The Abyss

[13 schoolyards]

See also Strange Days, which he co-wrote and produced. Last time I checked there's no Blu-Ray release, which is a shame as it's one of my favourite 90s tech thrillers.

There's been a couple of blu-ray releases of Strange Days, including a recent UK one that reportedly looks a bit shit, and a German 20th anniversary one that seems to be the one to get.

It's such a great film - even miscasting Ralph Fiennes as a scumbag ex-cop turned (basically) drug dealer can't derail it

[Dusty Substance]

There's been a couple of blu-ray releases of Strange Days, including a recent UK one that reportedly looks a bit shit, and a German 20th anniversary one that seems to be the one to get.

It's such a great film - even miscasting Ralph Fiennes as a scumbag ex-cop turned (basically) drug dealer can't derail it

Ooh, nice - I'll treat myself to SD on Blu.

Apparently, the Ralph Fiennes role (Lenny Nero - A brilliant character name) was written with Andy Garcia in mind which makes sooooo much sense. I reckon Fiennes just about pulls it off. He seemed to be have a bit of fun in the role, he probably didn't want to get type-cast and end up paying Hollywood bad guys and Nazis for the rest of his life and he has pretty good chemistry with Angela Bassett.

[13 schoolyards]

Andy Garcia does make a lot more sense, but you're right - Fiennes pretty much does make it work, especially when he's being vulnerable with Bassett. It's only when you stop and think about it outside the film that it becomes such a left field casting choice.

[monkfromhavana]

I watched this and remember it being overly long. The 1st hour was boring, the 2nd hour was great and the third hour was toss.

Hope this helps.

[Sonny_Jim]

I read that he almost drowned. That would probably piss me off too.

I get the impression james cameron would be a twat to work for.

Lost his hair as well, they put too much chlorine in the Nuclear Reactor[nb]unused[/nb] coolant pool they were filming in, as algae was beginning to form.  Cameron was going through a divorce at the time so he was quite happy to sit under the water and escape his problems.  IIRC he even viewed the rushes whilst underwater.

Watched it recently and it does get a bit boring in places and the ending[nb]either one[/nb] is a bit shit.  The resuscitation scene and the events leading up to it are fantastic though.

Cameron has a pretty strange view on what makes a good remaster though

I'm guessing he's just saying whatever bullshit to make people rewatch a film they've already seen.  It's a must see as it looks even better now.

[mothman]

I remember my wife bawled her eyes out at the scene when he texts her from the bottom of the ocean to say he can't come back, they both knew that and he loves her. We were newlyweds at the time we happened to watch this together on TV, she was very sensitive about these kinds of things. She's gotten over it in the intervening twenty years though.

[Alberon]

I saw the original in the cinema and really liked it, but the CPR scene did go on for a week. If I remember the room was pretty much empty.

I don't think the Special Edition adds to the film really, but the book by Orson Scott Card was quite good IIRC. It was treated as a proper novel as opposed to the cheap tie-in treatment most films get (got? Do they still do these anymore?).

I'd heard Cameron was working on HD transfers, but between being a perfectionist and working on Avatars 2 to 15 I don't expect this to appear any year soon/