Screen Rant » terminator 2

Titanic and Terminator 2 3D Still In The Works

Anthony Ocasio — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:54:38 +0000

With the re-release of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 in 3D around the corner, the question around town has been: What’s the next blockbuster to enter the third dimension?

If you ask the folks over at Lightstorm Entertainment (James Cameron’s production company), the answer is obvious… Titanic?

Now, before you go running for your tissue box and 3D glasses, an insider suggests one should not expect to hear any specifics announced until later next year – but you’re not going to have to wait too long as Lightstorm partner Jon Landau says, “I don’t think it’s too far into the future. We’re pretty far down the road.”

As we previously reported for all you Cameron-atics (Yeah, totally just made that up), Titanic isn’t the only film on the books for receiving the 3D treatment. In fact, Lightstorm has done 3D tests on two of Cameron’s most successful movies: Titanic and some little movie called Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

While I’m not as much interested in seeing dual Bill’s (Paxton and Zane) tackling a sinking ship in 3D, I will happily sign up to see Terminator 2 in any dimension – 2nd, 3rd or 6th. This also begs the question: is Titanic too long of a movie for 3D? I’ve heard from many people that the after a while the whole “3D Experience” becomes less enjoyable and let’s be honest… 3D doesn’t automatically equal better.

Although, Dolby has been working on converting Star Wars into 3D using their own technology, and from what I’ve heard from people that have been lucky enough to see samples of it, it looks extremely promising.

For those against all this 3D back-converting, you don’t have to worry about ALL your favorite films being dragged into the third dimension. As of right now, the most likely films to receive the treatment are family films, as they are the only films likely to recoup the costs of converting a film to 3D. CGI-animated films are also more likely to be converted, as the cost of converting a CGI film is $4 million compared to usual $8 million. I know that in the world of film $4 or $8 million doesn’t sound like much, but that’s not including the projected $25 million dollars needed for marketing.

While Disney has been the forerunner in re-releasing 3D films (“Disney Digital 3D!”) they have been hesitant to commit on further 3D releases. Disney distribution president Chuck Viane said, “We continue to look at past properties to see if we have the right vehicles for this format, but we want to see what happens with these.”

Even at Fox, distribution box Bruce Snyder said that they have “looked at some titles that we could think about maybe doing in 3D.” While nothing has been planned, Snyder is focusing more on family films, saying, “You’ve got older teens and early-20s males who are rabid about technology right now. So it has the possibility of expanding from the family audience into that audience.”

As a wearer of glasses (Yes, I’m a nerd – 1011001) for my entire life, I’ve always had problems with the “amazing technology” of 3D glasses. As the technology for producing and converting 3D is advancing, you’d really think that someone could create a better alternative than plastic glasses with tinted lens. For my entire movie watching experience I have never been able to enjoy 3D films as I spend most of my time figuring out which is less uncomfortable; Wearing the 3D glasses over or under my nerd spectacles.

With all this talk of converting movies into 3D, how do you feel? I’m a little worried, but open to it. What are some films that you’d like to see in 3D? (All I’m going to say is Teen Witch. Top that!) Is Titanic really the best prospect for 3D?

The Toy Story and Toy Story 2 3D double feature opens October 2nd 2009 and will run for 2 weeks. For those not interested in staying for both films, don’t worry, you can use your ticket to return anytime during the limited engagement.

No word yet and when we might officially see Titanic and/or T2 in 3D theaters.

Source: THR

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‘Titanic’ And ‘T2′ In 3D? (Plus New Avatar Pic)

Ross Miller — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 16:42:28 +0000

With his 3D CGI, Motion-Capture extravaganza Avatar on the way at the end of the year, just what else has James Cameron got on the horizon? Well, how about taking some of his past movies and transforming them into 3D as well? Word is that Cameron is thinking about doing his mega-success Titanic in 3D, and maybe Terminator 2, as well.

On top of this news, we also have a brand new image from Avatar, which shows the director himself getting in on the action. Sweet.

Cameron spoke with Empire at Comic-Con recently where he gave his thoughts about his love of 3D technology. It is here that he mentioned his plan to bring Titanic to three-dimensional life:

“We’re going to do Titanic in 3-D! We’ve already done a 90 second clip of it and it’s phenomenal and gorgeous, so that’s going to be the project for next year. It’s a conversion of it, not native photography; we can’t go back.”

Cameron also went on to address the question of whether he’d like to turn any of his other past projects into 3D:

“You know, we’ve thought about Terminator 2, which could be fun because I think that’s a film that stands the test of time for me. I think that Aliens was a really good film in its time, but visually it doesn’t quite hold up; we’ve kind of evolved beyond that now. I mean, for me it doesn’t. Terminator 2, I think, is the cusp of where it still holds up, through now. True Lies, I don’t think so; it doesn’t feel right to me. Titanic absolutely, slam dunk! I want to see it!”

.

It appears that Titanic is almost definitely going to be coming at us in 3D, and Terminator 2 is more of just a, “We’d love to do it,” kind of thing. Even though Cameron says the clip they’ve done of Titanic is, “phenomenal and gorgeous,” I’m still not sold on the idea – or the idea of doing any of his other projects in 3D for that matter. Would Titanic or even Terminator 2 REALLY benefit from being in 3D?

With regards to Titanic, in particular, it obviously would be pretty impactful to feel like violent waters and a sinking boat are actually in the movie theater with you. And doing a re-release in the 3D format would certainly further it’s already whopping $1.8 billion revenue at the box office.

But am I the only one who thinks Titanic is fine the way it is?…

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Review: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Season One

Niall Browne — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:35:03 +0000

Over the the last twenty-five years The Terminator franchise has set the standard for science fiction films – smart, action packed and filled with ground breaking special effects. The (first two) films are iconic and idolized by millions around the world. So when it was announced that the franchise would have a television spin-off many fans were unhappy, (myself included,) as it would not star Arnold Schwarzenegger (for obvious political reasons.) We feared that a TV series, sans Schwarzenegger, would cheapen the previous entries that had gone before it.

However, there is no need to fear Ye Terminator faithful: although the series does not equal the greatness of T1 and T2, it does expand on the characters, adding new twists, as well as some key references to the films.

All in all it’s enough to satisfy fans old and new alike.

The first season of The Sarah Connor Chronicles is set after the events of Terminator 2: Judgement Day, but in an alternate timeline from Terminator 3: Rise of The Machines (though they do keep the Sarah Connor cancer subplot mentioned in T3). The pilot starts in 1997 when a new Terminator named Cromartie (since when did they give these things names?) gets sent back from the future for another attempt at John Connor, this time when he is a teenager. Of course another protector for John also gets sent back: a female Terminator that appears to be around John’s age, (sixteen or so,) named Cameron (geddit).

With Cromartie relentlessly pursuing them, John, Sarah and Cameron use a device left behind by ‘time-agents’ to jump a decade into the future. (I guess that’s how they manage to discount T3.) Arriving in 2007, the Connor family, along with their new “household appliance,” charge themselves with the mission to destroy Cyberdyne Systems, along with anyone who helped create the super computer, Skynet, before the machine uprising can begin. There’s just one tiny problem – Cromartie follows them through the time portal, and will stop at nothing to terminate John.

While I was skeptical about the quality of the show before I watched The Sarah Connor Chronicles, I was pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable it was. Lena Headey (300) makes a good replacement for Linda Hamilton, who was sorely missed in T3. Thomas Dekker is a pretty decent John Connor; for the first time we see that he could actually be a military leader, even if he still (on occasion) acts like a whiny teen. The one weak link in the series is Summer Glau as Cameron, the protector Terminator sent from the future. She just doesn’t feel like a Terminator; at times she manages it – but more often than not she appears like a cast member from the OC, acting tough.

The effects for the show are pretty good, and the future scenes due to their (relative) low budget mirror those in Cameron’s 1984 film. The music score is also first rate, bringing in themes and motifs from Cameron’s original features. For fans there is also the return of Kyle Reese (and the introduction of his brother,) which wasn’t as bad as I anticipated; the presence of Dr. Silberman (played this time around by Bruce Davision); with enough action, plot twists and continuity “Easter eggs” to keep Terminator fans (and avid TV watchers) entertained over the course of nine episodes.

I’m aware that the US Region 1 DVD has some pretty good documentaries, but they weren’t available for my review copy. However, there are a few good smatterings of deleted scenes that add to the texture of the show.

The Sarah Connor Chronicles is a decent addition to the Terminator cannon, surpassing T3 in terms of quality and story. The show is a must for fans, and it should keep you ticking until Terminator: Salvation hits next year. Check it out.

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Countdown To The SAG Strike… Or Not?

Heath McKnight — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:31:11 +0000

Can the film and television industries handle another strike, this time from the actors unions: SAG (Screen Actors Guild) and AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists)? No way; after the three-month-plus Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike against the studios and producers, the entertainment industries still haven’t recovered.

One caveat; as a filmmaker, I have worked with SAG in the past, employing members for a few movie projects. I have never had a problem with the union, and they were always extremely helpful in securing SAG talent for my films.

Here are the details: SAG and AFTRA’s contracts with the studios and producers (AMPTP, Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) expire June 30, 2008 (yes, you read that right – 4 days from today), and there has been zero progress. The issues at hand are contract negotiations including key issues new media and DVD royalties.

There is another big issue which has kept the two unions from sitting back down with the AMPTP: fighting between the two. AFTRA has a potential deal they want to solidify by July, but SAG isn’t happy with their terms, and so there is a major battle happening between leadership and members, and there doesn’t appear to be much in the way of progress in the past few weeks.

Unlike the WGA strike, which mostly affected a lot of new productions without scripts from moving forward but allowing existing projects with scripts to continue shooting, an actors’ strike will absolutely paralyze the industry. No one can work, and a high number of movies and TV shows feature union actors, so everything will be shut down. Not to mention that actors won’t do interviews to promote upcoming movies, which will hurt the box office and affect next month’s huge San Diego Comic-Con.

So how does this affect current projects, or those in the immediate future? ComingSoon.net posted an article a few weeks ago detailing what’s happening with movies. Many films had to start by February or March so they could be wrapped before the potential strike, otherwise they’d have to wait until after a resolution is made – and many big budget movies have already been shelved. Other films, like The Da Vinci Code’s prequel, Angels and Demons, has forged ahead despite the risk of a strike. The movie was already delayed by the WGA strike, so the producers were determined to get the film into production.

I think it’s a bit risky to try and forge ahead with a production, even if there is a planned break if a strike occurs, much like what the fourth Terminator and second Transformers are planning. In fact, Transformers 2’s crew will focus on visual effects and some second unit work (except stunts, since stuntmen are covered by SAG) if the strike happens.

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