Avatar screenings announced for Aug. 21.

avatar-poster1

I feel like I’m in the running of the bulls, where I’m being pushed towards the theater completely with force and I can do very little to stop myself.  The LA Times has announced screening times of that fifteen minute clip of James Cameron’s “Avatar”Mark Graham for NY Magazine’s Vulture Blog reports:

According to the Los Angeles Times, more than 100 Imax screens nationwide will hold two FREE screenings of the footage from James Cameron’s latest opus, on August 21 at 6 and 6:30 p.m. Details about the locations of these screenings have yet to be released, but beginning at 3 p.m. EST on Monday, fans will be able to reserve tickets for these shows on the official Avatar site. If you plan on scoring some of these highly coveted free passes, we highly suggest you use the next four days to practice your speed-typing skills. Otherwise, get ready to crack open your piggy bank to spring for tix on Craigslist!

Jeez, you know, I’m not someone who rushes and quite honestly, 3D does absolutely nothing for me. So the fact that this screening is IMAX’d and 3D makes my eyes hurt NOW. I think 3D is jarring to the eye and, unfortunately,  is a format that is not conducive to audience viewing of a film. Its not a pleasurable experience for me, and I don’t really understand what the obsession seems to be. I mean, I lasted about five minutes with the “Coraline” dvd in 3D before I started getting a headache. And that was on a 42 inch screen.

Regardless, like Vulture says, Quentin Tarantino must be mighty pissed with this development.  I don’t know, I don’t see how a half hour free screening will put a tremendous dent in the “Inglorious Basterds” premiere receipts, but it is annoying.