Cool News
This Valentine's Night - James Cameron was my Valentine Caller - with details on AVATAR - I'm twitterpated!
Hey Folks - Harry here... Tonight is Valentine's Day night. Originally the plan was for Yoko and I to travel to the Alamo Village here in Austin to attend their HAROLD & MAUDE VALENTINE'S DAY FEAST. Something we've been planning for about 2 months. However, FATE... DESTINY... FLU caused Yoko to want to stay at home tonight. We ordered in, had yummy yummies brought in. We ate Dinner... Have been sweet and huggy... I offered to get the Cherry Pie out the ice box and put the laundry in the dryer. So there I was - standing between the fridge and the Washer-Dryer when... James Cameron calls. Sadly, my cel phone call capture equipment was under the table, unplugged, with all the connecting wires in a box under 45 dvds. So I leave the laundry half in and out of the dryer... and I'm back to the computer - trying to make enough small talk till I have my hands on a keyboard and I can take down notes... all of this while the cel phone is sandwiched between my shoulder and ear. Damn this is awkward, but no complaints... I've got the king of the world on the line - and a flow of information that I have to share. Now - I'm going to do something that reporters never do. I'm going to share my notes - then I'll decipher them for you.
Kauai Just shot 3 days in Hawaii sam worthington sigourney weaver - grace principle capture sam and zoe entered into the system -- first AD worked with Bob on BEOWULF and POLAR EXPRESS fair bit different -- Bob can have Jolie in and out in 5 days Director-centric CG camera angles as they go capture a raw performance - finding the layout -- Zemeckis motion builder - real time cinematography - not terribly sophisticated we will be going through a phase of CG lighting DP - Probably not have the DP on through the cg -- Wes Studi -- Peter Mensah Joel David Moore C C H Pounder Stay - Lez Alonzo
Ok - so what does any of that mean? We started off with Jim telling me that he was in Kauai en route to the airport to head back to California. He had just shot 3 days of live action work in Hawaii in the tropical rainforests. Apparently he was shooting with Sam Worthington, Lola Herrera and I believe he said Sigourney Weaver was there, but I might have heard that wrong. Once he returns to California - he begins a stage called Pre-Capture where he'll mainly be shooting with Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana. The reason is that their characters have been fully entered into the CG system. He told me that this way, with the realtime rendering, he can actually compose and find his shots - and then work with the actors to get the performances he wants within those shots. I asked how different this was from the way Robert Zemeckis was operating on BEOWULF. This was when he told me that his 1st AD (Josh McLaglen) worked on both BEOWULF and POLAR EXPRESS and that what he's doing is a fair bit different. "Where Bob can have an actor like Angeline Jolie in and out in 5 days - and get a bunch of big stars in and out." Zemeckis was working on just getting the raw performance and then spend months finding the layouts and 'angles' that would make up the film. What Cameron is doing is with his real-time rendering - he can work with the actors in the performance capture system to get the performances within the angles he wants in the system. He called it more, "Director-centric." Around this time I asked about his choice for DP. He told me that he's making that decision very soon, but that the DP will be brought in on for the physical shot elements of this film - and will be consulted for the CG-DP aesthetic, but will not be there throughout that process, most likely. I asked how the real-time lighting set up works in the construction of shots in the CG-sphere of shooting. Jim said that they're using something called MOTION BUILDER for the real time cinematography and the lighting elements of that are "not terribly sophisticated." And that there would be an extensive phase that would be just lighting each scene afterwards. Around this point, Jim asked how I was doing - this is where I told him that JOHN CARTER was over at Disney - and how there was a part of me that was glad about that, since his and mine's last chat - where I felt the direction he was taking AVATAR in was a very John Carter-esque route. It was here that Jim kinda gasped with a "I hadn't thought about that, but..." then he began drawing the comparisons betweent he characters and the situations and I said - see - there is a very real similarity on a structural level - Had Paramount held on to JOHN CARTER - we'd be coming out the same year with a similar attack at Sci-fi Fantasy... and now Disney, possibly with Zemeckis and the Motion Capture film department he's setting up - starting from ground zero means - they'll definitely be coming out on the otherside of AVATAR - if and when that project moves forward - it will have to deal with James Cameron's AVATAR. At this - Jim kinda laughed, in the past - going up against similar material - Jim's film had come out second. But with the superior film. Around this time - he said he was getting close to the airport and wanted to give me the new casting before having to go. So as you could see in the notes - we got: WES STUDI, SIGOURNEY WEAVER (confirmed as Grace), Peter Mensah, Joel David Moore (fantastic in both HATCHET and SPIRAL) - I imagine him as being Hippy-esque (think ABYSS), C.C.H. Pounder (love her) and then last but not least... I believe it was Laz Alonso - looking at his filmography - that's the name that most fits with what I heard. Jim said that each person was "perfectly cast for the part they're playing." He said there was more casting to be done, but that a great deal of it had fallen into place. Around that point - Jim said he had reached the 'curb' and that it was time to say our farewells. He said that his property only came within 3/4s of a mile, but had the wind turned - it could have covered that time in a blink and in those circumstances - it is best to be safe. We'll be speaking again, but definitely an odd turn of a Valentine's Day night. Now excuse me... my demonstration of love for all of you is demonstrated by taking time away from my fiancee to deliver this to all of you. Now I must demonstrate my love for her. Excuse me my friends...
Readers Talkback
comments powered by Disqus-
+ Expand All
-
Probably not. Who cares?<p>Avatar sounds bitchin'
-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DxbqWFDer4
-
Of Harry demonstrating his love kind of . . . I dunno, unsettling. And, dude, come on: keep the cell phone audio capture stuff handy. Cameron is like the will o' the wisp. Who knows when he'll call? Move those DVDs and be ready, next time, darn it!
-
Someone pass me the chocolates!
-
Anything on those two Harry?
-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DxbqWFDer4
-
I'm sorry, it was too tempting... I really can't wait for this...
-
the link does work theres a space that shouldnt be there, i assure you it is worth it!
-
Thats all
-
Any chance of Cameron's AVATAR and Spielberg's INTERSELLAR going head to head in 2009? Two titan directors going head to head... <p> I'm suprised that Cameron is able to get so much done under the radar. <p> I guess he'll blast them with his T1000 if anyone leaks any spoilers on this project...
-
Shit. I thought it said John Cameron Swayze had called. My bad.
-
Hobnobs with bigwigs, collects and sends secret info, takes care of his day-to-day business, and STILL has time to bang his girlfriend. Go!!!!<p> j/k<p> Seriously, niiiice of "Jim" to keep us informed and part of the process. Almost as good as Sly Stallone's unbeatable Q&As.<p> Sweet - keep us posted!
-
Well, he's awesome anyway. Can't wait for AVATAR and BATTLE ANGEL.
-
I completely agree... Cameron is definitely a class act... The man is obviously busy and he doesn't have to keep us informed if he doesn't want to...
-
What are you gonna demonstrate with? Your fuckin' panniculus? (Look it up retards).
-
http://movies.ign.com/articles/764/764455p1.html Only things of note are that OPtimus now has a mouth instead of a mask, and the transforming sounds are in. Other than that, you find that Michael Bay didn't know shit about the Transformers before Spielberg found him. God, this is going to suck.
-
Because their job is to weave them into a cohesive whole from the disjointed garbage they have little time to jot down. Please don't do that again, Harry.
-
Feb. 15, 2007, 1:30 a.m. CST
Cameron is cool. But CCH Pounder??? On the other hand
by Motoko Kusanagi
we have Sigourney on board. How cool is that?! Now, just sign Biehn and Paxton and we'll have something really big coming on. <p>Oh and btw: Spielberg is NOT a titan.
-
Feb. 15, 2007, 1:35 a.m. CST
Cameron is cool. But CCH Pounder??? On the other hand
by Motoko Kusanagi
we have Sigourney on board. How cool is that?! Now, just sign Biehn and Paxton and we'll have something really big coming on. <p>Oh and btw: Spielberg is NOT a titan.
-
Dear God. Get a grip man!
-
Motoko's argument for Spielberg NOT being a titan, because it's painfully obvious that Spielberg IS just that. However, don't bother posting it, Motoko, because odds are I won't be coming back to this talkback.
-
but no Mike Biehn.....say it ain't so....!!!!
-
I'm hoping there will be a tie in with this story and Captain Panaka. Perhaps Cameron can explain the reasoning behind the eye patch and cynicism.
-
Because, if not, then who was that guy I saw with your pie when I peeked in the window? My wife works nights - I need something for an outlet.
-
Now that Harry's got a girl, he can't help mentioning her at every opportunity. LOL
-
That is great news. If there's one person I was hoping to see work with "Jim" again, it's Sigourney Weaver. When is she ever not good?<p>Um, never. Never is the answer. In case anyone was wondering. Thanks.
-
Jeez. Couldn't Harry for once give us an article without including his typically crass sexual imagery? (Just kidding.)
-
Still, casting Sigourney is always a good thing. Oh, I just looked at that Transformers stuff, sounds like unmitigated shite. Bay sure knows how to film turds.
-
yo flipo
-
interview"... Either way, we lose! <p> Oh and what the FUCK was that last paragraph? Was that english? My head hurts. ;)
-
I thought that's the cutest allegory for having sexual intercourse I've ever witnessed. But I don't want to imagine that either.
-
Not for the faint hearted.
-
Thanks for sharing, Harry. Any interview with Cameron is fun to read. I'm definitely fired up for "Avatar," and the new cast additions are pretty cool too. Peter Mensah is the Persian guy King Leonidas kicks into the pit as he yells, "This is SPARTA!" He's been in several other films too.<p> Have fun with Yoko, big guy.
-
Feb. 15, 2007, 3:16 a.m. CST
Sounds like post hell, and no DP? I'm very excited but.
by Im rich bitch
..what turn is this leading to? 20 years from now is this technology going to be available on new Apple g10ns, keep film alive! Film! Cellulose.. pleae.. James Cameron we will get back at you, The Flm Liberation Front ..lol
-
that final line was something I DID NOT need... *shudder*
-
Serious question by the way.
-
Good stuff Harry. I actually liked the "note system". It was like a teaser of what to come.
-
A rare thing nowdays.
-
Don't worry -- Harry's doing all he can to keep cellulose alive.
-
well, we can dream (thought I read rumours about either him or Spielberg working on it once). <P> In the meantime we can play Myst Online: Uru Live (thru GameTap) - which should be finishing its beta testing today. <P> If there ever was a Myst film, it'd probably be the first movie based on a computer game that actually had a story (sorry Mortal Kombat & Uwe Boll fans).
-
Feb. 15, 2007, 4:46 a.m. CST
So do we all agree this is the most exciting project...
by IndustryKiller!
between now and whenever the hell it comes out? I think we do. Finally someone attacking science fiction with a vision and an eye toward the future of technology. We have been missing Cameron and the Zemeckis of old for far too long and the fact that they are both returning with projects that look staggering gives me hope for the future of cinema. maybe people will finally once again wake up and realize that grandiose storytelling doesn't have to be soulless. Peter Jackson can't do it all one his own after all.
-
because both things are full of crap, and yet.. can't.. turn.. away. ;P
-
in the cinema, maybe TV can reclaim the glory days of having more than a couple good quality science fiction shows on. BSG can't do it all on its own (Doctor Who & Stargate are seriously fun sci-fi, not serious). Guess we'll see with the Terminator & Star Wars series coming.
-
Yeah, I would love to hear you defend your statement: "Spielberg is NOT a titan". I guess maybe you don't understand what titan means.
-
Interstellar and Avatar. 2009 can't get here soon enough!
-
Spielberg Interstellar? someone please spill.....
-
durr
-
a little town with an inter-racial football team?<p>Avatar is just gonna be so freak'n great...and good to see Wes Studi getting some love.
-
The lack of any punctuation in those initials bothered me for a quite a while, leading me to assume her first name was the phonetic sound 'TCCCHHHH!' said very loudly. 'Oh,' I would think when seeing her name in the titles of a film, 'it's TCCCHHHH! Pounder out of The Shield.'<p>Turns out, she's called Carol Christine Hilaria, which is not so funny...
-
Yes, he is the world's largest beetle, but don't tell anyone. The directorial skills of insects are a closely guarded secret, which is why he wears those glasses and a fake beard.
-
Hobo with a shotgun vs aliens vs predators
-
teehee...I play too much Guitar Hero
-
and was excellent in ER. Bring on the CCH for middle-aged black woman goodness. She'll be the hard nosed chief telling out hero to "Get out of my office!"
-
...is articles like this. Thanks for sharing your Valentines Day experiences with us. Poor Yoko..!
-
When the Grey Hair is dead, Magua will eat his heart. Before he dies, Magua will put his children under the knife, so the Grey Hair will know his seed is wiped out forever Love him,...great gig brotha
-
or are the actors actually pasted in, or is it performance capture only? ...I'm confused. I liked the idea for the script..I'm hoping it's been tightened a little.
-
Feb. 15, 2007, 8:34 a.m. CST
News Flash! Cameron To Hook Up with Avatar Actress!
by DarfurOnTheRocks
That dude simply can't help himself!
-
Ha ha. Made me laugh anyway. Which lucky fellas got the job?
-
....By eating some more?! Seriously, for your own health start exercising! Think of your future kids that would like you to be around, as well as your fiancee.
-
I can't tell.
-
Don't tell me some of the people here got laid last night.
-
Feb. 15, 2007, 9:04 a.m. CST
Harry pleasuring a woman, not an image to linger on...
by performingmonkey
I'm gonna be tittyfucking Avatar when it comes out.
-
He said, "I don't know how much more of this I can take". Then, he said something about having a salad once in a while.
-
youve gotten pretty attached to my "zomg its blue man cats!" opinion from a year ago lol yeah I actuallly completely forgot about that! but arent their humans (josh sully) near the start-and throughout the movie? are they cgi
-
iation "lol". I read like a chav. what I meant to ask, and thus shall phrase it more elequently. There are humans in this film. Are they CGI too, or are they pasted in? Anyone know? Or am I missing something?
-
and the use of "their" instead of "theyre." jesus, I've never done that before, in fact I find it to be the single most infuriating grammatical error in the English language. I feel weird.
-
and I can't stop myself! why is there no delete option on this talkback?! it's 2007 for fuck sake!
-
I'm having some kind of grammatical fit. DAMN YOU ROTHMAN!
-
Chatting with Cameron, posting online, changing loads, shooting loads, eating pie, eating his fiancee, moaning like Godzilla through the night...<p>It's a tough life. Admit it, wanky geeks, Harry is a hero for us all. The fat film nerd who schleps with A-listers and bangs hot chicks.<p>Regardless of how you feel about his reviews, respect must be paid.
-
And does it have something to do with a Man In Suit(tm)?
-
blow it all on a Popeye sequel
-
not far from the mark. Kinda scary.
-
don't be a tease.
-
I don't know if any one has seen this but would like to hear what everyone thinks? http://www.comingsoon.net/cgi-bin/imageFolio.cgi?action=view&link=Toy_Fair_2007/Spider-Man&image=venomstatue3.jpg&img=&tt=
-
That is one of the funniest series of posts I've read in awhile. Thanks, misnomer. Oh, and its "they're" not theyre". Its a contraction; needs an apostrophy. Just trying to help, brother.
-
...the Disney flick "Bambi." It means you're in love. It's eqivalent to being struck with an arrow from Cupid. I think the lil' skunk was the one who mentions it in the movie. <p> This sounds cool whatever it's about. Is the story an existing book?
-
but when are we going to have something visual to look at on this film?
-
I guess I have to make a statement about Spielberg now, 'cause you asked! YOU MADE ME DO IT, so don't complain afterwards.<p> It's right, the titans are all forever trapped in Tartaros (a part of Hades - for the dumbminded: also known as hell)<p> Now to Mr. Spielberg: he was some kind of titan. WAS. DECADES AGO. Now he is one of the most overrated directors I can think of who sometimes makes really cool movies (like WAR OF THE WORLDS), sometimes mediocre ones (like PRIVATE RYAN - yeah I know. You may stone me for this) and sometimes makes movies which are utter crap (like A.fuckin'I.). Don't get me wrong: I'm not saying that Steven is a bad director, I'm just saying that he is still regarded as a genius although his real masterpieces are from the 1970s and 80s. Period.
-
movie studio then Yack?
-
I've recently seen her in two movies, HAVEN and CONSTELLATION, and she gives the same bitchy, serious, humorless performance. I don't doubt Cameron knows what he's doing, but it's not a sign of a truly great actress when a leading lady gives the EXACT SAME PERFORMANCE in two consecutive, unrelated movies, especially when the performance in question seems so arrogant and insular. Could it just have been those characters? Maybe. But Saldana seems chronically cast as the snooty, humorless, sour chick with an outsize sense of entitlement. Plus, she's hella fuckin' C-list for a Cameron movie.
-
Feb. 15, 2007, 1:54 p.m. CST
Just got off the phone with JC, then spunked up my own
by HarryBlackPotter
...ass.
-
...vs. the Man-Cats!
-
"Jim's film had come out second." which movie is he talking about?
-
He can't wait to play Two-Face.
-
autodesk who purchased maya, also acuired motionbuilder some time ago. it is an off the shelf character animation tool, but is v usefull as you can blend between mocap files to create unique motion. it is very easy to have smoe fun with! and as for the lighting, i would imagine he is using paul debvec dynamic lighting teqhnique or a derivation of it. very cool stuff, you can see some demos on debevec.org
-
It took awhile, but I guess he finally did so...not a lot of info in that short conversation, but all interesting. Avatar is an exciting project because we know so little about it and of course because Cameron is behind it. Anyone who has the balls to make a sci-fi movie in this market should be admired.
-
thanks man. I've learnt a lesson the hard way today :)
-
Feb. 15, 2007, 10:16 p.m. CST
So, about all those questions we sent you to ask J. Cam
by wackybantha
Did you even ask one? Grrrrrr!!!!!!
-
She'll be the eye candy for the guys in the audience...and don't worry about the evil, troubled furries, as the Na'Vi are hairless--the catlike features are the tail and slight bifurcation of the upper lip.
-
so STFU.
-
is that I've learned to just overlook it by now. It no longer makes me throw up like it did without fail for the first 3 or so weeks it was up. Now if Harry were to have new fucked up toon porn starring himself up on the site each month I'd already have died from lack of nutrition.
-
me dont get it. first me gots animations every weeks and now me gots same bloody animation FOR YEARZ or what??? Isn't it? Me gots crazy methinks. Isn't it? CRAZY!!!!!!!!
-
FUCKIN' AY!!!!!!!
-
it's a metaphor, but it really happened.
-
That's right bitches. Cameron ownz you in 2009.
-
I, on the other hand, will still be alive and well. Suck it, puny mortals.
-
Dear God that movie fucking sucks.
-
Let's hope there is a follow-up call...
-
...if Cameron or any number of other good directors would chuck it all, use 1/10th the final budget for this thing, and invest his time and effort in the most important part of ANY movie--a great screenplay. I can recall how stunned audiences were by the opening shot of Star Wars, the first appearance of the alien derelict in Alien (and the alien egg innards which must have cost five dollars, chicken meat being not too expensive), and that first half-assed (but perfectly framed) shot of the malfunction-prone shark in Jaws. I also recall how no one even paused in their popcorn munching during the long opening shot of Sith, the elaborate but meaningless space battle in Star trek Nemesis, etc. Techincal stuff is fine and dandy, but damn, how many awful special effects-crammed movies do we have to see before we realize this technical geek crap is just that? Effects used to be made by these old farts who knew all kinds of tricks; now they're made by ponytailed geeks sitting at keyboards, just like us. And the movies suck. How many Event Movies have we looked forward to here and blabbed about endlessly, only to be disappointed because the scripts sucked? Rant over.
-
But take it to a talkback that isn't dedicated to James Cameron. It's meaningless here.
-
The more of Harry's writing there is, the better I like AICN. <p> Although obviously I'm happy for Harry (about his fiancee etc.) I do miss the years when he had almost no life outside AICN and contributed a larger portion of the writing himself... but life goes on I guess!
-
again; is there anything this crimson bitch won't do? i love you, harry.
-
That is the question.
-
Amen to that brother.
-
That is certainly your right. But saying that it sucks? That just makes it clear that your ignorant. It's quite brilliant.
-
I'm not saying you did, but give the man some credit. You can't say to a film God the likes of Cameron that he's 'ripping off' another property. Hell, you can't even say it 'sounds like' another property. Star Wars aint star trek. Back to the future aint Bill & Ted. And something tells me Avatar aint john carter. I think the audible gasp you heard wasn't Cameron coming toa realisation that you were right, but instead thinking to himself, "Why the fuck am I wasting my time here?" <p> I should really mean, I'm sorry. Hey kauai is a beautiful island. Some icredible, mind blowing mountains, forests and canyons there.
-
Yeah, has nothing to do with the guy I mention in the first sentence of my comment. Cameron's incredible talents doesn't mean he's written a great script, or an original character. He writes snappy, forgettable or passable dialogue, and a Harlequin Romance movie that's thrilled millions. If you think the guy who wrote True Lies, The Abyss and the dialogue in Titanic (which had a terrific structure but awful, awful lines and laughable characters--Billy Zane's anyone?) is above criticism for his obsession with eye candy and his comic book-level writing, you're part of the problem. A comparison of Aliens with Alien should be enough, but if not, anyone with an eighth grade education can tell you that the nonstop parade of cliches, second-generation ideas and tired character types Cameron is praised for is what's killing intelligent action and SF moviemaking.
-
"...the likes of Cameron that he's 'ripping off' another property." Seeing how deposition was given that Cameron admitted to copping much of The Terminator from Harlan Ellison, in a suit that Ellison WON, I'd have to say, Yes, you can. Just because Cameron makes good comic book movies doesn't make him a god of any sort, and since when did we let some people off the hook for stealing ideas because they're "too big"?
-
When? Think they'll start promoting this early? Wonder when the official website will be up?
-
A frustrated screenwriter perhaps? I hate when people shit on Cameron's writing because the simple fact is his structure is perfect. PERFECT. And his dialogue is also outstanding. All of us here have been quoting ALIENS since 1986. Not one or two lines, but dozens of them just from that one movie alone. How many movies have even two lines people quote? Not very many.
-
"I used to always wonder what you were thinking at that moment. I memorized every line, every curve. I came across time for you Sarah. I love you; I always have." YOWZER!
-
How original to use an average line to "prove" your point.
-
You post as though an intellectual movie has more validity than a visceral movie. You would be wrong. And Robert Towne has written more shit screenplays than Cameron has written total screenplays. <p> Just because your film professor says something is true doesn't mean that it is true. Besides, he's a failed filmmaker ya know.
-
All very good points. Well said. I think we'll have to agree to disagree on the quality of Cameron's dialogue though. I personally feel there's just way too many good and funny lines in his films (Aliens and True Lies in particular) to dismiss them all together.
-
difficult to have the same blind love for Cameron you guys have. I respect the man, but I do not revere him at all. I respect him for what he has done, and accomplished. But not for being an artist, or for making movies I really even liked.
-
There, I said it! Yep, I know it's heresy to suggest that Piranah 2 isn't high art, but... All kidding aside, that subject line is not a slam on Cameron; for the most part I pass on most "art" movies, as they're sold today. Cameron is in the Michael Curtiz-Ridley Scott-Spielberg mode of entertainers. That's a good thing, 90% of the films I adore are entertainment flicks, not "art" flicks. As a genre craftsman of great skill, he is masterful with the tools of cinema. BUT, along with Scott and Spielberg, and Fincher and Lucas, he has HUGE blindspots when it comes to the screenplay. With Fincher and Scott I'd say their blindspots are with plotting (The Game could have been great except we KNOW it's a game from the very beginning, thus undercutting the "why is this happening?" suspense, for example; with Spielberg its with his inability to trust the audience to address adult material with the sensibilities of someone who doesn't think TV and movies are all there is to life. In Cameron's case, he comes on all balls to the wall with hardcore ideas (swiped from elsewhere, but hey), but when he gets his chance to really be free he reveals he has the soul of an overweight woman who reads romance novels all day. The Terminator's love scene is laugh inducing (even back then the image of the lovers' hands clasping in a montage was hilariously cliched), and that movie appropriately makes it on the momentum of a simplistic story line--Terminator wants to kill Sarah Connor and one of the two must die. As with Robert Towne's idea that Chinatown would be director-proof because at the very least, the audience would want to know how it turned out, this was the perfect, stripped-down story for a director to show off his technical skills without much budget, and it worked. Unlike most people, though, as much as I enjoyed Aliens, it isn't in the same class as Alien, which is one of the very few sf films to approach the level of art (accidentally?). Aliens is boringly shot and repetitive, the characters are all cliches, and the basic story simply doesn't make any sense (why wouldn't the company send a real team in? why would Ripley go back--would you?), but again, Cameron's skills as a director make it work. I don't care how many people here love the movie, though, it's a comic book-level actioner compared to Scott's masterpiece original. The Abyss is a key film in Cameron's resume because here he really revels in his romance-reader heart, and we see that he is good with plot, terrible with dialogue and creating characters that aren't movie cliches, and simply incapable of coming up with an original story. There's a lot ot love in Mikael Salomon's photography--I still think this is the best-looking Cameron film, along with T2--and the various set pieces, but man the characters are ALL cliches, and the dialogue is embarassing (I got chills when the guy tells the military dude "You guys are out of business") (and the military dude grins!). This is good dialogue only if you think Star Trek episodes are well-written. Anyway, seeing Cameron in a photo from his "God is dead" appearance--didn't exactly shake the world, didya, Jim?--makes me feel this guy has a massive need to show he's a hardguy (he dives and jumps out of planes, yeah, ok, Jim, you're a Real Man), but then I think about him being the guy who wrote "I'm flying, Jack!" in an excruciatingly silly scene, and to me he becomes a romance reader who likes guns.
Top Talkbacks
- Nordling Reviews STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS! Spoilers Abound! You Are Warned! -- 402 total posts 170 posts
- The big screen adaptation of ASSASSIN'S CREED has been given a release date!!! -- 81 total posts 67 posts
- AVENGERS 2 might be filming in SOUTH AFRICA, does this mean that Black Panther is going to be a part of the action!?! -- 287 total posts 41 posts
- Harry gets seriously geeky on the very geeky cool STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS! Can't wait for the next one! & See this again! -- 1382 total posts 35 posts
- Capone reviews STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS and considers the art of messing with canon and why it doesn't bother him!!! -- 423 total posts 31 posts
- Did you guys like RED 2? Oh it's not out yet, well who cares?? Get ready for RED 3 anyways!!! -- 77 total posts 20 posts
- Christopher Nolan maybe, could be, might be, directing the next BOND film!?!?! -- 494 total posts 19 posts
- UPDATE The Friday Docback Calls 'The Name of the Doctor'!! DOCTOR WHO's S7 Finale Arrives This Weekend!! Now With Glen's Ultra-Brief, SPOILER FREE MiniReview!! -- 80 total posts 15 posts
- LAST THURSDAY OF SWEEPS!! The Last OFFICE Ever!! New HANNIBAL, WIPEOUT & ANGER!! Finales For ELEMENTARY, BANG, IDOL, GREY’S, SCANDAL, VAMPIRE & BEAST!! Kirk On KIMMEL!! Spock On CONAN!! Herc’s Thursday TV Talkback!! -- 151 total posts 12 posts
- EUROPA REPORT Trailer Imagines A Scientifically Realistic Trip To One Of Jupiter's Moons! -- 69 total posts 12 posts