The Hurt Locker beats Avatar

Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:

No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
Times and dates in your local timezone.
Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.

If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

**Flashman**

The Hurt Locker beat Avatar at the Baftas tonight winning six awards to Avatar's two. These included Best Film and Best Director. Common sense prevails at last?

**squilverine**

Lets hope so, I havn't seen Hurt Locker yet, but thoroughly intend to. For me whilst Avatar was visualy impressive I felt that the story was a little contrived and far to predictable.

**Flashman**

The Hurt Locker is definitely worth renting if you can. Not to give too much away, but any time you see an actor who would normally take top billing, don't expect them to be around for very long.

**Albatross**

The Hurt Locker is a way better film. Avatar is visually stunning, but Hurt Locker, despite some very silly moments (British Special Forces Patrol saved by a handful of American Army Bomb Disposal personnel?

), is better all-round, in terms of story and visuals.

**Kanluwen**

We don't get told they're SFs, Albatross

They coulda been PMCs.

**Albatross**

True. Still a good scene - just a bit daft. The American dudes would be no better at firing the Barrett, surely?

**George Spiggott**

Albatross wrote:The Hurt Locker is a way better film. Avatar is visually stunning, but Hurt Locker, despite some very silly moments (British Special Forces Patrol saved by a handful of American Army Bomb Disposal personnel? ), is better all-round, in terms of story and visuals.

I got the impression they were mercenaries, they were talking about a reward.

I was underwhelmed, it's good (probably much better than Avatar) but it's not my favourite Gulf War film or my favourite Kathryn Bigelow film either. Come to think of it it's not even my favourite bomb disposal film.

**Albatross**

Oh, yeah - it's not GREAT. It's better than Avatar, though.

Come to mention it, they DID mention a reward, didn't they?

Automatically Appended Next Post:
What's your favourite Bomb disposal film?

**Flashman**

Yes, mercenaries was my interpretation. Great cameo by Ralph Fiennes.

**Albatross**

Yeah, he kicks arse in that. I loooove him in 'In Bruges', though.

**Flashman**

"You take that back about my f****** c*** kids"

**George Spiggott**

Albatross wrote:What's your favourite Bomb disposal film?

I don't actually know what it's called (a cookie for anyone who does). It's a black and white German film about bomb disposal in post WWII Germany. I saw it about 20 years ago.

**Kanluwen**

Albatross wrote:True. Still a good scene - just a bit daft. The American dudes would be no better at firing the Barrett, surely?

I dunno. Sanborn said he was in Intelligence and had pulled operations in 'every place and role you can imagine', so it's possible.

Plus I think they give EOD training with Barretts to deal with ordnance at a distance, safely.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
Just looked at IMDB and realized that all the Brits were listed as "Contractor Soandso".

**J.Black**

Albatross wrote:Yeah, he kicks arse in that. I loooove him in 'In Bruges', though.

In Bruges was just an all-round great movie

Especially the scene where Colin Farrell meets the Belgian girl for the first time.

**sebster**

In Bruges is a great movie, and exactly the kind of movie that should win piles and piles of awards and never wins more than a handful of minor ones. A Serious Man is to be treated to the same fate this year.

Hurt Locker was a decent movie, suspenseful but pretty contrived. It was the scene with the spec ops guys that made me start noticing the construction*, and from there it was hard not to notice the way each part was put in place. But it’s the kind of topical message movie that can win awards if the right campaign is behind it. I think the modest box office will count against it at the Oscars, but other awards like the BAFTAs are more likely to award smaller movies.

Avatar is a well constructed action epic with incredible technical effects. From an industry perspective it could be seen as the film that takes 3D into the mainstream - and that’s a really big thing if your job depends on keeping people going to the cinema. So, like, I don’t know. I don’t want Avatar to win much, but only because I really, really can’t be bothered with the internet outrage. From an industry perspective it deserves a fair bit, but the artistic merit wasn’t there so whatever.

But Hurt Locker, like Crash and Syriana and countless others before, don’t deserve the awards they win because despite being important movies about important world events, they simply aren’t that good. Personally I’m hoping for Up! To win the Oscar, and finally give animation the credit it deserves.

*

Spoiler:

**nintendoeats**

I would like to make the point that the need for this thread is a sad sad thing. Shouldn't it be assumed that the movie that was 100% style over substance didn't win the big movie award? Shouldn't that just be common sense?

Whatever, Heavy rain on Tuesday. Yay!!!

**Kanluwen**

Sebster, for the record:

The Brits led by Fiennes were not Spec Ops.

They were PMCs.

**sebster**

Kanluwen wrote:Sebster, for the record:

The Brits led by Fiennes were not Spec Ops.

They were PMCs.

Good pick up, mate. Weirdly enough I picked up they probably contractors or something similar when I watched the film as they mentioned the reward, and noticed someone earlier in the thread make that mistake. That must have stuck in my head when I made my own post.

**Albatross**

I just figured the way they were dressed, in the middle of the desert in a jeep with a load of guns - plus being British and capturing high-ranking Ba'ath Party chaps... just seemed to say 'SAS' to me. But yeah, if it lists them as contractors, then that's what they were! Fair enough.

**Frazzled**

Of course it did. The Hurt Locker is a good movie. Avatar was a video game.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Albatross wrote:Yeah, he kicks arse in that. I loooove him in 'In Bruges', though.

Ayah. Now thats an inspired film.

**Kanluwen**

sebster wrote:
Kanluwen wrote:Sebster, for the record:

The Brits led by Fiennes were not Spec Ops.

They were PMCs.

Good pick up, mate. Weirdly enough I picked up they probably contractors or something similar when I watched the film as they mentioned the reward, and noticed someone earlier in the thread make that mistake. That must have stuck in my head when I made my own post.

When I watched it, I thought they really were SAS. I mean, who wouldn't want 500,000 GBP?

"Hah! I forgot it was for dead or alive!"

**mattyrm**

Avatar sucked hairy balls. Not only should it not have won any awards, they should have brought Cameron outside afterwards and all took turns punching him in the face.

**Mannahnin**

Agree with most of the above. Hurt Locker is not an amazing film, but is a darn good movie. Solid performances, excellent visuals, but imperfect plot & writing. Certainly more deserving than Avatar, but given Avatar's likely importance in bringing 3D to mainstream prominence, and therefore underpinning the theater industry's likely attempt to try to live longer by use of 3D, it may be recognized on the basis of historical importance despite its artistic failings.

Also, In Bruges and Up! both rule.

And Up! would be an awesome Best Picture winner.

**Kilkrazy**

I would be surprised and pleased if Avatar did not scoop up a bundle of Oscars for being biggest, most expensive and profitable movie of the year.

Up is a much better film.

**Kanluwen**

That's a LITTLE much, Mattyrm.

Yes, the movie had a poor plot and was an eyecandy fest. Yes, it was overhyped. But is that a reason to beat the stuffing out of Cameron? Hell no.

But that's the only real awards it received(at least at the BAFTAs). Production Design and "Best Achievement in Special Effects".

**nintendoeats**

Titanic is a MUCH better reason to beat the stuffing out of Cameron.

**Mannahnin**

I liked Titanic better than Avatar. Titanic had more little great moments, like the band resolving to play as the ship went down. It's a shameless tearjerker, and has a lot of dumb stuff in it, but it's still a fun movie, especially to watch with a girl.

**Frazzled**

Mannahnin wrote:I liked Titanic better than Avatar. Titanic had more little great moments, like the band resolving to play as the ship went down. It's a shameless tearjerker, and has a lot of dumb stuff in it, but it's still a fun movie, especially to watch with a girl.

Exactly.

**RiTides**

Okay okay, I just skipped to the end of this thread. Guys, give SPOILER WARNINGS if you're going to reveal stuff about the movie in your replies!

Gah! I mean, I'm really looking forward to seeing hurt locker and wanted to see what awards it had won... not find out what happens!

**dietrich**

Kilkrazy wrote:I would be surprised and pleased if Avatar did not scoop up a bundle of Oscars for being biggest, most expensive and profitable movie of the year.

Up is a much better film.

Agree with both statements.

My world vision has blinders (having a 2 yr old and 4 yr old can do that), but Up! is one of the best movies that I remember being in the theatres for awhile.

Another reason that Titanic trumps Avatar - Jenette 'Pvt. Vasquez' Goldstein has a cameo.

Avatar didn't impress me with it's story. Parts were just way too familiar. It felt he took parts of Aliens, recast Vasquez with Michelle 'DUI' Rodriquez, kept Sigourney Weaver (and kept her as a chain-smoker, because in the future, they've cured lung cancer?), added parts from Starship Troopers (the ape suits), modeled an alien race on native americans, and then tacked on some left-wing-tree-hugging-hippie moral that was stronger and more direct than in the Abyss. Oh, and the antagonists are all greedy, corporate types that want to destroy a planet to make money (similar views in T2, Aliens, and the Abyss).

In the US, you can't disturb more than 0.4 acres of wetland without a permit, but apparently the US Army Corps of Engineers doesn't have jurisdiction on Pandora. Going back 50 years, the environmental laws have dramatically changed in the US. Somehow, I don't see off-world development not looking for a 'green' solution, I don't care how valuable Unobtonium is (really? That's the name you came up with? Not even Einsteinium?).

Yeah, the visuals were impressive. You spent $500 mill to $1 bill on the new technology, I hope it would be for that!

I think the biggest unknown about Avatar, is which female cast or crew member is Cameron's future ex-wife?