Director could have borrowed upcoming film from older story

via http://wetprints.files.wordpress.com/ Pictured (from left to right) Director James Cameron and actor Sam Worthington

Director James Cameron could have taken the story for his upcoming film, Avatar, from an older story by author Poul Anderson, according to science-fiction website io9.

The novella, entitled Call Me Joe, allegedly has several striking similarities to the upcoming film, and many fans of the novella are requesting Cameron to credit Anderson for the story.

In Avatar, a paraplegic man uses an artificial life form to explore a dangerous planet full of otherworldly creatures. He soon comes to love his new freedom of movement and starts to call the hazardous planet his home. One reader drew io9's attention to Anderson's story because of the curiously similar plot lines that both works share.

If trouble were to arise from these similarities, it wouldn't be the first time Cameron faced accusations of plagiarism. Cameron was sued by writer Harlen Ellison who said Cameron's 1984 hit The Terminator was lifted from two episodes Ellison wrote for the series The Outer Limits. Ellison and the production company behind the film settled out of court, and Ellison was given a writing credit on the film.

Peter Travers: The Name of Film Journalism

"I know this film is popular, but so is junk food. It still rots your brain!"

If you've ever purchased a DVD or watched a TV spot for a good, quality movie, then chances are you've seen the name Peter Travers. Travers is the film critic for Rolling Stone Magazine and the most blurbed film critic in America according to efilmcritic.com. His name has been displayed on hundreds, if not thousands of movie posters, DVD covers, and commercials with his trademark four star rating system. If you see Travers name anywhere around the film, chances are it is worth seeing.

So, what makes Peter Travers such a huge name in the film journalism field? Travers writes for the common movie fan. His writing style is very easily readable and understood unlike several other high profile critics that write for industry insiders. Travers also has a sense of humor which distances himself from the other critics because his reviews feel like they were written by a human being instead of a robot. Whether he loves or hates a movie, he will tell you why in a way that everyone can understand.




What Travers does best, though, is attempt to make the casual moviegoer see through what movie studios often think they want to see and try to look for the good elements of movies. It is this connection with the casual moviegoer that has made Peter Travers a great success and influential film journalist. Future film critics will look back at Travers to copy his formula for success for as long as they have a place in the journalism field.