Avatar is James Cameron’s original screenplay and his latest big box office boom. It is a futuristic tale similar to Pocahontas. Avatar stars Sam Worthington as the hero Jack Sully and Zoe Saldana as his love interest Neytiri. Sigourney Weaver plays Dr. Grace Augustine, the scientific diplomat, and Steven Lang plays Colonel Miles Quaritch, the film’s protagonist. The story is about a collaboration to harvest a mineral from the alien inhabited world Pandora. We follow a paraplegic solider who must take the place of his dead twin brother in an expensive campaign. The corporation is using these Avatars to try to move Pandora’s native population away from the precious minerals in a diplomatic fashion. This beautiful action thriller does not disappoint, with some of the greatest cinematography ever seen in a film, and special effects that are literally out of this world. The story felt familiar and predictable. The film dragged on a little longer than it should have. The makers spent too much time with scenes that, while they looked nice, had little plot development. Dialogue often felt cheesy and forced as well. Despite these setbacks, I still believe that the film will be a fantastic and fun view for all audiences. I believe is a must-see movie and give it 3.5 out of 5.

The Blind Side, based on a true story, this adapted screenplay from Michael Lewis’ book tells of rookie professional football player, Michael Oher’s tough beginnings in West Memphis, Tennessee. The story follows Michael, played by Quinton Aaron, as a young man struggling through high school, low on his luck, and mostly on his own. While Michael was not a book smart student, he had a great heart. He was often called "Big Mike" because of his size. With some help, Michael gets into a private Christian school because of his athletic potential. His life changes forever after a well off family (Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw) shows him great kindness by inviting him into their home. Young actor Jae Head plays Michael’s loveable, younger adoptive brother. This film spends a lot of effort trying to pity Michael, possibly relying too much on this to keep the audience’s attention, but does well to stay out of the stereotypes of many sports films by keeping to the story, not the sports. Overall, this is a great and heartwarming film for the whole family. I give it 4 out of 5.