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Every time I read about the making/beginning of the whole Terminator franchise, I find it amusing to think that OJ Simpson’s name had been brought up for the title role, but Cameron rejected it because he didn’t think Simpson would make a convincing killer.
I beg to differ. As fright laden a film fest as it would be...Terminator (ask Harlan Ellison) Alien and Avatar were Science Fiction. They had the scary bits thrown in to make them marketable. Nothing more. In fact, at the time of Alien and Terminator...it was probably the only way that Ridley Scott and James Cameron could get them to the big screen.
Excerpt...
Cameron’s lean and mean Terminator fought its share of uphill battles before and after filming. “Ninety-nine people rejected The Terminator,” said Hurd. “All you need is the 100th to say yes.”
Even when Orion Pictures and Hemdale Pictures said yes, Cameron and Hurd had to stand their ground, like when Orion head Mike Medavoy insisted they cast two guys he’d met at a party: O.J. Simpson as the T-800 opposite Schwarzenegger as Kyle Reese. “I think I was on my knees retching,” Cameron recalled.
He met with Arnold anyway and cast him after a meeting when the cash-strapped filmmaker forgot his wallet (“I didn’t have any money, so why would I need an ATM card?”) and the Conan star paid for lunch.
Really, they are implying that Avatar was an original idea?
Avatar IMO is nothing more than “FernGully: The Last Rainforest” repackaged as Sci-Fi which was nothing but an animated screed against industry and capitalism designed to indoctrinate children into Green Socialism.
And as Hollyweird movies go that is the real formula for all movies isn’t it; Anti-Capitalism, anti-business and pro-Liberalism. .
Milius - Trailer (John Milius Documentary)
Says Sam Elliot: "He doesn't write for p***ies and he doesn't write for women. He writes for men."
Children’s entertainment, craved by so called contemporary adults of all ages.
Only so many ways to fillet a fish..
Or an audience.
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Cameron made a few good movies. Then he let financial success go to his head. After the way he’s ragged on veterans he can go KMA. As far as “Avatar” goes, “District 9” totally pwned it that year. “Avatar” was trite and stupid and had great special effects. But CGI alone doesn’t make a good movie as Michael Bay and Roland Emmerich repeatedly prove. Cameron can’t help but let his hatred for the troops manifest itself in his flicks. Even as far back as “The Abyss” he depicted the military badly. He’ll never get another buck from me and can rot in hell with Oliver Stone.
I’m surprised that no one has mentioned that Alien is clearly an unattributed remake of the 50’s film “It, The Terror From Beyond Space.”
Coming from one of the biggest bullies in the biz, this makes me laugh.