Avatar wins Best Picture/Director at the Golden Globes!!

Early Reviews are Strong!

Early reviews are rolling in after the London Premier and so far so good...

"Movie magic is back!" proclaimed the usually even-keeled critic, before going on to explain why. "As with everything in 'Avatar,' Cameron has coolly thought things through. ... The screen is alive with more action and the soundtrack pops with more robust music than any dozen sci-fi shoot-'em-ups you care to mention. ... Not a minute is wasted; there is no down time. The only question is: How will Cameron ever top this?"

At Variety, chief critic Todd McCarthy was almost equally enthusiastic, calling out the picture's "unique spectacle," "breathtaking sights" and "narrative excitement," though he offered a few qualifiers as well, noting, for example, "foggy" politics.

At The Independent, Anna Keir offered that while the movie can be "overwhelming," it was "highly entertaining, " and she touted the picture as "rich in action" and "beautiful to watch."

The most lukewarm take came from the Associated Press, which drew a distinction between the movie's visual elements and its narrative ones. Reviewer Jake Coyle called Cameron's effort "a movie whose effects are clearly revolutionary [and] a spectacle that millions will find adventure in. But it nevertheless feels unsatisfying and somehow lacks the pulse of a truly alive film."

The mood in the room at the Los Angeles theater where the film screened for media and tastemakers Thursday night was strong -- though, perhaps given the presence of so many jaded types (many were people who see four or five movies per week) -- not Comic-Con electric. The length may also have something to do with that -- though, surprisingly, given the 2-hour, 40-minute running time, the movie flies by faster than, well, a banshee.

Avatar Poster Unveiled

James Cameron Article

Here's a great article in the New Yorker about my boss of the past 3 years! Read it here. He's definitely one in a million.

We've got a few weeks left to finish, the trailer comes out today in theaters and next week online, the initial reaction has been very positive, I'm so excited and proud of the work and can't wait to watch it with all my friends and family on Dec. 18th.

AVATAR DAY - Fan Reviews

Hey guys,

Well, after 3 years of work on James Cameron's Avatar finally the public has seen a glimpse of what we've been doing down here in NZ for the past 3 years. And I'm just having a blast reading all the comments from fans now that they've had a glimpse of AVATAR in 3D. I've never worked on a film of this level of hype let alone something that there had a countdown clock for the teaser trailer. So yeah, that trailer...it was a teaser and although I liked it, I really think that FOX should have shown the trailer after the 3D Screenings, and I understand the let down that some people are expressing. After all, they were promised to see something they've never experienced before, a game changer in cinema, well it's hard to get that from a minute and half long teaser trailer viewed on your monitor, but, now that people have seen the 15 minute screening in IMAX 3D, the mind blowing reactions are rolling in.

One of my favorites is from A@ronw marketSaw3D:

Im in love with this movie so far lol. Ok, so because I got there so early I was actually the first in line at the Dallas Texas IMAX showing. It was fun talking with other fans in line about what we were about to see.The footage was..... Breathtaking. Totally realistic and totally incredible. I bought every second of it. Now I loved the trailer in the first place, and I can understand some peoples opinions of how some shots looked CG. but seeing more interaction between the characters definitely raises the bar to the next level and doesn't come close to the trailer. The fluidity and motion was of Jake's Avatar was PERFECT. The bio luminescent forest was beautiful. My brother actually got chocked up for a second on more than one scene seeing how beautiful it was! Someone else said "this is going to be the best movie of all time". The music that plays on the Avatar website is what is playing when Jake lays onto the lab bed, just something I noticed. Amazing facial animation, you experience what they experience and feel what they feel. The overall depth of the movie is crazy. It just feels like another world completely and its hard to describe, so I wont lol Seeing him wrestle with the banshee had me on edge for some reason. I don't know it just sort of draws you in to the scene cause it feels incredibly real. I can say 100% now in full honesty, that all the haters out there calling it cartoony and fake and "Epic Fail" are literally, and I mean literally wrong. There is no such thing as opinion on this subject, there is only fact, and the fact is that this movie will be awesome. Oh yeah, the 3d was outstanding lol. I totally forgot about it cause there was so much to look at and take in.James Cameron has done it again. But this time, at least from the 15 minute footage, It is a perfect emotional masterpiece that I cant wait to experience again : )

ps. Saw G.I Joe afterwards because we were already at the theater with nothing better to do. Ill say this much, after seeing Avatar, G.I Joe is what I used to wipe my butt after Avatar made me crap my pants.

Lovely Bones Trailer

Hey all,

Here is the link to the latest film that I worked on, Peter Jackson's Lovely Bones. I'm very proud of this film in particular because of the team of people that made it happen and I really like how the story makes you question your perception of life and death.

It will be out on December 11th in the States and I hope you all enjoy it.

Comic Con Update

Yesterday at Comic Con in San Diego, Avatar was premiered to the public for the first time. There are too many responces to post here but the overall gist was that it was extremely well received. There are some video clips below of Cameron introducing the 24 minutes he showed them and some Q&A.

http://marketsaw.blogspot.com/2009/07/avatar-panel-vids.html

The other interesting bit of news was that he announced that on Aug. 21st, not only will the trailer be out, but, he's letting the public watch 15 minutes of the film in IMAX 3D for free! I'm not sure yet how this works, how you get a ticket or what not but if you get the opportunity, go see it!

Other then that, the film will be out Dec. 18th and I hope to see it with as many people as I can. I've been working on this film for 3 years now and I simply cannot wait for everyone to see what we've been doing out here in New Zealand.