Any word on The Abyss? (1 Viewer)

[FoxyMulder]

Is that speculation of getting scanned at 4K or what it should get to get the best and most from it for HD delivery.

I doubt it would be this year as were just less than half-way though the year, with August coming up and THE ABYSS was released (August 1989 USA) and (October 1989 UK).

I think James Cameron has approved the masters created for The Abyss and True Lies and the only delay is Fox wants to release them on a specific date, i also think since Fox have made billions from Mr Cameron's films and are about to make billions more they would do 4K scans and get final approval from Mr Cameron, i don't think they will go cheap on these releases.

 

[Dick]

The thing is, if James Cameron wanted to see The Abyss released on Blu-ray (and he may), it wouldn't take much time for him to approve an HD master. (And that's what I understood the delay had been - he wanted to approve it) Given that he hasn't been in production on anything since 2009, one would think he'd have had at least a few hours here or there to do so. We should keep in mind that he doesn't have that many movies in his filmography:

Terminator (1984)
Aliens (1986)
The Abyss (1989)
Terminator 2 (1991)
True Lies (1994)
Titanic (1997)
Avatar (2009)
(I don't count the Piranha movie or the Dark Angel TV series)

It is quite possible that Fox will announce a new Blu-ray release of The Abyss at some point this year for the 25th Anniversary. But I wouldn't be surprised if Doug is correct and he simply doesn't want to spend any time at all dealing with this movie again. .

Why not count the infamous PIRANHA 2: THE SPAWNING, which he co-directed? Not an example of quality Cameron, but, hey... it is a part of his filmography.

 

[FoxyMulder]

Why not count the infamous PIRANHA 2: THE SPAWNING, which he co-directed? Not an example of quality Cameron, but, hey... it is a part of his filmography.

I agree, you don't get to pick and choose what you originally directed even if you dislike the film, history shows you made it.

 

[Jari K]

I would love to see Piranha 2 remastered and with Cameron interview, or even audio commentary. Everybody has to start somewhere.I believe Cameron is just busy with Avatar, documentary projects etc. That's part of the reason why some of these BD releases are "delayed". And who knows, perhaps studio is still planning to do True Lies 2 (Arnold is back and all) so...

 

[TravisR]

I agree, you don't get to pick and choose what you originally directed even if you dislike the film, history shows you made it.

I've seen Cameron say that he was fired from Piranha II after the first day. Assuming that he's not just trying to underplay his involvement in the movie, he really doesn't deserve much credit or blame for it.

 

[FoxyMulder]

I've seen Cameron say that he was fired from Piranha II after the first day. Assuming that he's not just trying to underplay his involvement in the movie, he really doesn't deserve much credit or blame for it.

The plot thickens, if that is the case why does IMDB state this.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082910/alternateversions

The original, 1988 laserdisc featured James Cameron's much better "director's cut", missing nearly 20 minutes of footage, and having many scene re-edited and reordered.

Ahhhh hang on, it also says this.

Credit for directing this film was given to James Cameron. Most of the work was actually performed by Ovidio G. Assonitis, the film's producer and prolific film-maker. Assonitis was dissatisfied with Cameron's progress after the first week and took over. According to "Dreaming Aloud," a biography of James Cameron by Christopher Heard, Cameron did do the shooting for this movie, but was not allowed to see his footage and was not involved in editing. He broke into the editing room and cut his own version, but was caught and Assonitis re-cut it again.

 

[Geoff_D]

The new Abyss transfer has already been broadcast on TV, it looks stunning.

 

[cineMANIAC]

I think it's just that he's way more focused on and interested in what he's currently working on (be it deep sea diving or Avatar or inventing 3-D stuff) than he's interested in reliving past glories. As much as I want The Abyss and True Lies on Blu-ray, I like that he isn't stuck in the past like so many other filmmakers and fans.

Re-releasing a much-loved film in a dignified edition so that millions of fans can enjoy it (again) is being "stuck in the past"? So all of these special edition DVDs and Blu-rays in my film library are just replicas of a bunch of self-centered directors' personal past trophies collecting dust? Well, they're taking up a lot of space in my apartment - time to throw them all away.

Personally, I have no idea what Cameron's deal is. People were throwing around 9/11 as a possible reason why he abandoned any notion of a TRUE LIES reissue. I hope this doesn't come across as insensitive but it's hard to fathom thinking anyone is still clinging to that as an excuse not to move forward with this release. It's just a friggin movie. As for The Abyss, well, if we're to have a properly remastered edition of both cuts of the film appropriate for Blu-ray I imagine that will take a bit of work to get right. Then again, it HAS been 14 years. I still hold out hope for a 2014 release but that hope fades a little more as each day goes by without some news. Fingers crossed.

 

[TravisR]

The plot thickens, if that is the case why does IMDB state this.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082910/alternateversions

The original, 1988 laserdisc featured James Cameron's much better "director's cut", missing nearly 20 minutes of footage, and having many scene re-edited and reordered.

Ahhhh hang on, it also says this.

Credit for directing this film was given to James Cameron. Most of the work was actually performed by Ovidio G. Assonitis, the film's producer and prolific film-maker. Assonitis was dissatisfied with Cameron's progress after the first week and took over. According to "Dreaming Aloud," a biography of James Cameron by Christopher Heard, Cameron did do the shooting for this movie, but was not allowed to see his footage and was not involved in editing. He broke into the editing room and cut his own version, but was caught and Assonitis re-cut it again.

Not like I have any proof but I think the idea of Cameron being canned after a week (rather than one day like he says) seems to be the most believable scenario. When you look at Piranha II, it's nearly impossible to think that the same guy that made that movie would be capable of making The Terminator only about three years later.

 

[TravisR]

Re-releasing a much-loved film in a dignified edition so that millions of fans can enjoy it (again) is being "stuck in the past"? So all of these special edition DVDs and Blu-rays in my film library are just replicas of a bunch of self-centered directors' personal past trophies collecting dust? Well, they're taking up a lot of space in my apartment - time to throw them all away.

Yes, that's clearly what I meant. I throw away anything older than two weeks old.

What I meant is that there are filmmakers who seem to hit a point where their creative output slows and they end up doing more commentaries and documentaries about how great their older work is rather than making anything new. There's nothing really wrong with that but I like that Jim Cameron seems to be a guy who keeps doing something new rather than focusing on his older work.

 

[andySu]

I think James Cameron has approved the masters created for The Abyss and True Lies and the only delay is Fox wants to release them on a specific date, i also think since Fox have made billions from Mr Cameron's films and are about to make billions more they would do 4K scans and get final approval from Mr Cameron, i don't think they will go cheap on these releases.

I have feeling we're all going to get screwed by this. Well my gut tells me, the colour won't be cinematic to what I saw several times at the cinema.

TITANIC he screwed audiences on that with tinted seasick green that looked dreadful at digital RealD waste of time. bluray had the same technical issue that I saw on start of the digital-hard-drive, Empire cinemas (tower park) screen 6 and I was able to loop the image in my head for nearly 5 months. Then saw the same issue clear as day on my Sony 28" CRT, I don't need no 1080p HD to see a distracting that would have have never shown up on 35mm, that I saw 14 times and projected the film at Warner Village, Bristol.

Oh don't forget how displeased fans where about ALIENS?

I think we should all be prepared for the worse. He don't care, he needs our money to pay for deep sea hobby dives. Otherwise he wouldn't have signed off TITANIC looking like this.

THX LD

Oh yes the THX laserdisc and "the deep blue sea" colour as it was intended in 1997.

Seasick bluray

looks like seasick colour? Oh do you also see the distracting circle ring around the submersible? That stood out like a sore thumb at the realD (even thou I tossed the glasses away 3d is waste of space!)

THX LD

Oh how like the THX Laserdisc blue colour it smells like fresh cool air on the ocean.

Seasick bluray

I feel seasick again with bluray what a waste of space the format. I should have shoplifted the bluray and rather than paying for it.

THX LD

The whites are whiter at the end as it was seen in 1997 (1998 UK) but I guess some who saw hundred times don't recall what the film looked like or how it sounded in SR-D?

Seasick bluray

for fuck sakes the seasick green makes me want to vomit over the side of the ship. This what I had to put up with at the cinema! Yes I was distracted!!! James Cameron, shame on you!

THX LD

THX LD

Also the THX/TAP was removed from the crappy 3d cash cow and replaced with silly 3d logo at the end. So I couldn't call 1-800-PHONE-THX, to tell them I was pulled out of the film distracted by seasick green for 3 hours.

I skipped though the bluray in about a few minutes then ejected that waste of 1080p HD dtsHDMA carp and placed it on the bookcase shelf, If I showed a guest/friend the film, they'll be treated to THX Laserdisc DOLBY AC-3.

 

[YanMan]

The thing is, if James Cameron wanted to see The Abyss released on Blu-ray (and he may), it wouldn't take much time for him to approve an HD master. (And that's what I understood the delay had been - he wanted to approve it) Given that he hasn't been in production on anything since 2009, one would think he'd have had at least a few hours here or there to do so. We should keep in mind that he doesn't have that many movies in his filmography:

Terminator (1984)
Aliens (1986)
The Abyss (1989)
Terminator 2 (1991)
True Lies (1994)
Titanic (1997)
Avatar (2009)
(I don't count the Piranha movie or the Dark Angel TV series)

It is quite possible that Fox will announce a new Blu-ray release of The Abyss at some point this year for the 25th Anniversary. But I wouldn't be surprised if Doug is correct and he simply doesn't want to spend any time at all dealing with this movie again. .

Don't forget the following documentaries in his filmography:

Expedition: Bismarck (2002)
Ghosts of the Abyss (2003)
Aliens of the Deep (2005)

Also I don't think it is fair to say that he has not been "in production" since 2009. I think a lot of his time immediately after Avatar wrapped was consumed with design/test of his one-man deep-dive submarine and following expedition to the Mariana Trench and with converting Titanic to 3D, and he probably followed that up with some R&D for new tech to film the Avatar sequels probably outside of the official start of pre-production. Truth is that Cameron is a pretty busy guy, all things considered.

 

[dpippel]

I think it's just that he's way more focused on and interested in what he's currently working on (be it deep sea diving or Avatar or inventing 3-D stuff) than he's interested in reliving past glories. As much as I want The Abyss and True Lies on Blu-ray, I like that he isn't stuck in the past like so many other filmmakers and fans.

Sorry Travis, but I don't think that taking the time to approve a 4K scan of a previous film qualifies as being "stuck in the past". It isn't reliving past glories either. It's business. It's also doing something to serve the fan base of one of the films in your oeuvre that put you where you are today. The fact that we're still stuck with a non-anamorphic DVD release of this film that's over 13 years old says all that needs to be said I think.

 

[Kevin EK]

Piranha II isn't a movie that James Cameron talks about or seems interested in revisiting. From what I can tell, it was a work for hire that went poorly for everyone. I'm not surprised he isn't clamoring to have a major Blu-ray release prepared of it. It's early directing work by him, kind of like Fear & Desire was for Kubrick. The difference of course being that Cameron is no Kubrick.

And it's absolutely true that he's busied himself with deep-sea dives and various technology innovations over the years. We could certainly include his documentary records of his dives, like Ghosts of the Abyss and Aliens of the Deep as part of his record, but those are not the same thing as the dramatic movies he has directed. Martin Scorcese has also directed many documentaries, and those did not interfere with his ability to plan and direct, or his ability to take a look at a home video release of one of his older movies. And Scorcese's list of credits is somewhere around three times longer.

The point simply is that everyone is busy with one matter or another. Cameron is certainly busy with many things taking up his time, and I don't presume to know what his priorities are. But I also know that it doesn't take more than an afternoon or two to evaluate a couple of new transfers and give notes. If this was something he wanted to do, I'm sure he would do so. If it's not, then that's his call and I respect that. This isn't a right or wrong idea - it's just a matter of whether it's something he wants to do. I just recall Van Ling saying something to the effect that they were waiting for Cameron to have time to be involved with these releases before they could happen.

The other thing that's always been questionable to me has been the notion of preferring the picture quality of a laserdisc to a Blu-ray as viewed on an HDTV. I understand that people have different thoughts about the color timings of different releases. But I can attest that watching a laserdisc image on a 65" HDTV tends to be pretty grim. I still keep a collection of laserdiscs, specifically for the bonus content that didn't port over to DVD or Blu. But when I've watched the actual movies on the newer set, the image quality really does not hold up. As for any change in Cameron's color timing preferences, I would think the better question would be to ask if this was the intended look of the movie. I honestly don't know the answer - I just wonder if this is a matter of the filmmaker stating that the current version matches his intentions.

 

[TheBat]

while I have never seen the Piranha II movie.. I feel his career started with the first terminator movie. and what a great career he had to entertain us over the many years with such classics of t2, the abyss and many more. The abyss is still my favorite Cameron movie.

I feel that David Fincher is the same way. yes he did direct alien 3. he certainly proved himself to direct a movie with seven and the many other films as well.

Jacob

 

[TravisR]

Sorry Travis, but I don't think that taking the time to approve a 4K scan of a previous film qualifies as being "stuck in the past".

I wouldn't consider taking a day or two to approve a new transfer to be being stuck in the past. There's plenty of creative people who reach a point where they spend more time talking about their older work than making new work. Cameron is clearly not one of those guys and I'm glad for that. However, that doesn't mean that I don't wish that he'd take the time to give the thumbs up to new transfers on The Abyss and True Lies or any of his work.

 

[YanMan]

The point simply is that everyone is busy with one matter or another. Cameron is certainly busy with many things taking up his time, and I don't presume to know what his priorities are. But I also know that it doesn't take more than an afternoon or two to evaluate a couple of new transfers and give notes. If this was something he wanted to do, I'm sure he would do so. If it's not, then that's his call and I respect that. This isn't a right or wrong idea - it's just a matter of whether it's something he wants to do. I just recall Van Ling saying something to the effect that they were waiting for Cameron to have time to be involved with these releases before they could happen.

Well, as Geoff_D mentioned earlier, there is an HD transfer of The Abyss that has recently started airing on premium movie channels, so perhaps Cameron has actually signed off on a transfer and now the release is gated by TCFHE figuring out the most opportune time to release it, as FoxyMulder suggested.

Which brings me back to what I stated in the FOX MIA thread...at this point I will take an announcement of an announcement. I just want confirmation it is coming to BD.

 

[dpippel]

And it's absolutely true that he's busied himself with deep-sea dives and various technology innovations over the years.

Which certainly adds a touch of irony to the fact that the state of a Cameron film like The Abyss in the home video arena is so, well, abysmal...

 

[Jobla]

If it's going to be a Christmas season release, we might not see an announcement until October.

I'm still clinging to the hope that Comic-Con in late July would be an ideal opportunity to announce THE ABYSS.

 

[TravisR]

If it's going to be a Christmas season release, we might not see an announcement until October.

I'm still clinging to the hope that Comic-Con in late July would be an ideal opportunity to announce THE ABYSS.

Since it's a catalog title and they won't want to compete with all the summer movie Blu-rays/DVDs, the latest that it'll probably be released is October so I'm also clinging to the hope of an announcement at Comic Con.