My Take: Sketching Rose In Titanic | Under Lens

Rose is in a dilemma. Cal is a fine person and loves him but this is not a life she wants. Jack is a free soul, living the life the way he wants. She wants this type of life but can't put everything on stake. This everything included financial security of her mother as well. She is on the verge of submitting rest of her life to a person whom she doesn't love and to a life style that is too plastic for her. She decides to have a moment of freedom for probably the last time in her life. She wants Jack to sketch her wearing nothing but The Heart Of The Ocean. Jack like a true professional obliges and creates a marvel on the piece of paper.

This iconic scene has many aspects. Rose's getting ready to pose nude is defiance to the high-society norms of that time. It was a symbol of feminism and her freedom to do something her fiancee would never agree to. Allowing a 3rd class passenger to sketch was a further blow to Cal's anti-low-class outlook. Jack's professional approach to do his work symbolizes his sincerity and highlights the fact that for an artist, despite of form and appeal; everything is a model with no emotional strings attached.

There were many iconic scenes in this movie but the way the story has been summarized in this scene, James Cameron has simply taken cinema to a higher level. Kudos to Kate Winslet and Leonardo for giving such a brilliant performance. Kudos to the entire team for making this scene a work of art.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

James Cameron Special | Editor's Pen

Once in a while, in every industry there comes a person who envision things so differently that his vision decides the direction of future of that industry. James Cameron is one of them.


TheReelMag is proud to present an exclusive edition on the gentleman. A director whose knowledge and vision are examples to follow, whose penchant to achieve perfection can be placed pretty close to Da Vinci and who is perceived as a person who saw the future of cinema quater a century back.

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Sujoy Ghosh

Insight into the Megalomaniac | Statesmen

Titanic $200 Million and Avatar $237 Million are considered to be two most expensive movies of all time. But just the adjective expensive is not sufficient. These two are opus magnum of not only the people involved but to a large extent Hollywood on a whole.
He is temperamental. His movies are over-budget. He tries too hard to be perfectionist. His movies are iconic. He is none other than James Cameron. The director of movies like Terminator 1 & 2, True Lies, Aliens and the two mentioned above, Cameron is known for his dedication and pursuit of excellence.

When you see a movie like Titanic, a great amount of special effects is involved. However, the ship is also real. Its no fake created in some Hollywood studio. The penchant for perfection made him wait for 12 years before coming out with Avatar. Another movie that marked a giant jump of technology in cinema.

When you see, a Cameron Movie, you see a work of art created by maniacal labor of a perfectionist for whom money is a factor but not a constraint. Currently, Cameron is exploring new vistas of 3-D technology he has pioneered over years. With Titanic in 3D to be released in 2012 marking centenary of the tragedy, a lot more is to come.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Titanic | Critique

When I think about this movie, two different aspects of this opus magnum come to my mind: first, the sweet love story and second, the exceptional special effects. I guess, a lot has been told about both. But, still I would like to talk about the story only. Special effect might have helped them earn big collections, but it was the love story that gave Titanic a cult status.

Rose is a high society girl engaged with a rich snob, Caledon. This relation is more to smooth out stressed financial conditions of her family. Then, a young guy who wins the ticket of Titanic in a game; enters her life. He is a third-class passenger of a free soul and this attracts Rose towards him. Both fall in love with each other much to the wrath of Caledon. Cliché... a big one. Rich girl in love with poor guy is one of the most repeated plot. Still, it worked. At this point the unsinkable Titanic crashes into an iceberg and starts sinking. Jack ensures that Rose is safe and dies in process. Another cliché. Again worked brilliantly. Clichés add up to make a brilliant though too-oft repeated story set in a period of 1910-1915 (exactly 1912) when the world was too orthodox. The background of failure of human intellect (as titanic sinks) and the foreground of success of human emotions (love between Rose and Jack) makes the experience mesmerizing.

Titanic would have not been such a success without two characters- Rose and Jack, and their immortal love. Kudos to the entire team for creating such an experience on celluloid.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Personal Battles | Hammers High

James Cameron, creator of extremely ambitious movies like Titanic, Aliens, Abyss, Titanic and Avatar, is known for his capabilities as director and scientific temperament. However, his obsession for perfection has earned some bad name as well.

Orson Scott Card worked with him during making of The Abyss and had a lot of negative feelings for him. He felt that Cameron was unnecessary cruel to people under him. This added no value to their performances and infact had negative impact. He could be more considerate and reap better output out of them. But he chose to be selfish and cruel.

Kate Winslet, his lead actress in Titanic, also criticized him for his hot temper though remarked that he is generally a nice person. She has allegedly decided that she won't work with him ever unless the offer is very lucrative financially. His temper is really an issue for people around him on sets.

Many legends are attributed to Cameron. Example: he uses nail-guns to nail mobile phones that buzz on set. Well, most of such stories are blown out of proportion making him look like a devil. However, the underlying fact is that James Cameron is an extremely dedicated movie maker with some whims and issues, who know his trade well and nobody can point a finger on that. Period.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Kathryn Bigelow and James Cameroon | Cine Talk

Year 2010 Oscars witnessed an amazing co-incidence. Avatar and Hurt Locker were leading the race of Best Movie category. The directors were also in a battle of Best Director award. But this was not the co-incidence. The co-incidence was that the competitors were ex-spouses. Yes. They were ex-spouses.

Well, Agony Aunts may dream of bitching and cat-fights, James Cameron and his third wife Kathryn Bigelow maintain a very amiable and friendly relationship. Under patronage of Cameron, Bigelow honed her skills and the divorce that ended their two years married life in '91 didn't hamper their friendship. A beautiful relationship that flourished over hard times.

Cameron expressed his happiness when Bigelow was awarded the Oscar as he always believed in her capabilities and finally her capabilities got its due. Quite a sport, Cameron and Bigelow are examples to look up to.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Amazing Cameron | Mighty Six | Cine Talk

1) As young Cameron did odd jobs like that of a truck driver and miniature model maker.

2) Cameron was a co-founder and former CEO of Digital Domain. It is a visual effects technology company.

3) Basic script of Avatar was written in 1995 but he waited as technology was inferior at that time.

4) He tend to repeat his actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, William Wisher Jr. etc.

5) Will be making a 3D movie with group Black Eyed Peas. Sequel of Avatar is also in pipeline.

6) Married five times and had fathered four children.

Terminator 2 – The Judgment Day | Flash Review

T2 escalated the level of The Terminator. Set in 1995, eleven years after the first episode, Skynet (in future) sends an advanced cyborg T1000 to kill Sara (the mother) and John (the resistance fighter of future). John (in future) sends a reprogrammed cyborg T800 to save his past-self and mother. The battle starts and ends with T800 beating an advanced T1000. The action is alluring and the movie simply immortalized director James Cameron in the pages of Cinema.

The Terminator | Flash Review

Terminator is a sci-fi movie of 80's that became a milestone in its genre. An AI network of future, Skynet, sends a cyborg to kill a woman who is going to mother (Sara) the son (John) who will fight Skynet. Son, in future, sends a resistance fighter to save his mother. The battle begins. Terminator is a brilliant movie not only by the standard of 80's but even by that of today. Must watch.

Avatar Movie Review | Critique

I never thought I would find it erotic- watching two blue-skinned giants making love on screen. The key point here is I felt SOMETHING. An emotional connect. That too, watching two images which are not real. We always talk incessantly about how films have the power to transport us to a new world altogether. But, truth is, we forget about most of them in a day or two. AVATAR is not that kind of a film. It really does transport you to a new world, literally. And this is a movie which will linger in your minds for a long time to come.

Legend has it that James Cameron, after wrapping up the story way back in 1995, realized that the technology required for this kind of a movie did not exist at all. Gosh! Such a dilemma! What to do now? Simple. He spent a few 12 years or so, developing the technology. Motion Capture, Virtual Camera, Digital 3D Fusion Camera System were the results. And are they revolutionary, do I hear you ask?

Let me put it this way.

Never before has something like this been attempted. And it will be very, very difficult to top this. Even for Cameron himself. At least, in the technological department. This is a film, which has a "decent-enough" story with a strong political and environmental message. You won't believe how well the visuals and the narrative have been married together.

But, the story here takes a backseat. Its technology-triumphs-over-narrative all over but for once, I am not complaining. The story is simplistic enough- In the year 2154, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) must inhabit, along with an alien clan called Na'vi, on a distant moon called Pandora, in order to win their complete trust. You see, the clan and their religious ethics sit upon a mine full of valuable minerals. SecFor's Colonel Miles Quaritch (brilliantly essayed by Stephen Lang) and Parker Selfridge (again a brilliant Giovanni Ribisi) are the people to whom Worthington has to report, despite knowing that the botanist Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) stands on morally rightful grounds. So, Worthington lets his mind enter the body of a genetically-bred hybrid Na'vi or in short, his Avatar and sets out to infiltrate the clan, thereby gaining their trust as well as valuable information. He meets a Na'vi girl named Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and falls in love with her. Realization kicks his butt and he decides to change sides, for good, before its too late.

I know what you're thinking. Too outdated a plotline, isn't it? But, Cameron makes sure you don't go home empty-handed or empty-headed rather. Stunning visuals, a heart-warming score by James Horner and the PERFORMANCES. Ah! Yes! The performances, indeed. For this is just not a motley mix of real images and animation. To quote Cameron, "Every little detail you see, every tiny bit of expression is actually physical. They are the performance expressions captured from the actors' faces. It is not merely animation.". And boy! Let me tell you. If I were to recommend you some special-effects extravaganza, I'd recommend you AVATAR rather than Transformers, anyday. The live action and animation is a visual orgy of sorts. Cameron has a vivid eye for detail and it is more than evident in the scenes when you see the SecFor Chopper hovering over a prairie-like land, the grass billowing like green silk. Also, be prepared to marvel in that scene where Jake tames a dragon. Or the one, in which we see the chopper gliding through a series of floating islands. Full marks to the guys at Weta Digital for pulling off the mammoth CGI and Special Effects. And the action-filled climax proves that when Cameron decides to get down to it, there's no stopping him.

The performances are worthy of a mention. Sam Worthington does adequately, here. A pretty face and some good acting too. Sigourney Weaver, a big name in the cast, is rightfully cast and she acts as the moral backbone of this whole story. But, its Zoe Saldana finally who nails the show by giving a spectacular performance as the 10 foot (or was it 11) giant Neytiri. Zoe is 100% Neytiri here and her expressions are so convincing that you actually care for her character by the time the film gears forward.

The only hitch- some meat should have been provided to the storyline. I repeat, an event-movie with a less eventful story feels a little hollow.

I saw this movie in 2D. I recommend you catch it ASAP in 3D. You need to LIVE this movie, DEVOUR this movie, not just see it. I will be more than willing to tweak the rating for this (which I'm about to give) a little bit once I catch hold of it in 3D. 3D-IMAX would be excellent.

Which brings us to Cameron. To say that Cameron has a vision would be like saying Lion loves meat. James Cameron deserves every bit of the hype, every bit of praise and every body's attention. The man once declared while accepting the Oscar for Titanic, "I'm the King of the World". We don't need to ask him for any proof. We agree, in unison.

Rating: * * * * 1/2

Written By Gyandeep Pattnayak.

Hammers High: Brokeback Does A Titanic; Almost A Controversy

Two movies, different stories, same genre but still opposite categories.
Brokeback Mountain and Titanic, both are considered to be great love stories. While the former highlights unconventional homosexual love, the latter depicts love beyond social classes. But something was common in both...

Brokeback Mountain received mixed responses from different sectors of Hollywood. It was a love story that suffered due to the fear of brickbats from society. The lovers had a painful thorn in their chest and were forced to live a complex life. Gay Rights’ forums consider it to be a groundbreaking movie and some rate it as one of the most adorable romantic movies of all time.

Titanic on the other hand, received applauds for everything in the movie. It was clearly the greatest movie of its decade. The love between the rich girl and the poor boy was never so nerve wrecking. Literally, on the edge of life and death. The scene in which the boy dies in his efforts to save the girl in chilling water is convincing enough to make you cry.

But what’s the controversy.... In Hammer High we discuss known and unknown controversies? Don’t we?
Looking at the poster of Brokeback Mountain, the intention is clear. It’s a love story to match the ecstasy of Titanic. May be when the poster-maker drafted the poster he/she had no idea that it resembles the famous Titanic poster, but some where it was definitely there that comes out so lively in the image.

Makers of Titanic never pursued the case, but some where deep; every viewer noticed the resemblance that was so co-incidental. Fortunately, the makers of Brokeback Mountain did justice to the co-incidence.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh