TODAY.AZ / Arts & Entertainment

AFI: "Avatar" is a "noteworthy" event, but not a best movie

30 December 2009 [10:33] - TODAY.AZ
Can a film be noteworthy without being one of the year's best? The American Film Institute clearly thinks so.

AFI has chosen the James Cameron movie "Avatar" as one of the eight "noteworthy" events in the world of cinema in 2009, but it didn't include the flick on its finest movies list, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The Institute described "Avatar" as "a film that firmly established itself as a landmark in the way stories are told."

It also called director Cameron's use of CGI and 3D technology "an achievement that will have profound effects on the future of the art form."

Yet, AFI's best films list bent towards far less populist fare, instead singling out movies like "A Serious Man," "The Hurt Locker," and "Precious."

The Institute saluted other "noteworthy" film trends of the year, including the "dazzling" proliferation of new animated movies, and the rise in ticket grosses. The latter, it said, demonstrated that "movies again prove a tonic for economic ails."

AFI also recognized key TV trends, including Jay Leno's move to prime time, which caused the loss of "five hours traditionally reserved for episodic drama," according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Another trend concerned reality television, which, it said "crossed a line in 2009 as the cultural craving for celebrity moved in a dangerous new direction."

For proof of the latter, AFI pointed to the balloon boy hoax and the phenomenon of "Octomom."

In addition, according to the Hollywood Reporter story, the Institute singled out the death of Michael Jackson's death and the rise of "Twitter," as major cultural touchstones of '09.

/NY Daily News/
URL: http://www.today.az/news/entertainment/58773.html

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