Avatar: The Way of Water

 

Avatar: The Way of Water is the sequel to 2009’s Avatar. Set more than a decade after the events of the original, Jake, Neytiri and their growing family enjoy a time of peace, only to be visited by a familiar foe looking to exterminate their tribe to exploit their natural resources. To protect their home, they turn to a neighboring community for sanctuary. Reprising their roles as Jake and Neytiri are Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña, respectively.

On the surface, the film was visually stunning. With beautiful cinematography and realistic looking sets. The script was filled with themes around female empowerment, colonization, family, adapting to new environments, and appreciating the qualities that everyone has to contribute to society, even those wrongfully stereotyped as outcasts.

Similar to the first movie, the casting was not a proper reflection of the communities that James Cameron has based this film off of. Cliff Curtis who played Tonowari is the only Indigenous Māori cast member, which his characters clan, the Metkayina, is based off of. Kate Winslet and Sigourney Weaver, although not properly cast, did well in their roles as Ronal and Kiri. The advancement in CGI made is so I could tell Sigourney was Kiri but they made her look 14 which was pretty amazing. I liked her quirky personality. And for Kate as Ronal, the CGI was so good, I couldn’t even tell it was her. Her role as a mother and leader of her clan was impressive. Both were easy to root for.

When you dig deeper you can see why there was backlash coming from Native Americans and Indigenous people. Not only is the same White savior cinematic trope being perpetuated in this film, it also appropriates Lakota and Māori culture. James Cameron himself admitted to it in an interview when he stated that the Omatikaya Clan are based off of the Lakota Native American tribe. The newly introduced Metkayina Clan are based off of the Māori who are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand. And although there was plenty of diverse minority casting there were no Lakota actors and only one Māori actor cast for the roles of these Na'vi clans. With the lack of appropriate casting or even consultants, to help authentically tell this story, it is easy to see why people would want to boycott this movie.

Even though Avatar 2 was beautifully filmed, I regret having seen it. Unless there are major casting and script changes I don’t plan on watching any of the future films.

The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star

 

The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star is the third and final of the Christmas romantic comedy franchise. Reprising her roles Vanessa Hudgens plays Lady Fiona Pembroke, Queen Margaret, and Princess Stacy. Nick Sagar and Sam Palladio also reprise their roles as Prince Kevin and Prince Edward, respectively. The story follows Queen Margaret and Princess Stacy as they are preparing to host the Montenaro Christmas festival which ends up at risk of being cancelled when the "Star of Peace", a sacred relic loaned by the Vatican, is stolen. To help retrieve it, they must reluctantly enlist the help of cousin to the queen and thief, Lady Fiona.

The script at times was clever and funny. It moved well and had great themes around forgiveness, family and love.

This franchise has always done a great job in casting diverse talent. The case was no different this time. I liked the introduction of Remy Hii as Peter Maxwell. He was attractive, cunning, and confident and had great chemistry with Hudgens’ character Fiona. Hudgens herself has always been a joy to watch in this franchise. She is truly the star of this movie and really gets to flex her range as so many different characters. With very different voices, mannerisms and personalities, yet she seems to do it so effortlessly.

Although this movie is a pretty run of the mill, predictable, straight to DVD-Hallmark style Christmas movie, it was fun to watch with its joyful, light hearted nature and moments of hilarity. 

Amsterdam

 

Amsterdam is a historical drama very loosely based on the "Business Plot". An alleged fascist conspiracy in the United States to overthrow the government of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. Featuring an all-star ensemble cast comprising of Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Chris Rock, Anya Taylor-Joy, Zoe Saldaña, Mike Myers, Michael Shannon, Taylor Swift, Rami Malek, and Robert De Niro. It follows World War 1 veterans and friends as they witness a murder in the 1930s. In doing all they can prove their innocence they uncover a scheme to overthrow America.

The plot was all over the place. There were too many moving parts that didn’t make sense when they forced them together. During the 1930s the US was still very segregated so some of the interactions in this movie didn't feel historically accurate. It felt like the director, David O. Russell, had a bunch of ideas for different movies and just mushed them all together in a messy stew. It kind of reminded me of another one of his movies, American Hustle, with an ensemble cast where there wasn’t enough character development for anyone to care about any of the people.

Even though the plot, at times wasn't realistic for 1930s New York City, the costumes, hair, and sets did give that feel for the era.

Along with a terrible plot, the script was poorly written, there was too much unnecessary voiceover narration and the jokes weren’t funny.

Even with a plot and script that could have used an entire revamp, Christian Bale, Margot Robbie and John David Washington were engaging to watch. Bale did a great job in his role as Burt Berendsen. He was quirky and caring. Robbie as Valerie, couldn't keep her accents straight but had descent range. John David Washington was unrecognizable at first, without his signature beard, but once I got over that I was able to appreciate his role as well. The three of them had great chemistry together.

Overall this movie didn’t hit the way it was intended. It was a waste of time and an unfortunate waste of the talent in this film.

Love Hard

Love Hard is a romantic comedy starring Nina Dobrev, Jimmy O. Yang and Darren Barnet. The story is about a young woman who chooses to surprise her online love interest by flying to his hometown for Christmas only to discover that she has been catfished.

I thought that the plot was a run of the mill rom-com. It was predictable and the script was a bit corny but I liked it. There were great themes around family, tradition and getting to know people for more than their appearance.

The casting was diverse. I enjoyed seeing Chinese and Japanese actors as love interests and liked seeing a more unconventional love match. It was nice to see Nina in something outside of Vampire Diaries. She was likeable as Natalie and surprisingly has a descent singing voice. It was nice seeing Darren in a more mature role as Tag outside of his high school character in Never Have I Ever. This is the first role I've seen of Jimmy where he isn't just a comedy sidekick in a small role. He showed range as Josh Lin, he was funny and he and Nina's characters had great chemistry. They played well off of one another and genuinely seemed to get along.

This is a great example of a straight to DVD Netflix produced Christmas movie. It brings a large amount of Christmas cheer and is worth a one-time watch, but not something I would incorporate into future Christmas viewings.