Tag: James Cameron

Interview, Movies, Sci Fi

‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ VFX Artists on Creating Realistic Water in a CG World

Michael Lee

When Avatar first came out in 2009, it used cutting-edge VFX technology to bring the jungle world of Pandora to life. The alien flora and fauna and the indigenous 10-foot-tall blue-skinned Na’vi looked so real. Even more so when watching it in 3D. More than a decade later, director James Cameron gives audiences a reason to revisit Pandora with the highly anticipated sequel Avatar: The Way of Water. The sequel explores new territories and utilizes newer natural elements like water. The latter of which has never been done before.

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Movies, Reviews, Sci Fi

‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Sinks More than It Floats

Swara Salih

When James Cameron’s Avatar premiered in 2009, it represented a landmark moment in visual effects for film. Cameron made some of the most effective use of CGI and motion-capture performances since Andy Serkis’ brilliant portrayal of Gollum in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. The Na’vi, as alien and as CGI as they were, felt real to audiences as their animation took realistic form, as did the stunningly beautiful planet of Pandora. But while these visual effects were a spectacle, the story itself, while moving at times, was simplistic and derivative of other films in the realm of colonists and Indigenous peoples.

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Conventions, Movies

D23Expo: New Footage from ‘Avatar’ Panel Shows Us the Way of Cameron

Mike Manalo

What was anticipated to be a gigantic, epic day of announcements at the D23 Expo ended on an unexpectedly more quiet note, as audiences took in footage from what many consider to be the year’s most anticipated film, Avatar: The Way of Water.

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Movies, Sci Fi

‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Trailer Teases James Cameron’s Long-Awaited Sequel

Michael Lee

It’s been nearly 13 years since James Cameron’s Avatar took audiences on a trip to the unbelievable world of Pandora. Drawing from films like Dances with Wolves and Ferngully, the blockbuster went on to be one of the highest grossing films by earning over $2.8 million at the box office. Now, after years of delays, we are getting a first look at one the four sequels set to debut this year. That’s because 20th Century Studios has released the first trailer for Avatar: The Way of Water.

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Anime, Manga, Movies, Reviews

NOC Review: ‘Alita: Battle Angel’ is Less Than the Sum of Its Parts

Mike Manalo

I’ll get this out of the way right now — Alita: Battle Angel is not necessarily bad, per se. However, it is something of a disappointment and/or wasted opportunity given that the combined talents of Robert Rodriguez (The El Mariachi Trilogy, Sin City, From Dusk Til Dawn) and James Cameron (Terminator, Titanic, Avatar) ought to yield something phenomenal. I’m a huge fan of both, believing Rodriguez to be a master in the domain of stylish genre action, and Cameron to be a master of groundbreaking science-fiction. Thus, when the most I can say about it is that it’s “not bad” it should give you a good idea of how let down I was by a movie that had so much potential.

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Anime, Interview, Manga, Movies1 Comment

A Future Realized On-Screen: An Interview with ‘Alita: Battle Angel’ Creator Yukito Kishiro

Mike Manalo

Film adaptations are often hard to crack, whether they are of the comic book, TV show, novel, or other type of variety. The stories being adapted may be timeless, and might lay the groundwork for a film adaptation, but hardcore fanbases are typically the hardest to please, accepting only the best out of their film adaptations to truly do justice to their passion for the material (spend any time at all on the internet if you don’t believe me). Oftentimes, we become fortunate enough to see certain types of adaptations finally begin to take a repeatable successful stride in this industry (as we’re more or less now seeing with comic book-based offerings from DC and Marvel). Then sometimes other types of adaptations, such as film adaptations of manga or anime, can take a bit more time to bake before the success stories can roll in (as we’ve seen with critical and box office disappointments, such as Dragonball Evolution, Netflix’s Death Note, or Ghost in the Shell).

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Manga, Movies, Sci Fi

Iron City Welcomes You: The ‘Alita: Battle Angel’ Immersive Experience

Mike Manalo

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to step into a future crafted by master filmmakers Robert Rodriguez and James Cameron? Oh come on — I know you have! If you’re anything like me (and I’d be willing to bet the farm that on a site called “The Nerds of Color” there’s got to be several readers that are) the rhetorical question posed above certainly stopped being rhetorical after you saw El Mariachi, Sin City, Terminator 2, and Avatar.

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Anime, Manga, Movies, Sci Fi1 Comment

Don’t Underestimate The Latest Trailer for ‘Alita: Battle Angel’

Mike Manalo

Earlier this week, 20th Century Fox released a new trailer for Alita: Battle Angel! From visionary filmmakers James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez, the film stars Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Jackie Earle Haley and Keean Johnson.

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Anime, Manga, Movies17 Comments

Battle Angel Alita Lead Role Once Again Devoid of Asian American Prospects

Valerie Complex

In 2015, Nerdist announced that the live-action adaptation of the famed Japanese anime had been revived by directors James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez. Battle Angel Alita, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi action manga/anime written by Yukito Kishiro, is set in the 26th century and follows the female cyborg Alita, as she trains to become the world’s most deadly assassin. The latest report from the Robert Rodriquez/Jame Cameron production reveals that the filmmakers have their top three actresses for the lead role: Maika Monroe, Zendaya (who is the front runner), and Rosa Salazar. In other words: more bad news for Asian American actresses.

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Fantasy, Movies, Television132 Comments

Whitewashed TV isn’t Just Racist, It’s Boring

Daniel José Older

Originally posted at Salon.com

Perpetuating stereotypes isn’t just immoral — it’s bad TV. That’s why shows like Sleepy Hollow are so crucial.

When I was seven, I asked my mom if I could dye my hair blond and get blue contact lenses. It’s probably the first serious conversation I ever had about my appearance and all I wanted to do was look like Luke Skywalker. I wanted it so badly. She was appalled and I couldn’t understand why. Star Wars was Everything. There were no Latinos running through the halls of the Death Star, blasting storm troopers. Of course I was caught up.

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