James Cameron

To me, back then, The Terminator was it, and Schwarzenegger was my new hero. "Fuck you, asshole," was the coolest thing I'd ever heard. But it wasn't until years later, after the film made it to video, that I'd found that Cameron had 'stolen' the idea of Terminator from a Harlan Ellison stories, "Demon with a Glass Hand" and "Soldier". Cameron was sued and Ellison won. If you look closely enough at the end credits of Terminator, there is a cheesy video addition to the credits, giving Ellison the credit.

But this was the springboard to one of Hollywoods most successful writer/directors.

After Terminator came the groundbreaking film Aliens, the sequel to the Ridley Scott film that people had, originally, doubts about. But the sequel went farther than the original did. Cameron created a stranger, more violent world... Ripley's future, with marines and weapons straight out of comic books... and the film worked, on a multitude of levels, becoming one of the most successful sequels to a film ever made.

Cameron didn't stop there. He took to the present after Aliens, creating his epic film (epic at the time) The Abyss. This time, not only did Cameron write the script and direct the film, him and his brother also created new cameras designed specifically for underwater shooting. The two patented their ideas and the cameras are in wide use today.

Arnold came back to play in one of the most anticipated movies of the 1990's, Terminator 2: Judgement Day. It's also where he bagged Linda Hamilton, but hey, that's showbiz. Terminator 2 stretched the limits and imaginations of everyone involved, and became one of the highest grossing movies of all time.

Cameron kept with his winning actor, writing True Lies with Schwarzenegger in mind in this fantastic yarn about a special agent. I remember seeing this in the theaters on opening night. It was the loudest thing I'd ever been to, and that's saying a lot (in a positive way).

Strange Days followed, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, which read Cameron straight through.

Then there was the film that cheated death. It's the only way I can say it. Titanic ended up being one of those underdog films, a personal vendetta for Cameron, a middle finger to all those who said he was crazy. And he pulled it off the way he intended.

I have an unproduced script of Cameron's for your enjoyment. Crowded Room. I have yet to read it, and heard nothing about it, so we shall see.

Here's a neat site on James Cameron.

Check out Digital Domain Cameron's company that he started with f/x wizard Stan Winston.

All of the scripts are in PDF format - Enjoy them. They are not for sale, they are for educational purposes ONLY.

John Painz

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