James Cameron has resurfaced to compete for another Oscar with the science-fiction thriller Avatar, his first film since the Oscar-winning tearjerker Titanic.
IMAX trailer hypes Avatar buzz
Avatar comes to theaters Dec. 18, but Cameron teased film aficionados across the country with a 12-minute sneak preview Friday in IMAX theaters.
USA Today reported that Cameron used the Avatar teaser to emphasize that his December release is not a cartoon, but a 3-D film that uses live action sequences with digital edits.
Film creators used these 3-D techniques to morph Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation) and science-fiction thriller veteran Sigourney Weaver (Alien) into blue humanoid forms.
Explore Media Group said the film focuses on a wounded ex-marine’s exploration of Alpha Centauri B-4, a planet filled with deadly ammonia-breathing life forms.
Since Avatar was written and directed by James Cameron, viewers can anticipate another near-perfect movie.
‘Titanic’ star continues award-winning career
Cameron is not the only Titanic alumnus contending for Oscar stardom.
Leonardo DiCaprio, who played star-crossed lover Jack Dawson in Cameron’s 1997 film, is struggling to balance a plate full of thrillers and dramas.
Digital Spy reported that Paramount Pictures pushed back Shutter Island, a horror-thriller starring DiCaprio, to Feb. 2010 from the scheduled release date of Oct. 2.
Paramount Pictures has not yet confirmed a date for the film’s release because of DiCaprio’s rumored scheduling conflicts with science-fiction thriller Inception and a rumored biopic on Frank Sinatra.
Shutter Island, set in 1954, follows U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) as he investigates the disappearance of a mental patient from Boston’s Shutter Island Ashecliffe Hospital.
Since Shutter Island reunites Scorsese and DiCaprio, it is sure to bring thrills in 2010 as well as DiCaprio’s infamous on-screen Boston accent.
DiCaprio has started a trend of playing characters with heavy accents, beginning with Scorsese’s 2005 film The Departed.
In an interview with contactmusic.com, Dicaprio said while filming The Departed, he was terrified that his inflection would not be believable.
Viewers can only hope that DiCaprio has overcome this anxiety, or else Cameron might take the lead in the 2010 Oscars.
Despite the awards battle, moviegoers can expect a science-fiction delight and insane fright when Avatar and Shutter Island hit theaters this winter.
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