Websites of the Week

For the Academic

http://www.internet-resources.com/writers/wrlinks-wordstuff.htm

Mrs. Steele, famed AP Comp/Lit, etymology, and English teacher, would drool. This nifty page lists links to the best sites for grammar information, dictionaries, quotations, and the like. There’s even a “MEGALIST OF WORDS” link. Whatever the heck that is.

For the Academic Time-waster

http://www.youtube.com/user/RedLetterMedia#p/u/7/uJarz7BYnHA

This is probably more appropriate for geeks/dorks/nerds, not academics (there is a difference), but nevertheless, it takes a certain kind of sense of humor to appreciate this guy’s comedic reviews of popular movies. His most recent victim, Avatar, is the place to start. And then move on to Star Wars. Prepare yourself… this guy ain’t kid-friendly.

For the Time-waster

http://www.peta.org/Sea_Kittens/game.asp

Activism in its best form: animated, mustachioed fish. Dress ‘em up in tutus, suits, or the illustrated hipster ensemble and have a laugh.

Please submit suggestions for the Streamline’s Websites of the Week by posting a comment or emailing the opinions editor, Hannah Davis, at davis.hannahc@gmail.com.

Sci-fi Avatar makes a splash at the box office

The hype for the newly released sci-fi thriller, Avatar, is well worth the hubbub. Maintaining a high standard was definitely on the mind director James Cameron as he was spending the movie’s $237 million budget.

The story begins in 2154, with the introduction of a Marine, Jake Sulley. His identical twin brother had been chosen for a series of experiments on the planet Pandora using a surragate to gain an extremely rare metal that is very valuable on Earth. Jake’s brother dies right before he is deployed to Pandora, and Jake is sent in his place because he has the same DNA as his brother, conserving millions of dollars and an otherwise wasted avatar.

Avatar is not only about great adventures on an unknown planet, but a love story that comes about after Sulley “becomes one” with the native Pandoran people. When the humans want to destroy the natives’ home, Sulley comes to their rescue, “betraying his own race,” leading to one of the best battle scenes I have ever witnessed in a movie.

This almost three-hour film will keep you wanting more, and by the time it is over, you won’t even realize how long it really was. The special effects are to die for, especially in an IMAX theater. You really feel as if you are on Pandora with Sulley. Then again, it’s difficult to catch a showing of the movie in the IMAX 3D, at least in Noblesville. The Hamilton 16 IMAX has continually sold-out almost every single showing since the movie’s release over a month ago.

In its first three weeks after opening, Avatar grossed over a billion dollars and is currently at $1.7 billion, beating Cameron’s other big hit, Titanic. Cameron commited ten years of his film-making expertise to this well-rewarding flick. Almost anyone 12-years old and up with fully enjoy every second of the “blue people.”

Image from www.mi9.com.