An emergency room doctor said on Tuesday that watching Canadian director James Cameron’s “Avatar” contributed to a 42-year-old man’s death.
The Taiwanese man, who suffered from hypertension, had a stroke after watching the movie. He was unconscious when he was brought to the hospital and his brain was hemorrhaging.
Canadians came up big at Sunday night’s Golden Globe Awards, with director James Cameron taking home the top prizes as he won for Best Director and his film, “Avatar,” claimed the trophy for Best Motion Picture, Drama.
The Kapuskasing, Ontario, native who’s long lived in Los Angeles has had a heck of a year with the release of his long-awaited and highly anticipated adventure film to the far-off planet of Pandora. The film was Cameron’s first since a little thing called “Titanic” was released 12 years ago, and it seems the wait didn’t hamper the new film’s performance. In addition to claiming some major awards, it’s approaching $500 million gross revenue at the box office, according to boxofficemojo.com, putting it third place all time after “Titanic” ($600 million) and “The Dark Knight” ($533 million).
Elsewhere, screenwriter and director Jason Reitman took home a Best Screenplay award with co-writer Sheldon Turner for “Up in the Air,” which starred George Clooney. Reitman, of Montreal, also directed the film, but lost in that category to the aforementioned Cameron.
FInally, Calgary’s Cory Monteith was not nominated for an individual acting award, but his show “Glee” won the top prize for Best TV Series, Musical or Comedy, knocking off heavy hitters such as “30 Rock,” “The Office” and “Entourage,” and another highly touted newcomer, “Modern Family.”
Los Angeles-based Canadian writer Linda Massarella posted a list of the 10 most influential Canadians in the United States in 2009, and Canadian of the Week fully endorses it.
Massarella kept her list to what she called “those who are most boldly Canadian, who exude Canadian-ness in their speech and actions, who when interviewed say, ‘I’m from Canada,’ and give as much time to their homeland as to their adopted town.”
Coming in first was Luc Robitaille, the former left winger-turned team president of the Los Angeles Kings. As an L.A. native now living on the east cosat, and former Kings’ season ticket holder, I love this choice. I just worry that it’s a little too insider-y, but big points for sticking to the national sport and honoring a man who has made hockey successful in L.A. for nearly three decades.
Also making the list were recent Canadian of the Week picks James Cameron and William Shatner.
Filmmaker and recent Canadian of the Week James Cameron, who is making the press rounds to promote his new movie “Avatar,” said he’s done with the “Terminator” franchise he founded, and he thinks most people are, as well.
“I’ve moved on creatively from The Terminator, so I’m not really interested in that imagery and even those ideas anymore — and I’m not sure the world is that interested either,” he said in a story posted by the Edmonton Sun. “It’s run its course, I feel.”
Cameron added that his biggest regret was having sold the rights to the story in exchange for the chance to direct the original “Terminator” movie.
“If I had a little time machine and I could only send back something the length of a tweet,” he said, “it’d be — ‘Don’t sell.’”
James Cameron is the Axl Rose of filmmaking. After a string of hits back in the day, including one of the grandest epics of all time, it took him more than 10 years to get back in the game.
But the Ontario native who brought of “Terminator” and “Titanic” has returned, and his new movie, “Avatar,” is pulling in some great reviews. The triumphant return is notable enough to earn Cameron the honor of Canadian of the Week. We’ll assume a printed, framed version of this post will be placed somewhere between his three Oscars and his Golden Globe Award.
I’ve got to say, I don’t really get it. I’ve read this description a few times and, well, just read for yourself the synopsis provided by 20th Century Fox:
“Avatar is the story of an ex-Marine who finds himself thrust into hostilities on an alien planet filled with exotic life forms. As an Avatar, a human mind in an alien body, he finds himself torn between two worlds, in a desperate fight for his own survival and that of the indigenous people.”
Umm, cool.
The film is scoring 90 percent positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and is due in theaters on Friday. Check out the trailer below:
An emergency room doctor said on Tuesday that watching Canadian director James Cameron’s “Avatar” contributed to a 42-year-old man’s death.
Canadians came up big at Sunday night’s Golden Globe Awards, with director James Cameron taking home the top prizes as he won for Best Director and his film, “Avatar,” claimed the trophy for Best Motion Picture, Drama.
Filmmaker and recent Canadian of the Week James Cameron, who is making the press rounds to promote his new movie “Avatar,” said he’s done with the “Terminator” franchise he founded, and he thinks most people are, as well.
