Php 70.00 Vol. 44 No. 1 • JANUARY 2010 - IMPACT Magazine Online!

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ENTERTAINMENT Ca t h o l i c INi t i a t i v e fo r Enl i g h t e n e d Mov i e App r e c i a t i o n Pandora is one of the smaller planets some 4.3 light years from Earth. It is a luscious and unspoiled home to the 10 foot tall blue skinned Na’vi. The humans of the Earth has encroached deep into Pandora’s forest in search for valuable minerals but are held back by the planet’s atmosphere which is deadly to them. Meanwhile, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a former US Marine now paralyzed from waist down is selected to participate in the Avatar program, wherein genetically-bred human Na’vi hybrids are created to adapt to Pandora’s atmosphere. In exchange for the ability to move and walk again, Jake must serve as a scout for the human soldiers who follow him in Pandora’s jungles. However, when Jake learns of the Na’vi culture and falls in love with Princess Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), his loyalty becomes torn between his obligation as a spy and his new found love. AVATAR is a visual feast that tells an entertainingly tight story. Director James Cameron manages to recreate a world so charming and dreamy with its sharp CGIs and brilliant attention to technical detail. The story’s development and screenplay falls a little short as it tries hard to be relevant. Over-all the creative lapses are overtaken by the superb visuals. At the core of a person is his loyalty to what is right and what is good. At some point, a person might be influenced by power or authority or persuaded by debt of gratitude but almost always, there will be that small voice whispering to choose love, unity, peace and brotherhood. The film illustrates a person’s hierarchy of needs and desires. It seems that man wants most what he has lost or is incapable of. He thinks he will sell even his soul just to get back what he has lost. However, at the end of the day, what will truly make one happy and content is not merely fulfilling those needs and desires but following what is true and good as dictated by the soul and heart. The movie contains several intense war-related violence, some profanity and crude language. The film is inappropriate for very young children. Parents are strongly advised to guide their children who would like to watch the film. Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez Director: James Cameron Producers: Cameron, Jon Landau Screenwriter: James Cameron Music: James Homer Editor: James Cameron, John Refoua, Stephen E. Rivkin Genre: Sci-Fi Adventure Distributor: 20th Century Fox Running Time: 123 mins Technical Assessment: •••• Moral Assessment: ½ CINEMA Rating: For viewers 14 and above 30 IMPACT • January 2010
ASIA BRIEFING THAILAND Blasts kill one during Thai PM's visit south Alleged rebels have detonated two bombs in Thailand’s south, killing one person, as PM Abhisit Vejjajiva visits the Muslimmajority region. The first blast was just 100 metres away from where Abhisit was due to open a road in the Yala town. The other bomb exploded about 2 kms. away, and killed a civilian defense volunteer. INDONESIA Dancers' arrests stir fears of Sharia law Women's rights groups here are calling on police to release four exotic dancers nabbed on Jan. 1 under the country's anti-pornography law. Police alleged they were about to perform a striptease and were wearing "sexy clothing". Under the law, the dancers could be jailed for up to 15 years for showing or suggesting sexual acts that are said to violate morality. CHINA Govt jails Tibetan filmmaker A court here has sentenced a Tibetan filmmaker for six years over his documentary airing ordinary people’s grievances. Among the topics he discussed in his documentary “Leaving Fear Behind” were Chinese rule, the exiled Dalai Lama and the Olympics which Beijing was preparing to hold in August 2008. NEPAL Maoist child soldiers freed Thousands of former child soldiers who fought for the Maoists in Nepal's decade-long civil war on Jan. 7 started to leave UNmonitored camps around the country. Almost 24,000 former Maoist fighters have been living in the camps since they were discharged as part of the 2006 peace pact. Their release will allow the Maoists to be removed from a UN list of groups that use children in conflict. JAPAN Sole survivor of Japan nuke blasts dies Tsutomu Yamaguchi, 93, and the sole person officially recognized as having survived both nuclear bombings in Japan during World War II has died. On August 6, 1945, he was on a business trip to Hiroshima when an atomic bomb was dropped on the city. Yamaguchi was badly hurt and the attack resulted in the deaths of 140,000 people. He was there on August the 9th when it too was bombed and claimed 70, 000 lives. BURMA Burma journalist gets 20 years in jail A court here has given a 20-year jail term to a video journalist who worked with an exiled Burmese media group. Reports said that 25- year-old freelance reporter Hla Hla Win was arrested in September after visiting a Buddhist monastery about 500 kms. north of Rangoon. A woman who had accompanied her was sentenced to 26 years in jail. VIETNAM China tourism plans hit China’s proposal to develop tourism on the disputed Paracel archipelago has gained condemnation from Vietnam. Hanoi has called on China to put a halt to the plan, which may cause further tension and complicate the maritime situation. The two nations have a long-standing dispute over sovereignty of the Parcels and the Spratlys archipelago. KOREA South, North Korea seek peace talks South Korea has again urged its communist neighbour, North Korea, to disarm. President Lee Myung- Bak's remarks come after a call by N. Korea recently for an end to hostile relations with S. Korea's key ally, the US, and a nuclear-free peninsula. Lee said South Korea and North Korea should establish a body for productive dialogue. PAKISTAN 5 alleged US militants to stand trial Five US militant suspects, arrested in December on suspicion of trying to contact Al-Qaeda linked groups, are due to appear in a Pakistani court on charges of plotting terror attacks. Authorities said they will seek life-long jail sentences for the five men. The men, who are all US citizens with dual nationality including two Pakistani-Americans, have also been questioned by the FBI. BANGLADESH Court signs death warrants for Mujib killers Executions await the five killers of Bangladesh’s independence leader Shiekh Mujibur Rahman in 1975 after a judge has signed their death warrants. Officials said the executions will take place within the next four weeks. It may also be delayed if they seek another review by the Supreme Court or appeal for presidential clemency. Mujib daughter Sheikh Hasina is now Bangladesh's prime minister. CAMBODIA Group seeks end to forced participation in drug trials US-based Human Rights Watch called on Cambodia to stop the forced participation of drug users in the trial of an experimental herbal formula to "cure" their drug dependence. Such a trial violates, the group said, the rights of the forced participants and does not meet minimum scientific standards. Volume 44 • Number 1 31
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Php 70.00 Vol. 44 No. 1 • JANUARY 2010 - IMPACT Magazine Online!

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