Avatar King

As I hinted in my review of James Cameron’s latest offering, Avatar finally passed Cameron’s own Titanic on February 2^nd on the domestic front, to claim the crown of top box office grosser of all time domestically as well as internationally and worldwide:

Avatar has sailed past Titanic to become the highest-grossing movie of all time. In just 47 days, Avatar has grossed $601.1 million, while Titanic made $600.8 million in its entire run and took 252 days to cross the $600 million mark.

With this milestone, Avatar has completed the triple crown of box office gross records: first, it topped the foreign-only chart on Jan. 23, then it reigned over the worldwide chart (foreign plus domestic) on Jan. 25, and now, as of Feb. 2, it resides atop the domestic chart.

The article from Box Office Mojo then goes into an interesting analysis of the admissions record:

All told, Avatar's estimated admission count is 60.7 million thus far, or less than Titanic through the same point (47 days in). It's also less than half of Titanic's 128 million total estimated admissions. Emphasizing the impressiveness of Avatar, it took such recent blockbusters as The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Spider-Man 2, The Passion of the Christ and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith their entire runs to reach around 60 million admissions.

Only the money may matter to Hollywood, but attendance is important from an audience and cultural perspective. The disparity between Avatar and Titanic is so huge according to this method, that it is safe to say that Titanic sold a boatload more tickets.

Pointing out the estimated admissions in no way diminishes the box office achievement of Avatar. The purpose is to add perspective. There is no doubt that Avatar is a phenomenon in its own right with its own unique set of circumstances and that it stands as one of the greatest box office runs of all time.

Very interesting.  I guess it’s safe to say that no matter how high Avatar ends up pushing the grosses records, it won’t be able to pass Titanic in terms of attendance, although Avatar’s run has been so unstoppable that everything’s possible.

Personally, although Titanic was destined to be toppled sooner or later (and I’d rather see a movie like Avatar do it then a far less deserving summer blockbuster like a Shrek or Transformer rehash), it feels bittersweet because Titanic was on a completely different level in terms of the overall quality of the product.

Can we actually resurrect extinct species?

Looks like it’s possible, but not in a Jurassic Park kind of way.  You actually need to get your hands on DNA samples of the creature you want to resurrect from still existing descendents:

A tortoise hunted to extinction before Darwin ever arrived on the Galapagos could be brought back to life thanks to new genetic research.

While rummaging through genetic data from 156 Galapagos tortoises living in captivity, researchers have discovered that nine of them are descendents of Chelonoidis elephantopus, a species hunted to extinction by whalers in the 19th century, before Charles Darwin visited the islands. Now they hope to resurrect the extinct ancestors by selectively breeding their descendants, according to an article on PhysOrg.com, an online science news service.

The research was made possible thanks to the discovery of bones from Chelonoidis elephantopus found in several old museum collections. Samples of genetic material from the bones were then compared to data banks of DNA sequences from living tortoises, revealing that a lingering heritage still lives on in a few surviving individuals.

Researchers theorize that the nine identified living descendants of the vanished species are the grandchildren of lucky elephantopus survivors which may have been taken by whalers as future meals but then thrown overboard. Those last heroic survivors then must have come ashore to nearby islands and mated with the native species living there.

Although their genetic lineage has been diluted over time, researchers think the heritage is still strong enough to revive the extinct species after only four generations of selective breeding.

The only catch is that the project could take over 100 years to complete because tortoises have such long life spans. But the project could serve as a model for how to revive other extinct species that have surviving lineages too.

Link.

That chair is your enemy!

A new study found that spending long amounts of time sitting down is unhealthy, regardless of how active you are for the rest of the day, which means that even people who exercise a lot are at risk:

Here's a new warning from health experts: Sitting is deadly.

Scientists are increasingly warning that sitting for prolonged periods - even if you also exercise regularly - could be bad for your health. And it doesn't matter where the sitting takes place - at the office, at school, in the car or before a computer or TV - just the overall number of hours it occurs.

Research is preliminary, but several studies suggest people who spend most of their days sitting are more likely to be fat, have a heart attack or even die.

"After four hours of sitting, the body starts to send harmful signals," Ekblom-Bak said. She explained that genes regulating the amount of glucose and fat in the body start to shut down.

Still, in a study published last year that tracked more than 17,000 Canadians for about a dozen years, researchers found people who sat more had a higher death risk, independently of whether or not they exercised.

Get moving!

Dangerous fun

This adorable impala was captured by three cheetahs who then proceeded to play with him rather than kill and eat it.

Full story here:

The new addition

This was too funny not to post:

A Quote By

Sarah Silverman, comedian, writer, actress, and singer when asked about her decision not to get married until all Americans, including gays and lesbians, are legally allowed to do so:

"Not only that, but lately I’ve been really annoyed by any liberal person getting married who says they stand for gay rights. How can anyone in good conscience get married right now? How is that different than joining a country club that doesn’t allow Jews or blacks?"

The Road

I had read such positive reviews of this movie and its message of hope that when I saw it was still playing around here I decided to check it out.  I’m glad I did.

The story follows a father and son slowly trying to reach the sea by foot after an unexplained catastrophe has ravaged the planet and the human race.  In this post-apocalyptic world the dangers are many, from illnesses to starvation to bands of carnivores that have lost any trace of humanity.

A steely hope of survival for his son is what guides and informs every decision the father makes.  Will it be enough to save the two of them?  And given that nothing seems to have been left behind of the world as we knew it, is it even worth it?  Wouldn’t it be easier to take the path of suicide, a choice made by thousands already, rather than wait to slowly or violently die?

The movie is very bleak and quite anguishing and you probably won’t like it if you’re squeamish, but the sight of a world where nature has been wiped out and only a few humans struggle to survive is quite sobering.

Viggo Mortensen in the role of the father gives us another great performance and his casting was perfect for the figure of a man desperately trying to do what’s best for his child and who’s unwilling to give up hope for a brighter future.

Of note are the technical departments: cinematography, makeup, costumes, and art direction are all top notch and the direction is good.

A do-not-miss-it film.

Grade: 8

Surf's Up

Likely greenlit on the heels of the stunning worldwide success of March of the Penguins, I was a little wary ahead of watching Surf’s Up, fearing I’d have to sit through a boring copycat job that only tried to cash in on its predecessor’s accomplishments.

Luckily, I have to admit that I was wrong and that this animated movie is actually quite good and original.  The most striking difference from any other cartoon I’ve seen on the big screen is its fake-documentary narration style that we’ve become so accustomed to watch on TV (think The Office or 30 Rock) but rarely at the movies (a voiceover narration is more common) and strictly with live action.

Surf’s Up tells the story of a young penguin who loves to surf and wants to make it big, following in the footsteps of his hero, Big Z.  Will he be able to follow his dreams and make them reality?  Will he have the support of family and friends?  What is the reality of competitive surfing at the highest level?

All these questions and more are answered, via a smart script that will satisfy not just the little ones but their parents as well.

Grade: 7

It's Complicated

This light comedy features Meryl Streep as the woman both Alec Baldwin, her ex husband, and Steve Martin, her architect, are vying for.  Given that it’s been a long time since she was in a relationship, her discomfort with the situation is great and the proximity of her three grown up kids makes it all the more awkward.

Streep is, as usual, excellent, even when the screenplay doesn’t call for any particular histrionics and her pairing with Baldwin works particularly well.  Baldwin, the star of the TV show 30 Rocks, has seen a big resurgence of his career and is in great shape here.

The movie, written and directed by Nancy Meyers (Something’s Gotta Give) is just an average comedy, but it’s not disappointing and quite funny.  Naturally, the best reason to watch it is the chemistry between Streep and Baldwin, regardless of the actual quality of the film.

As an aside, the movie also features John Krasinski (from The Office) and Hunter Parrish (from Weeds), two of the sexiest new stars on the scene.  Parrish especially is quite the looker…

Grade: 6

Up In The Air

The latest offering by Jason Reitman, the director of Juno, Up In The Air is a good dramedy that features an interesting and well written screenplay and impeccable acting on the part of the three main characters.

George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, a guy whose job it is to fire people he’s never met before, who work at companies he’s never been at before, all simply to avoid their actual managers the unpleasantries (and possible dangers) of firing their own employees.

Reitman shows us how Bingham enjoys living a comfortable life on the move without any roots, anyone to be responsible for, or anyone to have to respond to.  Everything changes when a young colleague tries to save the company some money without thinking of the repercussions it could have on the people on the other end of their consulting gigs.

The film flows nicely and gently transitions from a cynical worldview to a more humane one.  As is always the case, a good screenplay makes a movie shine, and this is one of those cases.  Nothing feels fake, out of place, or unneeded.

Clooney, the luscious Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick all hit the mark with their respective portrayals, especially Clooney, who this time showcases more than his usual four facial expressions.  The casting was made in heaven as the role of Ryan Bingham seems tailored to his persona.

The movie has won critical acclaim and several awards, and is now up for a Best Picture Oscar, but its chances are slim.

A nice drama with a slower, simpler pace.  A movie that almost seems to come from another era, when making a good, standalone motion picture was what every director aspired to.

Grade: 8