December 31, 2009

December 31, 2009

After spending a snowy overcast couple weeks in the Midwest, Aimee and I are feeling very deficient in Vitamin D. In search of the sun, we started the long drive back to Tucson yesterday. With the weather looking iffy, we took the straight route. Spending New Years in Amarillo with Aimee’s sister, I took advantage of the stopover and saw the new movie, “Avatar” with the brother-in-law. I was surprised to find it was projected in 3-D. Uh-oh! You need two good eyes for 3-D glasses to work. Despite the poor vision in my left eye it still worked. It is amazing what the brain can do even with poor input.


Based on the previews, it looks like 3-D movies are the new thing. I must be out of the mainstream as this will be my first. But what a first one to see. Avatar was visually stunning. The movie is set in a phosphorescent jungle on a distant planet. It is inhabited by tall blue primitive aliens who hunt with bow and arrow and ride dragons thru the air. The 3-D elements are mostly subtle with no overt objects being thrown at the audience. Yet I did find myself swatting a fly that buzzed too close. This action movie was highly entertaining and the best I have seen in a while. That is despite the fact the story was a rehash of many other films. Sort of “Dances with Wolves” meets “Star Wars”. It is the “New Hollywood” Cowboy and Indians flick where the Indians now win.