James Cameron appeared Wednesday at Los Angeles genre festival Beyond Fest for a q&a about “The Abyss” after a screening of the film’s seldom-seen two hour and 51 minute Special Edition. During his conversation with moderator Jim Hemphill, Cameron confirmed completion of the 4K restoration he announced last year, physical and streaming versions of which he said were “out of his hands” but all work has long been concluded. “All of the mastering is done and I think it drops pretty soon — a couple of months or something like that,” Cameron said in response to an audience question. “There’s a lot of added material that they’re sticking in there, and it will be available on streaming simultaneously. But I didn’t just want to look at the old HD transfer. I wanted to do it right.”
Back in 1989, the film marked one of the filmmaker’s few...
Back in 1989, the film marked one of the filmmaker’s few...
- 9/28/2023
- by Todd Gilchrist
- Variety Film + TV
Peter Benchley’s follow-up to Jaws is a treasure hunt thriller starring Robert Shaw and filmed in the pearly waters off Bermuda. The exciting underwater scenes boosted the careers of Nick Nolte and Jacqueline Bisset but the memory that stuck in the minds of millions was a particular wardrobe decision for Bisset’s siren of the deep. Who needs Spanish gold and a fortune in lost morphine? This import disc features a commentary by actress Illeana Douglas.
The Deep
Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] 28
1977 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 123 min. / Street Date December 30, 2020 / Available from Viavision / 34.95
Starring: Robert Shaw, Jacqueline Bisset, Nick Nolte, Louis Gossett, Eli Wallach, Robert Tessier.
Cinematography: Christopher Challis
Underwater Director: Al Giddings
Film Editor: David Berlatsky
Original Music: John Barry
Written by Tracy Keenan Wynn, Peter Benchley from his novel
Produced by Peter Guber
Directed by Peter Yates
After a couple of early 1970s shows that became enormous blockbusters —Love Story,...
The Deep
Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] 28
1977 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 123 min. / Street Date December 30, 2020 / Available from Viavision / 34.95
Starring: Robert Shaw, Jacqueline Bisset, Nick Nolte, Louis Gossett, Eli Wallach, Robert Tessier.
Cinematography: Christopher Challis
Underwater Director: Al Giddings
Film Editor: David Berlatsky
Original Music: John Barry
Written by Tracy Keenan Wynn, Peter Benchley from his novel
Produced by Peter Guber
Directed by Peter Yates
After a couple of early 1970s shows that became enormous blockbusters —Love Story,...
- 2/13/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Surprisingly dull, "Galapagos" is an Imax 3-D film with great shots of sunbathing amphibians and snapping eels that never reaches beyond a layman's explanation of evolution and the adaptability of species according to scientific theories first brought to the world's attention by Charles Darwin.
In effect a giant-sized, biogeographic education film aimed at the widest possible audience, "Galapagos" is sponsored by America Online and the Smithsonian Institution, with assistance from the National Science Foundation, and it's produced by Mandalay Media Arts.
The behind-the-camera talent includes narrator Kenneth Branagh and co-directors Al Giddings and David Clark.
Darwin visited the Galapagos group of 19 islands and 42 islets -- located 600 miles off the west coast of Ecuador -- 164 years ago and he ignited a Copernican debate that still continues in some circles. Running the usual 40 minutes for a big-format film and centered on an expedition by the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, "Galapagos" is a breezy visit to the volcanic archipelago, heavier on mood than content.
"Galapagos" presents visual proof -- along with a friendly host in marine biologist Dr. Carole Baldwin -- that the isolated environments of the islands offer a multitude of examples of how migrating species "evolved." It also builds up expectations of seeing researchers investigate the rich marine life, something Darwin could not do. Indeed, the underlying message of the movie is that much work overall remains to be done, with the oceans and ocean floors still mostly unexplored.
With Giddings in the role of underwater director of photography -- he has worked on many Hollywood productions, including "Titanic" -- and the use of the research vessel Seward Johnson, with its submersible capable of reaching a depth of 3,000 feet, Baldwin leads the audience on a dive into the abyss, where unsuspecting denizens of the deep are sucked up a tube and captured for research in a kind of creepy reversal of the usual alien-abduction scenario.
The whole project could have used some more passion and poetry, with only a few of Giddings' underwater shots truly transporting one to a different world. As part of a series of Darwin-themed works and traveling exhibits, "Galapagos" is reverential but not essential.
GALAPAGOS
Imax Film Distribution
Sponsored by America Online
The Smithsonian Institution and Imax Ltd. present
in association with the National Science Foundation
a Mandalay Media Arts production
Directors: Al Giddings, David Clark
Writers: David Clark, Barry Clark
Producers: Al Giddings, David Clark
Executive producers: Laurence O'Reilly, Andrew Gellis, Peter Guber, Barry Clark
Directors of photography: Al Giddings, Andrew Kitzanuk, Reed Smoot
Music: Mark Isham
Narrator: Kenneth Branagh
Color/stereo
Running time -- 40 minutes
No MPAA rating...
In effect a giant-sized, biogeographic education film aimed at the widest possible audience, "Galapagos" is sponsored by America Online and the Smithsonian Institution, with assistance from the National Science Foundation, and it's produced by Mandalay Media Arts.
The behind-the-camera talent includes narrator Kenneth Branagh and co-directors Al Giddings and David Clark.
Darwin visited the Galapagos group of 19 islands and 42 islets -- located 600 miles off the west coast of Ecuador -- 164 years ago and he ignited a Copernican debate that still continues in some circles. Running the usual 40 minutes for a big-format film and centered on an expedition by the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, "Galapagos" is a breezy visit to the volcanic archipelago, heavier on mood than content.
"Galapagos" presents visual proof -- along with a friendly host in marine biologist Dr. Carole Baldwin -- that the isolated environments of the islands offer a multitude of examples of how migrating species "evolved." It also builds up expectations of seeing researchers investigate the rich marine life, something Darwin could not do. Indeed, the underlying message of the movie is that much work overall remains to be done, with the oceans and ocean floors still mostly unexplored.
With Giddings in the role of underwater director of photography -- he has worked on many Hollywood productions, including "Titanic" -- and the use of the research vessel Seward Johnson, with its submersible capable of reaching a depth of 3,000 feet, Baldwin leads the audience on a dive into the abyss, where unsuspecting denizens of the deep are sucked up a tube and captured for research in a kind of creepy reversal of the usual alien-abduction scenario.
The whole project could have used some more passion and poetry, with only a few of Giddings' underwater shots truly transporting one to a different world. As part of a series of Darwin-themed works and traveling exhibits, "Galapagos" is reverential but not essential.
GALAPAGOS
Imax Film Distribution
Sponsored by America Online
The Smithsonian Institution and Imax Ltd. present
in association with the National Science Foundation
a Mandalay Media Arts production
Directors: Al Giddings, David Clark
Writers: David Clark, Barry Clark
Producers: Al Giddings, David Clark
Executive producers: Laurence O'Reilly, Andrew Gellis, Peter Guber, Barry Clark
Directors of photography: Al Giddings, Andrew Kitzanuk, Reed Smoot
Music: Mark Isham
Narrator: Kenneth Branagh
Color/stereo
Running time -- 40 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 11/12/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Up close and personal with the largest animal on Earth is the chief appeal of "Whales", the latest IMAX offering to open at Exposition Park in Los Angeles. Whale-watchers will delight in this educational and often enthralling depiction of those mammals, some of which are nearly twice as heavy as the largest-known dinosaur.
Unfortunately, it's not IMAX-amatic that bigness makes for the most exciting usage of the IMAX film capabilities. Essentially, what beaches "Whales" is that while close-up shots of the grayishly coated mammals are initially captivating, the novelty will likely wear off for those who aren't truly whale-lovers. While the cinematography is breathtakingly beautiful, particularly in its vast scopings of the great blue oceans, it is, after a while, somewhat repetitive. Indeed, the IMAX process is at its most invigorating and illuminating when the visual stimulation is varied and packed -- a whale fin in the midst of a blue sea on a screen the size of a city building soon is, essentially, a picture, not a moving picture. After a while, one is lulled by not only the cadence of the sea but the predictability of the visuals -- whales spouting, fins flapping -- not much else.
Still, there's plenty of delightful rhythms and visualizations in this thoughtful, intelligent production, including a homey dance between a mother humpback and her calf. Truly, there's some wonderfully playful and educational segments in "Whales", and the writers (Dr. Roger Payne, Mose Richards, Dr. Leighton Taylor) are to be commended for their savvy blend of information and entertainment. A triumvirate of directors (David Clark, Al Giddings, Dr. Roger Payne) has energized "Whales" with some forceful, cinematic rhythms. Especially exciting are the subjective scopings when we're taken underwater, directly into the deep and murky world of these magnificent creatures.
"Whales" spouts surest when enhanced by the vigorous and powerful sound design. Special praise goes to Jim McKee and Earwax Prods. for the haunting and beautiful sound textures, clueing us to the life forces below what seems a tranquil and dull blue sea.
WHALES
The National Wildlife Federation Endowment
and the National Science Foundation
Producers Christopher Palmer, David Clark
Directors David Clark, Al Giddings,
Dr. Roger Payne
Executive producer Richard James
Executives in charge of production Ed Capelle, Tom Casper, Chat Reynders
Screenwriters Dr. Roger Payne,
Mose Richards, Dr. Leighton Taylor
Directors of photography Al Giddings,
Andy Kitzanuk, Paul Mockler
Editor James Lahti
Sound designers Jim McKee,
Earwax Prods. Inc.
Sound mixer Skywalker Sound
Running time -- 43 minutes...
Unfortunately, it's not IMAX-amatic that bigness makes for the most exciting usage of the IMAX film capabilities. Essentially, what beaches "Whales" is that while close-up shots of the grayishly coated mammals are initially captivating, the novelty will likely wear off for those who aren't truly whale-lovers. While the cinematography is breathtakingly beautiful, particularly in its vast scopings of the great blue oceans, it is, after a while, somewhat repetitive. Indeed, the IMAX process is at its most invigorating and illuminating when the visual stimulation is varied and packed -- a whale fin in the midst of a blue sea on a screen the size of a city building soon is, essentially, a picture, not a moving picture. After a while, one is lulled by not only the cadence of the sea but the predictability of the visuals -- whales spouting, fins flapping -- not much else.
Still, there's plenty of delightful rhythms and visualizations in this thoughtful, intelligent production, including a homey dance between a mother humpback and her calf. Truly, there's some wonderfully playful and educational segments in "Whales", and the writers (Dr. Roger Payne, Mose Richards, Dr. Leighton Taylor) are to be commended for their savvy blend of information and entertainment. A triumvirate of directors (David Clark, Al Giddings, Dr. Roger Payne) has energized "Whales" with some forceful, cinematic rhythms. Especially exciting are the subjective scopings when we're taken underwater, directly into the deep and murky world of these magnificent creatures.
"Whales" spouts surest when enhanced by the vigorous and powerful sound design. Special praise goes to Jim McKee and Earwax Prods. for the haunting and beautiful sound textures, clueing us to the life forces below what seems a tranquil and dull blue sea.
WHALES
The National Wildlife Federation Endowment
and the National Science Foundation
Producers Christopher Palmer, David Clark
Directors David Clark, Al Giddings,
Dr. Roger Payne
Executive producer Richard James
Executives in charge of production Ed Capelle, Tom Casper, Chat Reynders
Screenwriters Dr. Roger Payne,
Mose Richards, Dr. Leighton Taylor
Directors of photography Al Giddings,
Andy Kitzanuk, Paul Mockler
Editor James Lahti
Sound designers Jim McKee,
Earwax Prods. Inc.
Sound mixer Skywalker Sound
Running time -- 43 minutes...
- 2/21/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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