Avatar

Director: James Cameron
Writer: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver

Avatar made its place in history as being one of the highest grossing films of all-time. As of the date of this article, it is THE highest grossing film of all-time. It was the first movie to gross over $2 billion, the top selling Blu-ray ever made, and is considered to be a major breakthrough in cinematic technology. Where do you even begin with a movie that is so iconic, so original, and such a major success?

James Cameron literally created his own world. Within that world, he developed a new race, culture, and language. The outcome is something of a new-age "Star Wars." The special effects in the movie are outstanding and some of the best ever made. James Cameron even went as far as to invent new technologies in his pursuit of perfection, some of which will have a lasting impact on the way effects are done in future movies.

If all of this was not enough to immerse viewers into the intricate world of Pandora, the 3D version of the movie literally sits them inside of it. James Cameron used the 3D effect to its full power and provided one of the best displays of its use. It is difficult to describe the impact that the 3D has on the movie, but it is something that definitely must be seen.

Hidden behind all of the flashy visuals, the movie contains a deeper meaning - one that encourages environmental activism. It is probably the most ambitious piece of "green" advocacy ever seen on film, as it touches on all of the major environmental issues that occur in the world today. Other themes thought to have been implied are those of civilization, race, and anti-war.

With so many strong points, it is difficult to find any criticism for the movie. Perhaps the only known weak spot lies in the story's plot. Many have cited the film as being overly predictable and a blatant rip-off of other movies such as "Pocahontas" and "Dances with Wolves."

James Cameron spent 4 years making Avatar and only about a month on the script. Unfortunately, I would have to agree that the lopsided time difference and amount of effort between the two areas shows. The story seemed overly familiar, and from early on, it was easy to tell how the movie would end. I would also argue that character development was somewhat weak and typical in certain areas (particularly the characters Parker Selfridge and Grace Augustine).

All negativity aside, there are far more good points to make than bad points. Avatar is a visually stunning masterpiece that is revolutionary to the film industry and technology. Without question, it is one of the best movies of 2009 and the countless record-breaking successes have put its name among the greatest movies of all-time.

Memento

Director: Christopher Nolan
Writers: Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan
Starring: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano

Memento is hands-down the best cult film I have ever seen. I will even go as far as to say that it is one of my all-time favorite movies.

The plot is centered around a man suffering from short-term memory loss as he hunts for the person he thinks killed his wife. His disability leaves his mind incapable of creating new memories, and as a result, he is unable to remember things that happened as little as a few minutes prior. In an attempt to lock the viewer into the mind of the protagonist, Jonathan and Christopher Nolan crafted a screenplay that runs backwards - starting at the end and finishing at the beginning. The effect of the reverse-ordered scenes is that they essentially give the viewer their own version of short-term memory loss; like the protagonist, the viewer doesn't know what happened before the scene they are currently watching.

What makes this film so remarkable is the fact that Christopher Nolan was able to tell a story backwards and still make it interesting. Normally, the duration of a movie is spent building up to that one final moment: the climax. So, how does one go about scripting a plot that does the exact opposite yet still reveals information along the way and provides viewers with many shocking twists and turns? It takes a writer with a lot of skill and imagination. The Nolans definitely earned their Academy Award Nomination for Best Writing (Original Screenplay) for this one.

From the first scene, Christopher Nolan hints at the unique nature of his film through a series of images played in reverse: a bullet flies back into a gun, a man comes back to life, even the audio is backwards. The scene then stops and replays, this time in the correct order. This scene is the best/most visible display of the innovative editing done in the film and its ability to add to the plot. The editor, Dody Dorn, deserves praise for the difficult task of putting all of these fragments together and making them flow in a smooth manner.

In addition to the editing, the film is topped-off with excellent directing and solid acting all around. In fact, the film nears perfection, and a lot of it is due to the great attention to detail, originality, and creativity. Even the trailer shows signs of ingenuity and works to expand on the plot:

From its groundbreaking narrative style to its exceptional editing, Memento excels in almost every way. It leaves viewers reflecting on it for days and wanting to watch it over again as soon as it ends (or begins). It is definitely one of Nolan's finest and one of the most memorable movies of all time.