Sanctum

The 3D action-thriller Sanctum, from executive producer James Cameron, follows a team of underwater cave divers on a treacherous expedition to the largest, most beautiful and least accessible cave system on Earth. When a tropical storm forces them deep into the caverns, they must fight raging water, deadly terrain and creeping panic as they search for an unknown escape route to the sea.

Master diver Frank McGuire (Richard Roxburgh) has explored the South Pacific’s Esa-ala Caves for months. But when his exit is cut off in a flash flood, Frank’s team—including 17-year-old son Josh (Rhys Wakefield) and financier Carl Hurley (Ioan Gruffudd)—are forced to radically alter plans. With dwindling supplies, the crew must navigate an underwater labyrinth to make it out. Soon, they are confronted with the unavoidable question: Can they survive, or will they be trapped forever?

Shot on location off the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, Sanctum employs 3-D photography techniques Cameron developed to lens Avatar. Designed to operate in extreme environments, the technology used to shoot the action-thriller will bring audiences on a breathless journey across plunging cliffs and into the furthest reaches of our subterranean world.

Opens February 4,  2011

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Review – Avatar

I sometimes wondered what my childhood fantasy world would look like if it ever came to life. Avatar has brought it out in full spectrum, from a jungle filled with giant fluorescent plant life to colorful flying dragonesque creatures. What would be the elfin fairytale beings are the giant, catlike, blue Na’vi, an indigenous race in this world called Pandora.

Jake Sully (Sam Worthington, Terminator: Salvation) plays a wheelchair bound vet brought on to take over his twin brother’s mission: to persuade the Na’vi to evacuate an area rich in a highly profitable mineral. He is initiated into driving his avatar, an alien-human hybrid, through virtual mind and body control. He clumsily stumbles into his virtual form and soon masters it to become one of the Na’vi tribe with the help of Neytiri (Zoe Saldana, Star Trek), daughter of the head honcho.

The stunning visual scenes during Jake’s metamorphosis into this new life is well worth the 3D experience, although it might be more of an impact if seen in an IMAX theater. As beautiful as it is, with the vibrant colors and fantasy environment, complete with six-legged horse and dog like creatures, it could’ve been written with better dialogue and drama. The 3D experience seemed to clash with 2-dimensional characters such as the over-the-top aggressive Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang) and corporate head puppet Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi). As an avatar driver herself, Dr. Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) heads the scientific team, and you’re not sure whether or not to sympathize with her cause until the team goes rogue.

The action sequences are epic, its storyline okay, yet Avatar’s overall message is earth-friendly or, in this case, Pandora-friendly. Save the plants, animals, and most of all, the trees – specifically, the largest one on the planet. The Na’vi are drawn to it for spiritual guidance and for its metaphysical properties. When the military finally exercises its power, Pandora’s box is opened and nature unleashes its subdued fury. It gets perplexing at this point since, with all that power, there isn’t an apocalyptic event but more of an organized skirmish.

In any case, this film is a visual feast for the eyes (with 3D glasses), and I will likely see it again. I imagine that awards are forthcoming for this film’s artistic cinematic achievements. Romance in a fantasy jungle as a slick blue cat, with Jake as the warrior who saves the day – even a bad script doesn’t overwhelm that completely. In fact, you may have an urge to grow your hair into a long braid and find a flying dragon to bond with afterwards – unless, of course, you’re sane.

Avatar

From the official site: AVATAR takes us to a spectacular world beyond imagination, where a reluctant hero embarks on an epic adventure, ultimately fighting to save the alien world he has learned to call home. James Cameron, the Oscar-winning director of Titanic, first conceived the film 15 years ago, when the means to realize his vision did not exist. Now, after 4 years of production, AVATAR, a live action film with a new generation of special effects, delivers a fully immersive cinematic experience of a new kind, where the revolutionary technology invented to make the film, disappears into the emotion of the characters and the sweep of the story.

We enter the alien world through the eyes of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a former Marine confined to a wheelchair. But despite his broken body, Jake is still a warrior at heart. He is recruited to travel light years to the human outpost on Pandora, where corporations are mining a rare mineral that is the key to the Earth’s energy problems. Because the atmosphere on Pandora is toxic, they have created the Avatar Program, in which human “drivers” have their consciousness linked to an avatar, a remotely controlled biological body that can survive in the lethal air.  These avatars are genetically engineered hybrids of human DNA mixed with DNA from the natives of Pandora- the Na’vi.

Reborn in his avatar form, Jake can walk again. He is given a mission to infiltrate the Na’vi, who have become a major obstacle to mining the precious ore. But a beautiful Na’vi female, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), saves Jake’s life, and this changes everything. Jake is taken in by her clan, and learns to become one of them, which involves many tests and adventures. As Jake’s relationship with his reluctant teacher Neytiri deepens, he learns to respect the Na’vi way and finally takes his place among them. Soon he will face the ultimate test as he leads them in an epic battle that decide nothing less than the fate of an entire world.

Opens December 18th

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Entertainment Weekly Returns to Comic-Con

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY RETURNS TO COMIC-CON 2009 WITH A STAR-STUDDED SERIES OF PANELS, A PHOTO STUDIO, AND AN EXCLUSIVE CELEBRATION WITH SYFY

James Cameron, Peter Jackson, Sigourney Weaver, Elizabeth Mitchell, and Zoe Saldana To Participate in Entertainment Weekly Panel Series

Entertainment Weekly Publishes 2nd Annual Comic-Con Preview Package, Starring Iron Man 2 on the Cover, and with Exclusive First Looks at the Most Highly Anticipated Movies and TV Shows

NEW YORK ( July 16, 2009 ) – Entertainment Weekly is preparing to invade Comic-Con for the third consecutive year with a fully loaded arsenal: three high-caliber panels, a photo and digital studio, and an exclusive event co-hosted by Syfy. In addition, Entertainment Weekly is publishing its second annual Comic-Con preview package jam-packed with exclusive first looks at some of the most highly anticipated TV shows and movies including Iron Man 2, which will be featured on the cover of this special issue. In the latest installment of Iron Man (the franchise that blasted Robert Downey Jr. back to stardom), the superhero returns to the big screen to battle new villain Mickey Rourke and to size up Scarlett Johansson, and hopes to prove the first time wasn’t a fluke. Link to full story on EW.com.

Entertainment Weekly’s three Comic-Con panels will bring together some of the best and brightest creators in television and movies to discuss the work that’s being done in their respective fields. Footage from each of these panels will be available by July 26 on EW.com. The first of these panels will be “Wonder Women: Female Power Icons in Pop Culture,” moderated by Entertainment Weekly editor-at-large Ben Svetkey. It will feature a discussion with Sigourney Weaver (Avatar), Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost, V), and Zoe Saldana (Avatar, Star Trek) about the actresses who have redefined the rules, and the female characters who have shattered the glass ceiling for all women. This panel will take place at 1:15 p.m. on Thursday, July 23.

Next up, Entertainment Weekly executive editor Jeff Giles will moderate an in-depth discussion with iconic filmmakers James Cameron (Avatar) and Peter Jackson (producer of District 9) on the future of film, the art of film narrative and how technology and global culture will alter the art of on-screen storytelling in the next 20 years. This panel will be at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, July 24.

To close out the series, Entertainment Weekly senior writers, hosts of EW.com’s Totally Lost, and resident Lost experts Jeffrey “Doc” Jensen and Dan Snierson will prep Lost fans for the final season of the show with their sharp insights and bold theories. There may be a few surprises as well. This panel will take place at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 25.

For the third year in a row, Entertainment Weekly and Syfy will partner to celebrate all things pop culture at Comic-Con 2009 with an exclusive event. Hollywood and the genre’s most elite will enjoy music, food, and cocktails while entertainment luminaries enjoy views of downtown San Diego . This event is invitation-only.

In addition to these events, Entertainment Weekly’s second annual Comic-Con issue will be packed full of first looks at highly anticipated movies such as Sherlock Holmes, District 9, 2012 and 9, as well as exclusives from upcoming TV shows including Vampire Diaries, Flashforward, V and Stargate Universe. Plus: An exclusive first look at the new Twilight graphic novel. Five thousand complimentary copies of this special issue will be handed out to Comic-Con visitors and fans who stop by the Marvel Studios booth celebrating Iron Man 2. Guests at the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego and the Hotel Solamar will also receive copies of EW’s special Comic-Con 2009 issue.

EW.com continues to be THE destination for Comic-Con coverage in 2009 with breaking news and regular updates from the convention floor via our award-winning PopWatch blog (EW.com/PopWatch) and Twitter stream (@EWPopWatch). Plus, we’ve got exclusive video interviews, first looks, and image galleries from the EW Photo Studio at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego . This year, the site will also take viewers inside Entertainment Weekly’s own high-profile conversations with exclusive video of Peter Jackson, James Cameron, Sigourney Weaver, Elizabeth Mitchell (“Lost,” “V”), and more. Finally, as ABC’s “Lost” celebrates its last year at Comic-Con, fan favorite Jeff “Doc” Jensen (@EWDocJensen on Twitter) presents exclusive video interviews with the cast and producers, as well as footage from his highly-anticipated “Totally Lost” panel.