SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
It has them talking about it, yes.
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THE ABYSS 25th Anniversary Thread of Russian water tentacles
- Thread starter SCULLIBUNDO
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It has them talking about it, yes.
SteveMeister
Hang out with Steve.
Yep, it's a spectacular movie in all respects.
The CPR scene gets me every time. Ffffffffiiiiiiiight!!!!
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
YOU BITCH, YOU'VE NEVER GIVEN UP ON ANYTHING IN YOUR LIFE, NOW FIGHT! FIGHT! FIIIIIGHT! FIIIIIIIiiiiiiii*shaking her*iiight....*
SteveMeister
Hang out with Steve.
Right in the feels...
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
Read the OP.
Both Ed Harris and Cameron almost died on the film. Cameron was in the most danger of death though, unlike Harris, he had to fight the people who were trying to rescue him.
Mastrantonio simply broke down from the toll the filming was taking.
PhoncipleBone
Banned
Fixed.
indigo-cyclops
Member
I'd pick it up, haven't watched the movie fully actually. After the making of documentary I have a newfound respect for EVERYONE involved. God damn. Also, Cameron is in love with the ocean.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
Seriously though, Cameron spending almost 17 hours a day in the tank - even while reviewing dailies.
Dude will always have my respect. Iron willpower. No filmmaker has continually gone through the shit he's put himself through to bring his stuff to the screen.
Dude will always have my respect. Iron willpower. No filmmaker has continually gone through the shit he's put himself through to bring his stuff to the screen.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
Harris' drowning incident isn't nearly as bad as Cameron's drowning incident. Cameron had to save himself and swim from the bottom of the tank to the top on no air, while punching out safety divers who kept making him inhale water and trying to stop him from surfacing - because rising that quickly put him at serious risk of blowing his lungs out.
Tesseract
Banned
no doubt.
Abyss might be my favorite Cameron film. I always go back and forth between it and Aliens. The director's cuts.
Livingskeletons
If I pulled that off, would you die?
After reading the OP, what I enjoyed most about Cameron's near death experience is that I can clearly see him firing the assistant director and safety diver as soon as he got his bearings.
Extra Sauce
Member
Damn you Sculli, I thought the blu-ray had finally been announced.
Delta Assault
Member
My ranking:
Aliens: Perfect pacing. Perfect one-liners. Expands the Alien universe in the most creative and successful way possible. Great sequels are supposed to give you not just more of what you want, but also what you didn't even know you wanted. Dials absolutely everything up to 11.
Terminator 2: I don't really mind Edward Furlong. And the T-1000 is one of cinema's greatest villains, so I place it slightly above T1.
The Terminator: Some of the 80s synth music is pretty bad. If you've watched the movie, you'll know which parts I'm talking about. But really dark and moody and otherwise flawless.
True Lies: It's got a bizarre and frankly distasteful second act, but the first and third deliver on a fun and goofy action spoof.
Avatar: A shit script, but hey, the action scenes are still vintage Cameron.
The Abyss: Who knew being underwater could be so boring?
Titanic: James Cameron, why have you forsaken us?
Great trailer, it has a fantastic teaser as well.
The combination of the voiceover, the music, the 80's feel, and my personal fear of the deep ocean comes together perfectly. It's a shame that I wasn't able to watch the movie in the summer of '89.
TAJ
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
I drowned seven years before this came out and it made this tough to watch.
Don't let anyone convince you that drowning is not so bad, peaceful even. Up until the very end it is fear distilled.
DataStream
Member
The theatrical ending is borderline nonsensical. I wrote this movie off until I saw the extended cut. Probably tied with T2 for best Cameron at this point.
I remember seeing it twice in the theater on the same day. My Dad took me to it and we loved it so much that we brought the family along for a second go.
I think the perfect version of the film would be somewhere between the runtime of the theatrical and Extended edition. When Ed Harris gets in a debate with the NTI's it goes a bit far. Not Titanic alternate ending far, but far enough.
I think the perfect version of the film would be somewhere between the runtime of the theatrical and Extended edition. When Ed Harris gets in a debate with the NTI's it goes a bit far. Not Titanic alternate ending far, but far enough.
speculawyer
Member
The Abyss: I SCUBA dive so I'm biased. But the characters are great, the story rolls, great roller coaster. The whole liquid breathing system is a mindfuck.
Aliens: Extremely fun but some of the one-liners are too goofy and break the suspension of disbelief. Close to #1 though.
The Terminator: Such a great simple action flick. There are flaws but largely due to the limited budget so I'll excuse them.
Terminator 2: Much better production values that T1 but I liked the Terminator as a villain more. And a little preachy.
Titanic: Fun historical docu-drama (but mostly fictional drama). Not a fan of period love story but the present day part blew my mind.
True Lies: Quite the departure since it works in so much comedy but it works! Tom Arnold is hilarious. The strip scene and cheesy Bill Paxton character are funny. The cheesy Arab characters are a bit much.
Avatar: I'm putting this at the bottom . . . BUT I STILL LOVE THIS MOVIE. It was just a bit long and drawn out. And using 'unobtanium' broke the suspension of disbelief.
Ending sucks.
Aliens: Extremely fun but some of the one-liners are too goofy and break the suspension of disbelief. Close to #1 though.
The Terminator: Such a great simple action flick. There are flaws but largely due to the limited budget so I'll excuse them.
Terminator 2: Much better production values that T1 but I liked the Terminator as a villain more. And a little preachy.
Titanic: Fun historical docu-drama (but mostly fictional drama). Not a fan of period love story but the present day part blew my mind.
True Lies: Quite the departure since it works in so much comedy but it works! Tom Arnold is hilarious. The strip scene and cheesy Bill Paxton character are funny. The cheesy Arab characters are a bit much.
Avatar: I'm putting this at the bottom . . . BUT I STILL LOVE THIS MOVIE. It was just a bit long and drawn out. And using 'unobtanium' broke the suspension of disbelief.
Rodney McKay
Member
Not gonna lie, I actually liked the theatrical cut better.
The added emphasis on the Russian American tension in the directors cut didn't really feel needed to me, or the giant tidal waves the NTIs we're going to kill humanity with. The theatrical cut kept that stuff more in the background and when the directors cut added more of that stuff it took away from the smaller scale, claustraphobic undersea drama and made it more of a "the fate of all mankind in on your shoulders" story in the end.
The added emphasis on the Russian American tension in the directors cut didn't really feel needed to me, or the giant tidal waves the NTIs we're going to kill humanity with. The theatrical cut kept that stuff more in the background and when the directors cut added more of that stuff it took away from the smaller scale, claustraphobic undersea drama and made it more of a "the fate of all mankind in on your shoulders" story in the end.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
Between the underlying 80s fear of nuclear holocaust present in Terminator, The Abyss and T2, I'm still kind of sad he's not gonna make Last Train to Hiroshima.
HomerSimpson-Man
Member
Wait, my old DVD copies of True Lies and The Abyss Special Edition before HDtv was thing was it? Yeesh.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
There's never even been a Behind the Scenes doco for True Lies.
That is a crime. A CRIME.
I...I'm near tears here, you have no idea.
Kraftwerk, I've been looking for the source for this since I was a kid in the early 90's. I can't thank you enough for finding this. :')
A Fish Aficionado
I am going to make it through this year if it kills me
Like Hertzog's Fitzacarraldo, The Abyss is something to watch and then watch the making of, and then watch again.
This makes me very happy, and you are very welcome.
I have been in the same situation countless times. Hearing something and searching, and searching for it and finding the source, days, months or years later. It is such a cathartic moment.
Bobby Roberts
Banned
You wonder why this guy has problems maintaining a steady relationship when the most emotional scene he's ever written, the purest expression of love he's ever managed to capture on screen, features a balding man literally slapping a woman back to life while calling her a bitch in front of a captive, appreciative audience. 
It's seriously one of the best scenes he's ever written, I'm not kidding though. Probably because it seems to be one of the purest distillations of what makes the guy tick, emotionally.
(I don't think he's sexist. I think he's kinda tone-deaf. But he's so invested in it that you roll with him anyway)
It's seriously one of the best scenes he's ever written, I'm not kidding though. Probably because it seems to be one of the purest distillations of what makes the guy tick, emotionally.
(I don't think he's sexist. I think he's kinda tone-deaf. But he's so invested in it that you roll with him anyway)
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
You wonder why this guy has problems maintaining a steady relationship when the most emotional scene he's ever written, the purest expression of love he's ever managed to capture on screen, features a balding man literally slapping a woman back to life while calling her a bitch in front of a captive, appreciative audience.
It's seriously one of the best scenes he's ever written, I'm not kidding though. Probably because it seems to be one of the purest distillations of what makes the guy tick, emotionally.
(I don't think he's sexist. I think he's kinda tone-deaf. But he's so invested in it that you roll with him anyway)
How is he tone-deaf?
Lindsay is pretty much Gale Anne Hurd and this whole film seems to be more about his relationship with her. And the scene preceding it (where Lindsay has to talk sense into a stubborn Bud while freezing to death) is just as good.
Bobby Roberts
Banned
Seriously, dude, c'mon. The whole of Terminator 2 is one great example as to his ability and propensity to drop thudding lines of cornpone out of the mouths of his actors like a cement truck diarrhetically shitting its payload in a thundering glurt.
No shit. That sentence isn't exactly a refutation of the first paragraph you quoted.
This is largely what separates him from Spielberg as a filmmaker - he's got all the finesse of a broken lawn-chair when it comes to the conveying of emotion. It's why, again, his most effective emotional scene in ANY of his films (and it's effective as FUCK, I'm not being facetious about that) features Bud (the Cameron stand-in) literally slapping Lindsay (the Gale Anne Hurd stand-in) back to life.
It's my opinion that The Abyss is actually the best he's ever done at conveying legitimate romance, period. It's part of the reason I count it among his finest films.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
You can't really use an emotional scene that works exactly as it should and then call Cameron tone-deaf. You just tried to play it off as if the scene is tonally confused, but that there is so much emotion in it that the audience just rolls with it. I'm arguing that this scene (among many other Cameron scenes) AREN'T tone-deaf.
No, he's not subtle. But he's not tone-deaf either. I love Spielberg just as much as I do Cameron, and you could pull just as many examples of brick-to-the-face delicacy from him - like the entirety of War Horse.
But yes, I agree that The Abyss is easily Cameron best depiction of legitimate romance.
Templar Wizard
Member
Abyss set 20 years later:
http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/set-james-camerons-abyss-20-years-later/
http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/set-james-camerons-abyss-20-years-later/
Bobby Roberts
Banned
Sure I can.
I never "tried to play it off" as if the scene was confused at all. I said He's tone-deaf. That's why he's constantly fucking shouting all his emotions at the top of his cinematic lungs. He can't hear otherwise. He's James Hetfield trying to sing Linda Rondstadt.
He's tone-deaf.
Choke it down.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
Bobby Roberts
Banned
Heh. In the interest of clarity, I edited/added.
Tesseract
Banned
whoa, that's wild.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
Templar Wizard
Member
Yeah there has been some pieces online of people who took a trip over to see it.
of course, its a wreck, but all in all, still there to see.
There was a great 90 page making of, 'dancing on the edge of the abyss' or something.
It was a warts and all recollection of the shoot, even down to the removal of the tanks owner from the side of a battleship because of an argument
yep, that was it. I still have that Cinefex. its a great read.
In addition, if you want the best version of the movie, the Chinese DVD release of the movie is Anamorphic!
I got a copy in Shanghai a few years ago.
Picture has no heavy black bars:
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
Yeah there has been some pieces online of people who took a trip over to see it.
of course, its a wreck, but all in all, still there to see.
There was a great 90 page making of, 'dancing on the edge of the abyss' or something.
It was a warts and all recollection of the shoot, even down to the removal of the tanks owner from the side of a battleship because of an argument
80 pages. You can find it in a retrospective that Cinefix did.
Thanks to this thread, just watched it again tonight. I forgot how similar this story is to a screenplay I'm writing currently - in terms of character development; totally different settings/circumstance. But a really great example of how to explore and progress the dynamic relationship between two leads. Culminates amazingly - well, before the alien story resolution/extra act.
Lindsay drowing followed by Bud voluntarily following suit.. just kills me how perfect that progression worked.
Lindsay drowing followed by Bud voluntarily following suit.. just kills me how perfect that progression worked.
They say modern trailers spoil movies, glad I didn't see that back in the day. Hard to separate out what is actually spoilers after you have already seen the movie, but I think most of the plot is in there, in a pretty representative order, too.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
YA DID IT, ACE!
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
Because I just came across these images again. HTFU Cameron!
Since the new HD Cameron approved master debuted on TV last week, the Blu-ray can't be far away.
One of the greatest films ever made. I don't care what anyone says otherwise. I still have the original DVD release, the 2 disc Special Edition, non anamorphic. I will never sell it. As for a bluray, been hearing for years that Cameron would take time off to remaster this and True Lies, hasn't happened yet. I've since stopped hoping for it.
sigh, damn I want to watch it now.
sigh, damn I want to watch it now.
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