Howdy, another installment of Regulator Movie Reviews. I will remind you of the score: 1=mentally scarring crap, 2=Somewhat redeeming crap, 3=passing, 4=good, 5=Epic and mindblowing.

Should you read further back in my blogging I posted about Avatar shortly after the trailer was released. I said that if they pulled it off right it could redefine movies. The new technology was going to turn heads anyways, but they needed substance to go along with the style. The movie was hyped majorly, and a lot of buzz built up. Mrs. Regulator and I saw it and the verdict is...

I cannot score this film on the grounds it has literally broken the mold, there is nothing to compare it to. So to put it in plain English...IT WAS ABSOLUTELY EPIC!

The story was extremely good, the plot of technology VS nature and going native has been done, but they put a whole new twist. Basically humans are mining a moon that has a very rare and expensive ore on it, the native population is a little wary and the military is ready to jump at a moment's notice. To help things, people use "Avatars" which are clones created by blending human and native (Na' Vi) DNA. I will stop there because blowing the story is not my thing.

The actors were well cast, so much so that I forgot I was watching actors. They really got into their roles and were 100% believeable in their respective parts. Sam Worthington is one heck of a find by the amazing James Cameron, he acted well in Terminator Salvation and outdid himself here. Sigourney Weaver was wonderful as always, and the guy who played the Colonel was perfect as a war mongering jerkwad. The dialogue was top notch, it fit well with the theme of the movie and not once did I find it corny or cheesey. It was a pretty serious movie, but there were some sparing moments of humor which were a nice touch.

The directing was amazing, then again it is James Cameron we are talking about here. The man knows how to direct a film and he directed the hell out of this one. To take it one step further he helped create new technology to bring this film to life and he did not dissappoint. This is all evident in the cinematography which was nothing short of amazing and dare I say "flawless."

The special effects were the best I have ever seen and they were not pretentious or over done, they drew you into the movie it was as if you were right there. To call this 3D isn't really accurate, in most 3D films the backgrounds are deeper and the characters pop off the screen-in Avatar you can see depth, it is like you are watching real life on film. By taking your glasses on and off the effect is immediately noticeable and adds so much "dimension" (no pun intended) to the film.

I don't really have any complaints about the film, some found it preachy and pushing anm "Anti-Capitalist/Pro-Environment" message. You could find it if you look for it, but you could make several other meanings out of the movie. It was extremely enjoyable, and it had messages but they were woven into the story and did not stand out. If there were any political statements, they were implied and not overt. If anyone is a capitalist it is me (I also do not believe in global warming either) and I did not think this film pushed an agenda.

Overall this was one of the best movies I have ever seen. If I had to assign a score it would be 5+ because on it's own it was everything you could want in a film. Great acting, great casting, great directing, great story, great action, great everything-it was that good. The technology was a plus and it didn't make the film, but it sure did bring it to life-this is how special effects should be used. They shouldn't be the film, they should support the film. I highly reccomend this film and well...get off your butt and go see it now if you haven't already. This is a can't miss film.

In this week's cast, I list out my best and worst of 2009, and most anticipated shows of 2010. I reference several shows, including "Pushing Daisies," "Castle" and "Glee" among my faves, "Hawthorne," "White Collar" and "Defying Gravity" among my boos, and "Human Target," "Lost," "Breaking Bad," "Caprica," "Psych" and "Chuck" among my most anticipated 2010 premieres. Original blog posted here.

BONUS: There was no time to arrange for her to read it out before she left on vacation, but my colleague Andrea Johnson also put a list together here. Enjoy!

For my side cast, I celebrate Khandi Alexander's (recurring?!) appearance on "Better Off Ted," the fifth-season finale of "The Closer," a multipart "Doctor Who" spectacular culminating this coming weekend, and I get some insight from colleague Rod Erdahl on "Supernatural," which TNT is scheduled to premiere from the pilot episode onward in weekday syndication at 10/9c in the a.m. beginning Jan. 4. Original blog posted here.

Also, a public service announcement regarding auditions for the Minot Area Theatrical Society's mystery farce "Let's Murder Marsha" Jan. 6-7. For more information, log on at the MATS website here.

Enjoy!

A simple list i've been meaning to compile for a while now.

1. The Spy Who Loved Me
2. Casino Royale
3. From Russia With Love
4. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
5. Goldfinger
6. Goldeneye
7. The Living Daylights
8. The Man With the Golden Gun
9. Dr. No
10. You Only Live Twice
11. For Your Eyes Only
12. Thunderball
13. Live and Let Die
14. Octopusy
15. Licence to Kill
16. Tommorow Never Dies
17. Diamonds are Forever
18. Moonraker
19. A View to a Kill
20. The World is Not Enough
21. Die Another Day

I have been gone again for some time. A few weeks ago my pc crashed and it took me some time to get everything back up to speed again. Now last week I had some personmal matters to attend to that I do not wish to share here. Just know that I was indespensed for a while and now all has been set right again. So now I am here to stay for now. I have noticed in the last few weeks that certain people who post in the Lost forums do not care for others when it comes to spoilers and such. I'm not sure how it has been instituted here but in my experiences I always thought that one should put a vauge title with the word spoiler in the tilte. I have seen titles such as Danielle confirmed dead! Spoilers! I cannot remember any exact title names, but I am infuriated by this as I was not able to watch the latest episode due to my ongoings. Now I know I should not even visited the forums until I viewed the episode, but regardless some people just have no manners. Seeing as how the finale is coming up soon I'll make sure to watch the current episode before coming to this site.

Some say that it is merely a myth, but is it really? Some evidence has been uncovered which would seem to refute this claim. In fact, the secret entrance has been revealed to a few, and this is what they've discovered:

Compendium Explanation :: Done
Unsolved Mysteries - Seasons 4 :: Under Construction
Solved Mysteries - Seasons 4 :: Under Construction
Unsolved Mysteries - Seasons 1-3 :: Under Construction
Solved Mysteries - Seasons 1-3 :: Under Construction
Main Characters :: Under Construction