Quit Apologizing for Thinking Avatar is a Good Movie

You're going to be sorry.

My wife can tell you that I'm really terrible at apologizing, even when I know I'm dead wrong about something. This is the main reason that I don't want to see the movie Avatar. Not because it's directed by James Cameron, who I've hated since Titanic became the most over-rated film of all time. Based on the reactions from my friends who have seen the film, apparently it's not acceptable to admit that you like this movie. I am not excited about seeing a movie where I'll probably be apologizing to everyone that I talk to about it.

Most people who have seen the movie say something like: "Don't judge me for saying this, but Avatar really was a good movie." This type of statement coming from people who are generally reviewing movies by saying things like: "If you don't like this movie, you're a hopeless idiot." leaves me concerned that if I see Avatar, I'll spend the next three months trying to justify to people why I thought it was good, as if I'm concerned about what people think of my taste in movies. I think Billy Madison should be on AFI's list of greatest movies of all time for the love of God. Is that something that you would admit if you cared about what people thought?

Titanic was painfully long, cheesy, predictable, and formulaic, if not visually stunning. The predictability was not Cameron's fault, since most anyone who can tie their shoes knows that damn boat is going to sink at the end of the movie. Like the Passion of the Christ, the ending is bound to be predictable. Perhaps liking a movie by the same director as such a piece of cinematic tripe does make one defensive that their credibility will be negatively affected by this admission.

I say, who cares. If you like Avatar, good for you. If you think that Ghosts of Girlfriend's Past is as funny as the Hangover (as someone recently admitted to me), then you have problems. I'm glad we had this talk.