Just like in the first Terminator, that little exchange between John and the Terminator sums up the entire movie for me and in James Cameron's words, was the sole reason why he made the movie to begin with. He said that his goal was to make a Terminator movie where everybody in the theater would cry for him. That's a pretty bold move on his part when you think about where he is starting from...the ultimate killing machine that showed no remorse in the first film is going to make people cry in the second? Ha. Can't be done!!!

When I heard about T2 being in production I was so f ucking excited. I couldn't wait for it's release day to arrive. This time I wouldn't be waiting to catch it on HBO or videotape. I was going to be there opening day, come hell or high water! So, wouldn't you know, the first showing on opening day was sold out. So was the second showing. So, I had to do some quick thinking. I looked at the board to see what other movies were playing that would let out at the right time because the start time would be offset. So, we settled on Naked Gun 2 1/2 and watched that all the way to the end, but it was very hard to concentrate because T2 was playing on the opposite side of the wall and you could not only hear it, but feel the explosions. F uck, I was p issing my pants for my movie to end. When it did, we had to time it just right and walk out and then blend in with the incoming crowd for the 2nd showing of T2. It worked out perfectly, but it didn't keep me from being paranoid that we were gonna be made and kicked out. The lights wouldn't dim fast enough for my liking.

So, was the movie worth it? Hell f ucking yeah it was. Not only was it worth it, to me it's THE greatest Action movie ever made, I sh*t you not. It resides in my Top 3 movies of all time, with The Shawshank Redemption and The Breakfast Club taking the other two spots. T2 had such a profound effect on me that it made me want to become a filmmaker and got me started in shooting mini films with friends and family and dabbling in doing FX Stuff. Why do I have such admiration for T2? Beyond all the explosions, Special FX, Cinematography, editing, sound FX of the film, at it's core, it has heart, which brings us back to the relationship between John and the Terminator and why it means so much. So, was Cameron able to get me to cry at the end?

No comment.

Gotta clear my throat.

Something in my eye.

Look away!!

Okay, where was I? Yeah, love the movie. So much in fact that when they finally released it on VHS for rent, I patiently waited for a used copy (they didn't sell New copies till a year after the initial Rent phase at Blockbusters, etc...) So, my used copy was a whopping $30. Didn't care. Wasn't going to stop me. I watched that tape so many times up to the day that I got the first release copy on DVD. And then I double dipped on The Ultimate Edition with the Steel Case. Then I tripled dipped for the Extreme Edition, which is the copy that I watched tonight. Have I rambled on about T2 long enough? No? Okay, I can write some more for ya....

Buy the f ucking DVD if you don't have it yet. It's better than the first film and I don't want to hear the "it's a remake, blah blah blah" Yes, it has similar set pieces in both, but T2 expands on the mythology that the first one does not. So, not what I would call a remake, but an original that redefined Hollywood.

I was hoping like hell this was not going to be a remake. For those who think it is, they are not giving T2 any kind of attention. It is very different. From the star being a boy, to the terminator having a completely different mission. This just flips everything topsy turvey and allows Cameron to inject this movie with excellent storytelling, yet maintain a relationship and story that works. Cameron did an amazing job of hitting one out of the park with the sequel to Alien. The man has great vision and storytelling skills and was perfect for this job. He set the bar high by annihilating the idea sequels are inferior. There is no reason the next movie in line can’t be as good or better. If they know it’s going to be inferior, why make it?

I started getting excited about watching Terminator 2 before I started my Sarah Connor Chronicles marathon. But I was really pumped today, knowing I'd be watching the greatest movie of all time. Watching T2 is like eating a big fat steak, followed by a juicy cut of Filet Mignon, topping it off with a slice of Cheese Cake. I still remember the day I saw it in the theater and watching it tonight, I still get a rush from it. I'm not lying when I say I have watched T2 a minumum of 50 times, be it in the theater, cable, VHS and DVD. Sh*t man, T2 is the most times I've double dipped on a movie. Now multiply that by 2 and you get 4 times. Yes, I mention the dipping in my original post. But now it's four since I remember the original bare bones DVD I had that I didn't include. Anyway, I still find new things to like about the movie that I necessarily didn't zoom in on before. I just can't believe it has been 2 years since the last time I watched this. I won't make that mistake again.

So, lets talk about how awesome this movie is! 

Uproxx posted this (slightly out of sync) video along with the above interview snippet, jsut some backstory on the T-100's acting style.  Thought it might be worth sharing on here.