Te Technology and Politics of Avatar 2

As each year crept on from the release of the original Avatar and its box office redefining moment in cinema, anyone could feel the increasing mockery levied against James Cameron and his apparent dream to make a sequel long belated not just from the original, but also from its own production start date. Avatar: The Way of Water was a long time coming, and according to industry experts, it was perhaps too long. Yet, those who doubted Big Jim Cameron’s big return to the big screen had another thing coming, and neither delay nor a still-reeling post-pandemic box office environment could stop what turned out to be another two billion dollar film. James Cameron is the antithesis of box office poison: This is true and always has been. More complicated, it seems, is determining what to say of Cameron as a director and, frankly, what one can make of Cameron as a technician and an activist, the two roles he grapples with constantly in The Way of Water

I saw Avatar: The Way of Water both times in 3D. After the first time, head aching and eyes strain- ing, I might’ve been discouraged from a second three-hour chunk of pushing my pupils to their absolute limit. Yet, there’s something inarguable about the accomplishment there. The depth produced by 3D that was designed and overseen every step of the way as the primary viewing experience feels different from nearly all of the last ten years of terrible 3D imposed on studios trying to cash in on the original Avatar. And it’s probably not worth it, given that the success of this 3D is going to lead to those same studio heads making that same terrible 3D for the next ten years. But even if all that terrible nonsense is true, and this is going to give me a headache and fill half the screens at every multiplex with terrible-looking 3D for decades to come, I can at least enjoy something that looks astonishing for three hours.

The same can be said about the overwhelming use of CGI in The Way of Water. It’s astonishing, but just because it can be done doesn’t mean it should be done.

Showcasing the limits of CGI in the hands of talented craftspeople only encourages the use of CGI in the fists of those who like it because it’s cheap, non-unionized labor. We’re a far cry away from the regular use of practical effects, which I still contend look better than anything CGI can produce. A film made almost exclusively on a computer provokes anxieties about where this could go when the ship isn’t being steered by James Cameron. It is legitimately impressive when Cameron produces entire characters and worlds which exist as computer images. Still, one should be skeptical whether these images can hold up on a smaller screen or stand the test of time. I won’t pretend that rewatches of the original Avatar — a film hailed as a holy grail of CGI accomplishment — still work visually in the way a practical effects accomplishment (say, Total Recall) persists even years later. Judging from watching The Way of Water’s trailers on a small screen, the visual majesty just simply doesn’t carry over — in producing a uniquely cinematic experience, Cameron has also produced an exclusively cinematic experience.

A lot can be and has been said about James Cameron’s toxic assertions regarding Native groups, but the man certainly seems not to be an opportunist. He’s now staked his remaining career on a franchise that is unabashedly anti-human (at least in its conception of white imperialist humanity), and even his worst statements come in the form of constant attempts to express the evil of colonialism, albeit in often ham-fisted ways. Cameron’s film, by virtue of its creator and its need to grapple with representation questions (how should one feel about the decision to cast such a blatant stand-in for an indigenous group with non-indigenous actors?) falls victim to a recent scourge of well-meaning (or semi-well-meaning) action movies that, try as they might, can’t really escape the trappings of their genre. Whether it’s the brilliant RRR (fun enough to anti-colonial Americans, but apparently nationalistic on its own turf) or The Woman King (an excellent action film following in a long line of earlier Hollywood epics in its unfortunate historical inaccuracies), Avatar: The Way of Water finds itself among the good company of films one just can’t know what exactly to make of.

There’s a lot to be said for Avatar: The Way of Water. Its threehour runtime is paced nearly perfectly, slowing itself down when necessary and accelerating with no reservation for a breakneck third act. It relishes in beautiful visual effects and creature designs that can be fascinating and colorful. Its plot, though simple, builds on a dull and simplistic Dances With Wolves riff that plagued the original. All told, it’s a really good movie, just one that doesn’t always land those big punches it’s throwing. As a political act, its anticolonialism is limited by the trappings of its creator and the realities of its genre, not to mention a willingness to traffic in stereotypes. As a technological feat, it impresses, but never quite justifies its own broader damage to the industry or surpasses the visual effects it’s apparently supplanting. The Way of Water looks astonishing, but I can’t help but feel melancholic about the dominance of digital photography and CGI that both films have left in their wake. At the end of the day, I suppose I’ll tip my cap to The Way of Water, a film I enjoyed just enough to see twice. I’ll be ready to write these same endorsements and misgivings again when the next Avatar film comes out in two years, and the next one two years after that, and again, stretching on for presumably decades.

SERENA HUANG ’24

EMMA LEYNSE ’23 Associate

SURITA

NAOMI KOH ’23 Assistant

ELI PALLRAND ’24 News Editor

ESTEE YI ’24 News

KAYLA RIGGS ’24

JULIA NAGEL ’24

MEHER BHATIA ’24

Adam Senzon My Two Sen-ts

Intergovernmental Bodies and Human Rights

If you would have asked me about international human rights law before Jan. 23, I would simply have nothing to say. After enrolling in LAW 4081: International Human Rights Law with Elizabeth Brundige, Clinical Professor of Law at Cornell Law School, though, I can now say that the previous statement has changed.

In the short amount of time that I’ve been enrolled in the course, I have already expanded my knowledge on the topic of human rights law on a global scale and learned the essentiality of intergovernmental bodies in protecting human rights.

As a pre-law student studying Industrial and Labor Relations with intended minors in Law and Society and Policy Analysis and Management, I’ve known about my interest in the law for quite some time now. That being said, only recently have I been able to further develop a breadth of knowledge on the technicalities of the law both domestically and internationally.

My interest in the law involves the intersection of labor and environmental law focusing on defending the rights of workers exploited by the agricultural system of America. This issue disproportionately impacts undocumented immigrants who don’t have the legal right to unionize given their lack of citizenship. And yet, seventy-three percent of all agricultural workers in the United States belong to immigrant backgrounds, while an estimated three percent of all workers in the U.S. belong to unions in agriculture.

In addition to this overwhelmingly large population of agricultural workers that belong to immigrant backgrounds, twenty-eight percent of this workforce is women. This topic of discussion is not directly related to what I will be discussing today, but I figured offering context on my interest in the law might explain my inclination to enroll in a related course at CLS.

Prof. Brundige founded and directs the Gender Justice Clinic at CLS where she emphasizes the efficacy of research and advocacy regarding gender-based violence and discrimination. Learning about methods of remedying gender-based discrimination has been indispensable to me as I’ve been able to better understand the overarching applications of the law in other contexts. In taking Prof. Brundige’s course I’ve been able to train my critical thinking muscle and think like a lawyer.

The issue of the exploitation of workers in the agricultural system involves racial discrimination, as well. This discrimination can look like many different things: Sexual harassment, assigned caregiving, lower pay and the denial of a living wage as a whole.

When one zooms out from a domestic standpoint and addresses this issue on an international level, it becomes clear that this isn’t only happening in America. The United Nations has the solutions we are looking for, but its methods are not foolproof.

The United Nations offers a comprehensive list of existing intergovernmental organizations that have been created by states globally through multilateral treaties. As noted by CLS, a multilateral treaty is pertinent to international law and covers “human rights to inter-state agreements on matters such as trade or transportation.”

These intergovernmental bodies exist with the primary role of preventing human rights violations in the masses, including the violations that take place in agriculture. They are particularly important because they hold states accountable for violations of human rights and must adhere to a given treaty as long as they are a party to it.

In addition to this measure, in 1979, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women was adopted by the United Nations as a part of the Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. CEDAW includes a total of 30 articles dedicated to the protection of women internationally whose rights have been violated in any form ranging from property rights to gender-based discrimination.

Again, it is important to recognize that while states are being held accountable through the presence of intergovernmental bodies, violations can still exist among states that are parties to multilateral treaties. For instance, article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights establishes that “the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others” must be adhered to — an article that was arguably violated after the United States declared a public emergency during the pandemic due to peaceful protests.

I believe that the presence of intergovernmental bodies and respective multilateral treaties is a necessary force to prevent the violation of human rights by states globally. I’d like to extend a special thank you to Prof. Brundige for her passion-driven teaching and inspiring lectures.

Tomato Soup

Sundoku Puzzle 100

Fill in the empty cells, one number in each, so that each column, row, and region contains the numbers 1-9 exactly once. Each number in the solution therefore occurs only once in each of the three “directions,” hence the “single numbers” implied by the puzzle’s name. (Rules from wikipedia.org/wiki/ Sudoku)

Bus Stop

26 Apartment For Rent

3 Bedroom Apartment Available for the 2023-2024 School Year beginning June 1st. Located in Sapsucker Woods near the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The apartment includes heat, water & sewer, off street parking and snow removal. Tenants are responsible for electric and the internet. Coin operated laudry is available on site. Rent is $2,000/mo. If you have any questions or would like to schedule a tour contact us by email: renting@ithacaLS.com.

1 Bedroom Apartment Downtown Available Aug. 1 (or as early as June 1) Ideal for grad, staff or working professional. Upstairs apartment with full bath, living room, kitchen, bedroom and porch overlooking street. Quiet downtown area on Cascadila St. Bus stop in front of house to Commons, then CU campus. No undergrads, no smokers, no pets. References required. $1025/mo plus util. Info or appointment: email gm27@cornell.edu

32 PETS

Mini Goldendoodles ready to go home at the end of March. 4 boys 6 girls available. Family raised, dewormed, first shotsm vest checked. AKC registered lines. $1800-$2000 585-626-8409

Cup of Tea

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