As most people know, AVATAR came out in theaters three days ago. I decided to be brave, and went to the midnight showing Thursday night/Friday morning. I did this knowing that the movie was 2 hours and 40 minutes long, and that I probably wouldn't get much sleep (if any) before going to work the next day. While I was seriously doubting my sanity while sitting in line for hours (to ensure the best possible seats), my resolve paid off. AVATAR is an incredible movie. I can say, without any doubt, that it is one of the best movies I have seen in a long, LONG time. I saw the movie in IMAX 3D (and again today at a local theater), and I have to say, the IMAX 3D version is mind-blowing. The visuals are beyond anything that has been filmed to date, and the sound was exceptional due to the IMAX sound system. One thing that really amazed me about this film was the quality of the CG. They used real actors, and then grafted CG over them. The result is that the CG characters show so much emotion, and appear so life-like, that you really forget that you are watching special effects. The Navi people (the blue cat-like creatures in the movie) at first seem somewhat alien, and odd. But over the course of the movie, you find that they are actually quite beautiful and graceful, and you wind up cheering for their species over the humans. I think that everyone should see this movie, but if they do, they should see if in Digital 3D (this is a MUST in my opinion), and if possible, in IMAX 3D. The 3D effects were done so well that it will set a standard now that I will expect for future 3D movies.

On another topic, I recently started watching a show on NBC called the Sing Off. This show takes acapella groups (ranging from 4 members to like 12) and has them face off against each other singing songs from pre-selected categories. The one caveat is that no instruments are allowed - the acapella groups have to replicate all of the instruments. It is a really cool idea for a show, I'm definitely enjoying it (some of the groups are pretty talented, which makes it fun to watch). If you have some time, go check it out on the NBC website!

Happy holidays everyone! Enjoy the new year!