FutureVigil (r) » films

Avatar’s Effects on The Cerebral Cortex

Jeffrey Newman — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:15:29 +0000

Two nights ago, I went to see Avatar. Although I had tempered expectation, in the end, I must admit that I became totally immersed in the film beginning to end. There were things about the film I did not like. The dialogue was riddled with clichés and the moralistic themes were over done.

There was, however, something mesmerizing about the film. It was visually spectacular. The 3D added to the experience of feeling you were right in the forest, the bugs all around you. Mesmerizing is the best word I can think of. In hindsight, the experience for me was like what one expects of being hypnotised. It causes a de-activation of the conscious rational brain centers controlling logic, purposeful analysis and self-awareness. These are handled in our pre-frontal cortex which, I suspect, for me was dormant during the film.

There are some interesting studies conducted on brain function during film viewing. One was done at Hebrew University using functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI). This study concluded that films can sometimes exert considerable control over brain activities and eye movements. The researchers found that viewers of the same film demonstrate peculiar patterns of brain activity, which was virtually universal. It showed remarkable similarity in the activation of the visual cortex, fusiform gyrus and areas of the brain controlling processing of touch.

The reason all of this seems relevant to me regarding the amazing film Avatar, is that it is a visually powerful film, at times so beautiful and rich and dynamic, it is overwhelming. Yet, despite my knowing this, I could not detach myself from the images on the screen. Part of this is the 3D technology. I think it would be instructive to test viewers of this film. Neurologists just might find potential therapeutic benefits to sparking certain parts of the brain. This, if verifiable, could create an entire new industry for Hollywood.

Film EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES TRUE GENZYME STORY

Jeffrey Newman — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 17:06:31 +0000

The new Hollywood film EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES, starring Harrison Ford as a brilliant scientist, opens Friday and is based on a true story taking place at Genzyme Corporation in Cambridge. It is about the treatment developed for Pompe disease, a rare enzyme deficiency. Genzyme created Myozyme using in house research. Boston Globe staffer Geeta Anand wrote a book on the topic called THE CURE. Now more than a thousand patients take the drug which has saved their lives. Henri Termeer, Genzyme’s CEO has yet to see the film but said he hopes it is an opportunity to educate the world about about the efforts of hundreds of researchers, scientists and others still working to perfect such drugs. Pompe disease is a neuromuscular disorder in which sugar builds up in muscles causing damages throughout the body. It affects both children and adults. The research done on this disease is thought to have broad ranging benefits to the study of other neurogenic disorders. The film itself will be reviewed on this blog next weekend.

FILM THE ROAD AND BOOK BLOOD MERIDIAN BY CORMAC MCCARTHY

Jeffrey Newman — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 15:12:06 +0000

Yesterday, after having read THE ROAD twice, I saw the film adaptation. As I have said about the book, I was captured and entranced by the characters, who became a part of my life during the read, to the point of distracting me during working hours, especially when I knew they were in trouble. It was no longer a book for me but rather a communication I knew was important, about two fellow travelers struggling to stay alive. I went to the film without any expectations that it should live up to the film or be true to it, as this would set the stage for failure. The book and the film had to stand on their own without help or hinderance from the other. Despite the dark and brooding images lasting throughout and the visualization of the worst of mankind including cannibalism, I felt the film was well done and the intimacy between a man and his son in the most difficult of times conveyed well and without embellishments or Hollywood type injections. The acting is superb and the dialogue well written. The film made me think, despite the fact that I knew the plot well. So I recommend that people see this film, which may not sell as well as Avatar but will stand the test of time and I predict will have legs for years to come, as did the film ON THE BEACH, based on the apocalyptic book by NEVILLE SHUTE. Now, I am on to reading another of Cormac McCarthy’s books, BLOOD MERIDIAN about life in the early 1800’s in Texas and New Mexico. Cormac researched this heavily before writing and has depicted man’s heart of darkness and brutality with skill and poetry. Be prepared for the worst but know that it all happened. A worthwhile gift for the holidays, either in paperback or on tape. My favorite character, without giving away the plot, is THE JUDGE. An ecclectic and intellectual fellow widely read and traveled, a former lawyer, he is also much much more and I have met people like him and these people are to be feared.

AVATAR-FACTS ABOUT PANDORA AND THE NA’VI YOU MAY WANT TO KNOW

Jeffrey Newman — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:29:10 +0000

The upcoming film Avatar takes place on a large moon called Pandora, about 4.37 light-years from Earth in the Alpha Centrauri System. The inhabitants of Pandora are the Na’vi, highly intelligent humanoid beings with a Neolithic society. The Na’vi average three meters tall with feline-shaped eyes and prehensile tails. They have a well developed culture based on a spiritual connection to all creatures. They are monogamous and mate for life. An Avatar is a cloned Na’vi humanoid, created in-vitro on earth. Genetic material from the human “driver” is incorporated into the avatar embryo, allowing the development of anatomic structures needed to allow a mental link between that individual and the avatar. The cloned avatar has the structure and physiology of a Pandoran native but with human genes which gives it five digits on hands and feet instead of three. The Na’vi word for hello is Kaltxi.

2012 film review

Jeffrey Newman — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:23:05 +0000

2012, the apocalyptic tome now on screen is, as it would be expected, strong on visuals and sound effects, grossly weak on plot, devoid of characterization and repleat with the worst dialogue ever concocted. I tried mightily to suspend my disbelief but was successful for about 30 minutes out of the nearly three hours of the film. What disturbed me the most was that the film dragged and dragged, lacking any significant editing. The creators just could not let go of what they shot and as such the film suffered and and did not flow. In places, some real science was thrown in, including a reversal of the magnetic field of the earth. This is an established and interesting phenominon which will occur at some point. I have a neighbor who teaches at Harvard who is one of the world’s experts on this and I plan on cornering him on the details for a separate blog for this site. I think the film could have done more to explain the basic science of what was actually destroying the world. I am convinced that there is a way to handle apocalyptic films in a fashion that will entertain, enlighten and entice. On the Beach was just such a film. Next week: THE ROAD.

AVATAR TO TEST USE OF 3D IN MAJOR FILMS–OPENS DEC 16

Jeffrey Newman — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:43:43 +0000

Avatar, the ambitious sci-fi fantasy film by Titanic director James Cameron will test the acceptability of 3-D in a major film come opening day December 16. The film deals with an epic conflict on a far away planet called Pandora where humans and the native species the Na’vi, engage in war over the planet’s resources and existence. The main character, Jake Sully is a former U.S. marine who was wounded and paralyzed from the waist down in combat on Earth. He is selected to participate in the Avatar program, which will enable him to walk, through a surrogate. Since humans are unable to breathe the air on Pandora, they have created genetically-bred human Na’vi hybrids known as Avatars and on Pandora, neurologically connected to his Avatar body, Jake is sent into the jungles as a scout for soliders that will follow. He meets and falls in love with a Na’vi female and finds himself caught between the military and the Na’vi forcing him to take sides.

TWILIGHT SEQUEL NEW MOON SHOWS INCREASING INTEREST IN SCI-FI

Jeffrey Newman — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:57:37 +0000

The financial success of the new release of the Twilight sequel NEW MOON is further evidence of popular interest in science fiction in its many forms. The film is based on the romance novel, one of four by author Stephanie Meyer. It is about the life of Isabella Swan, a teenager who moves to Forks Washington and falls in love with a 104-year-old vampire, Edward Cullen. In New Moon, Edward leave Forks because he thinks he is endangering Bella’s life. She becomes deeply depressed until her new friendship with werewolf Jacob Black. Jacob and other werewolves in his tribe must protect her from Victoria, a vampire seeking to avenge her mate James’ death, by killing Bella. The film garnered the third best weekend opening of all time, earning $140.7 million nearly double the opening of the last Twilight film. The third film, Eclipse, is set to be released June 30, 2010. The growing interest in Twilight confirms that science fiction and fantasy continues to fuel and sustain Hollywood’s movie industry.

STEPHEN KING’S NEWEST SCI-FI BOOK UNDER THE DOME

Jeffrey Newman — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:58:26 +0000

Stephen King’s latest work UNDER THE DOME, soon to be a television mini series, is about a Maine Village suddenly sealed off by an invisible force field. The people inside the field are cut off and time is running out, as they have limited resources–a metaphor on our planet, according to the author. The story is about the people inside the dome and how some try to take advantage of the situation for control and power and how others try to help their neighbors, to help them through. A worthwhile read for the holiday.

HOLLYWOOD’S FUTURE RESTS WITH SCIENCE FICTION WRITERS

Jeffrey Newman — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:17:44 +0000

9 out of 10 of the top grossing films were science fiction or fantasy. This may account for the coming spate of sci fi films and the interest in new literature written about the future of mankind. The top films included: 1) Lord of the Rings; 2)Star Wars III; 3)ET; 4)Shrek; 5) Dark Knight and 6)Titanic. Viewers want to be taken to a different time and place, even if its a hopeless future (See The Road).