December 15, 2009 » USA Today
‘The Futurist’ reveals James Cameron’s ego, ambition
By Scott Bowles
Early on in The Futurist: The Life and Films of James Cameron, it becomes clear that about the only thing as grand as the director’s cinematic vision is his hubris. How else to explain a 28-year-old Hollywood neophyte who fires his agent because he doesn’t get sci-fi? Or who breaks into an editing bay to make changes against his producer’s wishes?
Still, as Rebecca Keegan’s fascinating biography illustrates, Cameron, 55, rarely fails to back up his bravado….
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December 4, 2009 » Bookgasm
The Futurist: The Life and Films of James Cameron
By Rod Lott
It’s ironic that a guy who got his start in filmmaking working for penny-pinching producer Roger Corman has gone on to make the most expensive movies of all time. Then again, nothing about James Cameron’s life is conventional, as you’ll witness several times over in his warts-and-all biography, penned by TIME journalist Rebecca Keegan.
Lucky for her — and us — Cameron allowed himself to be interviewed, as did family, friends and frenemies, making THE FUTURIST: THE LIFE AND FILMS OF JAMES CAMERON as likely a complete portrait as we’re going to get. Like most of his movies, it’s exciting, fascinating and difficult not to consume in a single sitting.
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December 1st, 2009 » Booklist
There have already been several books about James Cameron, the director of such films as The Terminator, Aliens, Titanic, and Avatar. But this is the one fans of moviemaking books will want. Keegan interviewed dozens of Cameron’s friends and colleagues, including actor Bill Paxton, special-effects wizard Dennis Muren, and fellow director Peter Jackson. Unlike previous writers, Keegan appears neither to idolize nor revile Cameron; she admires him as a filmmaker, while acknowledging his often abrasive and controversial on-set behavior. She explores how the director’s big-budget movies are products, not of an overactive ego but of a fertile imagination and a lifelong dream of telling stories in pictures. She hits the expected high points—the stunning success of , the near-universal predictions of failure for Titanic—but she also spends time on some of the lesser known episodes from the director’s life, including his battles with a British crew on the set of Aliens (reminiscent of George Lucas’ similar struggles when he was making Star Wars). A fine book, in the same league as J. W. Rinzler’s splendid The Making of Star Wars and The Complete Making of Indiana Jones.
November 9th, 2009 » Publisher’s Weekly
Coinciding with the release of Avatar, James Cameron’s first film in over a decade, Time reporter Keegan’s solid biography of the dynamic director sheds welcome light on his cinematic achievements. Growing up in Ontario and later Los Angeles, Cameron was an accomplished artist and budding scientist who would bring his fascination with new technology to all his films. From his days doing grunt work for Hollywood indie legend Roger Corman—including his first directing job, helming Piranha 2—Cameron pursued his artistic vision with a passion that often translated into a tyrannical on-set presence. His string of action hits in the 1980s—Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss—made him one of the most sought-after directors in Hollywood, and he continued through the 1990s, culminating in the 1997 blockbuster Titanic. With each film, Cameron strove for new technological feats, from shooting tricky underwater dialogue scenes in The Abyss to the reconstruction of a near life-size version of the doomed ship in Titanic. Keegan explores not only the director’s achievements on film, including an in-depth look at the 3D-film Avatar but also his often tumultuous personal life (including his five marriages). Fans of the charismatic director will welcome a look behind the scenes of some of the biggest movies in the last two-plus decades. (Dec. 15)
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