Canada gifted the world James Cameron on 16 August 1954. It was perhaps not an entirely positive act.

Cameron co-wrote and directed three films I like a lot: The Terminator, Aliens, and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. And he wrote and directed The Abyss. The director’s cut has a whole lot to like in it. I am most definitely not not not talking about that cringe ending with the space aliens putting humanity on trial. But all the stuff about Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio’s relationship is great.

Then he made True Lies. That’s a mess of a film. It’s a miracle it works as well as it does. But my main takeaway is that Art Malik deserves so much better than parts like this. But he is great in the role — very funny despite the material being so broad. All you really need to know is that Owen Gleiberman really liked it!

True Lies was a bad sign. But Titanic? I lost all hope. Run to the lifeboats!

I’m not saying Titanic is a bad film. I just don’t like that kind of film. I found it tedious. And I found Avatar tedious. I haven’t watched Avatar: The Way of Water. And I’m not planning to watch the upcoming third and fourth films. I figure these are just being made so James Cameron can do more ocean exploration. (Actually, I quite liked the opening of Titanic with the undersea footage; I only started hating it when I saw Leonardo DiCaprio’s face.)

James Cameron could make fun films again. I assume so anyway. But people love the films that I don’t. Anyway, he has better things to do now!

I should note that I think Cameron is something of a dick. Listen to the commentary track for Terminator 2. He does it with co-writer William Wisher. Cameron is an ass — acting like the Great Man he thinks himself to be. And Wisher is there, knowing Cameron can (and doubtless would) destroy his career should he be anything but a servile omega. This is, in general, the way that Hollywood works. It’s a toxic place overrun with people who believe the nonsense mythology. Cameron would have a smaller ego if he had single-handedly cured cancer.

So let’s watch his first film as director, Piranha II: The Spawning. Given it was unsuccessful, Cameron distances himself from it, claiming, “I was replaced after two-and-a-half weeks…” I assume that’s a lie. Many people contradict this. But it does seem to be the case that he was blocked from editing.

Other 16 August Anniversaries

Filmmakers

• Glenn Strange (1899-1973): Although he had a big career in westerns, we know him for playing the creature in House of Frankenstein, House of Dracula, and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.
• Mae Clarke (1910-1992): Actor best known for The Public Enemy where she gets a grapefruit half to the face. She also played Elizabeth in the Universal Frankenstein.
• Fess Parker (1924-2010): TV’s Daniel Boone.
• Julie Newmar (1933-): Catwoman on the iconic Batman show. I really liked her in Oblivion and its sequel.
• Lorraine Gary (1937-): Actor known for Ellen Brody in 3 of the 4 Jaws films.
• Bruce Beresford (1940-): Interesting director of Breaker Morant, Tender Mercies, and Crimes of the Heart.
• Bob Balaban (1945-): Actor in many films including Catch-22 and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. He also directed the horror film Parents.
• Angela Bassett (1958-): Actor known for Boyz n the Hood, Strange Days, and Vampire in Brooklyn.
• Timothy Hutton (1960-): Big-name actor who has done a number of interesting films such as Iceman and The Dark Half.
• Steve Carell (1962-): Comedian who has made some interesting films like Little Miss Sunshine.
• JR Bookwalter (1966-): Microbudget filmmaker of classics like Robot Ninja and Ozone.
• Taika Waititi (1975-): Writer-director of Eagle vs Shark and Jojo Rabbit.

Films

• The Unholy Three (1925): Silent film about three sideshow performers who commit robberies.
• Seven Doors To Death (1944): An architect find himself in the middle of a murder and starts investigating it.
• The Time of Their Lives (1946): Romantic comedy with Lou Costello as a ghost and Bud Abbott as two bad guys!
• The Bride (1985): Dr Frankenstein creates the perfect woman.
• The Return of the Living Dead (1985): A chemical accidentally released at a medical supply warehouse causes the dead to rise. Horror-comedy classic.
• The Usual Suspects (1995): A heist turns into an assassination. Or did it?
• Bordello of Blood (1996): A PI goes to a brothel in search of a missing person. Are we talking sexy vampires? Of course!
• The Fan (1996): A baseball fan stalks a player.
• Dementia: An Experiment In Terror (2006): Found footage film about two men are kidnapped and tortured for three weeks.
• Alien: Romulus (2024): The usual, set between Alien and Aliens.

---

Image cropped from Avatar: The Way of Water Tokyo Press Conference: James Cameron & Sigourney Weaver by Dick Thomas Johnson under CC BY 2.0.