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Upon hearing Matthew Greenberg is hired to do a remake of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary I remembered my first experience of the movie.  It was a truly terrifying movie because of the setting and peripheral events making it a true 3D experience.

I watched Pet Sematary for the first time as a young child at the family’s old farmhouse in Connecticut.  It is one of those scary type of old houses built in the 1800’s.  Complete with secret passageways and even a mud floor basement. It is probably haunted if not the feel would leave one believing every old creek and bump in the night was due to paranormal activity.

It was a late warm summer night when we started the movie.  The window was open to let in a cooling breeze.  The Lights turned off so the only eerie glow in the room was cast from the television.  Strange shadows danced about the room as it flickered.

Just as the movie reaches it’s climatic moment it happened.  Something big moved past the window.  We know it was big because its footsteps thumped in the soft grass.  With each impact the animal huffed.  The kind of huff that is a mix of an exhale and a growl, low, rumbling.

In an instance the gun rack was emptied.  Light flashed about the room from both the overhead lights and the flashlights that each armed occupant now carried. It amazes me how fast all of us moved  both to secure the area and to search for whatever it was outside.

The oddest thing, we never found what it was that moved past the window.  No animal left lurking in the yard and no tracks left in the soft ground outside of the window.

(via /Film)

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There are plans to do an Alien remake in the 3D format and to make it a trilogy.  I loved the Alien movies they are a brilliant example of good horror.  This remake project brings great concerns.

Will James Cameron return to the project?  This is an important question.  He was so involved with the movies starting with his writing on the first Alien movie.

The gimmick concern.  The studios are going nuts over making movies in 3D as a gimmick to lure people into the theaters to watch movies.  This creates problems since not all theaters can handle 3D.  Thus if the movie is not shot with care it appears distorted and becomes troublesome to watch in non 3D.  I also find it offensive that the studios would take such a flagrantly lazy approach to create desire in watching movies in the theater.  Generally I find putting out movies that have good writing, storylines, and aren’t just throwaway media will make me want to go watch it in the theater.

One of the things that makes the Alien movies work so well as horror and to still appear fairly current even 30 years latter is that they don’t show too much and they use the real when they can for the effects.  Modern movies, especially those for 3D, tend to show too much moving from a terrifying scene toward the grotesque desensitizing the audience.

(via SCI FI Wire)

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Marvel released the second trailer for Iron Man 2 and it looks better but also feeds some concerns.  Watch the trailer above.

Iron Man is an awesome movie that I really enjoyed so it pains me to say that so far the second one doesn’t appear to be very inspired from the advertising.  Instead of one villain in an Iron Man knock off suit fighting against Tony Stark there appears to be many Iron Man knock off suits fighting Iron Man and War Machine.

We do get to see more about Whiplash from this trailer which helps with the original concerns over the character.

From the trailer they confirm that there will be more Nick Fury and a meeting does excite me.

I do like the clip of the portable Iron Man suit.  It unpacks itself and places it’s self on Tony Stark.  Is this the beginning of the sentient Iron Man suit from the comics?

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When I first heard that they were doing an A-Team movie I thought this was such a bad idea.

Then watching the trailer impressed me.  They did a good job matching up the characters and capturing the feel of the A-Team.

I grew up watching A-Team on TV.  I loved what they stood for:  justice and helping those in need.  I can only hope those elements are in the movie.

Watch the original A-Team streaming online below.

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Out this week we have Three DVDs to feature:  Destination Truth: Season 1, Astro Boy, The Twilight Saga: New Moon.  Do we Love It, Rent it, or Avoid Like Plague?

Owner

• Destination Truth: Season 1: This show is awesome, Josh Gates does a wonderful job taking us on an adventure all over the world.  IN season one we go hunting for a mermaid like sea creature, the Chupacabra, has an amazing Bigfoot sighting, the Tokoloshe, werewolves, and visits a haunted village.
  • Buy it / Rent it

Get your copy of Destination Truth:

Season One or Amazon

Season Two

Watch Destination Truth streaming online on hulu here

More Destination Truth on dashPunk

Renter

• Astro Boy: have not watched it yet and definitely a renter for me.
  • Buy it / Rent it
  • More Astro Boy on dashPunk

Don’t Care

• The Twilight Saga: New Moon: Even though I don’t care to watch this movie like the first one I have added both to the rental que.  That said I’m actually more interested in the the second Twilight movie just because Christopher Heyerdahl is in it.  Even the studios don’t think so high of the movie.  They have released it at the marked down price of $16.99 rather then the $20 range that is typical of the double disc releases.
  • Buy it / Rent it
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I’m a sucker for a movie with sword play in it and / or a mid-evil setting besides could it be any worse or better then Kevin Costner 1991 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.  It will hit theaters May 14, 2010.

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As you know I’m a sucker for a vampire movie bad pun intended. Many turn out to be really bad but every once in a while a vampire movie will stand out from the pack.

Suck is a comedy vampire movie about a rock band while on the road becomes vampires to improve their rock. With classic great lines like:

• “what happens on the road stays on the road”
• “try some groupie”

The trailer is awesome! Watch it below.

Unfortunately it is currently making the independent film rounds which means for me living in the middle of nowhere I will have to wait to watch it.

The guest stars in this movie floored me: Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop, Moby, and Henry Rollins all musical icons plus , Dave Foley who’s performances I have always enjoyed.

(via /Film)

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Words can not express how badly I want a 2.4 meter tall Alien King sculpture! Made from recycled parts and welded together.

I went to Robosteel site where there are more awesome pictures of the Steel Alien sculptures and the worse thing ever happened.  They are actually for sale… *drool*

(via Fantasy SF Blog)

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After Avatar premiered on the big screen I noticed it having a strange effect in some of those around me.  Then the headlines pointing out how there was a rise in depression from some who watched the movie.  This cause was pinned on the movie being “a little too real” CNN with that being followed up by pinning it on the intense visuals.

This left me curious, there is a real effect being caused but the explanation of visuals for the cause did not make sense.  After watching Avatar Eric and I talked about the experience and the feelings left behind and he pointed out the cause.

The Cause

Experiencing Avatar gives one a religious experience stimulating metaphysical urges.  If lacking in one’s life this will leave a longing, drawing attention to the emptiness that already exists in their life.  Due to our secular society this whole event is felt but probably not realized on a conscious level.

It’s Human nature

It’s human nature to feel the need for a connection.  This need is what drives us as a species to be social creatures.  This is not only one sought between each other but also between our environment around us and to a greater universe.

This is the deeper purpose that mythology and religion serve as they help us to get connected to one another, our environment and the greater universe.

Without it one is left with a restless longing.  This longing can be ignored or temporally filled but it still persists if those connections are not made.  Our secular society has become quite adept at even distracting ourselves so much that the longing is numbed.

How Avatar stimulates it

Avatar does something amazing by giving the viewer an experience of a beautiful setting in which the characters have a deep connection to each other, the environment around them and to a greater universe giving immediate validation of that connection.

This starts with the viewer being able to relate to Jake who through a dreaming state gets a direct neural transmitted connection to a Na’vi.  Through the Na’vi we are connected to the rest of the world around.

A Na’vi does not just climb on a mount and ride around or fly around on it.  They make a neural connection to the mount, a bond that is very deep and reciprocal.  It is a connection that has immediate reward and shown true through the creatures response.

They connect with those that came before them through the Tree of Voices.  This connects the Na’vi to their ancestors and validates this afterlife with immediate feedback.  Connecting to the Tree of Voices they can hear the voices of their ancestors.

The connection to a greater universe is shown through Eywa and the Tree of Souls.  Through this experience we see the validation of a person’s soul and it’s ability to transfer from one back into nature and even it’s ability to reincarnate transferring from one body to a new one.

The validation goes so far that even Eywa validates the prayers of the people.

The result

While experiencing the movie we also experience the deep connection and the validation of that experience.  Once the movie ends so does the experience.  The audience member returns to their life and if they have a longing it is made apparent and thus the feelings of depression and a strong desire to return to the Na’vi.

The sad thing is because we live in such a secular society many will not realize on a conscious level those metaphysical urges were stimulated.  Then the distractions set in and attempts to ignore the feelings.  Pushing the longing back down into the unconsciousness and Missing the opportunity to take edifying action.

Exploring Avatar’s Religious Elements

Eywa

Eywa is the great spirit of Pandora revered by the Na’vi and represented through the interconnectedness amongst all of the flora, fauna and indigenous peoples.  The Eywa is most represented through the Tree of Souls, Tree of Voices and the Atokirina which are little floating airborne jellyfish like creatures.

Emissaries of Eywa

The Atokirina’ are seeds from the Tree of souls that float around on the air of Pandora.  They are viewed and revered by the Na’vi as spirits sent from Eywa.  Their presence is viewed as a sign to the people to help them and guide them.

Tree of Voices

The Utral Aymokriyä is a tree kind of like a weeping willow but the branches hanging down are full of neural connections.  These trees are viewed as a sacred space.  The Na’vi can connect to the branches and hear the voices of their ancestors, kind of like a prayer space.  They also partake of the more sacred rights under the branches of the tree like marriage rights.

Tree of Souls

The Ayvitrayä Ramunong is a tree similar in appearance to the Tree of Voices except it has a massive root structure that is close to the surface.  The Tree of Souls can make neural connections to the Na’vi and other creatures around it by sending out many small tendrils.  Through that connection one can get a direct experience of Eywa.  They can even transfer souls from one body through Eywa and back into another body.

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Leaving the theater I was disappointed in Avatar’s marketing efforts.  If only they told me this movie was a Planetary Romance I would have had much more interest in watching it.  Avatar is the first good Planetary Romance in a long time.  They are hard to pull off with the last really good example being Dune.

A planetary romance is a story style where the setting becomes the main character.  In Avatar we get to explore Pandora, it’s inhabitants, and the unique interconnectedness of everything on the planet.

I was so proud with the introduction into the depth of the setting.  This begins with a subtle clue from the scene where Dr. Grace and Norm studying the root structure of a tree and noticing how vast that structure stretches and how interconnected it is with all other plant roots in the area.  The big reveal after Jake slowed down listening to Neytiri and actually looked around is a breathtaking scene with all the plants glowing and even the moss lighting up with each foot steep.

Na’vi

The Na’vi are the indigenous species of Pandora.  9 to 12 feet tall, blue skin with bipedal humanoid features. One of the most distinctive feature is the series of tendrils that protrude from the back of their head masked by their hair which is in a long braid.  These tendrils are used to make a neural connection with the Pandora’s plants and animals.  This gives the Na’vi a more direct means of communicating with their environment and even leaving impressions upon the fauna that can be recalled by latter generations.

Pa’li

Called a Direhorse by the humans.  It is used by the Na’vi like a horse as a mount to ride around on.  Standing in at 13 feet tall and 14 feet long, mostly grey in color with blue stripes.  The Pa’li has two long antennae that the rider connects to the tendrils in the end of their hair.  Through that connection the rider can direct the mount through mental commands.  This makes the training process very quick because once the connection is made all the rider has to do is think stop, go, slow down and gets the desired result.  The tricky part in riding is for the rider to realize the Pa’li is like an extension of self rather than this other thing to be ordered around.

Ikran

Called a Mountain Banshee by the humans.  The Ikran are a flying predator with four wings used as a mount by only the strongest of the Na’vi warriors.  Like the Pa’li they make a neural connection through the Iran’s antennae but this is a life long connection meaning an Ikran will have only one rider.

This process is a dangerous one performed alone in front of the other warriors.  This part of the movie has many similarities with Dune and the Fremen sandworm riders who go through a similar ritual to become a true warrior and one of the tribe.

Toruk

The Ikran are mythically like the Sandworms in Dune leaving the Toruk like Shai-Hulud.  I loved how the name means last shadow because it’s the greatest predator of the skies with nothing as large or as fierce as it.  The Toruk has only been tamed five times before.  Those instances were at times of great trouble where their riders brought the tribes of Pandora together to overcome the adversity.  The Na’vi celebrate the Trouk in dance, song, and with elaborate totems that symbolizes both the fear and respect accorded to the creature.

Toruk is massive in size, scarlet in color with black stripes and a midnight blue crest on top of the head and on the lower jaw.

Eywa

Eywa is the great spirit of Pandora revered by the Na’vi and represented through the interconnectedness among all the flora, fauna and indigenous peoples.  The Eywa is most represented through the Tree of Souls, Tree of Voices and the Atokirina which are little floating airborne jellyfish like creatures.  For more on the interconnectedness read Avatar’s Religious Experience.

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