I read the posts on Avatar yesterday and I wanted to add that one NPR critic claimed Cameron was relying on a montage of tropes from other important stories and movies. I found myself sobbing during the movie and having to try to calm myself down so I didn't embarrass my daughter and I think it was exactly the montage of tropes that helped bring the message to a deep emotional level.

We grew up on the magical tales his "montage of tropes" came from, stories that create a modern-day mythology with nearly the emotional inpact of religious ceremonies, in a way. These tropes touch us deeply, and I think his use of them to wake people up was incredibly brilliant.

Unfortunately, I don't think Hollywood let him take his message far enough, Of-course. I want a re-do of the movie in a way that will make everyone in the theater go home to write letters to fight this stupid escalation in Afghanistan. While watching the movie, I was bombarded by images of all of the senseless wars we have instigated and participated in all at once, and all of the hope we had for President Obama to make changes, and instead, he is now telling guards to remove baby's shoes and full-body scan Italian grandmas.

It's pretty obvious isn't it? If we weren't escalating the war in Afghanistan we could use our resources to feed and offer health care and mortgage help to millions of Americans, instead of buying full-body scanners.

Avatar tries to make a difference, and it is moving in the right direction, but it doesn't go nearly far enough. But, like President Obama, James Cameron is a victim of corporatism and what they will allow Americans to truly know and understand.