Context Articles

http://carpetbagger.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/21/a-few-questions-for-james-cameron/
This New York Times interview with James Cameron gave me insight to his vision for “Avatar.” Cameron speaks about sequels, technology, and bad press, and seems pretty positive about it all. I was caught by the process of motion capture he describes, and by how specific the technology must be to record and then produce such nuanced and life-like forms. He is an intelligent guy, and has clearly spent an abundance of time thinking about “Avatar.” Cameron says, “Things are really thought out in this movie to an almost ridiculous level.” I realized his attention to detail was the reason “Avatar” didn’t feel vapid, but that his neglect of the larger picture was also the reason the movie didn’t reach the epic proportions of storytelling that it aimed at. I feel that Cameron had all the fine-tuning touches of a good visual director without the mainstays of film in any other role. I tried to add this new dimension to my revised film review for a more cohesive, sophisticated take on “Avatar.”
http://www.cinemablend.com/new/The-Cameron-Inside-How-Avatar-Echoes-Everything-He-s-Ever-Done-16143.html
While its not the greatest journalism piece, this comparison from the blog Cinema Blend gave me some amusing and much needed background on Cameron’s movies. I have not seen any of them, and I felt that there was something to “Avatar” I was missing because of it. I learned that Sigourney Weaver and Sam Worthington had both starred in previous Cameron films, and that many of his previous characters reappear as well. I became more familiar with the plots and themes Cameron favors, which lead me to the “stock battle” idea in my review. I think there is something to the claim that Cameron is “ripping off himself,” but I also admire that the man has a consistent and recognizable style.