No one wanted to make The Terminator. Well, at least they didn’t want to let James Cameron, the screenplay’s writer, direct it. Fortunately, producer Gale Anne Hurd believed in Cameron and bought the screenplay for a dollar, as long as he’d direct, giving Cameron his first big break and turning him into a megastar with a string of classic sci-fi and thriller flicks to follow. It was this unlikely hit, however, a B-movie with spectacular action and editing sequences, that would usher in a new wave of ultra-violent and gory action films, something par for the course today. Still, even with umpteen sequels, reboots and franchise frenzy, nothing will ever meet the heights of “I’ll be back,” the first time around. Go see Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese once again try to save us from a desolate future in which half-human killers try to eradicate humanity. Whoops, too late.
Wed., Aug. 20, 7:30 p.m., 2014
