The weather is crappy and so is my mood. This might fix at least one of those...

Battle Royale (2000)
Dir: Kinji Fukasaku

I adore the genuinely sweet moments, of which there are plenty, and the cast is a knockout ensemble. I especially love the different sorts of love on display- between family, between friends, budding, withering, one-sided, misaligned, more- it's a nice break from typical adult romance. (2/2)

but this? shut the fuck up. guess what, my man, gorgeous young 22 year olds like to fuck. And queer people deserve love stories that are sexy and horny. a "chaste kiss" please be for real.

The best aspects are all tech stuff- I can't really defend the emotional or writing sides of the movies because they are at best mediocre derivations of better work (Fern Gully, Dances With Wolves, real Native American history in general).

Still, Cameron's a wizard of technical production design.

To add to this: prior to 2009, 3D was pretty much "something popping out of the screen at you", pushing the movie into our world as a gimmick. Avatar uses it to add depth to its scenes, AWAY from us, and welcoming us into a beautiful world that is worth exploring rather than thrusting it out at us.

I like it because it looks better than so much else and the world is gorgeous. The actors also do a fine job, I think.

But I'd honestly prefer a "Planet Earth"-style mockumentary about the wildlife and biomes to the lackluster story that we get with such shallow characters.