list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around The Abyss on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/The_Abyss/338/default.aspx Title: The Abyss
Year: 1989
Director: James Cameron
Plot: The crew of an experimental, high-tech submersible is called into action to investigate a mysterious nuclear submarine crash. A series of strange encounters leads the crew to suspect the accident was caused by an extraterrestrial craft, and that they may be participating in an encounter with an alien species. However, in order to make contact, they must not only brave the abyss, an exceedingly deep underwater canyon, but also deal with the violent actions of one of their own crew members, an increasingly paranoid Navy SEAL officer. Approved by director James Cameron, The Abyss: Special Edition is an extended director's cut of the 1989 underwater science fiction epic, reinstating nearly a half hour of footage removed from the original release under studio pressure. Much of the restored footage places the film's events in a grander political context, as the crew's mission becomes a factor in the dangerous escalation of nuclear tension between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The largest change involves the film's ending, which provides further information on the aliens' mission on Earth, bringing the film to closer to Cameron's intention: a modern remake of Robert Wise's The Day the Earth Stood Still. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 41
Number of Lists: 50
Number of blog posts: 7
Number of discussion threads: 6
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:09:20 GMTThe Abyss1989James CameronThe crew of an experimental, high-tech submersible is called into action to investigate a mysterious nuclear submarine crash. A series of strange encounters leads the crew to suspect the accident was caused by an extraterrestrial craft, and that they may be participating in an encounter with an alien species. However, in order to make contact, they must not only brave the abyss, an exceedingly deep underwater canyon, but also deal with the violent actions of one of their own crew members, an increasingly paranoid Navy SEAL officer. Approved by director James Cameron, The Abyss: Special Edition is an extended director's cut of the 1989 underwater science fiction epic, reinstating nearly a half hour of footage removed from the original release under studio pressure. Much of the restored footage places the film's events in a grander political context, as the crew's mission becomes a factor in the dangerous escalation of nuclear tension between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The largest change involves the film's ending, which provides further information on the aliens' mission on Earth, bringing the film to closer to Cameron's intention: a modern remake of Robert Wise's <a href=/films/8238/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>The Day the Earth Stood Still</a>. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide41Tag Target (>10)50763http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/u34944dwslv.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/The_Abyss/338/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/4/16/27362.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 4/16/2008 2:02:00 PM
Body: The internet is an evil construct that’s causing us to submissively open our arms to totalitarianism! No, this isn’t another one of my posts about how our society is entering the world of The Matrix. This is the belief and fear of Barry Sonnenfeld, the director of Men in Black, Men in Black II and Wild Wild West, clearly a fan of lighter sci-fi than of the Orwellian sort. Speaking this week at the National Association of Broadcasters Show in Vegas, he lashed out against the internet, because of how it’s threatening democracy: Sonnenfeld fears that children today will grow up with “no concept of the right to privacy and in fact not understand the need for it. Because the Facebook generation is not concerned with what people know about them . . . they will have no problem with additional governmental supervision, spying and intervention. They will be thrilled that the Internet will be able to follow their every move. Bonnenfeld’s main issue, of course, may be with his claim that kids are on the internet all day long and may not take a break this summer to go see Space Chimps, which he produced. Or that one day we’ll no longer have the freedom to choose which dumb comedic Will Smith sci-fi movies we go to see. But he does have a point, nonetheless. And the point does in fact support my writings about the plugged in generation and its Matrix-like passivity. There is, however, the other way of looking at the internet, as actor Tim Robbins addressed, also at the NAB Show: “just when we were close to a national news media providing a general consensus on what the truth is,” he added, “along comes the Internets [sic] that allows its users a choice on the kind of news it watches and the YouTube. My God, we’ve got to stop them.” Obviously we’re at a crossroads, where some people are using the force of the internet for good and others are letting it take them over. But for movie fans, the horizon looks mighty cool, with its combination of The Matrix, Star Wars, Spider-Man 3, Equilibrium and other geeky delights (Robbins also claimed: “We are at an abyss as an industry and as a country.” That’s cool, I love The Abyss, too). Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:02:00 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com4/16/2008 2:02:00 PMThe internet is an evil construct that’s causing us to submissively open our arms to totalitarianism! No, this isn’t another one of my posts about how our society is entering the world of The Matrix. This is the belief and fear of Barry Sonnenfeld, the director of Men in Black, Men in Black II and Wild Wild West, clearly a fan of lighter sci-fi than of the Orwellian sort. Speaking this week at the National Association of Broadcasters Show in Vegas, he lashed out against the internet, because of how it’s threatening democracy: Sonnenfeld fears that children today will grow up with “no concept of the right to privacy and in fact not understand the need for it. Because the Facebook generation is not concerned with what people know about them . . . they will have no problem with additional governmental supervision, spying and intervention. They will be thrilled that the Internet will be able to follow their every move. Bonnenfeld’s main issue, of course, may be with his claim that kids are on the internet all day long and may not take a break this summer to go see Space Chimps, which he produced. Or that one day we’ll no longer have the freedom to choose which dumb comedic Will Smith sci-fi movies we go to see. But he does have a point, nonetheless. And the point does in fact support my writings about the plugged in generation and its Matrix-like passivity. There is, however, the other way of looking at the internet, as actor Tim Robbins addressed, also at the NAB Show: “just when we were close to a national news media providing a general consensus on what the truth is,” he added, “along comes the Internets [sic] that allows its users a choice on the kind of news it watches and the YouTube. My God, we’ve got to stop them.” Obviously we’re at a crossroads, where some people are using the force of the internet for good and others are letting it take them over. But for movie fans, the horizon looks mighty cool, with its combination of The Matrix, Star Wars, Spider-Man 3, Equilibrium and other geeky delights (Robbins also claimed: “We are at an abyss as an industry and as a country.” That’s cool, I love The Abyss, too). Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/groups/Top_5/Re_top_five_movies_that_scared_the_crap_out_of_you/190/25308/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: laststarfighter
Post To: Top 5
Post Date: 2/19/2008 7:49:52 AM
Body: I feel bad being quite a bit younger than most people in this thread. but the top five movies that scared me as a kid: -The FIRST Scream. God, for years, i hated walking alone or sleeping alone. I figured some guy in a mask was out to stab me. I still can't stay anywhere near open windows/ glass doors. -THIRTEEN GHOST. honestly, after watching it over now, it's not as terrifying as i thought it was. But as a kid (and sometimes still now), i was a big ghost beleiver. There was something about those spirits and those ghost eeeh.. -The Abyss. To this day i can never finish it honestly. I don't know what it is about the film but everytime i try and put it on it gives me the eebie jeebies and i get incredibly sick. Part of me thinks it might be the fact my father's a submariner. -the FIRST FRIDAY THE 13TH this only semi-counts. I was maybe 14 at the time when i saw this and it honestly didnt scare me, atleast not until the end. It's the only film that i KNOW made me scream ....and it was the scene where the girl is in the riverboat and thinks everything is okay and than BAM JASON VHOREHEES. and lastly: This wasn't actually a film but a television show in the eighties/nineties called GHOSTWRITER. There was this 2-3 part episode about this purple bubblegum monster that would....eat kids. god, i couldnt sleep for ages.
]]>Tue, 19 Feb 2008 12:49:52 GMTlaststarfighterTop 52/19/2008 7:49:52 AM I feel bad being quite a bit younger than most people in this thread. but the top five movies that scared me as a kid: -The FIRST Scream. God, for years, i hated walking alone or sleeping alone. I figured some guy in a mask was out to stab me. I still can&#39;t stay anywhere near open windows/ glass doors. -THIRTEEN GHOST. honestly, after watching it over now, it&#39;s not as terrifying as i thought it was. But as a kid (and sometimes still now), i was a big ghost beleiver. There was something about those spirits and those ghost eeeh.. -The Abyss. To this day i can never finish it honestly. I don&#39;t know what it is about the film but everytime i try and put it on it gives me the eebie jeebies and i get incredibly sick. Part of me thinks it might be the fact my father&#39;s a submariner. -the FIRST FRIDAY THE 13TH this only semi-counts. I was maybe 14 at the time when i saw this and it honestly didnt scare me, atleast not until the end. It&#39;s the only film that i KNOW made me scream ....and it was the scene where the girl is in the riverboat and thinks everything is okay and than BAM JASON VHOREHEES. and lastly: This wasn&#39;t actually a film but a television show in the eighties/nineties called GHOSTWRITER. There was this 2-3 part episode about this purple bubblegum monster that would....eat kids. god, i couldnt sleep for ages. http://www.spout.com/blogs/jakestevens/archive/2007/11/5/21438.aspx Post By: JakeStevens
Post To: JakeStevens Blog
Post Date: 11/5/2007 4:24:06 PM
Body: For me, this is one of those "comfort movies" that I love to watch on those rainy days when you get nothing done. I like watching the extended edition best, even though it makes the film almost tedious to watch...although by the time the movie ends, if I'm watching on a rainy day, I'm usually asleep. Great FX (for it's time) and likeable, blue-collar characters all around.
]]>Mon, 05 Nov 2007 21:24:06 GMTJakeStevensJakeStevens Blog11/5/2007 4:24:06 PMFor me, this is one of those &quot;comfort movies&quot; that I love to watch on those rainy days when you get nothing done. I like watching the extended edition best, even though it makes the film almost tedious to watch...although by the time the movie ends, if I&#39;m watching on a rainy day, I&#39;m usually asleep. Great FX (for it&#39;s time) and likeable, blue-collar characters all around. http://www.spout.com/blogs/pippin06/archive/2007/9/20/19971.aspx Post By: pippin06
Post To: Reel Thoughts
Post Date: 9/20/2007 4:44:27 PM
Body: In my DVD library, scifi and fantasy are held in high esteem and are arranged separately, from each other as genres and from the rest of the bunch, so that I can easily peruse them when I am getting the fix to watch something in either genre. After watching Willow, my eyes traveled over both genre collections and landed on this movie from 1989. For some reason, I had to pull it out and watch it again, likely because it had been a few years since I saw it last.Funny thing about the Abyss and my love for it: I think it's a great little film for what it is, which I will talk about in a bit. Yet, in order for the film to really work for me, I can't watch it repeatedly, over and over. I've seen the movie, perhaps, five times, all of which have been spread over the course of the years since its release. The Abyss works as a film, in my estimation, primarily for one reason--namely, the moods and atmosphere created by story and concept: tension, intensity, and even some spookiness associated with the underwater backdrop. To his credit, director James Cameron is something of an expert at fostering these emotions in the viewer. Yes, that's right. If you don't know or remember, Cameron directed this flick. I know that the reviews of him as a director are about as mixed as those of this film itself. Even the naysayers, however, have to acknowledge that Mr. Cameron is a master at certain media, particularly science fiction. Titanic and "king of the world" aside, he's directed some popular films with mass appeal (and they appeal to me too), including Aliens and the first two Terminator films. Whatever his faults or deficiencies, I think he's adept at probing, even skewering, ordinary human emotions in extraordinary circumstances. He's also adept at weaving a good yarn, and I like this movie because the Abyss is truly an original, imaginative story that makes you think, even if that thought is spent only on imagining the possibilities of exploring the depths of sea and earth where virtually no human has traveled. This movie is, in many ways, a redesigned 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with a modern twist.Virgil "Bud" Brigman (Ed Harris) is the leader of a motley crew of underwater oil-drillers who live and work in an experimental submersible oil rig, which resides at depths of several hundred feet below surface, designed by Bud's soon-to-be-ex-wife Lindsay (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio). The prickly pair must reunite, as the company sponsoring the dig cooperates with the military, which is looking for a downed Russian craft. Problems arise when a hurricane damages the umbilical connecting the rig to a stable ship above-water. The rig team, trapped as they are, must weather the storm, except that strange things begin to happen below the depths, leading to an unlikely fight for survival.Again, like some other films I appreciate, this is not the greatest film ever created. It has its flaws. The ending is a little hokey, and an unlikely and, perhaps, contrived series of events occurs before your disbeilef is completely suspended. The material is also a little dated, for later that year, the Berlin Wall came down, and the Cold War ended. For flaws, however, those are few and relatively unimportant, including the historical context, since the film does not try to project into a future based on the political status quo of the day, such as in 2010: The Year We Make Contact; it, instead, imagines a present where "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" crosses with Jules Verne.The underwater milieu provides the perfect setting for a creepy thriller. Harris and Mastrantonio are wonderful actors who have great chemistry, as the film explores the love they still have for one another. The supporting players are interesting, particularly Michael Biehn, who leads the military group assigned to recover the Russian sub and its weaponry, though he is afflicted by pressure sickness with dire consequences for the rig's crew, providing one of the intensity-driven obstacles in their quest for survival. The special effects are groundbreaking and gave Mr. Cameron enough groundwork to create the masterful T-1000 effects in Terminator 2. Even if you don't (SPOILER) subscribe to the fanciful notion that extraterrestrials have settled in the deep places of the earth, the concept alone is a highly imaginative and entertaining one, and Mr. Cameron realizes that vision quite spectacularly in the film's final sequences.While it was only modestly successful at the box office, and even less successful critically, the Abyss is simply an entertaining film that does not disappoint in terms of the ride it gives the viewer. I appreciate that ride, though, as I said, it's a ride best enjoyed once in a while, when the thought of being hundreds of feet underwater, surrounded by unknown life forms and trapped by a violent storm, can really work the imagination. On that basis alone, I recommend watching or re-watching this film--that is, of course, unless you are afraid of the water.
]]>Thu, 20 Sep 2007 20:44:27 GMTpippin06Reel Thoughts9/20/2007 4:44:27 PMIn my DVD library, scifi and fantasy are held in high esteem and are arranged separately, from each other as genres and from the rest of the bunch, so that I can easily peruse them when I am getting the fix to watch something in either genre. After watching Willow, my eyes traveled over both genre collections and landed on this movie from 1989. For some reason, I had to pull it out and watch it again, likely because it had been a few years since I saw it last.Funny thing about the Abyss and my love for it: I think it&#39;s a great little film for what it is, which I will talk about in a bit. Yet, in order for the film to really work for me, I can&#39;t watch it repeatedly, over and over. I&#39;ve seen the movie, perhaps, five times, all of which have been spread over the course of the years since its release. The Abyss works as a film, in my estimation, primarily for one reason--namely, the moods and atmosphere created by story and concept: tension, intensity, and even some spookiness associated with the underwater backdrop. To his credit, director James Cameron is something of an expert at fostering these emotions in the viewer. Yes, that&#39;s right. If you don&#39;t know or remember, Cameron directed this flick. I know that the reviews of him as a director are about as mixed as those of this film itself. Even the naysayers, however, have to acknowledge that Mr. Cameron is a master at certain media, particularly science fiction. Titanic and &quot;king of the world&quot; aside, he&#39;s directed some popular films with mass appeal (and they appeal to me too), including Aliens and the first two Terminator films. Whatever his faults or deficiencies, I think he&#39;s adept at probing, even skewering, ordinary human emotions in extraordinary circumstances. He&#39;s also adept at weaving a good yarn, and I like this movie because the Abyss is truly an original, imaginative story that makes you think, even if that thought is spent only on imagining the possibilities of exploring the depths of sea and earth where virtually no human has traveled. This movie is, in many ways, a redesigned 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with a modern twist.Virgil &quot;Bud&quot; Brigman (Ed Harris) is the leader of a motley crew of underwater oil-drillers who live and work in an experimental submersible oil rig, which resides at depths of several hundred feet below surface, designed by Bud&#39;s soon-to-be-ex-wife Lindsay (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio). The prickly pair must reunite, as the company sponsoring the dig cooperates with the military, which is looking for a downed Russian craft. Problems arise when a hurricane damages the umbilical connecting the rig to a stable ship above-water. The rig team, trapped as they are, must weather the storm, except that strange things begin to happen below the depths, leading to an unlikely fight for survival.Again, like some other films I appreciate, this is not the greatest film ever created. It has its flaws. The ending is a little hokey, and an unlikely and, perhaps, contrived series of events occurs before your disbeilef is completely suspended. The material is also a little dated, for later that year, the Berlin Wall came down, and the Cold War ended. For flaws, however, those are few and relatively unimportant, including the historical context, since the film does not try to project into a future based on the political status quo of the day, such as in 2010: The Year We Make Contact; it, instead, imagines a present where &quot;Close Encounters of the Third Kind&quot; crosses with Jules Verne.The underwater milieu provides the perfect setting for a creepy thriller. Harris and Mastrantonio are wonderful actors who have great chemistry, as the film explores the love they still have for one another. The supporting players are interesting, particularly Michael Biehn, who leads the military group assigned to recover the Russian sub and its weaponry, though he is afflicted by pressure sickness with dire consequences for the rig&#39;s crew, providing one of the intensity-driven obstacles in their quest for survival. The special effects are groundbreaking and gave Mr. Cameron enough groundwork to create the masterful T-1000 effects in Terminator 2. Even if you don&#39;t (SPOILER) subscribe to the fanciful notion that extraterrestrials have settled in the deep places of the earth, the concept alone is a highly imaginative and entertaining one, and Mr. Cameron realizes that vision quite spectacularly in the film&#39;s final sequences.While it was only modestly successful at the box office, and even less successful critically, the Abyss is simply an entertaining film that does not disappoint in terms of the ride it gives the viewer. I appreciate that ride, though, as I said, it&#39;s a ride best enjoyed once in a while, when the thought of being hundreds of feet underwater, surrounded by unknown life forms and trapped by a violent storm, can really work the imagination. On that basis alone, I recommend watching or re-watching this film--that is, of course, unless you are afraid of the water. http://www.spout.com/blogs/the_american_dream/archive/2007/8/8/17669.aspx Post By: The_American_Dream
Post To: The_American_Dream Blog
Post Date: 8/8/2007 11:55:54 PM
Body: I am not going to just say this movie sucked. Cause that would not be totally true. It would, however, be mostly true."The Abyss" is another James Cameron movie that is all in water. And once again he proves his mirth as a righter and basically puts a swear every other word. I have nothing really against swearing. But when the dialogue is along the lines of: "Sh*t, we on on this f*cking sh*t rig thing piece of crap down here and there is some god d*mn f*ucked up sh*t going on down here. Oh sh*t one of the crew people persons is dyeing, now we are really f*cked man." etc. it just gets really annoying.The movie is really not much to look at ether. Nothing really new or interesting happening in the art direction or photography (not that Cameron is really known for such pursuits in film). I will however mention the one really cool thing in this film. The one thing that made me really even know it existed. And that was the water worm monster Ed Harris face thing CGI whatsit. Lemme be the one to tell you... it was not worth it. Yes it was a break through at the time but you see it for like 2 minutes in 3 hour movie and in the end is seemed to have nothing to actually do with the movie. It was just kinda there.Well here is the plot. They are down there. They just are. Some kind of submarine crash at the beginning that they are investigating. Anyways while they are down there they see some flashy lights (just so you know when you see it what to do the audance is at that point supposed to be all like "Oooh what was that!" or as James Cameron would have it "Holy f*ucking sh*t! What the f*cking sh*t was that sh*it?!?!"). And then there is 3 hours at the bottom of the ocean where all this rather random and unrelated shit goes down randomly without much explanation. And I am sorry but that is it. That is the premise of the story.The ending is basically that there is the huge thing under the sea that has all these aliens on it. And that is what the flashing lights were all along but it took 3 hours to figure out that it would be prudent to check it out. But that wasn't even what they were down there for. at any rate at the end the spaceship (I am not making this up) comes out of the water and it is all purple and everything like that for some reason. And Ed Harris goes off with his former wife (in the movie).The movie was really bad. Boring. Lame. Poorly thought through. And Just yeah. But I see it worthy of my review  and it is undeniably an important movie to see. Just know, those are relatively wasted three hours.
]]>Thu, 09 Aug 2007 03:55:54 GMTThe_American_DreamThe_American_Dream Blog8/8/2007 11:55:54 PMI am not going to just say this movie sucked. Cause that would not be totally true. It would, however, be mostly true.&quot;The Abyss&quot; is another James Cameron movie that is all in water. And once again he proves his mirth as a righter and basically puts a swear every other word. I have nothing really against swearing. But when the dialogue is along the lines of: &quot;Sh*t, we on on this f*cking sh*t rig thing piece of crap down here and there is some god d*mn f*ucked up sh*t going on down here. Oh sh*t one of the crew people persons is dyeing, now we are really f*cked man.&quot; etc. it just gets really annoying.The movie is really not much to look at ether. Nothing really new or interesting happening in the art direction or photography (not that Cameron is really known for such pursuits in film). I will however mention the one really cool thing in this film. The one thing that made me really even know it existed. And that was the water worm monster Ed Harris face thing CGI whatsit. Lemme be the one to tell you... it was not worth it. Yes it was a break through at the time but you see it for like 2 minutes in 3 hour movie and in the end is seemed to have nothing to actually do with the movie. It was just kinda there.Well here is the plot. They are down there. They just are. Some kind of submarine crash at the beginning that they are investigating. Anyways while they are down there they see some flashy lights (just so you know when you see it what to do the audance is at that point supposed to be all like &quot;Oooh what was that!&quot; or as James Cameron would have it &quot;Holy f*ucking sh*t! What the f*cking sh*t was that sh*it?!?!&quot;). And then there is 3 hours at the bottom of the ocean where all this rather random and unrelated shit goes down randomly without much explanation. And I am sorry but that is it. That is the premise of the story.The ending is basically that there is the huge thing under the sea that has all these aliens on it. And that is what the flashing lights were all along but it took 3 hours to figure out that it would be prudent to check it out. But that wasn&#39;t even what they were down there for. at any rate at the end the spaceship (I am not making this up) comes out of the water and it is all purple and everything like that for some reason. And Ed Harris goes off with his former wife (in the movie).The movie was really bad. Boring. Lame. Poorly thought through. And Just yeah. But I see it worthy of my review  and it is undeniably an important movie to see. Just know, those are relatively wasted three hours. http://www.spout.com/blogs/rik_tod/archive/2007/8/7/17476.aspx Post By: rik_tod
Post To: The Cinema 4 Pylon: SpOutpost
Post Date: 8/7/2007 12:11:24 AM
Body: I don't swim very well. I drop -- Nay! I plummet to the bottom of any body of water. I do the proper type of kicking and I make the right arm movements, but somehow my trajectory in the water takes a sharp turn downward and soon I am plowing through everyone's feet. I'm fine at the bottom of the pool, because there is no further room for me to drop, and suddenly I turn into The Man From Atlantis (Hey! Where is that on DVD, huh?) I float the way that lead doesn't; the Mafia ties me to the feet of snitches to drown them in the East River. I swim like the United States conducts its police actions: messily and with many casualties, and at great taxpayer expense.Despite my inclination to never go in the water, I love the ocean. Love movies about it, love TV shows about it; read about it all the time. I am obsessed with sharks to a degree that drives Jen to shake her head in consternation. And, yeah, I have been digging James Cameron's deep sea efforts of late, his documentary wanderings about the ocean floor into tragic wrecks and seeking out lantern-fish and whatnot. Small wonder then that I love The Abyss, his 1989 opus of oceanic deep sea trenches, tortured romance, nuclear politics and eventual contact with an aquatic alien force. Oh, yes... and then there's the drop, nay! The plummet...While I get caught up in the incredible suspense of the first couple acts of The Abyss, it is Ed Harris' haunting plunge into the void that really gets to me. Some would call his sojourn a leap of faith. They can take a leap, for all I care. I'm sure that someone else would point out the Freudian or Oedipal connections to my interest in such a scene, but once they are done banging their mom with a cigar, they will listen to the most obvious reason that I love the scene: it friggin' rocks. Sorry to get so deep and analytical over it, but Harris' drop into a seemingly bottomless trench, while perhaps reeking of significance in a thousand ways to the filmmaker's plot and subconsciousness , which I will recognize and even agree with to a point at a moment when I am not being snarky, is nothing but this adventurous leap into the lightless unknown for me. For nine breathless minutes, which makes me momentarily forget the two thrilling hours that preceded it and itself feels like the bulk of the movie to me, I am caught up in the plummet.I know the mission Harris' character is on: to disarm a nuclear warhead (a threat set into place a psychotic, pressure-trembling military automaton played with dead-eyed coldness by Michael Biehn) before it destroys both the trapped deep-sea drilling rig captained by Harris and the recently met alien aquatics who might live at the bottom of the trench. I know clearly every detail of what he must do, how he must do it, and the amazing equipment (a suit calculated to withstand intense deep-sea pressure and in which Harris must breath liquid as he dives), and have also been given hints of the aliens' presence in the ocean. And once Harris steps of the edge of the wall and starts his descent, I forget it all and practically hold my own breath for those nine minutes. Every single time that I watch the film. It outweighs every other element of the film and I am left gripped in incomprehensible fear and astonishment for the length of the scene. Small wonder then that the preachy finale, while I agree with its political sentiment, comes off as juvenile and ultimately disappointing.When I first viewed the film, I feared that it would be yet another one of those body count films, where characters drop off in sometimes stupid, sometimes self-sacrificing ways until there is nothing left but the main hero and the antagonizing person/force. Sometimes this can still come off well (as in Alien or even Cameron's Aliens), but more often than not, it just becomes rote, by-the-book action filmmaking -- you can pretty much guess everything that is going to occur for the next hour-and-a-half. A surprise then that Cameron recognizes the story's importance of keeping his drill-rig team as just that: a team (and surrogate family) that sees each other through every variation in the plot. Sure, peripheral characters meet their doom, but the core of the group is their strength as a team. Rather than take the film down to just Harris and Biehn, Cameron takes the time to let us know that these characters will have each other's backs, and more often than not, this will see them through even the roughest patches.There is another element that makes the movie for me: the jagged romance that nips around the edges of the plot. For the film is not just about a salvage mission for a stranded nuclear submarine; it also becomes a salvage mission for a damaged marriage. Perhaps the film sparked something deep in me due to my own travails in that department; strange that this film could be such a personal one for both my ex- and myself, and yet not enable either one of us to make the necessary steps to salvage our own doomed mission. Still pretty much newlyweds when this film came out (which was a first day of release must-see: I was a nut for Cameron at the time; she had a crush on Biehn), our bonds were already starting to unravel, Unlike Harris, surely, our marriage was a step off the wall that we never should have made...
]]>Tue, 07 Aug 2007 04:11:24 GMTrik_todThe Cinema 4 Pylon: SpOutpost8/7/2007 12:11:24 AMI don&#39;t swim very well. I drop -- Nay! I plummet to the bottom of any body of water. I do the proper type of kicking and I make the right arm movements, but somehow my trajectory in the water takes a sharp turn downward and soon I am plowing through everyone&#39;s feet. I&#39;m fine at the bottom of the pool, because there is no further room for me to drop, and suddenly I turn into The Man From Atlantis (Hey! Where is that on DVD, huh?) I float the way that lead doesn&#39;t; the Mafia ties me to the feet of snitches to drown them in the East River. I swim like the United States conducts its police actions: messily and with many casualties, and at great taxpayer expense.Despite my inclination to never go in the water, I love the ocean. Love movies about it, love TV shows about it; read about it all the time. I am obsessed with sharks to a degree that drives Jen to shake her head in consternation. And, yeah, I have been digging James Cameron&#39;s deep sea efforts of late, his documentary wanderings about the ocean floor into tragic wrecks and seeking out lantern-fish and whatnot. Small wonder then that I love The Abyss, his 1989 opus of oceanic deep sea trenches, tortured romance, nuclear politics and eventual contact with an aquatic alien force. Oh, yes... and then there&#39;s the drop, nay! The plummet...While I get caught up in the incredible suspense of the first couple acts of The Abyss, it is Ed Harris&#39; haunting plunge into the void that really gets to me. Some would call his sojourn a leap of faith. They can take a leap, for all I care. I&#39;m sure that someone else would point out the Freudian or Oedipal connections to my interest in such a scene, but once they are done banging their mom with a cigar, they will listen to the most obvious reason that I love the scene: it friggin&#39; rocks. Sorry to get so deep and analytical over it, but Harris&#39; drop into a seemingly bottomless trench, while perhaps reeking of significance in a thousand ways to the filmmaker&#39;s plot and subconsciousness , which I will recognize and even agree with to a point at a moment when I am not being snarky, is nothing but this adventurous leap into the lightless unknown for me. For nine breathless minutes, which makes me momentarily forget the two thrilling hours that preceded it and itself feels like the bulk of the movie to me, I am caught up in the plummet.I know the mission Harris&#39; character is on: to disarm a nuclear warhead (a threat set into place a psychotic, pressure-trembling military automaton played with dead-eyed coldness by Michael Biehn) before it destroys both the trapped deep-sea drilling rig captained by Harris and the recently met alien aquatics who might live at the bottom of the trench. I know clearly every detail of what he must do, how he must do it, and the amazing equipment (a suit calculated to withstand intense deep-sea pressure and in which Harris must breath liquid as he dives), and have also been given hints of the aliens&#39; presence in the ocean. And once Harris steps of the edge of the wall and starts his descent, I forget it all and practically hold my own breath for those nine minutes. Every single time that I watch the film. It outweighs every other element of the film and I am left gripped in incomprehensible fear and astonishment for the length of the scene. Small wonder then that the preachy finale, while I agree with its political sentiment, comes off as juvenile and ultimately disappointing.When I first viewed the film, I feared that it would be yet another one of those body count films, where characters drop off in sometimes stupid, sometimes self-sacrificing ways until there is nothing left but the main hero and the antagonizing person/force. Sometimes this can still come off well (as in Alien or even Cameron&#39;s Aliens), but more often than not, it just becomes rote, by-the-book action filmmaking -- you can pretty much guess everything that is going to occur for the next hour-and-a-half. A surprise then that Cameron recognizes the story&#39;s importance of keeping his drill-rig team as just that: a team (and surrogate family) that sees each other through every variation in the plot. Sure, peripheral characters meet their doom, but the core of the group is their strength as a team. Rather than take the film down to just Harris and Biehn, Cameron takes the time to let us know that these characters will have each other&#39;s backs, and more often than not, this will see them through even the roughest patches.There is another element that makes the movie for me: the jagged romance that nips around the edges of the plot. For the film is not just about a salvage mission for a stranded nuclear submarine; it also becomes a salvage mission for a damaged marriage. Perhaps the film sparked something deep in me due to my own travails in that department; strange that this film could be such a personal one for both my ex- and myself, and yet not enable either one of us to make the necessary steps to salvage our own doomed mission. Still pretty much newlyweds when this film came out (which was a first day of release must-see: I was a nut for Cameron at the time; she had a crush on Biehn), our bonds were already starting to unravel, Unlike Harris, surely, our marriage was a step off the wall that we never should have made... http://www.spout.com/groups/Filmspotting/Re_Top_5_Sea_Water_Movies/304/9806/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: JJ79
Post To: Filmspotting
Post Date: 5/31/2007 10:47:09 AM
Body: In no particular order: The Abyss - The beauty and majesty of the ocean and all its secrets. Ghosts of the Abyss - A real life Abyss. Jaws - The most terrifying water movie ever made. Period.The African Queen - Two people and a boat overcoming their enemy: water. Titanic - The merciless ocean killing indiscriminately.
]]>Thu, 31 May 2007 14:47:09 GMTJJ79Filmspotting5/31/2007 10:47:09 AMIn no particular order: The Abyss - The beauty and majesty of the ocean and all its secrets. Ghosts of the Abyss - A real life Abyss. Jaws - The most terrifying water movie ever made. Period.The African Queen - Two people and a boat overcoming their enemy: water. Titanic - The merciless ocean killing indiscriminately. http://www.spout.com/groups/Filmspotting/Re_Top_5_Sea_Water_Movies/304/9735/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: JohnSteed
Post To: Filmspotting
Post Date: 5/30/2007 11:56:49 AM
Body: 1. The Abyss2. Jaws3. The Big Blue4. African Queen5. Titanic
]]>Wed, 30 May 2007 15:56:49 GMTJohnSteedFilmspotting5/30/2007 11:56:49 AM1. The Abyss2. Jaws3. The Big Blue4. African Queen5. Titanic http://www.spout.com/groups/Filmspotting/Re_Top_5_Sea_Water_Movies/304/9523/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: ottobud
Post To: Filmspotting
Post Date: 5/28/2007 7:01:29 AM
Body: [quote user="Onlyone"]The Abyss, Waterworld, Dead Calm, Into the Blue and The Hunt for Red October would make my list. Never was a fan of Master & Commander...[/quote]I can't believe I forgot The Abyss! Great choice. And you're not alone with Master & Commander -- I saw it when it was first released and didn't think it was that spectacular. Perhaps I need to watch it again?
]]>Mon, 28 May 2007 11:01:29 GMTottobudFilmspotting5/28/2007 7:01:29 AM[quote user="Onlyone"]The Abyss, Waterworld, Dead Calm, Into the Blue and The Hunt for Red October would make my list. Never was a fan of Master &amp; Commander...[/quote]I can&#39;t believe I forgot The Abyss! Great choice. And you&#39;re not alone with Master &amp; Commander -- I saw it when it was first released and didn&#39;t think it was that spectacular. Perhaps I need to watch it again? http://www.spout.com/blogs/jimbell/archive/2007/5/3/8053.aspx Post By: JimBell
Post To: JimBell Blog
Post Date: 5/3/2007 2:48:00 AM
Body: The Abyss (1989), directed by James Cameron, starts off as an expensive underwater American macho adventure, but gets better and better until its moralistic ending which I liked. An underwater oil rig crew is commandeered, if that is the military word, to investigate a nuclear sub that has gone down suspiciously in the Cayman Trench in the Caribbean. A storm comes up and everything goes wrong. Finally, the creature that has been causing a lot of the trouble intervenes to say what it is doing and what it would like. Although the “special edition” was a bit long, I did not regret watching this movie.
]]>Thu, 03 May 2007 06:48:00 GMTJimBellJimBell Blog5/3/2007 2:48:00 AMThe Abyss (1989), directed by James Cameron, starts off as an expensive underwater American macho adventure, but gets better and better until its moralistic ending which I liked. An underwater oil rig crew is commandeered, if that is the military word, to investigate a nuclear sub that has gone down suspiciously in the Cayman Trench in the Caribbean. A storm comes up and everything goes wrong. Finally, the creature that has been causing a lot of the trouble intervenes to say what it is doing and what it would like. Although the &ldquo;special edition&rdquo; was a bit long, I did not regret watching this movie. http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/love/MemberTagFilms.aspxlove
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