Avatar - Must See in 3D!!!

I had zero expectations for the movie itself and the highest of expectations for the special effects and the 3D in particular. The storyline was one that is basically that of Last of the Mohicans. A white man joins the natives and becomes their greatest member to fight off the march of imperialism masked as capitalism masked as progress. There are themes of Iraq, the rain forest, corporate evils, Blackwater, the persecution of the Native Americans, and straight up hippy love of nature. Which is fine. It was not a surprise is all. It was what I expected.

The effects, however, were a complete and total WOW. It was so stunning to look at I don't think I blinked for an hour. The 3D had the occasional shot I found gratuitous and distracting but was much more integrated and nuanced than I thought it would be. The planet of Pandora is spectacular in every way. The blue people were still only OK as "actors" but much better than any other CGI person in a movie I have seen.

It isn't going to replace Godfather or Star Wars in the pantheon of my all-time favorites, but it represents a significant step forward in movie making...and it is miles better than the junk movies of Terminator Salvation and Transformers 2 and GI Joe.

Do yourself a favor and see it in 3D while you can.

HALL OF FAME - CHEERS

Cheers is the show of my youth. I was too young to watch the early seasons live, but I joined the fun during the early Rebbecca years. Cheers really made me feel at home. It probably played a part in me finding a home away from home at a local sports bar. Sam as the lovable ladies man and the fearless and hapless leader was always my favorite but Norm, Cliff, Frasier, Woody, and Carla were all fantastic characters that populated this corner bar in Boston.

The early years of Coach and Diane feel more dated than the later years. There are still some good episodes in the mix, but the outfits are atrocious and show seems very innocent for a show centered around a womanizer.

A couple of months ago I started DVR-ing the episodes on Hallmark when they flipped back to the pilot. I am up to Season 3 now and I am enjoying it. The early years are all about Sam and Diane. Season 1 is the flirting season, Season 2 is the dating season, and season 3 is the post breakup but still in love season. Out of the rest of the gang, Carla has the most going on. She is pregnant for the second time and has had some memorable moments, especially with her TV repairman ex.

I look forward to the wars with Gary's Olde Town Tavern, Frazier, Robin Colcorde... and a skinny Kirstie Alley.