Likely Story

It's the time of year where we find the best in one another. We also take the time and energy to make ourselves available to friends and family, to cleave unto our loved ones as they cleave unto us, giving of ourselves in ways above and beyond the everyday.

That feeling is pretty much the only way I was going to end up in an IMAX theater watching a 3D showing of Avatar: Fire and Ash this holiday season. Having seen the first two Avatar films, there is no force social or spiritual that was likely to soften my soul to the idea of 3-plus hours of James Cameron's embarrassing cowboys-and-indians non-parable parable about environmental something-or-other. 

No force of course except my youngest (adult) kid asking me to. For even bad movies, we're a good time. We set the precedent way back when we excitedly saw the predictably predictable Dwayne Johnson struggle-fest Skyscraper when he was like 15. It was awful in a way we both really wanted it to be, which led to an animated discussion in the drive home. It's the kind of bonding kids only do now in the Discord chat during co-op gaming.

More about this movie later, but I wanted to pass along this message of family and fellowship and the unifying power of Jim Cameron's pretentiousness in the form of a popcorn movie. Let's all try to carry that warm feeling of togetherness through the new year. We'll fashion our own upsides out of the slow-motion explosion of the post-Cold War international settlement, in this lull before the Great Venezuela War of 2026.

Merry Christmas, everyone!