Mark your calendars! James Cameron's 3D-re-release of his groundbreaking, Oscar-winning film Titanic will be on April 6th, 2012 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the ship's sinking. Yes, technically, the ship sank early in the morning on April 15th, but I'll deal.
Why am I so excited! This is my all-time favorite movie and I have never had the privilege of seeing it in the theaters. I was 8 at the time of its original release. I'm not so much excited for the 3D since I hate 3D, but it's James Cameron and he can do no wrong!
Warning: May contain spoilers. You've been warned.
(out of four stars)
Happy New Year! As promised, a movie review for my all-time favorite movie! Naturally, I'd give it four stars. Haha. Here we go!
My History
Before we start, I just want to explain my unusual history with Titanic. I was 8 years old when this movie came out and before even seeing it, I became obsessed with it. I don't even know how to explain it. Everybody else in my class was saying how amazing it was (don't ask why 8 year-olds were watching that movie) so I wanted to love it too.
Sadly, I never saw it in theaters (which is why I'm so excited for the movie to be rereleased in 3D), but I made my dad go out and buy it for me the day it was released on VHS! Then I finally saw it and fell in love. To this day, I stand by that movie, it's actors, and the ship itself. I'm quite impressive with the knowledge I have about the ship itself. I'm a loser like that.
So that's my odd, random, and bizarre history with the movie Titanic. Now on with the show.
Story
We'll get the bad out of the way first.
Okay, bad is a strong word, but we all know that originality isn't James Cameron's strongest area. Pocahontas Avatar.... nuff said. Many would say that Titanic is Romeo and Juliet on a boat which is partially true.
The story that everybody focusses on is the most obvious one that Jack and Rose (J and R or Romeo and Juliet) want to be together but Rose is riches and Jack is rags and their love is forbidden. But mix in the fact that Rose and her mother are simply trying to keep their upper-class status although they are far in debt because of Rose's father's death and the story gets better. Rose is being forced to marry her fiancé, Cal, by her mother because of his wealth.
But that's all just the flashback! Let's going to present day where Brock Lovett is searching for the Heart of the Ocean, a priceless diamond that Cal gave to Rose while on the Titanic. Brock is desperate to find it and uses old-lady Rose to get information as to where it is.
So the story isn't Oscar-worthy. I would never say that it is. But I don't think people are very fair when judging it. Think past the obvious and you'll see a better story. Not amazing, but decent. Remember, it is James Cameron. The only amazing original thing he created was the Terminator!
The Actors and their Acting
Breakthrough and career-launching performances for Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Everybody gave amazing performances. Kate Winslet and Gloria Stuart both received Oscars for their portrayals of Rose.
I personally enjoyed watching Leo, Kate, Billy Zane (Cal), Frances Fisher (Rose's mother), Ewan Stewart (Murdoch), Victor Garber (Thomas Andrews), Bernard Hill (Captain Smith), and Kathy Bates as Molly Brown.
Directing
James Cameron may be a Nazi, controlling, perfectionist, but he wouldn't have gotten the Oscar for best director if he wasn't. Kate Winslet said that she would never work with him again unless she was paid a lot of money. Apparently, while filming Avatar, if anyone's cell phone went off while shooting, he'd nail it to the wall.
Special and Visual Effects
This movie did an amazing job with its effects…. particularly visual. During production, they only built half of the ship and used a mirror image to complete it.
The movie won Oscars for its costumes, music, sound, art direction, cinematography, visual effects, film editing, and sound effects editing. And they were all well deserved!
Overall
Nothing will ever be able to top this movie for me. I've loved it for 13 years now and I doubt anything will change that. It's one of the most underrated overrated movies made. It deserved all of the Oscars it won. I love it.
Warning: May contain spoilers. You've been warned. This entry will also include spoilers for the rereleased version, Avatar: Special Edition.
Wow, a second top ten movie in the same week. Pretty impressive, right? I would have reviewed this already, but I was waiting to see the special edition with the new footage and I did not see it in the "amazing" 3D the first time around.
Well let's get right into it.
The Story
The story... let's just get that out of the way right away! James Cameron is no storywriter. The only good story he actually wrote was Terminator. In my opinion, James Cameron is best at fanfiction or taking an idea that someone else has created and take it a step further. His specialty is sequels. His original Terminator was a success, but Terminator 2 topped that and got his 4 Oscars. Ridley Scott's Alien was just okay compared to Cameron's sequel Aliens which he wrote. And then there was the AMAZING Titanic which won 11 Oscars but was NOT nominated for Writing.
Titanic and Avatar are in the same boat (bahaha). When I tell someone what I think about Titanic's story, I say it's simply Romeo and Juliet on a sinking ship, which is basically all it is. However, everybody knows what Avatar's story is. It's Pocahontas in the future. But what overpowers the unoriginal idea for a story is the portrayal of the story on another planet, in the future, with visually amazing and original aliens.
The Acting & Cast
The cast is so amazing. Sam Worthington isn't quite at his peak in his acting ability, but this role, his role in Terminator Salvation, and Clash of the Titans is really putting him out there. I think he is really good at the scenes where you feel embarrassed for him. You know... those awkward scenes. He's good at those. Haha. Zoe Saldana was superb. She was really into her character and I feel like she made it her own. Like her character's immaturity when she was told that she needed to teach Jake; she would like whine and complain like a child.
And you gotta love Sigourney! What's great about her in this movie is that, I feel, she is very real. Like I think that is how Sigourney herself would act if she were in that situation. You know, the swearing and honest and rude comments. She is amazing and I'm so sad that her character died.
And, naturally, James Cameron added a manly female character played by Michelle Rodriguez. She did the same thing in Aliens and I don't understand why he does that. It's like one of his trademarks. But, regardless, I love Michelle and her character, so it all worked out in the end.
The two bad guys are both equally assholes and annoying. Stephen Lang plays the Colonel who is in charge of the military on Pandora and Giovanni Ribisi is the man funding it all. He plays Parker and he just wants to get his hand on the unobtainium no matter who or what is standing in his way. But. But. If an actor you like (Giovanni Ribisi) can make you hate them through their acting, then they're a very good actor.
The Visual Effects & 3D
Two words... with a hyphen: mind-blowing. The visual effects at least. They had no competition in the race for the Visual Effects Oscar. It was so amazing. The entire planet was incredible, the wildlife was so inventive, and the natives were brilliant. Everything was so real looking. I also thought the neon color style was original too. The nighttime scenes were mesmerizing to watch. This vindicates James Cameron for not putting a movie out in ten years!
I went and saw it originally back in December 09 in 2D. In all honesty, 3D isn't my favorite. 3D should just be an animated kids movie thing. However, I did enjoy the 3D version of this movie when I went to see the Special Edition rerelease. At first it was annoying because there is just so much going on on-screen that it's hard to focus your eyes. Eventually my eyes adjusted, but I didn't find it as amazing as everybody says it was. It was just... 3D.
The Special Edition
The Special Edition rerelease version of the movie featured 9 minutes of new footage. You may think it's only 9 minutes... how special could it be and why would I want to sit through a now 2 hour and 50 minute movie. Well, the deleted footage, I thought, was important footage and I don't quite understand why James cut it. Yes, the movie does make sense without it, but I think it helps people understand more. One key scene that stands out the most takes place when Jake, Grace, and Norm venture out for the first time together. They walk into Grace's former school. In the regular film, they just mention that she built a school and she used to be welcome in the tribe, but then something happened and they shunned her and closed the school. But in the new scenes, they go to the deserted school, Grace explains a little (not a lot) about it, and we see bullet holes in the side of the school. So it does help the story of what happened to Grace.
Another scene was one that I just thought was so cool. They shouldn't have cut it. It's right after Jake bonds with his banshee (the flying creature) and he's just learned how to fly. The tribe is following a stampede of hammerhead titanothere and we see The People riding banshees and direhorse trying to hunt them. I just think it's an awesome scene.
Sequels
Avatar is said to be having 2 sequels. The first one is set to be released in 2014. That's a freaking long time, but since James is so good at sequels, I'm sure it'll be worth the wait. I just hope the visual effects won't be obsolete by then. Avatar 2 will have Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana return for their roles and it is said that the focus of the story will be on Pandora's oceans, which I think will be cool. So I'm excited.
If you haven't seen Avatar in theaters yet, I'd go see it now. I don't think watching it at home has quite the same effect as on the big screen whether in 3D or not. I doubt that it will be released into theaters again for at least 25 years. Just make the time to go see it. You won't be disappointed!
I've known this was coming for probably a year, but I'm letting you know now.
James Cameron's 1997 film Titanic and my absolute favorite movie on the face of the Earth will be rereleased in theaters in 3D.
This is his current project at the moment before working on his next movie which I believe is Battle Angel and then Avatar 2.
They're hoping for it to be released in April of 2012 which will also be the 100th anniversary of the ship's sinking. I don't think there is a better way to remember that event! I will be the first one in line and the one sobbing during the movie like its my first time watching it. Haha.
I'm a total loser when it comes to this movie. I love it.
Like seriously, what the fuck is this movie about.
Welcome to my first installment in the 'Movies I Love to Hate' Saga where I name movies I hate with a passion and I explain why I hate them. Pretty simple.
For my first one, I decided to do Citizen Kane. Released in 1941 and directed by, written by, and starring Orson Welles. See, that's where you went wrong. I hate movies that are produced, directed, written, and acted out by the same person. I think it's just cocky and selfish. James Cameron would fall into that category if it were him sinking to the ocean floor in Titanic instead of Leo.
This movie has no purpose. It made absolutely no sense to me. I had to watch it for my Introduction to Film class at SIU. We watched some decent movies in that class (His Girl Friday, the Player, Above the Law (not. ha.) but this movie just pissed me off.
In all honesty, I don't even remember what it was about. About a guy who was a millionaire and was unhappy or something. Idk. See, it sucked so much, I don't remember what happened. That's all I'm going to say. Except...
Whenever I watch movies that feature Leonardo DiCaprio or Johnny Depp, I always say "they seriously need an Oscar. Now!" Seriously. I can't think of anybody more deserving. Besides me. Haha. I was so incredibly happy when Kate Winslet received her Oscar for The Reader (a very good movie by the way), now it's time for her co-stars to get one.
She starred in Titanic and Revolutionary Road (or as I call it, Titanic 2: Jack Lives) with Leo and Finding Neverland with Johnny.
Leonardo DiCaprio rolls out dramatic roles every year. I don't think he's ever even been in a comedy (unless you think Catch Me If You Can is one, I'd consider it a comedic drama). He was nominated for an Oscar originally when he was nineteen for a Supporting Role in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (starring Johnny Depp). He lost to Tommy Lee Jones. Understandable, but that's really good! He was later nominated for leading roles in the Aviator in 2005 and Blood Diamond in 2007. He lost to Jamie Foxx and Forest Whitaker respectively.
But again, he pumps out dramatic roles like a machine and I think it's time he gets recognized for it.
Johnny Depp's not known for dramatic roles. He's known for insane ones. Insanely original. He was nominated for his role as Jack Sparrow in 2003's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Peter Pan creator J.M. Barrie in 2004's Finding Neverland, and as Sweeney Todd in 2007's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. He lost to Sean Penn, Jamie Foxx (same year as Leonardo DiCaprio), and Daniel Day-Lewis respectively.
I proves that Johnny can be a pirate, an imaginative writer, and a psycho. He's so original in his roles. He creates them so perfectly and he makes them stand out. He was the Mad Hatter, Edward Scissorhands, Cry-Baby, a bank robber, Ichabod Crane, Ed Wood, Gilbert Grape, Heath Ledger's replacement a schizophrenic man, and a re-imagined Willy Wonka. Johnny could play YOU better than you play yourself! Haha!
These two men deserve Oscars more than anyone alive. Even Hilary Duff... haha.... yeah...
Side note: Miley Cyrus was on the red carpet a year ago and was being interviewed about the Last Song and she said she hoped to be nominated. What are you NUTS!? LOL.
I'd just like to make note that 98 years ago today, at 2 AM this morning, the Titanic sank.
1,500 people were lost.
Can't wait for the 3D version of the greatest movie ever made, Titanic, to come to theaters in a couple years (hopefully next year). It's James Cameron's current project ;)
Random, I know.
Also, Happy Birthday to Emma Watson (Hermione Granger). Love her!!!
