Podcast: The Demented Encyclopedia #14 - The One With The Last Airbender.

Another Saturday leaving us... which means it's time for another episode of The Demented Encyclopedia!

This week, Travis and I discuss both the show and the movie versions of Avatar: The Last Airbender. This episode is a little different from usual. Neither of us had a "Recommend A...," and we're gonna have an extra long Film vs. Film next week, so we decided not to do one this week. As such, we decided to do another little segment at the beginning of the show entitled "Controversy Corner," wherein we discuss one of the many controversies surrounding not only this movie, but in Hollywood in general: Whitewashing casts.

From there, we go into what we like and dislike about both the series and the movie (hint: one is mostly "like" talk and one is mostly "dislike" talk. Dare you to guess which is which!). And then we finish up the episode with the only reason anybody listens to the show, The Mono-Dialogue of the Week.

As a bit of insider information, there is actually about 40 minutes of show that's been cut (which is actually a bit ironic considering what we were talking about). We actually decided to do 2 placeholder segments this week, but we decided to not include the second one in the final edit of the show, because the majority of it was a bit repetitious and not all that interesting. For those interested, this is pretty much what it was: We brought back the "If I wrote/directed" segment from our very first episode, focusing on the Last Airbender movie. If you remember the epic post I did a while back reviewing season 1 of the show, I basically went down the list, summarizing the episode, while Travis and I discussed if M. Night made the right choice in cutting or keeping the episode (or part of the episode), if he handled it well if he did keep it, and if we would keep it or cut it if we were in charge of the movie. For the most part, this roughly 40-minute conversation just reiterated what we spent the rest of the episode discussing, with only a few bits of new information here and there.

If you're interested, here are those bits (basically): Travis would have kept the "Imprisoned" segment in his movie but kept it more like the show (unlike M. Night), while I would have cut it completely; Travis and I have differing opinions on the character Jet (he likes him, I don't), but we still wouldn't have included him in our versions, so M. Night made a good choice there; Travis and I both would have included June the Assassin in our versions; and we both would have included both Pakku and his fight with Katara at the Northern Water Tribe in our versions of the movie. Overall, the basic summary of the segment was this: M. Night made decent cuts (and a couple questionable ones that he didn't), but he just handled what he kept too poorly.

And that's about it! I had to do one heck of an editing job to make it seem like that second segment never existed (with I believe only one instance near the beginning that implies otherwise, with one subject/verb agreement problem, as I cut out a couple words and even the 's' at the end of a plural word to make it singular... and then one instance near the end where I couldn't edit as clearly, so there's a very brief garble around the point it makes the jump). So I hope you enjoy the episode. It's one of our shortest now, actually. And make sure to keep an eye out for next week when we have our first returning guest host!

Thanks goes out to Kevin MacLeod's Imcompetech Website for the music. As always, you can use the player above to listen to the podcast, or you can search iTunes, where we are also available for download. The earlier episodes are being removed from the player for space, but you can still always download them on iTunes. Also, please become a Fan on Facebook... then you can give us your input for the podcast and will probably end up on the show during the D-Bag segment, as well as vote for which film in Film vs. Film won for the week. But as for now... enjoy!

THE LAST AIRBENDER.

Perhaps I'm grasping at straws here, or perhaps I'm in serious denial, but... it wasn't a complete rape of one of my favorite shows. The Last Airbender follows Book 1 (season 1) of the show. In this world, there are people who can control the four elements--air, water, earth, and fire--known as benders. There is only one who can control all four elements, and this person is the link between the human world and the spirit world. This person is known as the Avatar. 100 years ago, the Avatar disappeared and the Fire Nation began a war on the rest of the world, slowly taking it over. But a young Waterbender named Katara (Nicola Peltz) and her warrior brother Sokka (Jackson Rathbone) discover the Avatar, an Airbender named Aang (Noah Ringer), frozen in the outskirts of their Water Tribe village. Eventually, they discover that they must travel to the Northern Water Tribe so that Aang may master Waterbending before moving on to Earth and then Fire, as he must defeat the Fire Nation and restore balance. However, along the way, he is pursued by the banished Prince Zuko (Dev Patel) and his Uncle Iroh (Shaun Toub), as well as Commander Zhao (Aasif Mandvi). Zuko must capture the Avatar if he is to regain his honor, but Zhao will not have any of this, and vows to find the Avatar first.

On paper, they pretty much got the basic plot of the first season down. There are only a couple changes here and there (strangely almost entirely dealing with the Fire Nation, such as how they control fire, Sozin's Comet, and even Avatar Roku). But what they missed in this adaptation was the show's heart. The characters aren't very endearing, nor do you care a whole lot about them. For instance, Uncle Iroh stays pretty true to his cartoon counterpart... except for his whimsicality. In fact, the entire movie was missing the whimsy of the show. And I think that was one of its biggest flaws. There was hardly any comedy. Everything was taken seriously to an absurd amount. Aang wasn't particularly carefree, nor did he hardly smile. Sokka was used to comedic effect maybe twice in the whole movie, and only mostly thanks to Katara--who herself was turned into a bit of a worrisome girl. They could have even given some good stuff to Appa or Momo, but Momo is mostly in the background with nothing to do except offer fan service (you only hear his name once in the whole movie, and it's like a 'blink and you miss it' kinda thing... except for ears). Appa has one attempt at comedy with Sokka near the very beginning, but even then it was so painfully contrived that it wasn't funny whatsoever.

I think part of this has to do with a mixture of things. First, there's the dark and brooding music that plays throughout the movie. Like the aforementioned Appa/Sokka moment, the serious music takes away from the moment, leaving you unsure whether or not you should be laughing. The other issue is that, besides Zuko and Iroh, there are no simple character moments. Everything is BAM plot point BAM plot point BAM plot point. Granted, I'm aware they had to shorten an entire season into one movie, but they put in some pretty unnecessary things. The rescuing of the Earth Kingdom villages? While fun, I suppose, it wasn't necessary, and took up a decent chunk of time that could have been used for character-building. At the very least, they could have tossed in Suki, who was supposed to be in the movie, but was apparently cut. M. Night really chose some strange episodes to keep in that really took away from what could have otherwise been useful time for other things.

I also wanted to briefly bring up the controversy that has been dubbed "RaceBending." This is based on the issue that M. Night nearly white-washed the entire cast. After a while, I just didn't care anymore. I figure that if the actors could pull off the roles, it'd be OK. Whatever. I was just tired of hearing about it. But here's the problem... they didn't pull off the roles. Granted, I'm not exactly sure how much of that is the actors' faults and how much of it is the script and M. Night's faults. There was some pretty rough dialogue, mostly consisting of moments of pure exposition, which happened incredibly often. There were times when I could actually see M. Night going "OK, what's a creative way I could toss in some exposition without it seeming like exposition? Oh, I've got it! I'll just have Zuko ask this random boy about the Prince... that way I can get out Zuko's backstory in a creative way." Except it was already done in a creative way... on the show... in an amazing episode called "The Storm"... which gave all the necessary backstory to both Aang and Zuko without having to spread it out strangely throughout the rest of the movie.

But the movie wasn't all bad. As I said at the beginning, it didn't completely rape one of my favorite shows. There were some stunning visual effects (like, totally Oscar-worthy here... which isn't surprising considering that the main guy involved has won many times before, if I'm not mistaken). And the action scenes are really good. They actually captured the bending stuff really well. But even some of the non-bending action is good, too, like the Blue Spirit scene, which was probably one of the better moments of the movie. Between the visuals of the bending and the action scenes, there were some pretty stunning shots. And there were even a few more gorgeous shots during non-bending/action scenes. Some of the set pieces (like the Northern Water Tribe) are amazing. Also, Dev Patel and Shaun Toub were pretty good as Zuko and Iroh, respectively... at least for what they were given. And it was no shock to hear that they were M. Night's favorite characters, considering they were given the best treatment in this movie.

Overall, I tried to be as fair as possible in this review, looking at aspects of it as an adaptation and as a movie for people who are not familiar with the source material. As an adaptation, it failed pretty bad. It kept moderately faithful plot-wise, but missed the heart and soul of the source, becoming too serious and lackluster... almost feeling as if it lost its purpose... like it was just going through the motions. As a film for those unfamiliar with the source, it's... well... lackluster, like it has no purpose and was just going through the motions. Sure the visuals and the action are pretty good, but you still need compelling characters for an epic adventure like this... and Zuko is only gonna take you so far. So in other words, as a non-adaptation, it was moderately entertaining, though horribly forgettable. In other words, the very definition of "painfully average." So if I were to mix my "average" score with the adaptation's, well, not-so-good score... you'll get my final score:


Feed Me, Seymour!

(P.S. And we're talking probably the lower-end of that score... though is it sad that I still want the other 2 made? Maybe if M. Night just produces or something and another writer/director come on? They just have so much potential... and that last 30 seconds or so with Azula was fantastic!)

(P.P.S. I think one of the biggest slaps in the face, though, is the fact that almost nobody's name is pronounced correctly. Avatar, Aang, Sokka, Iroh... it's ridiculous. For somebody who claims to be a major fan of the show, M. Night should have known better...)

(P.P.P.S. For more of an in-depth analysis of the show and this movie, stay tuned for the next episode of The Demented Encyclopedia, due this weekend!)

The James Cameron Formula: Why'd We Expect Any Different?

As I was (only partially) watching The Abyss last night, I started wondering... why is everybody riffing on Avatar so much? Really, what did they expect it to be coming from James Cameron? Plus, all it really promised was a change in the visual style of movies, which it delivered on. I know it didn't deliver on deep characters or anything, but let's look at Cameron's older movies for a minute.

Aliens

- Woman wants to save child from alien race while others want to blow them up.
- Little girl must live like the aliens to survive.
- Static bad guys.
- Commended for visual effects.

The Abyss

- People want to make contact with and learn about alien race with other want to blow them up.
- Alien acts like humans at times.
- Static bad guy.
- Commended for visual effects.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day

- Robot wants to save human from robot race to stop the world from blowing up.
- Boy teaches robot how to be human.
- Static bad guy.
- Commended for visual effects.

True Lies

- Double agent wants to save wife and stop terrorists from blowing things up.
- Like I said, double agent.
- Static bad guy.
- Commended for visual effects.

Titanic

- Guy pretends to be upper class to fall in love with rich girl before boat, well, starts to explode and fall apart.
- Guy infiltrates upper class and teaches rich girl how to be poor.
- Static bad guy.
- Commended for visual effects.

Avatar

- Guy pretends to be alien race to learn their ways and help them stop bad guys from blowing them up.
- Aliens teach human how to be alien.
- Static bad guy.
- Commended for visual effects.


So, seriously, what was everybody expecting? It's the same formula that Cameron has used in practically all his other movies. People were promised outstanding visual effects... well, he tends to deliver on that, and he did. Really, the only movie that doesn't follow this formula is the original Terminator (which is why it's not on that list), except for the 'static bad guy' and 'commended visual effects' part. But that one was made before all those others, so it's not like it interrupted the formulaic flow.

I think somewhere in translation the promise of "amazing visuals" turned into "original story" and "greatest movie ever made," which shouldn't have happened. Because, really, looking at the previous films, I wonder how people would have thought he'd do something any different.

OK, I'm done. You can now hit me with "Well, Cameron himself stated..." and "He had 10 years to work on story" and "well, at least those other movies had memorable characters" all that other stuff :P . Honestly, I just wanted to point out similarities. All in good fun.

R2D2's Ultimate Top 10 Countdown Of The 2000s #4 - Sci-Fi/Fantasy.

[For the last 10 days of the decade, I'm doing a Top 10 list a day, all culminating into an ultimate post of Top 10 lists. We have previously seen Top 10 Comedies, Dramas, and Animation. Now we're moving on.]

Top 10 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Films of the 2000s

Nothing says Christmas like aliens, dystopian futures, wizards, and elves. I'm not saying Sci-Fi and Fantasy are the same thing. I just didn't have enough of either/or to make two separate lists. So why not put them together? Most people do that anyway. But I have to say, this was one of the toughest to put into a list format. But let's get to it.

10. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001 - 2003)

To not include this on the 'fantasy' list would be near blasphemous. There's really not much to say about these films. Between the visuals, the characters, the story, the Oscar wins... it's the definition of epic. I tried watching all 3 extended editions back-to-back once. I got through the first two and gave up... but I plan on attempting it sometime again in the future. Who would have thought three movies "about people walking... even the trees walk in these movies" (as Clerks II puts it) would be so entertaining?

9. Equilibrium (2002)

It's essentially 1984 and Farenheit 451 rolled together and dipped into an action movie. And it's really all about the action. Kurt Wimmer has a fantastic, action-packed imagination. The action is even arguably up there with The Matrix, but without the slo-mo. And then there's Christian Bale... back before people started obsessing over him (and before every one of his movies had a "Batman" voice).

8. Pandorum (2009)

One of my favorite films of the year, Pandorum gave us a classic space Sci-Fi film that we hadn't had in a while. It's also the third film on my list (and not my last) thus far with Ben Foster in it. Similar (but better than, in my opinion) the film Event Horizon, at least in feel/tone, Pandorum has a couple guys wake up from cryo-sleep completely disoriented and with some memory loss. They also seem to be two of the only guys left. They had been on a journey to a new planet when something happened... and that something quickly starts coming around the corner to kill them. It wasn't without its flaws, but it was still pretty dang good.

7. Avatar (2009)

The primary reason this made the list was its outstanding visuals. Yes, the story is nothing to shout over. But the visuals are. And the imagination of the film, ironically taking place on the planet "Pandora," is astounding. From the flora and fauna to the whole mythos of the film, it was just imaginative and fantastic.

6. Star Trek (2009)

J.J. Abrams' re-envisioning of the series was a risk, but it worked out. With enough to please the past fans, but keeping it fresh enough not to alienate newcomers, Star Trek found a middle ground that appeased everybody. It was funny and dramatic, and the special effects were fantastic. And it had Simon Pegg. It quickly found itself in my top sci-fi list of all time from the day I saw it.

5. Minority Report (2002)

Maybe I'm just crazy, but I could have sworn this got only so-so reviews when it came out, but then later started being loved (or maybe I just read the wrong bunch of reviews). But I always loved this movie. I loved the concept, the visuals... everything. But I'm a fan of Philip K. Dick films, as they're always entertaining. And this one in particular was helmed by Stephen Spielberg, so that makes it twice as good. I remember it really stood out to me, as it was one of the first films I'd seen that had a specific color tint throughout (silvery-blue). But anyway, it's a pretty good sci-fi thriller, which is why it made my list.

4. Pitch Black (2000)

Remember when I said Titan A.E. was one of the earliest films on my list? Well, this one beats it, originally released in February of 2000. This is the film that introduced one of my favorite film characters, Richard B. Riddick. It's also one of my favorite Vin Diesel films... and probably his best film to date. Its follow up, Chronicles of Riddick, was a bit of a let down, as it completely changed the tone and scope... but since a third film has been announced (and not only that, but announced as going back to a tone and scope of Pitch Black), I'm pretty excited once again. Thankfully, the sequel wasn't able to destroy my love for this film. A great sci-fi/horror film.

3. The Harry Potter Series, 1-6 (2001-2009)

There are still a couple movies to go (as the final book is being split into two films), but the bulk of the series has finished, and it's quite an achievement. Of course, there have been some downfalls (the third and fourth film, in my opinion). But even the worst movies of the series have outstanding moments (the visuals and overall tone of the third, and the graveyard scene of the fourth). For the most part, the series has been faithful to the books, either nearly page-for-page (the first two) or in spirit (the 5th and 6th). It has every top British actor, and because of that, some of the greatest casting for any film ever. Overall, it's a fantastic series, and the final films are promising to blow the rest of the series out of the water.

2. MirrorMask (2005)

For those of you who know me, not only excluding Harry Potter from the fantasy top spot, but putting over it a relatively unknown film is so preposterous that you'd have to see it to believe it. In other words, that says a lot about this particular film. If ever there was a film that was to delve into the realm of imagination and show it for its pure absurdity and craziness, it's this one. MirrorMask comes from the mind of Neil Gaiman and is about a young girl fed up with her life working in a family circus. But then her mother gets really sick and ends up in the hospital. Similar to the girl in Pan's Labyrinth, she takes refuge in her imagination, and you can never quite figure out whether the events of the movie are real or not. It's pretty much left up to you. But she ends up in a world different than her own, one with an evil queen and fantastic creatures, all drawn in her own style... very similar to the drawings she has all over her walls.

In fact, I find this movie so imaginative that whenever I have writer's block for my fiction, I pop in this movie, and it almost always helps. It's funny, quirky, insanely creative, and an all-around bizarre time. I wasn't sure whether or not I liked it the first time I saw it, but come that second time, I adored it. Fun note, the girl who plays the main character in this movie is sisters with the girl who played Katie Bell in the 6th Harry Potter film (always fun to tie films back to HP).

1. V For Vendetta (2005)

A holiday movie if there ever was one... just not for Christmas. It brought people everywhere to celebrate Guy Fawkes day AKA The Fifth of November. Produced by the Wachowskis (The Matrix) and directed by James McTeigue (also known for the recent Ninja Assassin), V For Vendetta is brutal, honest, metaphorical, heartbreaking, mysterious, thrilling... and probably a hundred other adjectives. I think, overall, the best adjectives would be "beautiful" and "powerful." And who doesn't wanna pop this guy in come November 5th?

End Note: For those curious, Sunshine barely missed my list. While I really like the movie, that last third still irks me too much for me to put it on the list. But it probably would have made #11 had there been more.

AVATAR.

I really don't know what to say. I'm still in a bit of awe from the film. I suppose you could say I was marginally taken in by the hype, but not even close to fully. I do enjoy James Cameron films. But I wasn't sure what to make of this movie by the trailer. But I suppose my lesson was learned: Don't try to decide what to feel about the movie by the trailer alone. You just have to see it to believe it, I guess.

Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is an ex-marine and current paraplegic. His twin brother was involved with the Avatar program, a program in which people link up to a hybrid lifeform that looks like the Na'Vi, the humanoid natives of the planet Pandora. On Pandora is a mineral substance that is worth a lot of money. The Avatar folks, led by Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver), want to try a peaceful way to get the Na'Vi to relocate from the Hometree, which just so happens to be the largest deposit of the mineral. But the military folks, led by Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), have more violent measures in mind. But when Jake's avatar gets involved with the natives on a personal level, the colonel takes it upon himself to enlist Jake to give him secret intel. But Jake, who is quickly learning the lifestyles and rituals of the Na'Vi, primarily from a female named Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), begins to realize that the side he's working for might not be the right one.

To get the negatives out of the way first, I'll begin with the story. There really isn't one. That mineral stuff is really only mentioned by name once and only shown twice (that I remember). It's not really discussed at any great length. There are hints that Earth is a dying planet, but the idea isn't really explored, either. Two things really come about due to the lack of story: 1) certain character developments (such as the Norm character, who feels like he had some deleted scenes that altered his character in spots) and 2) the entirety of the second act comes off as one giant montage. In other words, the movie has your basic "Guy Infiltrates Enemy, Guy Discovers Enemy Is Good And His Team Is Enemy, Enemy Finds Out About Guy And Shuns, Guy Finds Way To Prove Self, Guy Fights With Opposing Team" story and doesn't go much deeper than that.

But it doesn't have to. What the movie lacks in story, it makes up with... well, everything else. I can't even say enough about the visuals. You really get nothing from the trailer. You can tell there's gonna be eye candy, but until you're sitting in a dark theater and seeing the full movie in its 3D glory (and you must see it in 3D... otherwise, there's probably no point), you have no idea. Every little detail is gorgeous.

And the movie is so damn imaginative it makes me weep with envy. This is really one of those stories that makes me go "I wish I had thought of that..." And not just about the Avatar thing. That's hardly even the tip of the iceberg. There's a whole new mythos created for this film. The plant life, the animals, the religion, the landscape, and even the way of life--the detail and thought put into this new planet and this new species is breathtaking and rich.

The acting is great, as well. Stephen Lang would make R. Lee Ermey proud with his portrayal of a douchebag military officer. It's funny to see the two completely opposite sides of Stephen Lang--first a more comedic and/or whimsical character in The Men Who Stare At Goats, and now this. Also in the movie are Michelle Rodriguez and Giovanni Ribisi, who do well with the little screen time they're given. But I really wanna throw it up for Zoe Saldana, who portrayed the emotions of this alien being so beautifully. Though I kinda found it funny how her character was conflicted with Eve Syndrome (no matter what was going on, the leaves always covered her 'parts'. I swear, she could be swinging upside down in high gusting winds, and the leaves would always stay perfectly positioned around her breasts). I don't know, I think that was more distracting than it would have been having random bits of nudity. Or maybe we've already met the year's quota on blue genitalia with Watchmen.

Anywho, on that note, I suppose I'll wrap this up. The movie's only real negative is its lack of story... which doesn't even feel like an issue until about halfway through. The movie is nearly 3 hours long, and when you have a nearly 3-hour movie with little story, you start to feel it after a while. But luckily the visuals are there to keep you going. And the characters do get you invested. You root for the Na'Vi, even though the movie is mostly predictable. So go out and see it, definitely. But see it in 3D, or else you're completely missing out. I'm not even going to dock my final score for the story issue, either. The movie was so pure imagination and fun that I'm gonna give it my highest.


Royale With Cheese

The Last Airbender Teaser Trailer!

I know I just posted for a review, but then I saw this, and it's worth reposting for...

Just the other day, I mentioned movies I can't f**king wait for. Near the top of the list was The Last Airbender, and I mentioned how there hadn't even been a trailer for it yet. I spoke too soon. The first teaser trailer has just been released... and I still so can't wait. Though I wish it would have shown clips of other characters besides Aang...

DVDs Or Death!

By God, it's been a month, but I will post a freakin DVDs Or Death!

88 Minutes.

Brief Synopsis: College Professor Gets Death Threat And Must Solve It In 88 Minutes Or Die.

Comments: Already saw this about a year before it even hit theater (no hyperbole there, folks. This movie was pushed back like nobody's business... which is exactly what it got in theater).

Viewing Option: Skip Altogether.

Young@Heart.

Brief Synopsis: Documentary About Old Folks Singing Rock/Punk Songs.

Comments: It looked... what's the word... cute. I might check it out at some point just for a few giggles.

Viewing Option: Rent or T.V.

Speed Racer.

Brief Synopsis: Live-Action (Sorta) Movie Version Of Classic Anime.

Comments: I was one of the few who saw this in theater... and as I said then, the only people saying bad things about this movie were people who didn't bother to see it. Every review I read from people who actually saw it have been incredibly positive (stuffy professional critics notwithstanding). This movie was freakin awesome.

Viewing Option: Buy.

Made Of Honor.

Brief Synopsis: Male Best Friend Becomes Maid Of Honor At Secret Love's Wedding.

Comments: Interesting concept, though it didn't get a bunch of good reviews. My mom and sister saw it and enjoyed it, though, and the only movies they ever turn their noses up at are, you know, good ones that require more than 'no brain'.

Viewing Option: T.V. or Skip.

Avatar: The Last Airbender - Complete Book 3 Collection.

Brief Synopsis: The Final Season Of Great American Anime Series.

Comments: I wish I owned the first two seasons on DVD. Alas, no time or money. But yeah, this was one of my favorite shows ever, and it was actually fully completed within 3 seasons. Forget those shows nowadays that have to drag everything out for 8 seasons in which not much happens and every other season is only so-so... this show actually knows how to please and everything is done absolutely right. It only got better with every season, and with only 3 seasons, you don't have to wait forever to get the full story.

Viewing Option: T.V. Re-Runs or Eventual Buy (whenever I have time/money).