That's all he's done? Hm. I guess T2. Titanic is certainly a more "epic" and "serious" film, but it was interminable to me.
― Daniel, Esq., Sunday, 15 November 2009 13:37 (fourteen years ago) link
The Terminator>T2. It's between that and Aliens.
― I am flesh and blood. You are software and circuitry. (chap), Sunday, 15 November 2009 13:40 (fourteen years ago) link
i love aliens, and he definitely made it his own -- it feels like a cameron movie -- but he gets extra points for inventing the terminator. so that.
― hellzapoppa (tipsy mothra), Sunday, 15 November 2009 14:45 (fourteen years ago) link
also, what an odd filmography he has. about to get odder, obv.
― hellzapoppa (tipsy mothra), Sunday, 15 November 2009 14:46 (fourteen years ago) link
Aliens, followed by The Terminator.
― fel (latebloomer), Sunday, 15 November 2009 16:02 (fourteen years ago) link
terminator 2. wouldn't change a thing.
― caek, Sunday, 15 November 2009 16:02 (fourteen years ago) link
no aquaman, no credibility
― peed on tree (k3vin k.), Sunday, 15 November 2009 16:03 (fourteen years ago) link
Don't let Harlan Ellison see tipsy's comment or there'll be trouble. Trouble, I tell you.
― Bears Are Alive! (Pancakes Hackman), Sunday, 15 November 2009 16:05 (fourteen years ago) link
AVATAR
― ice cr?m, Sunday, 15 November 2009 16:11 (fourteen years ago) link
since his first film in 11 years is about to come out, mebbe shoulda waited?
― Your Favorite Saturday Night Thing (Dr Morbius), Sunday, 15 November 2009 16:11 (fourteen years ago) link
ellison v. cameron was a real clash of the dickheads.
― hellzapoppa (tipsy mothra), Sunday, 15 November 2009 16:12 (fourteen years ago) link
Aliens.
― Hell is other people. In an ILE film forum. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 15 November 2009 16:40 (fourteen years ago) link
Has anyone actually seen Piranha II?
― Ned Raggett, Sunday, 15 November 2009 16:44 (fourteen years ago) link
I have. The Piranhas can fly.
― I am flesh and blood. You are software and circuitry. (chap), Sunday, 15 November 2009 16:48 (fourteen years ago) link
shouldve called it birds II
― ice cr?m, Sunday, 15 November 2009 17:03 (fourteen years ago) link
Piranha II used to run on Cinemax or something like all the freaking time when I was a kid. It really sullies the memory of the first one.
― Bears Are Alive! (Pancakes Hackman), Sunday, 15 November 2009 17:15 (fourteen years ago) link
terminator>aliens>>t2>the abyss>>titanic>>>true lies>>>>>>>>p2
― jØrdån (omar little), Sunday, 15 November 2009 17:17 (fourteen years ago) link
True Lies is fun!
― I am flesh and blood. You are software and circuitry. (chap), Sunday, 15 November 2009 17:19 (fourteen years ago) link
uh, I'm trying to remember what was fun about
http://llamabutchers.mu.nu/archives/jamie%20lee%20curtis%20in%20true%20lies.jpg
― nearly one-third of a man (Z S), Sunday, 15 November 2009 17:24 (fourteen years ago) link
Good clean o_O fun. Voted Terminator anyway.
― Azzingo da Bass - Dom's Night (Noodle Vague), Sunday, 15 November 2009 17:25 (fourteen years ago) link
Oh wait - "This is not a movie!!"That was kinda fun
― nearly one-third of a man (Z S), Sunday, 15 November 2009 17:25 (fourteen years ago) link
is that one of the blue guys from avatar xxp
― Alf, Lord Melmacsyn (s1ocki), Sunday, 15 November 2009 17:25 (fourteen years ago) link
the action shit is good, but the rest is incredibly weak
― jØrdån (omar little), Sunday, 15 November 2009 17:26 (fourteen years ago) link
"right from the start i knew Jamie Lee had to have tits..."
― mdskltr (blueski), Sunday, 15 November 2009 17:28 (fourteen years ago) link
T2 lags on the Mexico detour, but the final hour is unfuckwithable.
went with Aliens, which is pretty mega.
― The Devil's Avocado (Gukbe), Sunday, 15 November 2009 17:31 (fourteen years ago) link
Was I a weird kid in that, as big a fan as I was of Aliens and the Terminator movies, I probably watched and enjoyed The Abyss twice as much as the others?
― I HEART CREEPY MENS (Deric W. Haircare), Sunday, 15 November 2009 18:32 (fourteen years ago) link
i read the novelization of the abyss :D :D :D
orson scott card iirc
― Alf, Lord Melmacsyn (s1ocki), Sunday, 15 November 2009 18:33 (fourteen years ago) link
maybe The Abyss is the "smartest"
― mdskltr (blueski), Sunday, 15 November 2009 18:41 (fourteen years ago) link
i haven't seen Piranha 2 tho
the only knock i have against T2 is that it contains neither bill paxton or michael biehn
i voted for true lies because of the scene where arnold fires a missile with a terrorist dangling from it
― NEW YORK DESERVED 9-11 (cankles), Sunday, 15 November 2009 18:57 (fourteen years ago) link
michael biehn is an axiom of cinema imo
― fel (latebloomer), Monday, 16 November 2009 01:36 (fourteen years ago) link
for me it's: Terminator > Abyss > True Lies > T2 > Aliens
i hate unnecessary sequels.
― Buck Utah (rockapads), Monday, 16 November 2009 07:39 (fourteen years ago) link
my knock against Aliens is that when you look at it there's only like 10 actual minutes of the marines fighting against the aliens
― 囧 (dyao), Monday, 16 November 2009 07:46 (fourteen years ago) link
― Your Favorite Saturday Night Thing (Dr Morbius), Sunday, November 15, 2009 11:11 AM (Yesterday)
Somehow, I don't really think it would've made a difference.
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 16 November 2009 07:46 (fourteen years ago) link
maybe challops, but i voted The Abyss.
― Mordy, Monday, 16 November 2009 08:53 (fourteen years ago) link
The Abyss. By a large ...er...margin.
― Lord Byron Bay of Pigs (SeekAltRoute), Monday, 16 November 2009 09:22 (fourteen years ago) link
― caek, Sunday, 15 November 2009 16:02 (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
― George Mucus (ledge), Monday, 16 November 2009 10:03 (fourteen years ago) link
True Lies is vile; it feels more 1984 than The Terminator.
― Hell is other people. In an ILE film forum. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 16 November 2009 12:30 (fourteen years ago) link
Voted Titanic because for at least 45 minutes, it's something like the best action-adventure movie ever. T2 is the best action-adventure movie for more like about 41 minutes or so.
― cough syrup in coke cans (Eric H.), Monday, 16 November 2009 12:47 (fourteen years ago) link
No, not for even 2 minutes is it like The Wages of Fear.
Yeah, what a shame it has characterization and story instead of being "a ride" in the permanently approved style.
― Your Favorite Saturday Night Thing (Dr Morbius), Monday, 16 November 2009 13:40 (fourteen years ago) link
The Wages of Fear (good, not great) is no more an action classic than Diabolique outdoes Hitchcock.
― cough syrup in coke cans (Eric H.), Monday, 16 November 2009 13:48 (fourteen years ago) link
come on morbius the only reason anybody watches aliens is to watch the marines be badasses xp
― 囧 (dyao), Monday, 16 November 2009 13:56 (fourteen years ago) link
"anybody"
― Your Favorite Saturday Night Thing (Dr Morbius), Monday, 16 November 2009 13:59 (fourteen years ago) link
you're right tho the movie needs more scenes of ripley and newt being tender and making deep ~connections~ with each other
― 囧 (dyao), Monday, 16 November 2009 14:02 (fourteen years ago) link
morbius doesn't watch movies "anybody" watches
― cough syrup in coke cans (Eric H.), Monday, 16 November 2009 14:11 (fourteen years ago) link
Yeah dyao, empty action keeps the masses mollified. Whatever works.
― Your Favorite Saturday Night Thing (Dr Morbius), Monday, 16 November 2009 14:19 (fourteen years ago) link
right morbius because the enjoyment of action scenes is completely predicated upon your inclusion in the third estate
― 囧 (dyao), Monday, 16 November 2009 14:24 (fourteen years ago) link
I'm gonna go watch Jeanne dielman to purge myself of my populist leanings
― 囧 (dyao), Monday, 16 November 2009 14:26 (fourteen years ago) link
Jeanne Dielman has plenty of action in it if you know what i'm sayin
― cough syrup in coke cans (Eric H.), Monday, 16 November 2009 14:28 (fourteen years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Thursday, 19 November 2009 00:01 (fourteen years ago) link
i’d argue that the t2 director’s cut is mostly unnecessary but there’s that wonderful scene where sarah almost smashed the terminator’s chip that really should’ve been in the original cut
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Tuesday, 31 October 2017 00:53 (six years ago) link
the problems imho with the aliens director's cut aren't to do with sentimentality but with pacing and the unfolding of the story - the auto-guns scene is neat but comes at a time when it breaks the ramping-up of to the barrage of climaxes, and all the added stuff in the first act bogs things down similarly, plus seeing that the company sent the colonists out there robs the film of any "have they reformed? is this on the level?" tension. which obv is less of an issue when you've seen it ten times but to me they are classic cases of the right decision having been made back in the editing bay when the filmmaker was in the zone and making the tough choice to cut out good scenes that were tough and expensive to shoot because they aren't helping the film work.
― Doctor Casino, Tuesday, 31 October 2017 01:04 (six years ago) link
this is all true! i still like it, mostly bc i have the beats of the original all memorized
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Tuesday, 31 October 2017 01:13 (six years ago) link
Terminator definitely his best. It’s so resourceful & thoughtfully crafted.
― proton, neutron, electron and crouton (bizarro gazzara), Tuesday, 31 October 2017 10:48 (six years ago) link
Co-sign. Been a few years, but that grim air of impending doom hanging over everything really struck me last viewing. To say nothing of its other many virtues.
― circa1916, Tuesday, 31 October 2017 12:05 (six years ago) link
Did we say abyss theatrical or extended?
― Gary Synaesthesia (darraghmac), Monday, 6 November 2017 14:54 (six years ago) link
theatrical i think? iirc the deleted stuff there makes the on-the-surface plotline make slightly more sense but it's not needed, and the more we see/know about the ending the weaker it is... same logic as close encounters. i believe there are some great effects shots in there, but it's also possible these have dated way worse than his usual fare.
cameron makes long, but efficient films... adding stuff back in tends to make them less efficient and strain one's patience for a popcorn movie.
― Doctor Casino, Monday, 6 November 2017 15:07 (six years ago) link
Thks
― Gary Synaesthesia (darraghmac), Monday, 6 November 2017 15:13 (six years ago) link
the abyss is like 2/3 of a really good movie but tbh the making-of documentary is at least as good as the film itself - what an insane production
― What's the range of an Iranian frogman dipshit? (bizarro gazzara), Monday, 6 November 2017 16:32 (six years ago) link
The Terminator is amazing, fire everything else
― flappy bird, Monday, 6 November 2017 17:32 (six years ago) link
i think Michael Biehn as an action hero is supremely underrated, his back-to-back roles in Terminator and Aliens are two sides of the same coin and really interestingly vulnerable at the time they were released, in how these are a pair of strong, wary, brave, smart men who at various points defer to and depend on the female hero.
― omar little, Monday, 6 November 2017 18:44 (six years ago) link
yeah, it’s a real shame biehn didn’t go on to a more high-profile career, partic since everyman action heroes were about to be a big thing after die hard
― What's the range of an Iranian frogman dipshit? (bizarro gazzara), Monday, 6 November 2017 18:53 (six years ago) link
i think even the everyman action heroes of the post-die hard era were pretty cocky dudes, Biehn i think was too believably low-key and measured compared to Bruce Willis and some other actors. i like this bit of Alien 3 trivia:
Walter Hill and David Giler penned the final script, which had Hicks killed off in the opening scene. Biehn, upon learning of his character's demise, demanded and received almost as much money for the use of his likeness in one scene as he had been paid for his role in Aliens.
damn right, get that money
― omar little, Monday, 6 November 2017 19:06 (six years ago) link
God what a great collection of patchwork claptrap
― Gary Synaesthesia (darraghmac), Friday, 10 November 2017 23:24 (six years ago) link
james cameron still GOAT. pic.twitter.com/dFAnVfr8Dh— Peter LabuzAAAHH! (@labuzamovies) October 16, 2019
― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Friday, 18 October 2019 20:31 (four years ago) link
the propeller dude in titanic rules bc james cameron was like “this is going to be a respectful and purposeful recreation of a tragedy, except for one guy.”— 🩸Miss Gender🩸 (@girldrawsghosts) September 20, 2022
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 20 September 2022 21:59 (one year ago) link
Maybe that happened to a Titanic guy and he would’ve appreciated someone telling his story.
― circa1916, Tuesday, 20 September 2022 23:13 (one year ago) link
i hadn't seen it in 25 years and remembered v little about it besides it ending with ed harris chilling with aliens on the ocean floor but the abyss totally rocked my shit
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Monday, 9 January 2023 03:58 (one year ago) link
avatar 2 inspired me to do a cameron marathon obv. i skipped pirahna 2 bc there's seemingly legit uncertainty over how much of it he directed (even though i know from a terminator doc i just watched that he was involved in post-production? unclear. the credits sequence rocks though). i think i prefer the aliens extended cut these days, it's such a richly-constructed environment why not live in it for fifteen more minutes
michael biehn is so fucking good
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Monday, 9 January 2023 04:13 (one year ago) link
how did you watch the abyss? i'd like to see it but my understanding is that isn't super easy to do.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 9 January 2023 04:16 (one year ago) link
yeah i had to use methods
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Monday, 9 January 2023 04:16 (one year ago) link
i also like your comment about aliens, i think that's the best thing about that movie and why it's my favorite cameron of the ones i've seen
― call all destroyer, Monday, 9 January 2023 04:17 (one year ago) link
have read at least one report that an abyss blu-ray will finally come out next year, but i've heard that one before
there is a really nice looking copy ~out there~ that i believe briefly appeared on streaming? def blu quality
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Monday, 9 January 2023 04:20 (one year ago) link
The making-of doc about The Abyss (called Under Pressure, I believe) is pretty interesting if you can find it.
Did not look like a fun thing to make! Also the fact that they shot the majority of the underwater stuff in a giant, unfinished nuclear power plant containment tank is fucking wild.
― circa1916, Monday, 9 January 2023 14:55 (one year ago) link
i watched it last night! what a stupidly hard movie to make
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Monday, 9 January 2023 15:20 (one year ago) link
there's a bit on the ILM documentary about how they did the effects for the water creature in the abyss, fun stuff
― 龜, Monday, 9 January 2023 15:28 (one year ago) link
think the last time i heard about a filmmaker filming something in an abandoned nuclear power site it was tarkovsky/stalker and he died of cancer afterwards
― 龜, Monday, 9 January 2023 15:29 (one year ago) link
key for Cameron and co was the choice to shoot in an unfinished nuclear power plant and not an abandoned one
There was a western film which was shot near a nuclear test site and similarly lots of cast and crew died of cancer (John Wayne being one of them iirc)
― omar little, Monday, 9 January 2023 16:06 (one year ago) link
that was his Genghis Kahn movie, The Conqueror. everything about that thing sounded like a disaster.
also yeah, xxp that multi-part Industrial Light & Magic doc on Disney+ is excellent, especially the earlier episodes covering its more Wild West days.
― circa1916, Monday, 9 January 2023 16:08 (one year ago) link
i didnt realize the Abyss was so hard to see these days. i'm still carting around my special edition dvd from back in the day. i guess that explains why it seems massively underrated in the Cameron canon, an incredibly fun movie
― waste of compute (One Eye Open), Monday, 9 January 2023 16:12 (one year ago) link
Cameron claims a deluxe Blu-Ray treatment is coming out this year, but he's been saying that for years now. Presume it'll be available streaming in some capacity whenever that sees the light of day.
― circa1916, Monday, 9 January 2023 16:18 (one year ago) link
! 🌊
https://x.com/jimcameron/status/1724111169840124360?s=46&t=bJOqpCuQneT7ju08y55VSA
― piscesx, Monday, 13 November 2023 17:13 (four months ago) link
nice, been meaning to see this
― k3vin k., Monday, 13 November 2023 17:23 (four months ago) link
it's such a great movie
― ivy., Monday, 13 November 2023 17:27 (four months ago) link
Possibly the only Cameron movie where the acting is the best part.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 13 November 2023 18:09 (four months ago) link
My favorite Cameron film! This is great it's finally remastered
― octobeard, Monday, 13 November 2023 18:18 (four months ago) link
Hope it's not the Director's Cut. OG ending was perfect. Hope they kept that
it’s the special edition
(i prefer the special edition ending in just about every way even tho the frozen tidal wave cgi is a little ehhh)
― ivy., Monday, 13 November 2023 18:21 (four months ago) link
Kind of funny how many Cameron movies feature someone fighting in a mech suit, if you include the submersible battle here. Both Avatars, Aliens, this, even his short amateur film Xenogenesis.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 13 November 2023 18:24 (four months ago) link
is it any wonder he eventually adapted an anime
― ivy., Monday, 13 November 2023 18:37 (four months ago) link
Seriously. Why has Jim wasted so much time exploring the ocean when his heart is clearly set on building a giant mech suit?
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 13 November 2023 18:41 (four months ago) link
I don't think much of either ending but I primarily thinking of The Abyss as a suspense movie - one of the greatest suspense movies ever IMO - so I kind of prefer the shorter run time.
It's been so long since I've seen it, I can't remember the details, but there's a scene where Ed Harris (maybe?) creeps up on Michael Biehn (I think) with a hammer (possibly?) but it's probably the most edge-of-my-seat cinema experience I can rememeber. Once Ed Harris gets to the bottom and survives, all the tension goes out of it.
― Chuck_Tatum, Monday, 13 November 2023 18:44 (four months ago) link
Iirc it's a wrench. But same idea. Biehn has got the space madness, and he's kind of messing with some chains, and there's that great shot where Ed is being all sneaky-creepy and the camera cuts to Biehn's eyes, and he is being literally *creepy*.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 13 November 2023 18:46 (four months ago) link
I've never seen Abyss. I should probably remedy that. My favorite of the ones I've seen is the original Terminator, which I rewatched recently. It's great to see how resourceful he could be without a mega-bucks budget.
― o. nate, Monday, 13 November 2023 19:21 (four months ago) link
Saw The Abyss in theaters and loved it. Have never seen it all the way through since but would absolutely buy a Blu-Ray.
― Tahuti Watches L&O:SVU Reruns Without His Ape (unperson), Monday, 13 November 2023 19:39 (four months ago) link
I read the Orson Scott Card adaptation! iirc there were maps!
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 13 November 2023 19:44 (four months ago) link
Terminator > Terminator 2
I couldn't remember whether I had seen The Abyss till I read a synopsis, and . . . I'm pretty sure I've seen it.
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Monday, 13 November 2023 20:40 (four months ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k1y6TGW24I
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 14 November 2023 13:50 (four months ago) link
I haven't seen The Abyss since it first hit video stores. The only thing I can remember is the liquid breathing apparatus.
None of my usual theaters have any screenings listed yet. Looks like tickets go on sale next Monday, so hopefully one of them will announce it between now and then.
― peace, man, Tuesday, 14 November 2023 14:17 (four months ago) link