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WHAT DO YOU MEAN, "TALL FEATHER" ?

The original release of The Abyss was another tech "wow" but he really dropped the ball with the botched ending, the later, extended version revealed what he really meant and it was waay better.

Funny you should say that, as I myself never liked the extended version one bit... First of all the ending in both versions always seemed desperately easy to me, but this morale lesson/giant wave thingy was really terrible and utterly useless.

Of course, just my view  

That being said, I completely agree with the predictability of any story set and/or told in a familiar way. It's one of the many strengths of this movie imho : Cameron used "clichés" to convey deep, personal thoughts of his, though he cleverly hid some of them behind said predictability.

Anyway, no matter how you experienced it (and how thoroughly you chose to venture inside it), I'm still glad so many people enjoyed it. Me thinks this is truly a well-deserved success.

Oh, and before I forget, thanks Bokken for editing the thread's title. Might prove useful if some of you want to share some (more or less) elaborate views on the subject  

[WARNING : THE FOLLOWING MAY SPOIL THE MOVIE, THUS ENDING YOUR LIFE AND RAPING YOUR PETS. You warned ? Ok, let's give a few hints.]

the story's about as shallow as a puddle.

I didn't think the storyline was TOO bad. Predictable, yes and a bit sugary in places

Then you missed the point my friends

I've read dozens of similar opinions these past few weeks... It seems only a few people actually gave a damn about that story and managed to miss out on all the details making it, on the contrary, deeply matured and adult.

WARNING : THE FOLLOWING MAY SPOIL THE MOVIE, THUS ENDING YOUR LIFE AND RAPING YOUR PETS. You warned ? Ok, let's give a few hints.




This is Cameron depicting the US conquest and the massacre of indigenous tribes. This is Cameron's take on the medias (escaping the real world through an avatar... videogames anyone ? No ?). This is Cameron's Man vs. Machine anthem all over again (Terminator of course, but let's not forget he was the one pushing for a Western release of Ghost in the Shell, praising its glory long before anyone else – not to mention the end fight from Alien makes kind of a cameo too)...

And don't even get me started on the mystical/symbolic things going on here (two Trees in a primordial garden conveniently named Pandora... One of them destroyed by fire coming from the sky, the other one granting some kind of godly resurrection... Still nothing ?), I'd probably have for hours.

Avatar has so much more to say than just bad guys killing good guys, good guy meets good girl, love ensues, good guys win. Though the apparent story is more than enough to keep the viewer entertained (and by the way, the WETA/Stan Winston association truly is a miracle in its own right), please, you smart people (I know you are), don't overlook its amazing depth... I myself never saw a director embedding so much into a Christmas blockbuster.

I'm late !  :mrgreen:

Hope you all had a lovely Jamesmas night (yeah, I'm more funky than christian) ! And that you will wake up late on Jan 1st with a hangover the size of a giant frog, of course.

Cheers my friends !

This way, sir, please.

Damn, a top 5 ? That's tough. You're gonna have to bear with my top 10, I can't do less after such a great year !

Top 10 (in no particular order)

-Mastodon - Crack The Skye
-Kalisia - Cybion
-Slayer - World Painted Blood
-Lazarus A.D. - The Onslaught
-Nile - Those Whom The Gods Detest
-Katatonia - Night Is The New Day
-The Devin Townsend Project - Addicted
-Coldspell - Infinite Stargaze
-Le Klub des 7 - La classe de musique
-Shadow Gallery - Digital Ghosts

Honorable mentions

-Guilt Machine - On This Perfect Day
-Amorphis - Skyforger
-Heart of Cygnus - Tales From Outer Space
-Heart of Cygnus - Over Mountain, Under Hill
-Fomento - Either Caesars Or Nothing
-Dream Theater - Black Clouds & Silver Linings

Song of the year

Katatonia - Day And Then The Shade

Gigs that made me lose my mind

-Progressive Nation 2009 (Zénith de Paris, October 4th)
-Frost*/Dream Theater (Southampton Guildhall, June 26th)
-Nine Inch Nails (Arènes de Nîmes, July 28th)
-Venturia (Paris, Novembre 14th)


I'd like to point out that 2010 probably won't be as good studio albums-wise, but will definitely be one of the most exciting regarding live shows ! I already booked a few gigs (Opeth Evolution XX, Lamb of God, Katatonia and Freak Kitchen in Paris, and of course the Sonisphere Festival in Zurich) that will certainly leave me comatose like a junkie squirrel. Can't wait !  :twisted:

Agreed !  

I was already in love with that piece of music. Now I want to have children with it.

:shock:
He looks a bit scary...

He's looking better these days

http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/2 ... he+Dev.jpg

Ecosse> the absolute standout on Addicted (to me) is Numbered. There's this part (right after 2:20) where Devin starts to sing with all his heart, and the sheer intensity of that movement is captivating ! Impressive.

If money is really not an issue, Mac Pro all the way my friend !

I have to admit I mainly stick to my Mac Book Pro these days, but the big guy is a serious workhorse alright... I don't think I ever reached its limits. The 8-core, dual Nehalem setup is a monster (plus the Turbo Boost overclocking function is really efficient).

I don't know if that will help... The iMac is a splendid piece of technology too, but as far as true, blatant power goes, it's no match.

Big fan of Devin here.
Strapping Young Lad was a bit too much for me, but they had a bunch of great songs, a great band, and City is still, whether you can bear to listen to it or not, a unique piece of musical experiment.

Last two albums of the DT Project are awesome. The new one, Addicted, is really fantastic.

Now that's a fucking topic.

I don't know if some of you are fans, but let me tell you this : the new album is a masterpiece ! Quite possibly their best to date, and easily the best prog metal record I heard for many, many years... Brian Ashland (the new vocalist ; R.I.P. Mike) blends in perfectly, the production is way better than usual, and songwriting-wise, it's simply astounding.

A fantastic album... Release date is October 26th I think – don't miss this one !

[My PN09 House music CD is: 1. Beardfish - Awaken The Sleeping2. Pain Of Salvation - Ashes3. Frost* - Dear Dead Days4. Crippled Black Phoenix - Rise Up And Fight5. Endochine - Can't Find A Way6. Neal Morse (& MP) - Starless7. Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - Widening Eye8. Heart Of Cygnus - Under Hill9. Riverside - Hyperactive10. Umphrey's McGee - Spires11. Astra - Beyond To Slight The Maze Happy Hunting! MP]

The London show was also home to another happening : Akerfeldt filling in for the infamous growl part in A Nightmare To Remember

And as I was reading through this topic, I thought to myself : okay, next tour will probably take place two years from now... It probably won't be a ProgNation one... Maybe Frost* will join DT on the European Tour for more opening slots then ! Two years seems a reasonable time to work on a certain double album containing mucho prog goodness that would make dear mister Portnoy go Frost*-happy once again...

By the way, here are the songs he chose to have played during pre-shows...

My PN09 House music CD is:
 
1. Beardfish - Awaken The Sleeping
2. Pain Of Salvation - Ashes
3. Frost* - Dear Dead Days
4. Crippled Black Phoenix - Rise Up And Fight
5. Endochine - Can't Find A Way
6. Neal Morse (& MP) - Starless
7. Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - Widening Eye
8. Heart Of Cygnus - Under Hill
9. Riverside - Hyperactive
10. Umphrey's McGee - Spires
11. Astra - Beyond To Slight The Maze
 
Happy Hunting!  
MP

 :mrgreen:

AWESOME photos. For some reason I never had this idea before : you guys just made my day, probably my week and my year as well.

Me like.