In Contention

Tag: James Cameron

  • Should Lee Daniels tread more carefully?

    Lee DanielsBased on an unexpected blanking in the Gotham Award nominations, plus the lingering resentment in some quarters over Mo’Nique’s reluctance to play the publicity game, talk has surfaced this week of a “Precious” backlash. I’m not buying it until there’s a larger press reaction to the film upon its release — if it receives further anti-consensus pans along the lines of Ed Gonzalez’s, perhaps.

    Either way, according to Patrick Goldstein, director Lee Daniels isn’t helping matters with some cocky statements that could rub some Academy voters the wrong way. His assertion that “‘Precious’ is so not Obama … so not P.C.,” in the film’s recent NYT spread, strikes me as a harmless bit of bluster, while I’m not sure why anyone but the most conservative bluehairs would be concerned by him describing himself as “a little homo … a little Euro … a little ghetto.”

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  • James Horner’s “epic” and “hugely cinematic” score for ‘Avatar’

    James HornerOne of the contenders we’ve certainly had an eye on in this year’s Oscar race is James Horner, composer of the score for James Cameron’s “Avatar.” The last time the duo worked together was the last time Cameron made a movie, and 1997’s “Titanic” brought in a massive Oscar haul that included a statue for Horner’s contribution.

    Over at MovieScore Magazine, Mikael Carlsson is calling the score, which is unheard as of this point, “the film music event of the year,” and he gets a quote from Fox music executive VP Mike Knobloch:

    It’s a brilliantly unique blend of traditional and contemporary, electronic elements and spans the entire spectrum of attitude and energy – from bombastic action to the delicate, romantic discovery of a new world.

    That’s fine and good and generally empty as a quote of substance.  You could say that about the score to “The Rock.”

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  • Continuing the 3D debate

    AvatarEarlier this month, I wrote a piece detailing my wariness about the current 3D vogue amid the various claims being made that it will alter life (or at least cinema, which for many of us is the same thing) as we know it.

    Now, with “Avatar” Day having stoked anticipation for James Cameron’s purportedly “game-changing” film in some quarters — and significantly dampened it in others — the debate about the technology’s value carries on.  I expect the film’s run-up and eventual release will provide plenty more occasion for alternately sceptical and enraptured opinion pieces about the trend.

    I’m still in no position to comment about the potential (or otherwise) of “Avatar” — even if I had wanted to attend “Avatar” Day, given that I was in a tent in rural Wales at the time, the opportunity escaped me. I subsequently watched the trailer online, only to be informed (perhaps a little defensively) by others that the images only really popped in 3D.

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  • Hollywood remembers ‘The Wizard of Oz’

    The Wizard of OzAs you have probably been made aware, Tuesday marked the 70th anniversary of the release of “The Wizard of Oz” in the U.S., a milestone which has inspired a number of tribute pieces this past week — including our own edition of The Lists dedicated to the classic.

    For their part, the LA Times has taken the simple but effective approach of asking a range of artists from the world of film (and elsewhere) what the film means to them personally, and has turned up some interesting responses.

    It’s an imaginative selection of interviewees they’ve assembled, ranging from directors Jon Favreau and Zach Snyder to oddball musician Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips, which only goes to show the vast extent of the film’s reach and appeal. Still, the response I liked the most came from probably the most obvious source: Guillermo Del Toro, whose “Pan’s Labyrinth” is arguably the film’s closest contemporary cousin.

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  • James Cameron on the stories that influenced ‘Avatar’

    James Cameron on the set of AvatarEarlier in the week we told you about Geoff Boucher’s exclusive two-part interview with “Avatar” director James Cameron at the Los Angeles Times’s Hero Complex blog.  Part two is up now and in it, Cameron gets into the “‘Dances With Wolves’ in space” thing and talks more about the film’s influences:

    You see the same theme in “At Play in the Fields of the Lord” and also “The Emerald Forest,” which maybe thematically isn’t that connected but it did have that clash of civilizations or of cultures. That was another reference point for me. There was some beautiful stuff in that film. I just gathered all this stuff in and then you look at it through the lens of science fiction and it comes out looking very different but is still recognizable in a universal story way. It’s almost comfortable for the audience – “I know what kind of tale this is.” They’re not just sitting there scratching their heads, they’re enjoying it and being taken along. And we still have turns and surprises in it, too, things you don’t see coming. But the idea that you feel like you are in a classic story, a story that could have been shaped by Rudyard Kipling or Edgar Rice Burroughs.

    Read the rest at Hero Complex.

  • First official image from ‘Avatar’

    Peter Sciretta at /Film woke up to a nice surprise in his inbox this morning: the first official image from James Cameron’s “Avatar” (which will be appearing in magazines shortly).  You’ve got Sam Worthington in front of a tank containing one of the avatars with that cool Cameron blue.  Very beautiful.  For more on “Avatar” (and the avatars, in fact), check out my coverage of the Comic-Con footage here.

    Sam Worthington in Avatar

  • James Cameron on being original with ‘Avatar’

    James Cameron on the set of AvatarJames Cameron’s “Avatar” is ramping up as “Avatar” Day swiftly approaches.  Some think there is a conscious effort afoot to tone down expectations, while others are more and more unable to contain themselves at the industry prospects represented by the film.  All the while, a December release date inches closer.

    Will it be a game changer?  Will the world be the same the next day?  Will we all remember where we were when “Avatar” was unleashed to the masses?  It’s getting that out of hand in some quarters.

    Me, despite a definite sense of anticipation, I checked my expectations long ago.  The Comic-Con footage was great, but I’ve become more of a “show me” kind of guy as of late.  Burned too many times, I guess.  What hasn’t settled, however, is the reason the hair on the back of my neck stood on end when we all got our first glimpse.

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  • The economics of 3D … and why I don’t care

    CoralineI’m going to sound about three times my actual age for saying this, but I’ll say it anyway: I could not care less about 3D.

    I know it’s important, I know it’s fun, I know it’s the future. I know all this largely because almost 20 years ago, a group of cheery traveling 3D promoters visited my elementary school in New Jersey, and told the packed assembly exactly the same thing.

    “Hey, 3D! Yay, 3D! Everybody see in 3D!” they sang, before showing us some jazzed-up motocross footage in the third dimension. Does anybody else remember sitting through the same demonstration?

    I wasn’t thrilled then, and while I’m aware of the massive leap and bounds the technology has made since I was 7 years old, I’m not particularly thrilled now. I like a gosh-wow gimmick as much as the next man — a stupid part of me wishes I’d lived through Smell-O-Rama — but once the novelty of items popping off the screen settles in, I find 3D a dispensable accessory: an extra “D” doesn’t amount to a lot of beans in the cinematic departments I really care about — writing, storytelling, performance.

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  • Na’vi action figure from ‘Avatar’

    You knew merchandising would kick in on this thing eventually.  Thanks to Devin over at CHUD, we get a look at the proposed line of action figures for James Cameron’s “Avatar.”  This is fairly newsy, since to the best of my knowledge, outside of those who saw the Comic-Con footage, this is the public’s first glimpse at a full Na’vi/Avatar body:

    Na'vii action figure

  • ‘Avatar’ poster

    Avatar

    (Courtesy: Latino Review)

  • WEEKLY WRAP: Festivals, foxes and funny people

    Adam Sandler in Funny People• In the week’s most dramatic news, Universal rather cleared its awards slate by bumping both “The Wolf Man” and Paul Greengrass’s “Green Zone” to 2010.

    • Against expectations, we were won over by Meryl Streep’s latest bid for that elusive third Oscar, “Julie & Julia.”

    • The Venice Film Festival unveiled a typically well-planned lineup, with “The Road” and Michael Moore’s “Capitalism: A Love Story” leading the American charge.

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  • Is “‘Avatar’ Day” a canny move to dampen expectations?

    James Cameron at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con InternationalWhen James Cameron unveiled 25 minutes of his forthcoming film “Avatar” to Comic-Con crowds last week, the reaction was pretty solid.  But there were those who were quick to tone down the ecstasy, and with due cause.  While the footage was awe-inspiring and, to this viewer’s mind, quite indicative of where the medium is going, it was not the moment of stunning change many might have expected.

    Maybe that is the fault of the uncontrollable hype machine, more so than the material, since Cameron has merely been plugging away, hard at work on a project he believes in, while the studio has been in no necessary position to offer up promotional materials like a poster or a trailer, given that the film is still six months from release.

    The announcement of “‘Avatar’ Day,” which will bring 15 minutes of the footage to IMAX theaters across the world on August 21 for free and will also mark the unveiling of an upcoming video game tie-in and action figure set, was a shrewd way to drum up the excitement further while also giving fans something tangible to experience.  But Stuart Heritage over at The Guardian is thinking along different lines.  Maybe, he says, the occassion will provide the first opportunity to calm the waters of anticipation.

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  • COMIC-CON: Wrapping it up

    2009 San Diego Comic-Con InternationalI wish I could tell you how awesome the “Iron Man 2” footage form yesterday’s Paramount panel was, but Hall H was packed to the gills and even us schmoes int he VIP line couldn’t get in because it was at capacity.  Without a doubt, the event was the most popular attraction at this year’s Comic-Con.

    It sounded good muffled through the walls.  That’s all I got.  Hoping for another screening in LA soon.

    By far the highlight for me was the Entertainment Weekly Visionaries panel with James Cameron and Peter Jackson.  It’s a pretty big leap from last year’s set of Zack Snyder, Frank Miller, Kevin Smith and Judd Apatow.  Let’s hope next year isn’t a step backwards at the crew responsible for this momentous occasion gets creative and puts a few equally brilliant minds together on that stage once again.

    Speaking of Jackson, “District 9” made a major splash here.  The screening was very well-received on Thursday and the Saturday panel got the crowd chomping at the bit.  In this community anyway, the film is sure to be a runaway hit.

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  • James Cameron on the immersive movie-going experience

  • James Cameron on the ‘Avatar’ germination process and “stoner-vision”

  • Random geek crashes the Visionaries party at the Con

    Oh, there was a hilarious moment early on during that EW Visionaries panel yesterday, when a fan leaped onto the stage somehow, in a faux-geek guise, to crash the party. Here’s a clip of the disturbance, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly:

  • COMIC-CON: Visionaries Jackson and Cameron address the masses

    (from left) Peter Jackson and James Cameron at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con InternationalThe crowning jewel of the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con, by far, has been the Entertainment Weekly-sponsored “Visionaries” panel yesterday evening, featuring filmmakers Peter Jackson and James Cameron.  So many real-world, in-the-trenches, eye-on-the-future topics were discussed that it became tedious to sit and transcribe the proceedings, so after a while I just committed myself to as many video clips as I could grab.  Though I was tweeting as much as possible.  Ditto Jeff Wells, who passed along some nice quotes throughout.

    The two talked about everything from motion-capture technology to balancing the duties of screenwriter with that of producer and director, and really, anything in between.  It was the most enlightening panel Comic-Con could have hoped for, and even the attendee questions were brighter than usual.

    Line of the evening: “It’s not a good idea to ask a woman if she wants to have another baby when she’s crowning,” which was Cameron’s response to a query about his next project.

    Much of the discussion was dedicated to the idea that these two guys constantly push the envelope, not only of what is possible in cinema, but of what a studio is willing to fund.  Cameron in particular displayed his usual maverick side when questions like this came about, at one point saying that Warner Bros. needed to “grow a pair of balls” regarding an eventual 3D release of the “Lord of the Rings” franchise.

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  • James Cameron on ‘The Hurt Locker’

    With the more gossipy factions of the press trying to conjure up tension between him and his ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow, it’s great to see that James Cameron is having none of it.

    In this extract from an interview with David Poland — worth checking out here — Cameron sings the praises of “The Hurt Locker,” suggesting it could emerge as the “Platoon” of the Iraq generation. He also makes clear that they continue to enjoy a professional friendship … so the wags hoping for some kind of bitter rivalry come Oscar season will be disappointed.