It’s not even Thanksgiving yet, and if you feel as tired and dried out as those four-day-old leftovers, here’s a sure fire to take a little Ho out of the Ho-Ho-Ho.
Grab your sleeping bag and head out to your favorite cinema.
That’s where fans of Malibu’s sci-fi guru James Cameron will be lining up for the next installment of “Avatar.” With a running time of 3 hours and 10 minutes, you’ll be getting your money’s worth.
Expect “Avatar: The Way of the Water” to take the plunge any day now. Cameron has described the hefty sure-to-be-a-hit as an effort to tell an extremely compelling story on an emotional basis. He is quoted as saying that the emphasis on the new film is “more on story, more on emotion. We didn’t spend much time on relationships in the first film. It’s a longer film because there are more characters to service.”
The “Avatar” fantasy unfolded in 2009 as a paraplegic Marine was dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission and becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home. When his brother is killed in a robbery, paraplegic Marine Jake Sully decides to take his place in a mission on the distant world of Pandora.
The original stars — Jake, played by Sam Worthington, and Neytiri, portrayed by Zoe Saldana — will return for the sequel. But the two now have kids of their own, one of whom is played by Sigourney Weaver of the “Alien” franchise.
As for the movie’s length, Cameron brushes it off, saying, “I don’t want anyone whining about three hours when people sit around and binge watch for eight hours.”
The longtime resident and famed filmmaker is one of the most illustrious filmmakers in the world. He has been married five times but it seems like Malibu and current wife Suzy Amis made the director’s cut.
In his early years, he started out driving a truck and dabbling in screenwriting. From the start, Cameron showed a flair for originality and innovation.
Inspired by John Carpenter’s cult classic “Halloween,” in the late ’70s, Cameron wrote the script for “The Terminator.” The sci-fi action film featured a cyborg sent from the future to carry out a lethal mission.
Before you could say “I’ll be back,” and phrases like “I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle,” and “Hasta la vista, Baby” were popping up in urban dictionaries all over town.
Instead of just writing the script, he wanted to sell it, giving him the ability to direct it as well, and that’s exactly what he did, and the James Cameron phenomena was born.
In “The Terminator,” Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn and Linda Hamilton made up a stellar cast.
It started as a low-budget independent film, but through the excellent and dynamic talent of James Cameron, “The Terminator” became a success and one of the iconic films of the 1980s. It followed with a string of box office sci-fi action thrillers, including “Aliens” and “The Abyss” in 1989.
Next came the sequel “Terminator 2: Judgement Day.” It was an even bigger success than the first one.
In 1990, he started his own production company, Lightstorm Entertainment. A short time later, he wrote and directed “Titanic,” a romantic epic about two young lovers from different social classes who meet on the doomed ship.
The saga busted all sorts of box office records and practically needed a U-Haul trailer to carry home all his Academy hardware. He was bestowed with 11 bests in all, including best picture, inducing him to shout “I’m King Of The World!” Those words were borrowed from a scene in “Titanic.”
Today, Cameron is one of the most sought-after directors in the country. He also maintains a keen eye on ongoing, oceanographic projects.
So in a few weeks when those Christmas cookies get to grow a bit stale, treat yourself to “Avatar.” It’s an out-of-this-world treat to fantasyland.