Avatar

James Cameron walks a dangerous line with Avatar - it wouldn't take much to fall into George Lucas territory; lush, primary-hued landscapes, ridiculous character design - really, it wouldn't seem out of place for Jar-Jar to drop by in this movie.

But Cameron didn't fall for that - instead, he delivered another solid, well-crafted, compelling movie. Did I forget entertaining? If you like action, Avatar delivers. (Point of fact - I thought the most exciting scene in the movie was the protagonist fighting his flying mount for dominance. This despite epic battle scenes the whole way through.)

From what I've seen and heard, Cameron is a paragon of efficiency. One rumor about him deals with his scripts - he never has to cut scenes. When he drops a script on the studio desk, it is whole and complete - nothing to add or subtract.

Along those same lines, there's no one better to bring 3D movies mainstream. He's a mechanic - not an artiste like Kubrick or an over-the-top narcissist like Tarantino. He teases with the depth effect, but never nauseates. This kind of baseline is what's needed to keep people from being turned off by 3D. Cameron carefully balances everything. I'm glad he got this one out the door, and am looking forward to what's next.

Oil is still king.

Big profits. Big, big profits.

What happens we we start to run out? Why aren't these clowns perfecting solar and wind energy?

American Without a Middle Class

An article by Elizabeth Warren - the chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel on the TARP program.

Eat the rich.