Notes after having seen Avatar

Spoiler alert: if you don't want to know how it ends, don't read the last (11th) note

1) It's nice to see an anti-war movie again

2) It's nice to see a successful, anti-war film, period

3) It's nice to see a pro-environmental film

4) It's nice to see an anti-corporate film (that also happens to be wildly successful)

5) It's nice to see a film that leans on "The Wizard of Oz" for two references, at least--the first being the general's quote at the beginning of the film to his men "You aren't in Kansas anymore..." and the 2nd being when the "dragons" took off for flight at one point, they looked just like the monkeys at the Wicked Witch of the West's castle, also taking flight

6) If I were a native American Indian, I think there is a strong likelihood that, if I saw this movie "Avatar", I would be incensed that, after 200 years and untold, uncounted and countless slaughters of my people, in one way or another (out-and-out murder, taking away their clothing, history, tongue, culture, etc., and replacing it with government food, alcohol, etc., and, not to be forgotten, the accidental--mostly--introduction of disease and diseases to their people, among other things), it would irritate me that the American people finally "get it" about taking care of the planet but only because some mega-rich guy made a fictional movie about it that added more money still, to his accounts.

7) I understand Mr. Cameron plans to apply this current, new 3-D technique to some old films. If so, I hope he does "2001: A Space Odyssey" and the original "Star Wars" films--the first trilogy, as soon as possible

8) With all Mr. Cameron's wealth, first from "Titanic", now "Avatar" and then, finally, all the millions--billions?--he is likely to make from this same 3-D technology (you know he patented it), he could likely feed, clothe, house and nurse the Third World very soon. I don't think it will happen but I hope he does find philanthropy, if he hasn't already

9) See if you don't agree that the world Mr. Cameron created on this planet doesn't look like he took a great deal of inspiration from an old "Yes" (the band) album. A GREAT deal. It looks like it could be right off Roger Dean's easel

10) the seats that shake in the theater, to enhance the experience, are over-rated, in my view

11) And here's the spoiler (don't say you weren't warned twice): It's terrific to see the environment and nature defeat the "war machine"

Question: Can we now, as a country, say we have learned our lesson about nature and make mountain-top removal illegal, for obtaining coal?

We should but we won't.

And a final side note on our culture: With so few young people reading news regularly, it's a sad state of the nation that so few people in the country, also, know what's happening in their name, by their own representatives even though they are expected to vote for or against different issues and politicians and points of view. It's shocking to me.

We have created these magnificent ways of creating beautiful visual stories--now in a new, super-realistic 3-D but we don't pay attention to our own worlds--the social, political and other worlds for which we are responsible.

Crazy. Really crazy.

The world's likely spun out of control, I think.