James Cameron.. please, just go back to making trashy, derivative pap.

James, just relax and let your mind go blank.

That shouldn't be too hard for you.

So.

James Cameron is now the environmental guru of the free world, most recently, being quoted in the Toronto Star criticizing the Alberta Oil Sands as a "dead end paradigm"

Though - give him credit, at the same time as he is pontificating about Alberta's economy and the general state of the world reliance upon oil (including, by the way, the United States of America and the millions of mullet-heads who paid cash to watch his vapid soap-opera, "Avatar"), he admits that, basically, he's talking shit, confirming that:

..he was only peripherally familiar with the tar sands controversy but would like to know more and would consider adding it to his growing list of eco-causes.

Really?

You know what, James, I might suggest you are "only peripherally familiar" with making quality, original movies.

Perhaps you should concentrate on your own craft - because while you may sell tickets to the great unwashed, your most recent effort was a pathetically derivative rip-off of "Dances With Wolves", which only succeeded financially because of:

a) The gimmick of 3D; and

b) Your shameful manipulation of both our pointless "white guilt" and "eco-guilt", which drives the masses of politically correct sheep to go "oooh" and "awww" at how nice it is that we can acknowledge our wrongs to the environment and to indigenous people in the same 162 minute sitting (which by the way, thank-you, I will never get back).

 Of course, in suggesting that "Avatar" is a moronic pile of pigeon doo, I have to acknowledge that I am only "peripherally familiar" with the art of making a movie, but, hey, if big-headed Hollywood hacks can have a soap-box, I guess so can I.

So.

My take on Avatar.

As indicated, it's basically "Dances With Wolves" with blue indigenous people and without the art and finesse of Kevin Costner.

Give him credit, however.. where other film makers are seeking to be original and create something artistic, James Cameron  - while much less talented and creative, is perhaps more Machiavellian. 

I'm thinking dear James sits himself down and asks, "What would bring in the rubes?"

I know - in this society of political correctness where we have whole industries based upon shaking our fingers at Tiger Woods, and telling ourselves how good we are by comparison - imagine an event where you can basically let everybody in society get a good dose of "feel good" about themselves by creating a movie that allows us to be part of the "good guys" who save the environment and who, AT THE SAME TIME, validate the criticism of our treatment of indigenous people and, cathartically, rescue them from their oppressors. 

Wait.

Make it 3D.  That adds another reason to see the movie - even if it's total crap - and beyond that, increases the identification the audience has with our fearless hero, and, in that way, allows them even greater opportunity to pat themselves on the back for being "good".

I'm sure Cameron looked at Costner's work with Dances With Wolves and said, "Sure, that might appeal to mainstream America - but, shit, it's not going to sell in Australia or Brazil.  I know - I'll make a sort of "generic" indigenous group that will represent ALL oppressed people - and that will expand my market beyond North America.  And to deal with the pesky reality of the different looks of American, Australian, South American - and all other aboriginal peoples - we'll just make them blue and ten feet tall to be an "Avatar" of all aboriginal people.

The fundamental problem?

Well. 

It's fake.

Not fake in the blue ten foot people sense - and not even fake in the shitty movie sense - but fake in the sense of giving us the illusion of being "good people" for identifying with the lead in the movie who helps the blue people.

See - here's the thing.  Costner's movie never ignored the reality that white people not only oppressed and effectively came very close to committing a complete genocide of the Native peoples in North America - but, at the end, while he helped them as best he could - he didn't "lead" them and couldn't save them.

We left Dances With Wolves feeling, well, still guilty.

Which is as it should have been.

Cameron's fecal effort pretends that the indigenous people could not have succeeded without their white savior.  And that, in some twisted logic, by the end, they were actually thankful to the great white leader who "sacrificed" his identity to become one of them.

So.

There's my two cents worth regarding "Avatar".

Of course, as I said, I'm only "peripherally familiar" with how to manipulate the public to put money in my jeans.

And - in that regard, there cannot perhaps be any argument but that James Cameron is the master.