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Joe Hallenbeck Reviews the James Cameron Retrospect At The AMERICAN CINEMATHEQUE!!!
I love retrospects of cool films. There is simply nothing quite like having a series of 3 or 4 days where you see some of the coolest films ever made unfurled upon an epic screen, with the filmmakers and contributors speaking before and after. It's just a joy. It is a shame to not get to see this for myself, but just listening to Hallenbeck here... well I get the feeling like I was there... just a bit. Of course I would recommend Joe give Saturday February 20th a shot at the ol American Cinematheque and watch Krysztof Kieslowski's BLUE and WHITE and RED... the colors trilogy, he might find it enlightening as well...
It's rather apropos that James Cameron's initials are J.C. considering
he'll always be the #2 Dude in the 'Wood as long as "God" is still
making films. Hey, if I were Mr. Cameron I'd just laugh at that fact and
continue on kicking "God's" ass in the modern day filmmaking arena.
First off, you've gotta love a filmmaker who's film titles begin with
either the letters "T" or "A." And yes, I know about Pirahna 2...but Mr.
Cameron doesn't consider that to be one of HIS movies(although, starting
with the letter "P" kinda fits into his lettering scheme).
Mr. Cameron, as I've been telling people for years, is a master
filmmaker. His movies are "perfect" in my eyes. When your weakest movie
is an enjoyable popcorn romp like TRUE LIES, then you have to admit this
guy has one mighty impressive resume. Many have bitched and complained
about how "tough' it is to work on a Cameron Film. Mr. Cameron is a
perfectionist, thus he's an ASSHOLE!!! Whooptie-friggin-do! If I was
able to churn out the amazing products he constantly does I wouldn't
mind beig called an asshole either! He constanlty pushes the envelope
for F/X and Story. He grabs the viewer and shoves them right smack dab
into the movie. At the heart of each of his movies are characters which
you can relate to and like to be with. You laugh, you cry, you cheer out
loud. It takes a Master Storyteller to do something like. I've seen all
of his films countless times and have never been bored watching
them(Hell, I can't even say that about "God's" films).
Recently I had the oppurtunity to take a gander at Mr. Cameron's work at
the beautifully refurbrished Grauman's Egyptian Theater in Hollyweird.
American Cinematheque did an amazing job acquiring AWESOME prints to Mr.
Cameron's KICK ASS ROUSTER OF FILMS...not to mention bringing together an
eclectic group of cast and crew members to discuss their experiences on
the films themselves.
THE ABYSS - in my humble opinion, this is Mr. Cameron's finest work. The
"other" version of this movie no longer exists in my eyes. While I
enjoyed the hell out of the original '89 cut, I felt that the movie
lacked in a lot of departments. Never have I seen such a radical
difference in versions than when I saw the 172 minute cut that came out
in '93. It was a completely different film! It sickens me so Cameron and
Co. had to rush the movie in order to make a summer deadline. I'm glad
he learned his lesson with this movie, otherwise Titanic may not have
been the phenomenon that it was. I have completely disavowed that other
version of the film. I suggest you do likewise.
The ABYSS is the quintessential Cameron flick. It's got amazing,
envelope pushing f/x, multi-layered storyline, awesome double climax,
and the most kick ass of the C.B.'s (Cameron Bitches). Plus, at its core
is a great subplot about love and a failed marriage. It's this latter
aspect that makes this Cameron film the most rewarding of them all. The
drowning/resurrection scene is one of the most gut wrenching, heart
breaking scenes ever to be filmed. It gets me every time. It's one of
those scenes where you can put yourself in that position and try to make
it through the whole mind numbing ordeal. Just thinking about it is
emotionally draining. Kudos to the cast, crew...but especially Mr.
Cameron for directing and writing such a gripping scene.
I mentioned something above that may have insulted some and angered
others. A CAMERON BITCH is something to be proud of. A REAL BITCH knows
that being "JUST THAT" is a badge of honor you should wear proudly. It's
not a sexist thing at all if you truly are a real bitch. The word bitch
is not always a bad thing. It's just something ignorant people spew out
when they can't think of anything else to call a woman. A TRUE BITCH is
smart, sexy, opinionated and doesn't take any shit from a man or a
woman. They also have that gentle, nurturing feminine quality that makes
them reasonable and logical human beings. If you were to describe a man
like this then he'd be one cool dude. If you were to say this about a
woman then she's a bitch. It's only out of that ignorance that you would
call a woman that when, in reality, it's a compliment.
C.B.'s(Cameron Bitches) are everything I said above and more! LINDSEY
BRIGMAN(Mastrantonio) is the quintessential CB. BUD(Ed Harris - in the
performance of his career) is one lucky son of a bitch to have a chick
like this. He knows that too. If you're ever in a situation where you
can capture the heart and mind of a CB like woman then GO FOR IT! It's
an amazing challenge, but don't even try to win. A TRUE BITCH is not a
wild stallion you're trying to tame. When I say "challenge" I don't mean
it in "that light." You go in there with that attitude and you'll be
eaten alive...and rightfully so. Oh, how amusing it is to see such
schmucks waltz in and try to "handle" a true bitch. None of Cameron's
Guys try that shit and neither should you. BUD learned his lesson as did
Lindsey. These are two incompatible people who were perfectly compatible
for EACH OTHER. I guess Mr. Cameron is a big softie afterall. He must
have had some first hand experience in the "Bitch" realm. Otherwise he
wouldn't be able to write them so well.
JC himself spoke after the screening. Nothing noteworthy was said, but
it was nice to see him out and about shooting the shit with his many
adoring, geekish fans.
THE TERMINATOR - UBER-FUCKIN'-COOL! There are about 10 films which I've
seen a gazillion times in my life...movies which I can't get enough of.
Are they favorties? Some are, but some aren't. They are just films that
are so damn addicting you just can't help but watch. Terminator is one
of those films. It was so far ahead of its time, too. For what Mr.
Cameron and Co. did with $6.5 million still baffles me. That movie looks
kick ass for even now! Every scene...every line is classic. When Arnie
uttered those immortal words, "I'll Be Back" you just knew you were
witnessing Film History in the making. Do you even comprehend how
fuckin' cool that must be to know that a simple phrase like that will be
mimicked until the end of civilization as we know it? That's just
AWESOME!
Michael Biehn, John Bruno, Adam Greenberg(DP) and one of the F/X guys
were there to answer some questions from the audience. Like the Cameron
Q&A nothing of interest was said, but it was enjoyable nevertheless.
T2 - the first and ONLY movie that should be referred to by its
initials. Enough already with this "hip" movie slang! What's the Wild
Wild West website called -- www.www.com? Fuckin' stupid already! Damn
you Will Smith and your initial prone movies!!!
ARGH! Where was I? Oh yes, that's right Terminator 2: Judgment Day. I
know I'll get reamed for this one, but I just want to say that as much
as I adore, cherish, and practically worship the first movie I must
admit that T2 is better. It's practically a remake of the original, but
with today's f/x and $100 million more to work with. It's what Cameron
probably wanted to do in the first place. I applaud him for making a
sequel that is BIGGER and BETTER than his original creation.
The thing I loved about this movie(besides the mind boggling f/x and
action scenes) is the complete 180 Sarah Connor pulled. Mr. Cameron
really got inside her psyche and fully realized this obsessed woman's
character. While we didn't see what happened to her and John for the
past 10 years, JC managed to fill in the gaps with a few stories and
character traits that expressed this radical change.
BTW, is it me or weren't you pissed that Sarah didn't say, "You're
Terminated, fucker" to T-1000 right before she was going to fire that
last shotgun blast? Even though she was out of ammo, it still would've
been apropos and down right cool to hear that. Oh, well -- C'est la vie.
Just so you know I will supply the Wood and the nails for the
Cruxfiction.
ALIENS - the GREATEST SEQUEL EVER MADE!!! ALIEN is awesome, but I'd take
Alien$ any time over Alien. They are both masterpieces, but Aliens is
just way to fun to be even be considered a movie! It's an adventure
which I love taking! It was so ballsy for JC to have no action until
about 1 hour into the film. It's unbelievable that this film only cost
$17 million. There is not one shot...one frame that doesn't look
incredible even compared to today's standards. This is just one sequel
that is bigger, meaner, better, and incredibly different from its Mama.
JC knows how to push the envelope alright.
The one thing that makes this a great movie is its characters. Ripley,
Newt, Bishop, Apone, Hicks, Hudson, Vasquez, Burke, Gorman, Drake, and
Frost are all characters we wish we had as friends. And, in a way, they
become our friends. Unfortunately, for most of them that friendship is
cut rather short.
I don't think a day passes by when I don't hear someone utter one of
Hudson's trademark quips. So many lines in this movie are classic that
it boggles the mind to try and narrow it down to the best one. I've
narrowed the field down to four:
"FUCK THAT!" - Hudson
"Game Over, Man. Game Over!" - Hudson
"Have you ever been mistaken for a man?" -
Hudson "No. Have You?" -
Vasquez
and last, but certainly not least...
"GET AWAY FROM HER YOU BITCH!"
JC has a knack for concocting the most audience pleasing, coolest
goddamn one liners to ever grace the silver screen. I recall seeing this
film in a packed house opening night and hearing the audience go
absolutely wild when she said that line. It's reasons like that why I
make movies! It's just so damn cool to hear an audience go crazy over a
certain line of dialogue you wrote or a scene you concocted.
After the amazing experiences of both Alien films (not to mention the
boffo box office) I'm surprised Fox hasn't bothered making a 3rd Alien
Movie. We've been waiting 13 long years now and still no sign of a 3rd
Alien movie. Perhaps they should beg Ridley or JC to come back and
direct another installment in the Alien series...THUS completing the
trilogy. If they don't, then we may have to suffer through wretched
pieces of shits directed by some hack video director or some fuckin frog
who only has an eye for art direction. God., I hope we never have to
endure that.
Gale Anne Hurd, Jenette Goldstein, and one of the F/X Artist were there
after the screening. Ms. Hurd was the most interesting speaker of them
all. The quick little anecdotes she told about how she and JC met were
amusing and enlightning. She even knew that JC wasn't going to remain a
model builder for long. Before they knew it JC became an art director,
then a Director in a blink of an eye. The rest, as they say, is history.
I didn't show up for TRUE LIES or TITANIC simply because I've seen them
in the theaters recently. I love the films, but even I grow tired of
them.
I sure hope the Egyptian Theater continues on with this wonderful
retrospective of films. My advice is to stay away from Foriegn shit and
concentrate on some great modern day filmmakers like Gilliam, Scott(the
really talented one), or Scorcese. You'll sell out every show if you do
that.
The question one must ask himself is this: "What the hell is JC gonna do
next?"
Well, he could do that little APE movie or sequel with Arnie. However, I
would love to see him do a "swingin'" comic book film. Whatever he
chooses to do next I know I'll be first in line. Hell, he can do a movie
about soup can manufacturing plant and I know I'll be camping out
waiting to see how he awes me this time out.
You know what -- that's his secret. He manages to "awe" even guys like
me. Shit, right there is a major accomplishment in and of its self. You
keep on doing that and maybe we'll just have to replace GOD and put you
up there where you belong. With a strong record of 6 and 0 it's safe to
assume Cameron will be one of the greats of all time.
He already is to me.
"T.T.F.N., Man!"
Joe Hallenbeck
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+ Expand All
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Nice to read an article where someone isn't ashamed to give Cameron a pat on the back...
Too many people seem to fall into the "it's big so lets knock it down" syndrome and simply lash out at Cameron for no other reason other than he is extremely successful.
Cameron is a master film maker. There is simply no denying it... He could be the nicest man on the planet, or the biggest a$$ hole ever, it doesn't change the fact that what he produces is simply great!
The article mentioned the additional footage that was introduced into the directors cut of the Abyss. This footage MADE the film as it was important to the plot. However, let's not forget the same happened to Aliens as well. The 17 minutes of footage added for the directors cut once again was incredible.
I know there was also footage added to T2 but this in my mind was not crucial to the film.
I'm certain that in a room somewhere is probably another half and hour of Titanic footage waiting to be added. From still shots I've seen alot of this footage could well be character building so I (we) can only hope that one day we get the Titanic Directors cut... -
Finally! I've been wondering if perhaps I was the only one who SWEARS there have only been 2 Alien flicks. Everyone else keeps telling me there are 2 more; I cannot recall seeing 'em, though. I remember entering a movie theatre a couple years ago (Nov. '97, to be exact)to watch a new print of "Aliens";somehow Winona Ryder was added and all the action and interesting characters edited out. Hmmm.
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Feb 09, 1999 5:09:16 AM CST
Let the four-letter word filled "discussions" begin...
by peyton westlake
In response to Neil's post, there are plans for an extended "Titanic". About an hour of extra footage, I think. When and what format, I don't know.
Here's a drinking game for those interested: knock one back whenever you read the following--
-a tasteless four-letter word
-a harsh term for any part of the human anatomy
-a wish for something bad (death, extreme discomfort, etc.) to happen to either Cameron or Hallenbeck
-someone questioning another in a very colorful manner
(example"what the f*ck is wrong with you")
-extreme use of the exclamation, question or underline marks
-extreme use of capitalization
-someone who posts an opinion, then a few posts later,takes everything back after others post *their* opinions on said person
-a request for a form of oral sex
-a post w/User ID named after a movie character (er, um, forget that one...)
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What I want to know is, how can MJH give the Abyss such a perfect review and yet still embrace a movie like ARMAGGEDDON, a 7th-generation copy spliced together by 13 year olds, which by all rrights should pale in comparison?
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The one thing that readers should draw from Mighty Joe Idiot's review is the remarkable difference between the original Abyss and the Director's Cut. I remeber seeing Abyss in the theater when it first came out and thinking, "Wow, what a great movie!" until the last half hour. Up to then it had been a great action/suspense movie with little snippets of sci-fi/fantasy to it. In the last half-hour it shifted gears totally to the already poorly defined sci-fi/fantasy plot. The ending felt forced and totally tacked on. With the Director's Cut, J.C. was able to complete his vision and tie the whole thing together. The whole alien part of the plot made sense. Make sure you see it, if you haven't already.
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Okay! Now we've had some good ol' JC trashing to go with the JC worshipping. Now all we need is someone to say something about "The Phantom Menace," and we'll be all set for the day.
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Here are the 5 Best Sequels ever made: 1) THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK 2) THE GODFATHER Part II 3) ALIENS 4) SUPERMAN II 5) THE EVIL DEAD Part II (note: if MORBIDITY OF THE SOUL ever gets done, it'll probably crack this list)
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there's no doubt that cameron is some kind of techno-visionary, but he is what i non-affectionately call a 'bully filmmaker'--he revels in the cold wanton destruction of life no matter how 'humane' his messages are. the audience i saw 't2' with cheered at every bit of carnage, from helicopters exploding to ahnold beating up nurses and doctors to shouting out for sarah connor to kill the scientist who created the terminator. 'true lies' is an evil film, misogynistic and racist to boot. a coupla of bully cia thugs abuse their power while the audience of geeks (who fear and therefore respect bullies) wallow in every stupid bit of mayhem ('hey, bill paxton just pissed hisself cos he's such a scared pussy! what a writer that cameron is!"). the first 'terminator' and 'aliens' are cameron's best films, but again, they perfectly capture the jingoistic gung-ho zeitgeist of the reagan era. it's true that 'the abyss' has some powerful scenes, but it's marred by the worthless alien subplot. never have i seen an audience respond to the big appearance at the end. it's tacked on to make it a genre film. again, cameron has major talent, but his repeated theme that 'you have to kick ass to survive' reveals his and his fans limited sense of humanity. the fact that we're expected to cry for ahnold at the end of 't2' is the proof. cameron loves machines, not people.
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Technically Alien 3 was named "Alien (cubed)", because it was an elevated little three, which means "cubed".
And of course there was no Alien 4, there was "Alien Resurrection".
P.S. I know by this rational there was no Alien 2 (Aliens) either. However, no one EVER refers to Aliens as Alien 2, but as a SEQUEL. So the logic still stands. -
To Jedi_Harry84:
You might want to substitute Lucas with Godard or Fellini. -
instead of Spielberg and Lucas(who are both great)Cassavetes and Herzog or Wenders..Or Jarmusch..or Allen
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No no, ED 209, Ripley's not the bitch. I believe she called the Queen alien a bitch -- which would make a lot more sense, no?
Hee hee... "You have five seconds to comply..." -
When are you Cameron worshipping dorks going to wise up? "Titanic" is word-for-word, "A Night To Remember"(A great movie on its own!)! All he did was insert the Jack and Rose characters. The thing would never have gotten past the readers at Fox if the wife of the guy who produced it didn't take it home and he read it while he was in the bathroom! Cameron is not a nice man and is a whoremonger at that!(Just ask any ex-girlfriend!) LINDA BABY, TAKE IT ALL! ALL OF IT! SUZY AMIS; in the immortal words of Kevin Mc Carthy, "You're next!" As for fice great directors, that's a hard choice right there. Although I would vote for John Ford, Howard Hawks, Alfred Hitchcock, Robert Wise and Orson Welles. AND JOE, WHIPE THAT BROWN STUFF OFF YOUR NOSE CAMERON LEFT, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!
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I liked, Terminator 1, I liked Aliens. But that's about it. JC is not that great of a filmmaker. I thought that T2 was a good concept,with great special effects that were unfortuneatly built around some of the phoniest characters and stupidest dialougue ever written. I can't stand John Connor. He had no good lines and comes off like a sniveling brat who thinks he's a lot cooler than he is. The Abyss was a tragic failure of film structure, and True Lies was not a film, it's a series of explosions lined up one after the other wrapped up in some the the most embarassingly mysogenistic, anti-Arab behavior I've ever seen. Titanic had good visual effects, but it was not a great story. It was a thin tearjerker, nothing more. The man's not some great creative genius, he just knows what sells.
Second of all, how come so many people hat David Fincher and refuse to acknowladge Alien 3 as the stunning film that it is. Perhaps there was not as much action as Aliens, but it had better visuals. Fincher's world was fascinatingly bleak and apocolyptic, and he was able to build a great, suspenseful chase sequence or two, just in a different style than JC or RS. He brought intelligence and a sense of style to the series. I'd like to hear some good reasons why no one liked Fincher's film. I thought it was a wonderful thriller from the man that made SE7EN/Seven so twisted.
p.s. I will admit that #4 sucked. -
Ug, man. Abyss was OK, but compared to his other stuff, his WORST. I'd say T2 and True Lies top his list. True Lies was more than a 'romp' it was an intelligent commentary on marriage, in a way. And JC should know, he's had, what? 4 wives? Abyss was uneven and the usual JC point (technology is bad) was kinda... watered down, so to speak? Not clearly made? Also, besides the fact his films all start with A or T, they 1) All involve elevators 2) All involve nuclear bombs (or real big explosions) 3) All are BLUE Bye!
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We recently made a James Cameron doll out of cardboard and a pillow that had mildew leaked onto it and hung it in our room. We hit it with our lightsabres and beat it as often as possible. We have t-shirts that feature James Cameron with a bleeding ass and a smiling George Lucas.
Star Wars is going to rape Titanic. And James Cameron's only job should be as giving George Lucas continuous blowjobs.
He took the possibilities of SW and made it into cliche-ridden, brainless cash hogs. The budget of Titanic should've been used to make about 30 really good small films.
But I have strange views on the world. -
what happened to hallenbeck's personality? after cracking into hollywood he's lost his balls. he's gone from profane fuck-up to passionate caring fuck-up. was all his hostility aimed at hollywood based on their not giving him a job?
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Heheheheee! How can you possibly say this when he's only directed ONE truly successful film, and hasn't directed anything for 20 years :)
Nice one... -
Fincher was interviewed and basically said he thought Alien 3 sucked... I think it was basically cos he had such a bad time making it. He wasn't allowed to do what HE wanted and was constantly fighting for control of the film with the powers that be. He left Alien 3 very dejected and it was a long time before he could bring himself to direct agan (Seven).
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Hey, I like most of JCs films that I've seen too (except True Lies). The Terminator films are brilliant. But the guy himself is an asshole.. Has everyone forgotten this is the same guy who said that ticket prices should be doubled because Hollywood can't make a profit on their movies??? He might make good movies, but he doesn't give a shit about anyone but himself, not his girlfriends/wives, not his actors or crew, and most definitely not us, the fans who line his pockets every chance we get. I for one ain't ever gonna pay to see another JC film as long as I live (though I might pay to see a film in the same theatre, and accidentally go into the wrong theatre).
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Okay, I know that this is going to incur the wrath of some people out there, but frankly I find Cameron's vision of Hollywood's future kind of scary. The man is suffering from extreme tunnel vision and seems strangely out of touch with the real world. I'm basing most of my opinion on Cameron's interview in "Premiere" magazine. From what he says it sounds like a he's advocating the idea that any movie that doesn't cost at least 100 million dollars to make is unworthy of hitting theaters. He talks at length about how todays viewing public demands greater spectacle when they go out to the movies, and therefore studios can no longer afford to charge a mere $7.50 for a ticket. This would be true, IF EVERY MOVIE COST FREAKING $200,000,000 TO MAKE! Moreover he suggests that any movies that don't measure up to the level of spectacle that we viewers appearently demand (read all independent films, and anything else that doesn't cost a grotesque ammount of mony to produce) should be relagated to cable TV.
WHAT KIND OF CRACK IS THIS MAN SMOKING, AND WHERE THE HELL CAN I GET SOME?
To listen to Cameron talk one would think that the only movies that the public likes are his. Never mind the trend that Lucas and Speilberg are spearheading to make visually stunning films for less money (shall we review the Phantom Menace trailer one more time?), nevermind the fact that in Cameron's "new and improved" Hollywood vision movies like There's Something About Mary, Goodwill Hunting, everything playing at Sundance, and every Kevin Smith movie will have no place in our local Megaplex, appearantly if it doesn't cost an arm and your first born child to make we aren't interested in it. Cameron is so damn disconnected from his own fans that it's not even funny. In the article makes it sound like a trip to the multiplex is akin to going to a Broadway show. He suggests that for most people going to the movies ussually costs about $100 and that your average moviegoer only goes to the movies once or twice a year. This might be true of middle aged working couples with children living in New York City but COME ON! Those are not the people who made Titanic the highest grossing film of all time. The people to whom Mr. Cameron owes that honor too were teanagers and young people who go to the movies every weekend, and can afford to see the damn thing four or five times because it DOESN'T cost $100!
Look for the most part I like Cameron's movies, and I think it's admirable that there's someone out there who's willing to move heaven and earth (and in his case large ammounts of studio money) to get his personal artistic vision on the screen. But to suggest that the future of Hollywood holds nothing BUT Titanic, which for all it's jawdropping visual splendor is, in my personal opinion, one of Cameron's lesser films (I don't think he could have concocted a more purile, cliche ridden, shallow story line than Kate and Leo's, and what was the deal with those dolphins?). Ah, screw it. I just think it's a little scary that one of hollywood's major players doesn't feel like there's room for everyone at the table, and I'm worried that some soft brained studio executive will pay him heed like the slack-jawed droolers they prove themselves to be with alarming regularity.
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