Tuesday, January 26, 2010
"Avatar" Now the Biggest Film of All Time
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Still On Pandora
Somewhere 4.4 light-years away from where I sit now, there is a moon called Pandora, orbiting the planet Polyphemus near the star Alpha Centauri A, that has stolen my imagination and captured my mind. I doubt if I'll ever get either back, but as far as I'm concerned, they can remain on that moon for as long as I live.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Golden Globes - Best Motion Picture Drama
Golden Globe - Best Director
"Avatar" Hits 1.6 Billion
For all those who didn't believe that Avatar could surpass Titanic's $1.8 Billion first place trophy spot, think again. For all those who believed in Avatar's inevitable domination (includes myself), thank you for helping that becom a reality. All we can do now is wait for Avatar to dethrone Titanic, something that even James Cameron himself has said will happen.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
4.4 Light-Years Away
Saturday, January 9, 2010
"Avatar" Now the Second Biggest Film of All Time
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Neytiri
Neytiri Dis'kahan A'itey (known only as Neytiri) is the Na'vi princess of the Omaticaya Clan. She is the daughter of Eytukan and Mo'at. She is initially supposed to mate with Tsu'Tey, one of the clan's finest warriors, but she is undecided. She learns English from Grace Augustine's school, but it gets closed down, as humans want to evacuate the Na'vi. One day while hunting in the woods, Neytiri sees an avatar and stalks him. As she is about to kill him with a bow, an Atokirina' (seed from the Tree of Souls, a very pure spirit) floats down and gently lands on her arrowhead. She sees this as a sign that the avatar is pure, and she lowers her bow. Later that night, when the avatar is attacked by a pack of viperwolves, she protects him by fending off and killing two of the creatures. The avatar inroduces himself as Jake Sully and tries to thank her for her help. Since the Na'vi consider all creatures to be children of Eywa, their deity, she angrily rejects his thanks at first, telling him that she only saved him because he has a strong heart and no fear. Just then, dozens of Atokirina' land on Jake. Neytiri is amazed by the sight and, seeing this as a good sign from Eywa, decides to take him to Hometree (Na'vi - "Kelutrel"), the home of the Omaticaya Clan. There, her father Eytukan, leader of the clan, and her mother Mo'at, the clan's spiritual leader, assess Jake. Mo'at feels purity in him and tells Neytiri to teach him the clan's culture and language to help his learning of the Na'vi species. After reluctantly obeying, Neytiri begins to teach Jake. Their relationship grows and as time passes, they become closer to one another and a mutual attraction grows between them. She shows him how to ride a Direhorse, how to use a bow, how to walk like a Na'vi, how to kill an animal cleanly, and the Na'vi language itself. After much preparation, Neytiri tells Jake that he is ready to tame his own ikran (banshee). After climbing Iknimaya (Stairway to Heaven), Jake, Tsu'Tey, and two other Na'vi arrive at the ikran nesting site. Neytiri meets up with them there on her own ikran, Seze ("blue flower"). Jake is then ordered by Tsu'Tey to go first. When Jake is able to capture and tame is own ikran, Neytiri is very proud of him, taking flight next to him on her ikran. Their relationship reaches a new level. That night, Jake undergoes the ceremony where Eytukan considers him as one of their own, a part of The People. Later that same night, Neytiri takes Jake to the Tree of Voices (Na'vi - "Utral Aymokriyä"). She tells him that he may now make his bow out of the wood from Hometree, and that he may now choose a woman. After she lists a couple of eligible female Na'vi, Jake tells Neytiri that he has already chosen who he wants, but that she must also choose him. Neytiri smiles and replies that she already has. They both choose each other as life mates, and they mate under the Tree of Voices and before Eywa, spending the rest of that night there. She tells him that she is with him now, and that they are mated for life. This seals their relationship for the remainder of their lives. During the events leading up to the final battle with RDA forces, their relationship grows tense, as Neytiri believes Jake to be a traitor and rejects him from the clan, saying that he would never be one of the people. After Jake proves his strong connection to Eywa by becoming a Toruk Makto, Neytiri accepts, loves, and sees him once more. She displays her love for him several times, by saving his avatar's life from an enraged Tsu'Tey and also his human body from Colonel Quaritch, killing the Colonel and placing an oxygen mask on Jake's human body after he nearly suffocates in Pandora's atmosphere. They now remain together and lead the Omaticaya people.
"Avatar" Exclusive Clip: Results
Here is another exclusive Avatar clip. This one minute and forty second scene is with Dr. Grace Augustine and Parker Selfridge (the corporate administrator for the RDA mining operation) discuss why humans are on Pandora.
"Avatar" Exclusive Clip: Thanator
Here is another exclusive Avatar clip. This two-and-a-half minute scene is when Jake Sully's avatar is chased by the Thanator (Na'vi - "palulukan") on Pandora.
"Avatar" Exclusive Clip: Iknimaya
Here is an exclusive three minute Avatar clip. The scene is when Jake Sully, Tsu'Tey, and a few other Na'vi climb the Thundering Rocks (or "Stairway to Heaven") to the ikran (banshee) nesting site. There they are met by Neytiri to help them with their task. This rite of passage is called the "Iknimaya", where a young Na'vi must select, capture, and successfully bond (tsahaylu) with one of the ikran that nest there).
Learn Na'vi
For those of you who fell in love with the movie Avatar, the world of Pandora, and the Na'vi race, there is a website that may be of some interest to you. Like the die-hard Star Trek fans who learned Klingon, the invented language of the Star Trek universe, Avatar fans around the world are dying to learn the language of the Pandora natives - Na'vi. Na'vi is the language invented by linguist Paul Frommer (pictured above), a professor at the University of Southern California, who was approached by James Cameron. For those who wish to learn Na'vi, the following link to this website can provide much help on the language's vocab and grammar:
http://www.learnnavi.org/
There you have it... a website dedicated to the Na'vi language. There are other websites out there that also provide information on Na'vi, but so far this seems to be the most dedicated.
Also - just in case you were wondering what the words in the picture above mean, here are their translations from Na'vi to English:
zìsìt - "year"
nì'awve - "first"
muiä - "proper/fair/right"
fpeio - "challenge (ceremonial)"
tireaioang - "spirit animal"
tskxe - "rock"
kllpxìltu - "territory"
AVATAR - "(best. movie. ever.)"
"Avatar" Makes Fastest $1 Billion
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – $1.12bn
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest – $1.07bn
Avatar – $1bn
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Pandora Discovered
A short video giving viewers a first look at the world of Pandora, as portrayed in James Cameron's epic new motion picture, Avatar. Narrated by Sigourney Weaver (Dr. Grace Augustine).