "Unobtanium," but more on that in a moment. The film was made using similar techniques employed by Lord of the Rings in animating Gollum, and by Beowulf in animating all of the characters. Beowulf did a poor job of it, badly translating facial expressions and movements by the actors into its animation, making everyone in the film look wooden (except for Angelina Jolie, perhaps). Avatar accomplishes what LOTR did and Beowulf could not. The characters come alive, at least physically.
The scenery is lush and seemingly magical. It is truly a character in its own right, and for a purpose. The flying scenes with the Na'vi are spectacular … but in the manner of the world's best video game. Only in a scene at the climax does it seem realistic at all. That doesn't make it less enjoyable, but it's hard to shake the World of Warcraft feel. It's about the same feel as The Mummy, which was also a good popcorn flick, but with far fewer pretensions at being something else.
All of that gets wasted to some degree on a plot that combines Dances with Wolves and Dune, with a dash of Return of the Jedi for a Luddite noble-savages-defeat-technology flavor. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) gets to be Paul Atreides in this scenario, the outsider who becomes a messianic figure for the natives after mind-linking to an engineered body of a Na'vi. The Corporation sends him to learn about the Na'vi so that they can convince the natives to let them rape their land. Does he succeed, or does he lead a heroic revolt against his own greedy people who have "killed their own mother [Earth]"? If you can't answer that from the trailer, then this may be the first movie you've ever seen.
Conservatives have more or less primed themselves to hate this film because of the presumed anti-war politics of the movie. It's there — in fact, it's unmistakable — but it's not as bad as one might presume. It mostly comes later in the movie, when the commander of a military base attempts to rally the humans in response to what he calls "terrorism," talks of making a "pre-emptive strike," and promises a "shock and awe" effort. All of that happens within about a five-minute burst. As for the anti-business Corporation plot line, that's a retread of Aliens, which Cameron wrote and in which Sigourney Weaver also starred.
The real flaw in this film is its predictability. Except for loud noises and some creative imagining of animal and plant life, nothing is terribly surprising in this movie. It tells no new tales or offers any lessons that haven't already come out of Screenwriting 101. The cast does a very good job with this limited material, which makes it entertaining but hardly a deep intellectual exercise. The pace was good but the film was too long at 2 1/2 hours. I enjoyed it, but at best would give it a 7 on a scale of 10.
Addendum: Just to make sure I had a realistic take on the film, I went with the Mathemagician to see it, whose perspective on politics differs from mine. We both largely concurred that it was entertaining, but very predictable.
Update: Gabriel Malor agrees almost entirely, and mentions one point I'd forgotten. People have presumed that the film is anti-military, but it's actually more anti-mercenary. The soldiers in the film are employees of the Corporation, not a military unit. That gets explained in the beginning, but not terribly well. For mercenaries, they certainly have some very expensive machinery.
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JellyToast on December 20, 2009 at 2:21 PM
*tips hat*.
I still occasionally play a game where I watch a movie and then try to politicise it afterwards. How would a Republican/conservative like this movie? How would a Democrat/liberal like it? And, of course, the opposite side of the coin.
Generally I find, especially on the political scene, that if someone likes something they often feel obliged to then justify that opinion with a political viewpoint.
If you like something, yay you. If you don't, then… yay you.
As for Avatar, I can't see myself seeing it anyway *shrugs* Maybe if it pops up on Austar or something..
Reaps on December 21, 2009 at 4:24 AM
I can't begin to fathom why anybody would take the incredibly pretty Zoe Saldana and turn her into some really ugly blue thing. They could have just gotten any ugly hag to play the part.
BobUSMC on December 21, 2009 at 6:24 AM
I can't begin to fathom why anybody would take the incredibly pretty Zoe Saldana and turn her into some really ugly blue thing. They could have just gotten any ugly hag to play the part.
BobUSMC on December 21, 2009 at 6:24 AM
I thought her looks came though pretty well.
It was Weaver that they really did a favor for by making her younger, fit and with a figure that none of the other natives had. They were very slim but Weaver was almost showgirl by comparison.
RagTag on December 21, 2009 at 7:41 AM
For mercenaries, they certainly have some very expensive machinery.
It was a very large scale mining operation with the possibility of a massive return on investment. They were on a hostile planet were they needed a well equipped security force just to protect them from the wildlife. The bigger issue was that it was a six year trip so I expect they would have had to take as much as they could, and be as best equipped as possible. When it takes 12 years to get help you are pretty much on your own.
RagTag on December 21, 2009 at 7:46 AM
The real trailer for Avatar:
jjrakman on December 21, 2009 at 10:10 AM
The real trailer for Avatar:
jjrakman on December 21, 2009 at 10:12 AM
I saw the movie last evening and it was visually stunning, the 3-D was only so-so and the story was badly written (really badly written.) It is nothing more than the "corporations are bad-bad" leftist propaganda movie.
Kids will like it because it's visually beautiful and the propaganda crappola may go over their heads.
sinsing on December 21, 2009 at 10:31 AM
The good points: The Artwork was outstanding.
The bad points: A tiresome three hour liberal lecture.
The characters and plotline were cliché and sophomoric.
You have the big bad evil military guy that goes off, you have the sleazy corporate guy, every female character is "hard as nails," and you have the military/corporate/industrial complex killing trees.
The message of the movie?
American Capitalism/colonialism/imperialism = bad
Indigenous tree lovers and their loin cloths = good
How is this not the same movie that Hollywood has been pumping out over and over again for decades? Hollywood really needs get out of the broken record cycle and break new ground, because pretty soon, I'm not going to bother with going to the movies anymore. There hasn't been anything new from Hollywood in decades, and Avatar is the ultimate expression of that staleness.
jjrakman on December 21, 2009 at 10:39 AM
jjrakman on December 21, 2009 at 10:39 AM
I still don't think I saw the same movie as everyone else.
you have the big bad evil military guy that goes off
Yup that was pretty much the basis of the whole story. A crazy ex-military head of security with nobody that could stop him. Any help or protection from him was 12 or more years away.
you have the sleazy corporate guy,
How so? He was a corporate guy with the mission to mine a very valuable mineral. He was as much a victim of the rouge security guy as everyone else. He even helped against the wishes of the security guy to give Jake another chance to persuade the natives to move. He also stated that they had tried many different attempts at helping the natives including schools, medicine and other things but the natives ended up not wanting it.
Indigenous tree lovers
Apparently you missed that clearly stated explanation that the entire forest was some sort of giant data network that the natives could plug into and exchange data with.
and their loin cloths
I always expect primitives to be wearing 3 piece suits. I especially like the documentaries on NG that show the Amazon forest people in their tuxes for dinner.
American Capitalism/colonialism/imperialism = bad
I noticed Capitalism but missed the colonialism and imperialism in the movie. I also missed the American aspect. Who said they were American and who said that America even existed in that future. All I saw was a well equipped security force made up of mostly ex-military.
But hey if it makes everyone happy to think of this as an anti-American, anti-capitalistic, pro-environmental liberal hate feast then go for it.
RagTag on December 21, 2009 at 11:17 AM
The real trailer for Avatar:
jjrakman on December 21, 2009 at 10:12 AM
An extreme example of people who need to get a life!
donh525 on December 21, 2009 at 11:22 AM
I liked the movie a lot. After having seen "this" movie so many times, I just tune the political stuff out. Sci-fi movies are all about the writers' imagination of the setting, the technology, and so on — and Avatar is definitely very creative. Yeah, it's Dances with Wolves, but wasn't Star Wars just another interpretation of Lord of the Rings?
Just as long as they have a Jar Jar Blinks equivalent. Me loves Jar Jar.
Mr. Joe on December 21, 2009 at 12:26 PM
Yeah, it's Dances with Wolves
joe_doufu on December 21, 2009 at 12:07 PM
I still don't see it and I'm not convinced that Jake joined the side of the natives out of choice. Right up until the time he plugged into one of the animals he was pro-mission. His attitude changed a lot from that point on and when he plugged into the girl she said that they were now bonded for life. Plugging into the dead tree also made him aware of and subject to the network.
I thought of it more as a natural Borg collective then a one with nature, tree hugger type of thing.
RagTag on December 21, 2009 at 12:28 PM
So I went this weekend and Ed hits the right notes with his review.
The politics of the film are hilariously obvious, but truth be told I'm betting most liberals will find it embarrassing to be pandered to this way.
At the very least the stretched smurfs have an excuse for being tree hugging savages – they've got some kind of neural link to the whole freakin' planet. When bulldozing a grove means you lose all contact with your dead auntie you might become a bit more of a conservationist.
This does not explain why they don't "need anything we have" or why they have no concept of agriculture or why it seems like dang near every rideable animal has a convenient brain jack.
Speaking of the brain jack thing (which they carry inside those long braids – that ain't just hair) I was waiting for Jake and the main chief daughter chick to connect braids during the "love scene" a la demolition man, which would have been simultaneously awkward and very funny. A pity. On the other hand, I supposed we'd have to talk about just where that thing's been so…
Anyway. All that aside, I loved the wildlife and environments. Also power armor. Did I mention the power armor? Gunships were also pretty nice, though one wonders why the weaponry wasn't a touch more futuristic.
TheUnrepentantGeek on December 21, 2009 at 12:28 PM
I thought of it more as a natural Borg collective then a one with nature, tree hugger type of thing.
RagTag on December 21, 2009 at 12:28 PM
Given all the highly symmetrical structures near there most holy site, I wonder if perhaps it wasn't "natural" at all, but rather the invention of a very old technology culture that had invented the brain thing and then de-civilized. Super advanced bio-egineering, essentially.
It would explain a lot about the film.
TheUnrepentantGeek on December 21, 2009 at 12:31 PM
This does not explain why they don't "need anything we have" or why they have no concept of agriculture or why it seems like dang near every rideable animal has a convenient brain jack.
They didn't need anything because they didn't want what was being offered. Jake said as much during one of is log reports. They lived plugged into the world as did all the other plants and animals. This allowed them to control animals and perhaps plants. One thing I think was clear is that though the network they had access or control over the natural word in a way that the humans didn't understand.
Jake and the girl did plug into each other but it just wasn't graphic. After, she said they were bonded for life and her chosen for her mate in the village was pretty pissed that she had done it. As I remember he tried to kill Jake.
I think that the epic battle at the end where the "god" answered their prayers was nothing more then Jake plugging in and commanding the animals in a way unknown or not thought of by the natives. Perhaps not being superstitious allowed him access and control of the network that others didn't.
RagTag on December 21, 2009 at 12:43 PM
Given all the highly symmetrical structures near there most holy site, I wonder if perhaps it wasn't "natural" at all, but rather the invention of a very old technology culture that had invented the brain thing and then de-civilized. Super advanced bio-egineering, essentially.
It would explain a lot about the film.
TheUnrepentantGeek on December 21, 2009 at 12:31 PM
An interesting point and perhaps the ultimate in technological networking. They also had that interesting nano-tube covered skeletons which sounds suspiciously very technological. Maybe they were the decedents of a high technology culture perhaps from another world. I don't know how many noticed but they were on a small moon of a gas giant. Perhaps the decedents of a lost research colony?
What will happen to the remaining humans? Quite a few stayed and some still had operational avatars. It was a 6 year trip so the soonest they could get any help would be in 12 years. I would also expect that because Jake had been sent out and expected to ship out very soon that there were continuous round trips to the mining camp and I wonder what will be in store for the people arriving over the next 6 years.
RagTag on December 21, 2009 at 12:52 PM
Opinion, sight unseen:
Stupid. Humanoid aliens AGAIN? Sheesh. Oh, and the "Noble Savage" meme is getting kinda shop-worn, guys. Ditto the flying critters that just love to be domesticated and never bite off their rider's head or anything.
Half a billion? Really? Did they get kissed afterwards?
mojo on December 21, 2009 at 1:57 PM
Opinion, sight unseen:
Stupid. Humanoid aliens AGAIN? Sheesh. Oh, and the "Noble Savage" meme is getting kinda shop-worn, guys. Ditto the flying critters that just love to be domesticated and never bite off their rider's head or anything.
Half a billion? Really? Did they get kissed afterwards?
mojo on December 21, 2009 at 1:57 PM
They are far from noble and the flying critters were not domesticated and would bite off your head.
RagTag on December 21, 2009 at 2:37 PM
I have Indian heritage and this is one of the things that I really hate. My ancestors were awesome and fierce warriors and have been turned into nature worshiping pansies by guilty white liberals.
RagTag on December 20, 2009 at 4:55 PM
[stands up, cheers, and applauds RagTag wildly!]
Mary in LA on December 21, 2009 at 2:50 PM
I'll stick with Zardoz, at least that movie has Sean Connery in a diaper.
WarEagle01 on December 20, 2009 at 4:59 AM
Talk about intellectual failure of the Left! "Yeah, we built a godless Utopia for the Best and Brightest, and we achieved all that humanity can do…all we got left is the performing arts…please give us Death back"
Frank Herbert was a scholar of Arab culture and history. Paul-Muad'dib Atreides is probably modelled on Abd ar-Rahman
Chris_Balsz on December 21, 2009 at 3:25 PM
For mercenaries, they certainly have some very expensive machinery.
That's because they work for one of those Eeil money-grubbing drug companies! In the future, they've no doubt taken all their evil obscene corporate profits from doing insidious things like curing cancer and diabetes and have invested it, for some reason, in 70's-retro-looking tree-hating weaponry! (Because, you know, despite the way they suck up to Obama like gastropods today they're all really unfeeling Republicans or O'Reilly viewers or something.)
I don't care if this thing has effects that'd make my eyeballs ejaculate out of my skull. I'm done laundering my money through Hollywood and into Democrat war chests.
Blacklake on December 21, 2009 at 3:27 PM
My thoughts on your review:
1) In Aliens, weren't the Marines the good guys?
2) From the way it's been portrayed and described, it seems to me to be more anti-military-industrial-complex and less anti-mercenary.
Ryan Anthony on December 21, 2009 at 5:19 PM
My thoughts on your review:
1) In Aliens, weren't the Marines the good guys?
2) From the way it's been portrayed and described, it seems to me to be more anti-military-industrial-complex and less anti-mercenary.
Ryan Anthony on December 21, 2009 at 5:19 PM
1. Yes
2. They were a corporate security force lead by an ex-military guy. Yes they were predominantly ex-military. No there was no indication that they were in fact military. In my opinion calling them military is like calling a security guard with a gun a cop. Yes they hand a lot of hardware but it isn't clear that it is state of the art for their time.
I'm really at a loss as to why people are saying they were military as they were clearly a company security force sent to protect the miners and assets.
The only thing I can conclude from the comments here is that I apparently saw a different film or at the very least was paying attention rather then looking for anti this or that.
I went to be entertained and not with the goal of seeing it as an allegory for left or right.
I saw a mining company that was at first playing nice and then decided that they had had enough with catering to the primitives.
I saw a security force that was over zealous with driving the natives out of the way. For cripes sake they didn't even have bombs but rather were throwing skids of mining explosives out the back of a freaking cargo plane. How is that well equipped or high tech?
I saw a bunch of primitive natives that had all the earmarks of primitive cultures except for one very important thing. Their connection to the land, animals and nature was not spiritual but in fact physical.
I saw a guy that was sent to infiltrate the tribe in order to feed information back to the humans. Yes he turned to their side but only after going though a process of physically connecting to their world which may have brainwashed him. We just don't know because it is unclear even to the very end.
I saw the bulk of the humans driven back to where ever they came from but some stayed and more would be arriving very soon. So it was a battle won by the natives but that was all and they may very well not be able to do it again if the human turned native died as it is unknown if he lived.
RagTag on December 21, 2009 at 6:10 PM
Honestly, I did not understand the buzz. I saw the preview in theaters and thought it would most likely be a stupid movie. I watched the commericials and thought it was defenitely a stupid movie.
Obviously, the technical aspect of creating great CGI is impressive. But I'm guessing the film is close to 100% percent CGI… who the hell wants to watch that?
Opinionnation on December 21, 2009 at 8:03 PM
I did like how South Park destroyed it, though
Opinionnation on December 21, 2009 at 8:04 PM
I just got dragged to that two-hour-and-forty-one-minute-long crapfest. Man, it was a LOT more ham-fisted than I'd been led to believe.
First of all the good stuff: the red lizard bird was cute. And the CGI technology somehow managed to make Sigourny Weaver look almost human — a technical tour de force worthy of praise regardless of its context.
Which, sadly, brings us to the other two-and-a-half hours of the movie.
The moral of the story: Marines and Corporations are Evil; Trees, People Who Worship Trees, and Scientists who study trees are all Good. (Sorry for the long winded treatise there; I just wanted to make sure I didn't leave out even the slightest nuance.)
Here is the plot of the movie (in its entirety): A war was fought between one side who want a rock called (and I am NOT making this up) "unobtanium," and another side that want to (literally) hug a tree that is a computer – or something. The Good Guys (See "moral of the story," above) won the war.
Now, I know some people hate science fiction more than life itself. So maybe this kick-to-the-groin to all those "nerds" who make more money than you seems fully justified.
But, come on. Even if you're congenitally incapable of having your INTELLIGENCE insulted by a story like this, why in the Hell can't your EMOTIONS be insulted?
I mean, come on. The ONLY thing you're told is that this rock is hideously ugly and equally expensive. So, what? It's like a really really lame piece of costume jewelry? And the "evil," smirking and snarling (respectively) corporations and marines are trying to commit genocide over that?
It's obvious from the music that you're supposed to be rooting for a specific side in this War Of The Morons, but don't even the dumbest people in the world need more of a reason than this?
Seriously; that's not rhetorical. I really do want to know. I don't hang around with moonbats in the real world. But I know full well there're at least one or two around here. So somebody throw me a bone; what's the scoop on this?
logis on December 21, 2009 at 8:20 PM
Obviously, the technical aspect of creating great CGI is impressive. But I'm guessing the film is close to 100% percent CGI… who the hell wants to watch that?
Opinionnation on December 21, 2009 at 8:03 PM
Maybe a CGI artist like me?
Yes it is mostly CGI and very well done CGI at that. The hardware is better then the characters and I wouldn't be surprised if models were used for the basis of many of the CGI shots. Sometimes an FX company will use physical models as a basis for the CGI models. One movie that comes to mind is the remake of "Lost in Space" were a physical model of the Jupiter 2 was scanned into a computer to create the CGI shots used in the film. Another one was "Serenity" where both physical and CGI models of Serenity were used. I remember the movie "Robots" which was a CGI cartoon. At the time I told my wife that it was loaded with stuff that only somebody that did CGI would notice. I was pretty impressed with things I had to point out because she just didn't notice.
I admit I wasn't going to go and see Avatar because of all the negative press it was getting here and elsewhere but I just couldn't resist the CGI and had to go see it. What I found was a movie that doesn't really resemble what is being talked about but then maybe I look at it a little differently then most people.
RagTag on December 21, 2009 at 8:25 PM
Seriously; that's not rhetorical. I really do want to know. I don't hang around with moonbats in the real world. But I know full well there're at least one or two around here. So somebody throw me a bone; what's the scoop on this?
logis on December 21, 2009 at 8:20 PM
The scoop is that you didn't watch the movie.
What marines? There were no marines in the movie I saw. Are you talking about the company security force that was made up of ex-military people?
is a joke. I thought it was kind of geek like and clever.
I agree that there was little told about the mineral other then it went for 20mil a kilo. Is that a lot? We have no frame of reference to know but I really don't think it was important to the story other then they thought it valuable enough to mine it.
another side that want to (literally) hug a tree that is a computer – or something.
Did they? Or were they protecting their home from invaders?
I think the fact that they could physically interface with the world around them took it out of the spiritual realm of tree huggers.
Marines and Corporations are Evil;
There are those fictional marines again. I guess you missed the part about the company trying to work with the natives and the simple fact that if they just wanted to roll over them them why would they have spent all the time and money on the Avatar program? You also missed the part were the crazy native hating head of security pretty much took over and the part were the head of the mining operation tried to help Jake out.
And the CGI technology somehow managed to make Sigourny Weaver look almost human — a technical tour de force worthy of praise regardless of its context.
I have nothing to say about this because you nailed it.
The Good Guys (See "moral of the story," above) won the war.
Won a battle. You must have missed the part were they talk about more people arriving for the mining operation and you may have missed the context where ships were apparently arriving and departing all the time. Yeah the home base was six years away but that didn't meant that the only shipped out every six years. Jake was scheduled to leave the night of the major battle.
I think I'll have to bow out of this whole thread because I saw some different movie and I unlike everyone else don't look for or expect a movie to be a political allegory for the left just because it comes out of Hollywood.
RagTag on December 21, 2009 at 8:48 PM
The scoop is that you didn't watch the movie.
RagTag on December 21, 2009 at 8:48 PM
THIS is your major revelation? That you're a self-righteous, arrogant dipwad, who thinks he's the only person on planet earth who is entitled to have an opion?
Newsflash: that's just the definition of the word "moonbat," it doesn't explain a damned thing.
Or, wait. On second thought, I guess that pretty much explains every liberal opinion about everything.
BTW, What is this, like your fiftieth post about this technicolor train wreck? So you're sitting there, slobbering like a maniac, frantically banging away at the keyboard and thinking, "Gosh, the world really needs to know a whole lot MORE about my opinion of this movie!"
OK, fine. Whatever. I'll go ahead and wade through this astoundingly redundant diatribe and see if I can actually learn something new from the only guy on planet earth who knows how to watch a movie the RIGHT way…
There are those fictional marines again.
Thanks, Einstein.
Whatever you do, don't ever let the fact that everyone thinks you're a moron deter you from sharing your earth-shatteringly obvious observations – repeatedly – with the rest of the world.
(Just kidding — of course I can see that you're way ahead of me there.)
But please, please — oh for the love of all that's holy —please keep us posted if you have additional insights.
Lord knows ('Cause I'm sure you've told Him a thousand times by now) that you're the ONLY person who's really seen this movie.
logis on December 21, 2009 at 10:43 PM
Ultimate mashup: Ishtar + Avatar =
Ishatar: Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty are two paraplegic lounge singers down on their luck and dumped by their girls. When they are hired by Sigourney Weaver to play at the Pandora Club they think their spaceship has finally arrived. They're not even through Na'vi customs before being swept up in a Big Corporation plot to overthrow the Emir of Ishatar. Only Zoe Saldana can save them from the evil Colonel, played by Stephen Lang. Charles Grodin and Carol Kane also star.
nwnelson on December 21, 2009 at 10:56 PM
There hasn't been anything new from Hollywood in decades, and Avatar is the ultimate expression of that staleness.
jjrakman on December 21, 2009 at 10:39 AM
Try some of the foreign movies, like "Mostly Martha" and "Adams Apples".
Johan Klaus on December 21, 2009 at 11:18 PM
RagTag on December 21, 2009 at 8:25 PM
Do you know the difference between then and than?
Johan Klaus on December 21, 2009 at 11:26 PM
But please, please — oh for the love of all that's holy –please keep us posted if you have additional insights.
Lord knows ('Cause I'm sure you've told Him a thousand times by now) that you're the ONLY person who's really seen this movie.
logis on December 21, 2009 at 10:43 PM
Only that you are a major asshole.
RagTag on December 22, 2009 at 12:06 AM
I concur with a couple of excellent posts I read earlier:
Living4Him5534 on December 20, 2009 at 2:31 AM
and especially
Noocyte on December 20, 2009 at 3:52 AM
In a nutshell, everyone should just put aside their politics and see this movie because it is truly breath-taking. A while back I tried to encourage my friend to take his son to see 'Polar Express' in 3D and he said he'll just buy the DVD…he didn't get the point that he was missing out on the 3rd dimension, which was the key draw of PE (the story was ok but nothing spectacular).
That's what I'd like to impress upon the doubters here-obviously it has a formulaic, anti-capitalistic plot full of cliches and leftist propaganda (yes it made me cringe as well-would've liked to see the war between Islam and the free world depicted accurately)…but forget all that and just watch it for the gorgeous visual feast that it is.
This is a truly groundbreaking film and I think it's safe to say that 3D has finally arrived. Going from 2D to 3D is like going from black and white to color-you'll never want to see another film in 2D again.
But not just that, for the first time in a movie (at least for me) the cg animated characters looked and felt real. The subtle emotional changes were deftly captured in their facial movements. I teared up and nearly cried a few times at some very touching and heart-wrenching moments in the movie. That's pretty rare for me.
I'd add there's a bit of 'Fern Gully' in this movie also. Anyways, I'd encourage everyone to keep an open mind-don't dismiss Avatar just because it's a leftist film. It'd be a shame not to see it in IMAX 3D…your home theater will never be able to replicate the experience. See what $500 million of fantasy creation buys you…Pandora almost seems like a real place, I wish it was.
thinkagain on December 22, 2009 at 12:30 AM
A while back I tried to encourage my friend to take his son to see 'Polar Express' in 3D and he said he'll just buy the DVD…he didn't get the point that he was missing out on the 3rd dimension, which was the key draw of PE (the story was ok but nothing spectacular).
thinkagain on December 22, 2009 at 12:30 AM
Apparently, the new 3D gives fewer people headaches now that it did in the fifties, but artistically there's nothing new to see. Some of the stuff just sort of jumps out a little way from the screen.
At one point, I saw a dust mote that I actually thought was inside the theater, but it turned out it wasn't. So freakin' what? Aside from that, it was just a novelty.
If they can make holodecks where you can walk around inside the movie, that will be worth going to see, even if the story is moronic. But there's nothing to see here.
And, speaking of Polar Express, how the heck is the "cartoon that's almost real" supposed to be cool? There were a few scenes in Avatar that actually looked realistic — but it turned out they were just scenes of actors walking around.
I suppose I could expand credibility into a Universe-encompassing circle and assume that THOSE were the spots they sunk the most money into. Or, I could just observe the patently obvious: those were the scenes where they spent LESS on the digititalization effects. Some of the people in the audience actually "Oohd and Ahhd" at that!
Newsflash: that's not entertainment; that's sensory deprivation. That's why the movie is so damned long. They weren't going for a conventional emotional effect; they were trying to induce Stockholm Syndrome.
Oh, hey, you know what would be even more realistic than that? A little thing called FILM, maybe you've heard of it? Well apparently that's not part of some director's little bag of tricks. James Cameron likes to brag that he's "forgotten more about film-making than some directors will ever know." Unfortunately though, after decades of heavy drug abuse, it turns out that's not necessarily a good thing.
The Incredibles was a good cartoon, for two reasons: because it was good, and because it was a cartoon. Avatar fails on both counts.
Superman Returns had a plot at least as stupid as this one. I could have pulled a better screenplay out of my ass. But I got my money's worth anyway, because I saw 300 million dollars worth of special effects for eight freaking dollars.
And they spent 500 million on this "almost realistic" cartoon. If I had to pick a single aspect of the special effects to criticize, I suppose it would be… Uh, maybe, I don't know: the fact that THERE WEREN'T ANY!
logis on December 22, 2009 at 9:47 AM
I think I'll have to bow out of this whole thread because I saw some different movie and I unlike everyone else don't look for or expect a movie to be a political allegory for the left just because it comes out of Hollywood.
Then you haven't seen James Cameron on the interview circuit talking about how the movie is a political allegory.
I mean, a dozen military helicopters gun down a giant tree, and the indigenous population weeps over it. How much more of a silly and blatant metaphor do you want?
jjrakman on December 22, 2009 at 10:50 AM
Ragtag – If you're still following the thread, I'd like to talk with you off-thread about your comments/opinions on Avatar (it seems that we saw pretty much the same movie, at least). I've commented at Double Plus Undead [DPUD] here – mine is comment 9 (and off-topic), and that comment includes a link to a comment I made in Gabe's thread at Ace.
Ostensibly, I'm trying to write an in-depth review from the sci-fi geek perspective, and I wanna crib some of your notes on the movie and mine your observations. Thanks.
I liked the movie a lot. After having seen "this" movie so many times, I just tune the political stuff out.
joe_doufu on December 21, 2009 at 12:07 PM
But how many times can you hear this story before you start believing parts of it?
hawksruleva on December 22, 2009 at 11:20 AM
Home Tree was a sentient being in the movie …in essence the merc's (they weren't "the" military: as Ragtag has repeatedly stated in his comments, they were recruited mercenaries and washouts from earth's militaries – mostly failures in other words, and at best adventurists – and were hired by an earth – NOT United States btw – mining consortium as a security detail) and they murdered an ancient self-aware, immensely intelligent Pandoran native (one whom likely provided a symbiotic environment to the Na'vi).
The aliens – who were the Terrans btw – were unable to communicate with that being: the Na'vi could communicate directly, and probably didn't understand that the aliens – again, us – couldn't.
The scientists were just barely beginning to be aware that such a thing might even be possible, and the corporate manager rejected it as flaming lunacy when it was presented to him (in the scene which was the one almost everyone seems to be ignoring, which IS the basis for the movie's astonishing depth).
Pandora itself was sentient. And everything else in the movie is secondary to that.
The Pandorans were the superior beings and culture in the movie: good lord, we're talking a planetary neural network that in effect is immortal, even for the independent beings like the Na'vi. What the hell would they possibly need with what a dying earth has to offer? – But what are the possibilities that such a world, such a being, could offer us?
Focus, people!
I think its obvious that most of you non sci-fi people are missing the point entirely.
It ain't always about the fricking politics!
As for Cameron's interview: who gives a frack what he thinks he meant. Artists aren't necessarily the best self-reviewers of their work anyways.
…and he's created a world that's bigger, much bigger, and richer than his vision for it. Because he is a skilled and technically talented movie-maker, he's created a wonderous playground in his creation of Pandora that has implications for hard sci-fi film-making that is a milestone of the imagination.
To name just one possibility: what about a remake of Dune? – Or, holy-of-holies, what does this mean for a Ringworld project?
Gawd, the mind boggles.
Kudos to Cameron. Avatar/Pandora is a wonder.
davisbr on December 22, 2009 at 11:30 AM
While I think you make some points, the dialogue of the film has some pretty obvious signals in it. Shock and Awe? Preemptive strike? The list of groaners goes on and on.
The depth you're seeing is more about who you are than the actual content of the film. We've pointed out lots of possibilities here, but those possibilities are made manifest in the film – it's our own imaginations filling in the gaps of what is, essentially, an entertaining popcorn flick. It's entirely possible that there was an art director or two in there somewhere with some real imagination but his voice was not the dominant or intended voice.
Although, I'll bet you a novelization of the film will have more depth.
TheUnrepentantGeek on December 22, 2009 at 1:06 PM
^I totally agree with you on every point actually, T'Un-Geek; I hadn't really given the "art director with imagination" much thought, but yeah, that would make sense. I kind of like it even. Kudos.
Although, I'll bet you a novelization of the film will have more depth.
Yes. Oh yes. That's what I'm seeing, too.
Heh. I've been "writing" chapters (well, in my head) since I saw this Sunday morning.
Jeezus, but Pandora's a fertile "environment" …a potential Pandoran ring-cycle if you will …and the sci-fi input from that hypothetical art director was more than "just enough" to tip this whole thing not merely into a plausible sci-fi, but into a Dune-type saga of depth and detail.
The love story is just an intro.
Keep this in mind: the Pandoran neural "network"/planetary-being now has "stored" in its "memory bank" (I haven't got a better term for that, yet) one of earth's leading scientists, and a potential military "genius" of sorts.
…ah, the possibilities.
Avatar in one word: Smurfahontas. Okay, this has spoilers.
My eight year old (a huge fan of Transformers, etc., etc.) said he was "bored" seeing in in IMAX 3d. I was mildly entertained by the "blue" U.S. Olympic women's volleyball team of female scantilly clad aliens but beyond that felt like I was watching a well made video game. So let me say with a movie with this many special effects, mostly well done, something is missing. I would suggest it is orginal writing and suspense.
Can someone explain the physics of mountains floating in the sky? Oh wait, I digress…
I have no problem with the Dances With Wolves story line when it is well done (and Dances With Wolves was not that well done a film). Jerimah Johnson, Last of the Mohicans, A Man Called Horse, even Outlaw Josie Wales pulled that off, however, to some degree, and those are good films. Guys like Cammeron love The Searchers, as do I, but the reason we do is because that film explores themes of racism and hate fairly from both sides and does not pull any punches. I also do not mind the whole let's save the planet eco friendly gaia message, provided I am not repeated beaten with it like I am a baby harp seal on the ice. Cammeron has about about as much subtlety with that theme as one of his CGF alien rhino beasts crashing through the underbrush of Pandora.
I am sure it will make money. I dig the attention to detail on the little CGF bugs, ecosystem, etc., but it could have been a lot better if Cammeron just spent some more time writing a better script. The actors, who have some talent, have to dial it in given the lines they are given.
I did catch that comment by Col Quatraine about "betraying your race." That is obviously a gift to Lefty hacks out there. Of course the protagonist is a white male, who bonds and mates with the blue chick (without any permission from her parents), and then takes over the tribe (because the blue men do not have the…whatever…to get the job done either with their own ladies, the "sky people", or even riding the giant flying gecko). Perhaps Cammeron is the one who is a wee bit racist?
Well here is another observation: Notice that Cammeron's world of corporate mercinary villians are all populated by former U.S. Military? There are references to actions in Venezuela and Nigeria. There is not a Russian, Chi-Com, African, Asian, or for that matter European to be seen (I did not see that many African Americans mercs either, what's with that Jimmy C.?–(NOT cool dude, not cool at all. Okay, you are mostly intending to be "good", so all is forgiven. xoxo The Left).
So I can take it back on Earth in 2154, the Americans and the USMC won? Uoooogh-Rah!
Please, please do not let Cammercon or some other lefty leaning ar-teast mess up The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress. That would be heartbreaking.
Mr. Joe on December 22, 2009 at 1:56 PM
Keep this in mind: the Pandoran neural "network"/planetary-being now has "stored" in its "memory bank" (I haven't got a better term for that, yet) one of earth's leading scientists, and a potential military "genius" of sorts.
…ah, the possibilities.
davisbr on December 22, 2009 at 1:27 PM
I wonder if Cameron really doesn't possess the faculties to understand the concepts he's toying with. It's like watching a 2 year old playing with the Hope Diamond because it's "shiny."
Pandora, it turns out, was a surprisingly apt name for the world. There's truly ridiculous potential and all sorts of fascinating creative territory to explore.
And about the whole rogue art director thing – I think I see that happening in a number of flawed but enjoyable films. The guy with the most control isn't necessarily the most talented creator, so you a vision that's muddled.
Somebody somewhere had an absolutely fantastic sci-fi vision … and then came Mr. Director to chew it into something he felt "the masses" would find palatable. Oh, and while we're talking to the masses, let's just make some cheap political points so we can feel righteous.
But yeah, there's a kernel of awesome there that many (and initially, myself included) missed. It's easy to do when you're being bludgeoned by the rhetorical bat wielded in the dialogue, but it's still there.
TheUnrepentantGeek on December 22, 2009 at 2:06 PM
^…when you're being bludgeoned by the rhetorical bat wielded in the dialogue, but it's still there
Heh. And so it begins …Pandora in potentia.
…through the creation of Avatar.
davisbr on December 22, 2009 at 11:30 AM
Very well said, glad someone took the time to elucidate what makes Pandora such a treasure. One is left with the sense that we've only seen a glimpse of what this amazing world offers. I think in this case, conservatives ought to given Cameron a hail-Mary pass on his infantile-lefty politics.
It is an unfortunate irony that we can only become re-enchanted with our own planet by being enraptured by a make-belief one, best encapsulated I think by Joni Mitchell's 'pave a paradise, put up a parking lot' line. Of course I don't mean to suggest we go back to a pre-industrial age (I love modernity), but I think we need to find a way to live in much greater harmony with nature.
The destruction of the Navi's sacred grounds was obscene and tragic and that was Cameron's main point here. That, as you said (davisbr), as they began to understand the delicate, beautiful and complex world they were visiting, it was brutally raped and destroyed for greed.
I might remind the conservatives here that its not as if this type of thing hasn't happened in the past-in fact it occurred on a massive scale on the major continents (think Colonialism), so Cameron isn't exactly a loony leftist for making this point, it still has relevance. Its a warning for us to take better care of our planet or risk losing it through ruination and over-exploitation.
thinkagain on December 22, 2009 at 4:29 PM
You two are my kind of Speculative Fiction wonks; I've very much been enjoying your thoughts on this film, and the magnificent stage it sets for its comparatively quite ordinary story. Well-met.
Even if another film is never made, I would love to see a series of novels (maybe licensed, 'canonical' tales like the Man-Kzin Wars, or SW-verse). The ideas you guys have tossed out are really exciting, and barely the tip of the iceberg (dendrite of the ganglion? Nevermind). Kinda like Greg Bear's Noosphere in Blood Music: all-too briefly introduced, and never again explored. Hope that doesn't happen here.
I LOVED THE MOVIE. Politics were obvious in it but I guess on this one I didn't care. Loved the story even though predictable. I just wanted to stick up for going to see it.
Norbitz on December 22, 2009 at 10:47 PM
I see that a few people are still reading the thread, at least, so I'll make what is likely one last update to my comments to a pretty much dead thread.
I've been doing a LOT of googling on the subject of Pandora and Avatar (prior to committing to the time necessary to actually writing anything substantial: research can't hurt, eh).
For you wondering about the science, you might want to check out this thread at Ain't It Cool.
And in particular, there is a specific comment upon the levitating mountians and the waterfalls (which someone criticized).
(The science in Avatar was reviewed by someone claiming to be an astrophysicist btw …and sorry, but I haven't dug any deeper into that claim. Who knows? It's the internet, after all.)
I've also discovered a site called Pandorapedia.
And how about a "book" available at Harper Collins titled A Confidential Report on the Biological and Social History of Pandora? I had no idea.
If nothing else …it is apparent that Avatar has had far deeper sci-fi background prep than was readily apparent in the storyline itself.
…very pleasing to discover (tho' I guess this will come as no surprise to Cameron fan …I'm not btw: I've never seen Titanic for one).
Home Tree was a sentient being in the movie …in essence the merc's (they weren't "the" military: as Ragtag has repeatedly stated in his comments, they were recruited mercenaries and washouts from earth's militaries – mostly failures in other words, and at best adventurists – and were hired by an earth – NOT United States btw – mining consortium as a security detail) and they murdered an ancient self-aware, immensely intelligent Pandoran native (one whom likely provided a symbiotic environment to the Na'vi).
Do understand what allegory and metaphor are?
jjrakman on December 23, 2009 at 1:06 PM
jjrakman Do [you] understand what allegory and metaphor are?
Heh. Not only am I conversant with the various meanings for allegory and metaphor and their diverse usage, I also know what projection is, and its probable applicability to your question.
This reminds me of a short story that I read decades ago and shows that there is one more scene missing from the end of the movie. It is set on a space station as the real fleet picks up the defeated Earth forces. The dialogue consists of two people discussing what has happened. One says to the other
'Now that they have kicked us off the planet, they won't be able to go back to their lotus land. They should be able to develop an actual civilization and eventually meet us as equals in space.'
'Do you think that they will realize who we are when they meet us?'
'No, since they think that Earth is dying, their legends will say that all the enemy have died. When they meet us, they won't connect us with the legendary "war against the demons" that gave them their start. They won't realize that all the "dead" demons were really avatars and that every dealing with them was conditioned to trigger the war.'
'At least we can now restore the minds of the people so that they can resume their lives.'
'Yes, we may have to provide "evidence" that Earth has been destroyed at some point and keep an eye on their development, but I think that in a few centuries we may be able to "discover" the planet and make "first contact". They do have the potential to join us as equals now that they have been kicked out of their complacency.'
'We will honor the memory of Jake Sully for having volunteered to give up his memories and become the Na'vi "hero". At least he will be able to live happily now and the Na'vi will be steered in the right direction, even if he does not know what he is doing.'
sabbahillel on December 29, 2009 at 10:17 AM
I brought my kids (12 & 10) to the film and they made me so proud. They were rooting for the humans! I know I've got two upcoming conservatives!
Wine_N_Dine on January 2, 2010 at 11:43 PM


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Category:Castle Cary railway station
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English: Castle Cary railway station serves the town of Castle Cary in Somerset, England. It is on the Heart of Wessex Line 47¾ miles (77 km) south of Bristol Temple Meads between Bruton and Yeovil Pen Mill stations. It is also on the London to Penzance Line, 115¼ miles (186 km) south west of London Paddington towards Taunton. The station is served and managed by First Great Western.
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text:
Leonia fire company on the hot seat
LEONIA — With the fire chief and a long-serving lieutenant facing removal from the department, and two other officers looking at lengthy suspensions, the borough's 116-year-old volunteer fire company is facing not only the prospect of a loss of leadership, but also a bitter struggle for control of its future.
Firefighters contend the move is part of a larger plan to weaken the volunteer force and replace it with a paid department staffed with the borough administration's cronies, as well as to punish firefighters whom borough officials dislike.
"Divide us and thin our ranks, and you'll have no choice but to have a paid fire department," said Lt. Jack Peters. "They're trying to break the Fire Department."
Borough officials scoffed at the claims, saying they needed to impose rules on a department that has operated for too long without oversight from the borough, which owns the firehouse and pays for firetrucks, equipment and liability insurance.
Chief David Bohnert and fire Lt. Arnold Davenport could be forced out because each has a criminal conviction. Bohnert's conviction for exposing himself and Davenport's for marijuana possession became an issue because of an ordinance the council adopted in October requiring firefighters to undergo background checks and physicals every two years.
The ordinance was approved after the council temporarily shut the firehouse and suspended the entire company after the 3-year-old son of a firefighter allegedly was molested in June by a developmentally disabled teenager who had sought to join the volunteer department.
Borough officials have said they need more control over the department and what goes on in the firehouse to protect firefighters and taxpayers from potential litigation.
"We feel that we're doing right by the taxpayers and we're going to stick by that," said Darryl Whitter, Borough Council president and fire commissioner.
Already angered by the shutdown of the firehouse and brief suspension of the company, firefighters have denounced the new regulations and warned that they could lead to mass resignations.
Under the new rules, individuals are barred from serving if they have been convicted of a fourth-degree crime or higher, a felony in another state, any fire- or sex-related offense, or any offense "touching upon the member's ability to properly and adequately serve," according to the ordinance.
Bohnert, 39, who joined the department in 1999 and is serving his second year as chief, was convicted in 1998 of lewdness and was fined $250 and sentenced to two years' probation, according to court records. Bohnert said he was charged for exposing himself while in his vehicle and was seen by someone in a passing school bus who reported it.
Davenport pleaded no contest in 1997 to possessing marijuana with the intent to distribute in Rhode Island. He was given a suspended three-year sentence and ordered to serve four years' probation, according to court records.
To continue as volunteers, firefighters with convictions can seek to have their criminal records expunged, Councilman Doug Salmon said.
Bohnert said he will look into having his record expunged but isn't optimistic that would appease the borough administration.
"They want me out," said Bohnert.
Peters, who faces a 60-day suspension for "unbecoming conduct and behavior," believes borough administrators also have targeted him.
Peters said he is accused of being belligerent and threatening while investigating a fire alarm that had gone off at the Borough Annex during a council meeting there on Dec. 23.
The council members and staff refused to evacuate the building, even though an alarm was going off, forcing him to be "very firm," said Peters, who denied being belligerent.
But Whitter said Peters entered the annex while the council was in closed session and "said things to the borough attorney [Brian Giblin] that shouldn't have been said." Whitter would not elaborate.
The handling of the alarm also has Lt. John Biondi Jr. facing a possible 30-day suspension, Biondi said, for allegedly failing to follow department protocol and exhibiting conduct unbecoming of a fire department officer.
Fire Lt. John Biondi Jr. said he faces a possible 30-day suspension over his handling of the alarm for allegedly failing to follow department protocol and exhibiting conduct unbecoming of a fire department officer.


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Hey guys heyy:) My name is Saraj, pronounced Sara. The 'j' is silent. My friends and just ppl from my school have all different kinds of nicknames for me cuz of how my name is spelled, and I personally dont mind. I absolutely adore music, and wouldnt no wat to do without it. I get appraised for my writng skills often, but I'm not sure if it's even tht great. I might write a story, but I don't no if I will. It seems tht 90% of all my fav books have some romance in them. I'm a romance novel junky!! I'm not exactly sure y I'm doing this, but I'll just make a list of my fav things.
Food- ice cream
Drink- water, strawberry juice
Band- too many to name, all diff genres except for country, hardcore and above, folk, and 80's and below, and other genres, but I mostly like them all
Movie- The Green Mile, Forrest Gump, Invictus, Fame (2009), Duma, Inception, The Titanic and a few more
Color- basically all diff shades of blue
My absolute fav quote is: "One thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain" - Bob Marley
Those of u actually bothering to read this r probably getting bored, so I'll just stop. Oh and thanks for actually reading this if you did. XD I even used proper grammar in typing my thanks!!
- Somewhere
- JoinedFebruary 6, 2011
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OpenBook Dec 31, 2011 06:10AM
@foreverhidion3 Np! Tht poem was extremely touching:)View all Conversations


text: Regular maintenance is essential for getting the most out of your time on the bike. The LifeLine Performance Toolkit includes the tools you need for the majority of bike servicing applications such as replacing drivetrain components, replacing cables, adjusting gears and brakes, wheel/hub servicing and general fitting adjustments. The tools and wrenches feature ergonomic molded handles for comfort on longer applications, and a durable carry case is provided for convenient storage.Check stock and price


text:
Ship to
5M Waterproof 5050 SMD 300 Epoxy LED Strip Light White
Waterproof: IP65.
White light color.
High quality Chip.
Flexible strip with 60 pure white LEDs per meter.
Ultra-bright but running at low temperature.
Self-adhesive back with double side adhesive tape, so it can be fixed on any surface and in any shape easily.
Maintenance free, easy installation.
Environmental friendly: Low carbon, no radiation, no flicker, and no pollution to human and environment.
Safe and stable.
Long life span up to 100,000 hours.
Installation environment must be smooth, clean and dry.
The part of LED components can not be fixed on the surface of the sharp edge.
Please follow the cutting line when you need to cut the light ribbon.
Power Supply/Control Box/IR Remote Control are Not included.
No longer than 5m when it is used in a DC series circuit.
LED type: SMD 5050
LED quantity: 300
Strip length: 5m
Light color: White
Viewing angle: 120°
Consumption: 14.4 W/m
color temp: 6000-8000k
Waterproof: IP65
Input: DC 12V
Storage temperature: -40 ~ +80℃
Operating temperature: -25 ~ +60℃
Product weight: 237g
Package size: 24.1 * 21.9cm
Package weight: 252g
Package including:
1 * 5M SMD 5050 LED Strip Light
Shipping Methods:
When you order from TOMTOP.com, you will receive a confirmation email. Once your order is shipped, you will be emailed with the tracking information for your order's shipment. You can choose your preferred shipping method on the Order Information page during the checkout process. TOMTOP.com offers different shipping methods for you:
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|3-7 business days
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|Shipping Type
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|UK Warehouse
|Royal mail without tracking number
|5-12 business days
|Can be delivered to UK & other EU countries.
|3-7 business days
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|Air mail with tracking number
|5-12 business days
|Can only be delivered to America.
|3-7 business days
|DE Warehouse
|3-8 business days
Can be delivered to worldwide. (But its shipping cost varies from
different countries. Recommend to choose if you are in Europe.)
The transit time depends on where you're located and where your package comes from. If you want to know more information, please contact our customer service. We will settle your problem as soon as possible. Enjoy shopping!
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TOMTOP.com accepts PayPal, Credit Card, Western Union, Wire Transfer, QIWI and Yandex as secure payment methods:
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1) Choose your shipping address OR create a new one.
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4. Yandex
Вы можете заплатить из кошелька в Яндекс.Деньгах или с привязаннойк нему карты. Комиссии нет.
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1.Does TOMTOP check the products before shipping them to me?
Yes, for sure.
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Yes, everything you buy from TOMTOP has a guarantee of quality and will exactly match the description on the website.
Factories that supply TOMTOP are strictly evaluated by us, and we provide you an even better reassurance of consistent high quality thanks to our in-house QC team. We double-check the contents of all orders carefully before dispatch to our customers. You can be confident about ordering from TOMTOP just as much as any western retailer.
3. How long dose it take to have my orders shipped after the payment is made?
1.Processing time 1-2 business days normally: During this period, we do strict quality-control tests and get the items carefully packed.
2.Sometimes the item in your order is really a hot seller and it may be just sold out at that time. It will take us 1-2 more days to get it available in stock again. In this case, The processing time will be 3 business days.
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text:
Two wheeled hot rod art.
This is my bro's bike I've been working on for the past few weeks/months. There are only a few shots here of the actual art and subject of the post.
The rear fender took aproximetely 15-20 hours of work to complete. A custom light enclosure had to be built (not installed). Simple modification do to the ease of installation with the new "plug in" style LED's. Just a simple light box made of 20ga sheet-metal with your old light socket tacked to the inside after removal of original housing. You can have the box chromed or polished (aluminum(larger gage of course)) for better light reflectivity or you could just mount a small peice of mirrord plexi or lexan around it, or with LED's white paint works just as well.
The paint will be HOK polyurethane jet black with a poly clear. Everything else on the bike has been black powdercoated and unrelated to th topic, is either new or rebuilt. Open belt drive, S&S heads ect ect. Paint should be done by the morrow, will try to get more pic's if I can score the use of a digicam for another favor.
Very nice HK!! The detail is fantastic.
Nice looking tail dragger King!! Should make a sweet scoot. Keep the pictures coming, can't wait to see it finished man!
Rat Rods Rule!
pretty nasty!
Way to go, bro'! Typical top-shelf work! Ain't nobody like the Halloween King!
54 Chevy Pickup
way cool:thumbup:
HK..how'd ya put the horse in? Laser cut? Looks good.
54 Chevy Pickup
Looks like the result of a steady hand and a plasma cutter to me.
I haven't used my cutter for decorative purposes as of yet, but I am certain it falls within the capability of the machine I have.
Nice work HK.
That's soooooo cool. Good job HK! :thumbup:
That does look sweet, I would guess that it was stamped out flat then the fender formed but again just my guess.
The fender is a longer tailed version of a west coast chopper classic fender. Not much difference though.
The horse was first drawn out with a sharpie then after 6 or 7 tries untill it was right, drilled a few starter holes in each section and hand ground it out with some small bits and an air powerd pencil grinder. Afterwards cleaned up with some hand files and very thin peices of sandpaper or cordpaper. No plasma cutter could cut that out that small, if it could I would have been all about it. It wasn't stamped out of a flat sheet, it was carved from the formed peice. Not very hard at all anyone can do it. It measures roughly 8" tall X 5-7" wide from nose to tail. Never really measured it.It should look superb with black paint and a retna burning red LED.
Kevin, our quality control manager at work thought the same thing, lazer cut untill she took a walk to my little playroom and saw the aftermath.
If you try this wear gloves!
Back to paint.
I have seen the flush light's that are painted and only show up when on but I think this will look killer.
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text:
Cosmopolitan cities, breathtaking scenery and world-class outdoor adventures from coast to coast
The home of ice hockey, the Niagara Falls, Mounties and maple syrup – not to mention Ryan Gosling, Céline Dion, Drake and of course, Justin Bieber – almost everyone on the planet knows something about Canada. Yet first-time visitors should expect some surprises, beginning with the immense size of the country, hard to appreciate until you get here. Canada's cities – enchanting Québec, trendy Vancouver, cosmopolitan Toronto and stylish Montréal among them – are rich with historical and cultural treasures, but above all Canada is a land of stunningly beautiful landscapes, from the spectacular fjord-slashed coastlines of Newfoundland and the Maritimes, to the Rockies' glittering lakes and majestic peaks, and the rippling prairie expanse with all the sky for a ceiling in between.
The second largest country in the world (after Russia), Canada covers an area the United Kingdom could fit into 41 times over. Much of this expanse is sparsely inhabited and the majority of the 35 million Canadians live in its southern half, relatively close to the US border. Like its neighbour to the south, Canada is a spectrum of cultures, a hotchpotch of immigrant groups who supplanted the continent's many Aboriginal peoples.
For the visitor, the mix that results from this mostly exemplary tolerance is an exhilarating experience, offering such widely differing cultural, artistic and culinary experiences as Vancouver's huge Chinatown, the Inuit heartlands of the far north, the austere religious enclaves of Manitoba or the Celtic-tinged warmth of the Maritimes.
Yet – in stark contrast to their southern neighbours – some Canadians are often troubled by the lack of a clear self-image, tending to emphasize the ways in which their country is different from the US as a means of self-description. The question "What is a Canadian?" continues to linger, with the on-again, off-again and always acrimonious debate over Québec's secession, but ultimately there can be no simple characterization of a people whose country is not so much a single nation as it is a committee on a continental scale. Pierre Berton, one of Canada's finest writers, wisely ducked the issue: "A Canadian", he quipped, is "someone who knows how to make love in a canoe".
Despite this balancing act, one thing is clear: Canadians have an overwhelming sense of pride in their history, their culture and the mesmerizing beauty of their land. Indeed, Canada embraces all this – as well as its own clichés – with an energy that's irresistible.
Planning your trip to Canada
Everything you need to plan where to go and what to do.
Travel offers; book through Rough Guides
Explore Canada
Your comprehensive guide to Canada.
Everything you need to know before you set off.
The Rough Guide to Canada
An in-depth, easy-to-use guide filled with expert advice.
Canada features
The latest articles, galleries, quizzes and videos.
The best places to go in spring
Springtime is beautiful, with its big blue skies and flowers in bloom, so there may be no better time to travel. If you're thinking about getting away, here are…
26 awe-inspiring architectural wonders
From ancient temples to hyper-modern skyscrapers, these are just a few of the world's most incredible architectural wonders. Whether you're looking to wander l…
Go solo: the 20 best places to travel alone
Solo travel can be one of the most rewarding ways to explore the world. Whether you'd rather spend it on a desert island or in a frenetic new city, here are th…
After Canada, where next?
Check out USA


text:
quote:Depends on which food it is. Beef? Scam.
Organic foods. Better or scam?
I hate getting those huge 1.5 lb chicken breasts from sanderson farms unless I plan on cutting it up to put in something
no measurable benefits from organic produce over conventional
chicken is one thing that I eat a lot of that I don't mind paying a little more for to get organic
steroid free.
I hate getting those huge 1.5 lb chicken breasts from sanderson farms unless I plan on cutting it up to put in something
Theres a book called "The Rational Optimist" published a few years ago which tackles the subject of organic farming among other things.
The authors position in short is that organic farming ultimately does more harm than good because organic farming practices are inefficient when compared to modern farming intensification. The amount of land necessary to get similar volumes of organic crops is sometimes 10 or more times the size of comparable modern farms. That land is often found by claiming forest or other land. In addition, the use of manure based fertilization causes problems of its own.
In the end, he believes the ill effects of deforestation and methane gas from cows offsets any benefits of organic farming.
How does a chicken breast get that big "organically"? A Stanford research paper from about a year ago indicated no measurable benefits from organic produce over traditional
Organic chicken
My guess is that they use the same breeds that these "steroid factories" use. The birds have been bred to grow large very quickly. Their feed conversion rates are unreal.
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text:
May 29, 2017 Disclaimer: Please read.
Statements and opinions expressed in articles are those of the authors, not Truthdig. Truthdig takes no responsibility for such statements or opinions.
BP Knew: Years of Internal Probes Warned That Neglect Could Lead to Accidents
Posted on Jun 7, 2010
By Abrahm Lustgarten and Ryan Knutson, ProPublica
(Page 3)
But instead of receiving compliments for his prudence, Sneed—who had also complained that week that pipeline inspectors were faking their reports—was scolded by his supervisor for stopping the work. According to a report from BP's internal employer arbitrators, Sneed's supervisor, who hadn't inspected the crack himself, said he believed it was superficial.
The next day, according to multiple witness accounts and the report, that supervisor singled out Sneed and harassed him at a morning staff briefing. Within a couple of hours, the supervisor sent emails to colleagues soliciting complaints or safety concerns that would justify Sneed's firing. Two weeks later, after a trumped up safety infraction, he was gone.
Square, Site wide
The investigators interviewed dozens of workers and according to most of them Sneed "was likely to be the most careful technician on the Slope with respect to safety and quality of his inspections. If there was corrosion in existence… he would find it," said the report, which was authored by Washington, D.C., attorney Billie Garde and environmental investigator Paul Flaherty and delivered to BP executives in late 2006.
So why would BP want to get rid of one of its most effective inspectors? The report echoed BP's internal investigations from 2001 and 2004, finding, once again, that BP pressured its contractors and employees in order to save money.
"Many of the people interviewed indicate that they felt pressured for production ahead of safety and quality," the report stated.
Contractors received incentives to list large numbers of completed inspections, the report found, something Sneed said routinely led workers to falsify their reports. Contractors also received a 25 percent bonus tied to BP's production numbers. With fewer delays, more oil would be pumped, and more cash would flow to companies executing the work under BP supervision.
The message to workers was clear.
"They say it's your duty to come forward," said Sneed of BP's corporate policies and public statements, "but then when you do come forward, they screw you. They'll destroy your life."
"No one up there is ever going to say anything if there is something they see is unsafe," he added. "They are not going to say a word."
The following year saw another shakeup at BP. The company had already replaced its chief executive of Alaskan operations with Doug Suttles—the man now in charge of offshore operations and cleanup of the disaster in the Gulf. In May 2007 it also named a new global CEO, Tony Hayward, a 25-year BP veteran.
But worker harassment claims continued to be made in Alaska and elsewhere, and more problems with the Alaska pipeline systems also emerged.
In September 2008, a section of a high pressure gas line on the Slope blew apart. A 28-foot-long section of steel—the length of three pickup trucks—flew nearly 1,000 feet through the air before landing on the Alaskan tundra. Sneed had raised concerns about the integrity of segments of the high-pressure gas line system before he left the company. If the release had caught a spark the explosion could have been catastrophic, said Robert Bea, a University of California Berkeley engineering professor who has worked for BP on the North Slope.
Three more accidents rocked the same system of pipelines and gas compressor stations in 2009, including a near explosion that could have destroyed the entire facility. According to a letter that members of Congress sent to BP executives, obtained by ProPublica, the near miss was the result of malfunctioning safety and backup equipment.
BP spokesman Tony Odone said BP is continuing to roll out a company-wide operating management system that helps track and implement maintenance. He said the company reduced corrosion and erosion-related leaks in Alaska by 42 percent between 2006 and 2009.
As BP battled through the decade to avoid accidents in Alaska, another facility operating under a different business unit, BP West Coast Products, was having similar problems.
For years the BP subsidiary that refined and stored crude oil was allowed to inspect its own facilities for compliance with emission laws under the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the agency that regulates air quality in Los Angeles. The thinking was that companies had the technical knowledge and that self-inspection was cheaper and more efficient.
But in 2002, eight years after the program began, inspectors with the management district thought BP's inspection results looked too good to be true. Between 1999 and 2002, BP's Carson Refinery had nearly perfect compliance, reporting no tank problems and making virtually no repairs. The district began to suspect that BP was falsifying its inspection reports and fabricating its compliance with the law.
The management district sent its own inspectors to investigate, but when they tried to enter BP's plant, the company turned them away. According to Joseph Panasiti, a lawyer for the management district, the agency had to get a search warrant to conduct inspections required by state law.
When the regulators did finally get in, they found equipment in a disturbing state of disrepair. According to a lawsuit the management district later filed against the company, inspectors discovered that some tanker seals had tears that were nearly two feet long. Tank roofs had gaps and pervasive leaks, and there were enough major defects to lead to thousands of violations.
"They had been sending us reports that showed 99 percent compliance, and we found about 80 percent noncompliance," Panasiti told ProPublica. "It was clear that no matter what was said, production was put ahead of any kind of environmental compliance."
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By Jim Yell, June 8, 2010 at 6:20 am Link to this comment
Now that they have proof are we going to see criminal charges? If not why not? One more case of the fat and greedy protecting each other. Does our government even exist anymore?
Right Skyscraper, Site Wide
Right Internal Skyscraper, Site wide


text:
Every night at the end of play at Roland Garros, Eurosport's
resident expert and seven-times Grand Slam winner Mats Wilander takes an
in-depth look at the big issues of the day.
In the latest edition Wilander explains the reasons why Rafael
Nadal was able to beat Andy Murray.
The difference between the two players, according to Mats, was
Nadal's ability to secure the really big points, while Murray could not take advantage of his break
Mats also believes that the world number one made better use of the
gusty conditions, using the wind to help his slice rather than battling against
the conditions as Murray did.


text:
PG-13 (disturbing images, partial nudity); 99 minutes
Twenty years ago, Samsara would have been a knockout. In fact, it was. Only then it was called Baraka.
Director-editor-cinematographer Ron Fricke's 1992 cinematic world tour offered stunning 70mm images and -- despite no dialogue or narration -- something akin to a narrative. His follow-up looks equally great, but it's less lucid. It's also, inevitably, less surprising.
Both of Fricke's features descend from Koyaanisqatsi, the 1982 visual essay that began a trilogy. Fricke worked as a cinematographer on that film, which contrasted images of natural beauty and urban frenzy.
Baraka and Samsara do the same, although with less vehemence. The movies (conceived with producer-editor Mark Magidson) shift between cosmic reverie, slightly trippy travel video and occasional bummers.
Like its predecessor, Samsara spotlights many religious structures and rituals. It also observes teeming cities, dramatic landscapes and industrial operations (including factory farms). One reason for the occasional doldrums is that Fricke's new movie revisits some of the same places. It also has a similar New-Agey score, composed in part by Baraka veteran Michael Stearns and featuring the same soprano, Dead Can Dance's Lisa Gerrard.
So what's new in Fricke's wide world? Quite a bit, including gun cultism, Dubai's grandiose developments, Israel's West Bank separation fence and an exercise yard full of dancing Filipino convicts. Samsara finds the world a little less blessed than it was two decades ago, yet still beautiful.
Exclusive: Angelika Dallas; Angelika Plano
-- Mark Jenkins,
Special to The Washington Post


text:
ED Magedson – Founder
Ripoff Report
Betasource LLC128 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA
Betasource LLC (Andrew Shoemaker) Betasource did not fulfill their contractual obligations to pay me as a contract employee. Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Does your business have a bad reputation?
Fix it the right way.
Corporate Advocacy Program™
I was a contract employee for Betasource, and as per the contract, was to be paid $100 for every lead I attained for the company, Donnelly Energy, in NJ. Between January and April of 2014, I acquired over 60 leads, and sent them to Andrew Shoemaker, the owner of Betasource. I was only paid for 20 leads I acquired. Some leads were not qualified, but over 60 leads were genuine, budgeted, sales opportunities for Donnelly Energy.
I have sent multiple e-mails to Andrew and Donnelly Energy, with no response. The last time I heard from Andrew was May 31st, despite that fact that I have e-mailed multiple times since than. There is a signed contract in place, stating the terms of our agreement, and I have every lead saved and accounted for. I am over over $4,000 from Betasource.
The communication and entire system has been completely unprofessional, and has been a terrible business experience. I have been in sales for over 12 years, and have never experienced conduct such as this.
This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 07/17/2014 02:45 PM and is a permanent record located here: http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/betasource-llc/philadelphia-pennsylvania-19106/betasource-llc-andrew-shoemaker-betasource-did-not-fulfill-their-contractual-obligation-1162933. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year.
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text:
Significant Information regarding Fat Loss Factor Program That should Create Favorable Effects
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Fat loss factor reviews are around the online market place. That is chiefly owing to the program's accomplishment. Several most people who may have utilized it claim that it works wonders. But, remember to do not forget that you choose to far too use a component to perform, as this software won't get the job done on its own. One detail is obvious in this article which could it be seriously isn't a one-day ponder software. You can should put in a few hard work into it. The program must have tolerance, arduous physical exercises and power coaching for your slightest outcomes to get mentioned. The many critiques throughout the web show that the system may be very favorable into the person. It provides food preparing, training session routines, exclusive coaching and a menu of unwanted fat loss approaches. With all the exercise routines and physical exercises that a participant will endure and because of the pure raw foods, they'll know-how a advantageous effect in their everyday life. You can expect to get rid of many of the weight and end up being a whole lot more flexible and much healthier. That's why the fat loss factor is generally known as a holistic approach to the overall health and wellness.


text:
Packaged 26" Supershape XL balloon. Has three word bubbles with Happy Birthday, Woo Hoo, and Party messages.
burton+Burton only sells to businesses, not the general public, and tax ID# is required. If you are a consumer and are interested in purchasing our items, please use our store locator to find a local retailer.
325 Cleveland Road
Bogart, GA 30622-1766
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