Spidey-News.  According to this article, Spider-Man is not completely dead in the water.  Actually, it looks like there’s been some solid movement ahead.  Sony/Columbia pictures has finally slashed through the legal battle and obtained the rights.  The deal stipulates that the picture has to be produced soon, however, and Cameron’s deal stipulates that his next picture be for Twentieth Century Fox.  Although, in this post-Titanic age, Cameron probably has the clout to do whatever he wants, so if he really wants to do Spider-Man next, chances are it will happen.  Unfortunately, from that recent Premiere article, it doesn’t sound like he’s as interested in the project as he used to be.  If anything, they might still use Cameron’s treatment, even if he doesn’t direct.  We’ll see what happens.  

DVD News.  The Aliens DVD will be hitting the streets on June 1st, along with all the other Alien films.  The cool thing is — it appears as if a good amount of the material from the laserdisc boxed set is going to be on the DVD.  Here’s a look at some of the features that will be on the disc: 

• THX-certified audio and video digital mastering
• enhanced for 16x9 widescreen and high-definition televisions
• a brand-new film transfer
• the director’s cut, with seventeen minutes of additional footage
• production artwork from the collections of Cameron, Ron Cobb, and Syd Mead
• original advertising material
• an annotated history of the film
• production photographs
• interview with Cameron

Wednesday, March 3, 1999

DVD News ... 

Laserviews has recently announced that Twentieth Century Fox will be releasing True Lies on DVD on 5/25/99. There is no word yet on whether it will be enhanc ed for 16:9 televisions, and the only special feature available will be the theatrical trailer. 

At this moment, only two Cameron titles are available on DVD — Terminator and T2. Artisan has recently announced plans for an Ultimate T2 DVD, which would potentially feature all (if not more) of the supplementary material that was on the expensive boxed set laserdisc. This DVD will be in the DVD-18 format, which means that the disc is dual-sided as well as dual-layered, and capable of storing nearly eight hours worth of material. The release of the Ultimate T2 will most likely be Fall 1999 or later. This information was gained from DVD Resource. 

So that leaves Aliens, The Abyss, and Titanic. Aliens will be released by Fox in June, along with the other three Alien films. It is rumored that the version released will be the Special Edition of Aliens, but that is not confirmed. The Abyss — Special Edition, also by Fox, has been postponed indefinitely, per Cameron's request (I think he wants to wait for DVD-18 on that one, so that both the letterbox and pan&scan versions can be included on one disc). There is speculation that Titanic, by Paramount, will be coming out shortly, possibly by Summer, but there is nothing definite on that yet. 

(Oh, did I forget to mention Piranha II? ...) 

Wednesday, January 20, 1999 

We have some news concerning James Cameron’s upcoming projects.  Also, there’s an interesting interview with the man in this month’s Premiere magazine, which is self-billed as the Millenium Issue.  On the cover, beneath the George Lucas story, it says "James Cameron, Building Tomorrow’s Blockbusters — Today".  Anyway, here are the potential projects:  

Spider-Man.  Looks like it’s dead as far as Cameron directing is concerned.  He may still produce and write.  In fact, I believe his scriptment is completed and there’s a chance he has actually finished the final script, but the film is still involved in legal problems, and in the Premiere interview, Cameron says that since he only makes a movie every two or three years, he would rather the project be something that he has created of his own accord.  "With the amount of time and energy that I put into a film, it shouldn’t be somebody else’s superhero," he says.  "I don’t want to labor in somebody else’s house."  This is a departure on every statement he has previously said about the project.  For a while, Spider-Man was the film that he really wanted to direct, and True Lies and Titanic were projects that kept him busy in the interim.  A year ago, on The Howard Stern Show, he said that he would drop everything to direct Spider-Man if the legal issues were resolved, and that he would attempt to cast Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role, and that James Horner would score.  It appears that during his year away from filmmaking, while soaking up the critical praise from Titanic and relaxing for a change, his feelings about Spider-Man have drastically changed.  Then again, the legal battle for Spidey has been raging since the dawn of time, enough time for anyone to become disheartened about a project.  I for one would very much like to see Cameron’s personal vision of Spider-Man.  It may not be a character that he created, but interpreting someone else’s vision and adapting it from one medium (comic books) to another (cinema) is as much a creative process as creating something yourself.  I have personal issues with this, as Spider-Man is and has always been my favorite comic-book character, and I would like to see my favorite director’s visual and narrative interpretation of him.  Oh well …  

True Lies 2.  Cameron is still very much interested in a True Lies sequel, which would continue the adventures of Harry Tasker and friends.  A year ago, in a MovieLine interview, Cameron said that he had more ideas for a True Lies sequel than for a Terminator sequel.  Apparently, no screenplay has been written yet, but ideas are "circling."  Personally, I would like to see Cameron tackle more original projects, since he only does a movie "every two or three years."  But it would also be interesting to see where Cameron would take these characters in a second outing.   

Terminator 3.  For a while, it looked like there would be no third installment to the Terminator franchise.  Arnold was always interested, but Cameron didn’t seem enthusiastic about T3, and Arnold wouldn’t do it without Cameron.  There has been news circling around recently, however, that says that Cameron would write and produce a third film, and Arnold would star.  I have a tough time imagining a Terminator film without Cameron’s direction, but I am interested from a story standpoint.  How would Cameron approach a third film dramatically?  Would he continue to follow Sarah, or do something completely different?  After all, with The Terminator, he did create an alternate world ripe with many stories and dramatic possibilities, as evidenced by the Dark Horse comic book series.  Also, T2 was a groundbreaking visual effects film.  In the past eight years since, the digital effects revolution has grown exponentially.  In essence, what would the digital visual tapestry of Terminator 3 yield?  That would be interesting to see.  In any case, if he writes a third film, it’s time he got rid of the time-travel structure and got to the real War itself.   

Avatar.  Abandoned.  Too ambitious.  Okay, so it’s perfectly all right for you to tell us what the heck it would have been about, Cameron.  Maybe release the scriptment to the public?  (I had to try.)  

End of Days.  Schwarzenegger to star.  Peter Hyams (Timecop, 2010) to direct.  I am unsure as to what role Cameron has in this project, possibly producer.  Did he write it?  News on Cameron’s future projects is so scarce, I feel I’m grasping here.  

Planet of the Apes.  Cameron will write (or has written) and will produce.  Schwarzenegger may star (Is Cameron going to produce all of Schwarzenegger’s projects from now on?)  Michael Bay’s name was once mentioned as a director.   

Solaris.  Based on Stanislaw Lem’s sci-fi classic.  He’s developing this as a producer-writer.  No word on whether he will direct.  After all, this is not an original creation of his.   

Mars Trilogy.  Yes, Cameron is expanding into the television realm.  He is intrigued by television because "it’s really in the writing, the character work."  Mars Trilogy is a miniseries based on the novels of Kim Stanley Robinson.   

Unnamed Television Series.  Cameron will also be directing and co-writing the pilot of a new television series that he is creating with Charles Eglee, for the Fox Network.  A supernatural drama, set to premiere in Fall 1999.  That’s according to Cinescape.  Entertainmen t Weekly characterizes it as a "Terminator-esque sci-fi drama" that likely won’t be ready until 2000.  Vague?  Confus ing?  Sca ntly info rmative?  Unfortunately, yes.  But if we hear even the slightest bit of info on any of these projects, be assured that we will tell you.   

Thursday, December 3, 1998 

Welcome to Cameron Noir, the web-site which is devoted to the celebration and the serious critical study of the Oscar-winning film-maker known as James Cameron.  It is well-known that he is a creator of great spectacles, a pioneer in the field of special effects, and that his films (especially Titanic) have resulted in serious box-office impact.  However, we must also recognize James Cameron for what he truly is — an artist, who composes cinematic works of art, filled with love, suspense, insight, terror, friendship, social commentary, and technological paranoia.  He is a film-maker of the highest caliber, who must be compared to the likes of Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Steven Spielberg, Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas and David Lean.  (Reaching too high, you might say? … please feel free to submit any arguments for or against our ambitious statements.)  

The creators of this page are Scott Erickson (the designer) and Bobby Lane (the writer).  For the next six months, this page will still be under construction, but please check back frequently for we will be making constant updates to this page.   

This is what you will discover on this page in the months to come:  

• Complete dissection of each of Cameron’s films, analyzing the cinematography, script, performances, suspense, special effects, etc. 
• Shot-by-shot breakdown and analyses of certain scenes. 
• In-depth reviews of the special editions of his films. 
• Lots of images, current news, and relevant essays and magazine articles. 

Tech-Noir Shot-by-Shot Analysis 

Cameron Essays 

T2 Epilogue 
Abyss Ramblings 
Letterbox vs. P&S 

Film Dissections>> 

Terminator Page 

Special Edition Reviews: 

The Abyss 

 

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