Cinema Shock

AVATAR (2009) | James Cameron, Part IX

In this, our final episode of our James Cameron series, we're taking a look at his groundbreaking, record-busting 3D science fiction epic, AVATAR!
In the years between TITANIC and AVATAR, Cameron helped to develop a new form of 3D technology, alongside new performance capture techniques that allowed him to create images that no filmmaker had been able to achieve before.
And then, when AVATAR was released in 2009, it quickly became the highest grossing movie of all time, and remains so to this day. In this episode, we'll track the film's progression from its earliest inception (this story begins in the 1970s!) all the way through the film's release, and how its reputation has evolved in the years since.
Next Episode: Cinema Shock Roulette #3
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, and Todd A. Davis.

Bonus: Todd’s Uncut Tribute to TITANIC’s David Warner

In our TITANIC episode(s), Mr. Todd A. Davis compiled a tribute to the great character actor David Warner, who recently passed. Unfortunately, due to the length of our TITANIC episodes, we felt that it would be best to trim that segment, but wanted to still get this heartfelt tribute out into the world.
Warner's career was a long one, with tenures in franchises like STAR TREK and appearances in blockbusters like James Cameron's TITANIC, as well as countless others. In this special bonus episode, Todd gives a brief biography of Mr. Warner and a breakdown of his many, many achievements.

Cinema Shock Roundtable #8: Looking ahead to AVATAR

In this episode, we'll take a look forward to the finale of our James Cameron series where we'll be discussing AVATAR!
We also have a chat about all of the other things we've been watching lately, including SANDMAN, FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH, PREY, DAY SHIFT, THEY/THEM, ORPHAN: FIRST KILL, and REAR WINDOW!
Are you caught up on our James Cameron series? If not, find all of the episodes at https://www.cinemashock.net/jamescameron

A 12 Year Intermission | James Cameron, Part VIII

When we began this series, we'd planned on simply skimming over the fact that James Cameron had a 12-year gap in his filmography — at least, in narrative films — between TITANIC and AVATAR.
But in researching what he was up to during that time, we realized that the work he was doing, both in terms of filmmaking, and in developing new technologies, was going to be hugely impactful to the work he'd do on AVATAR and beyond.
So on this episode, we're going to do something a little different. Instead of focusing on a single film, we're going to discuss all of the things that James Cameron got up to during his 12-year hiatus from feature filmmaking, from documentaries to changes in both his personal and professional lives to the creation of the type of 3D cameras that would prove integral to his work going forward.
Next Episode: AVATAR.
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, and Todd A. Davis.

TITANIC (1997) Ep. 2 | James Cameron, Part VII

TITANIC was the biggest gamble of James Cameron's career. A passion project if there ever was one, the film was anything but a sure bet. It became the most expensive film ever made and everyone in Hollywood expected it to fail. Except, of course, for James Cameron.
But TITANIC was a passion project, a $200 million labor of love that took Cameron to the depths of the ocean, where he'd film the real Titanic, bringing back some of the clearest images of the wreckage ever seen up to that point. The journey would take him and his crew to Baja, Mexico, where he'd build a full sized replica of the ship. 
The filming of TITANIC is legendary. A grueling shoot that took a physical and psychological toll on everyone involved in its creation. In this episode, we'll discuss the decade long journey that TITANIC took to the big screen.
Because there's so much story to tell about TITANIC, we've decided to split it across two episodes. TITANIC Episode 1 was released last week.
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, and Todd A. Davis.
For episode archives and more, visit www.cinemashock.net.

TITANIC (1997) Ep. 1 | James Cameron, Part VI

TITANIC was the biggest gamble of James Cameron's career. A passion project if there ever was one, the film was anything but a sure bet. It became the most expensive film ever made and everyone in Hollywood expected it to fail. Except, of course, for James Cameron.
But TITANIC was a passion project, a $200 million labor of love that took Cameron to the depths of the ocean, where he'd film the real Titanic, bringing back some of the clearest images of the wreckage ever seen up to that point. The journey would take him and his crew to Baja, Mexico, where he'd build a full sized replica of the ship. 
The filming of TITANIC is legendary. A grueling shoot that took a physical and psychological toll on everyone involved in its creation. In this episode, we'll discuss the decade long journey that TITANIC took to the big screen.
Because there's so much story to tell about TITANIC, we've decided to split it across two episodes. TITANIC Episode 2 will be released next week.
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, and Todd A. Davis.
For episode archives and more, visit www.cinemashock.net.

TRUE LIES (1994) | James Cameron, Part V

After TERMINATOR 2 became the biggest hit of James Cameron's career — and the third highest grossing movie of all time — the director felt like he needed a change of direction. Maybe a small character-based drama?
Well, that didn't work out. His next film would end up being a pseudo-remake of a French comedy called LA TOTALE! that he was introduced to by his friend Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Their version of the story — which they called TRUE LIES — would be Cameron's first foray into comedy, but he didn't abandon his action movie roots, using his biggest budget yet to craft some of the most ambitious action set pieces of his career. 
In this episode, we trace the film's production, from concept to release and reception, and we dive into the film's legacy, including a lot of the controversy that still surrounds the film to this day.
Next Episode: TITANIC.
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, and Todd A. Davis.
Episode archives, merchandise & more: cinemashock.net

Cinema Shock Roundtable #7: Looking ahead to TRUE LIES

It's time for another Bonus Episode! This time around, we're talking about our thoughts going into our episode where we'll be covering James Cameron's TRUE LIES!
We also talk about lots of other stuff we've been watching lately, including THE BOYS, MS. MARVEL, STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS, THOR: LOVE & THUNDER, and much much more!Subscribe, listen, buy merch, etc: cinemashock.net

TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY (1991) | James Cameron, Part IV

After the underwhelming critical and commercial response to THE ABYSS, James Cameron knew that he had to get moving on his next project as soon as possible. As fate would have it, the executives at Carolco — who’d recently produced films like RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II and TOTAL RECALL — had acquired the rights to the TERMINATOR franchise, at great expense, and asked Cameron to write and direct a sequel.
In this episode, we’ll trace the production of TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY, from those early, chaotic days of development, through the time of its release, when it became one of the biggest films of all time.
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, and Todd A. Davis.
For episode archives, merchandise & more, please visit cinemashock.net

THE ABYSS (1989) | James Cameron, Part III

As he approached the late 1980s, James Cameron had two major hits under his belt, giving him free rein to get any dream project he wanted into production. He chose to explore ideas that he'd used in a short story that he'd written when he was only 16-years-old.
The resulting film, THE ABYSS, became one of the most grueling film shoots of all time, fraught with technical and physical difficulties for everyone involved. In this episode, we'll trace the film's harrowing production from beginning to end, and discuss the final product and its enduring legacy.
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, and Todd A. Davis.