Random Film of the Day*: Clash of the Titans

Posted on May 17, 2013 by geelw

clash of the titans poster For years, I disliked most of Clash of the Titans because by 1981, I’d thought I’d outgrown the type of work Ray Harryhausen was doing and it seems that, despite the film’s OK success at the box office, some movie audiences just weren’t into so much classic stop motion animation in such a large scale film either.

Granted, it took me a few years and a lot of distance to find the movie actual fun to watch (instead of unintentionally funny for all the wrong reasons) as well as a classic in its own right, but I’m glad I gave it another chance. As Ray’s final studio film it’s a bittersweet sendoff that has one truly terrifying sequence and a few good to great ones that neither the CG-packed remake nor its sequel could come close to topping…
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Random Film of the Day*: Mighty Joe Young

Posted on May 14, 2013 by geelw

Mighty Joe Young poster With Ernest B. Schoedsack’s 1949 film Mighty Joe Young, stop motion animation fans saw the torch passed from the past master of the technique, Willis O’Brien to his willing, eager and more than able apprentice (and future master), Ray Harryhausen. Where 1925’s startling The Lost World and 1933’s epic King Kong helped pioneer stop motion (and its more comedic sequel, Son of Kong added a neat dinosaur chase scene to the list of O’Brien’s classic scenes), Mighty Joe Young was pretty much Harryhausen’s film from start to finish.

O’Brien hired Ray as an assistant animator, but based on different accounts, ended up letting the young man handle the bulk of the actual animation while he supervised the technical aspect of the special effects. While the film’s story was provided by King Kong co-writer/co-creator Merian C. Cooper and has some direct thematic resemblances to that earlier film (to the point were some less astute viewers think it’s an actual Kong sequel), Joe’s smaller size, demeanor and human-like qualities were greatly enhanced by stellar animation, some fantastic action scenes and a really great use of humor throughout that makes it nowhere as dark as Kong, nor as silly as its rushed into theaters sequel…
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Random Film of the Day* It Came From Beneath the Sea

Posted on May 13, 2013 by geelw

*For the next week or so, I’m going to add a random film the great Ray Harryhausen worked on. The legendary special effects MASTER passed away on May 7, 2013 at age 92 in London and yes, the film world owes him more than they can ever repay…

You can probably consider the 1955 film It Came From Beneath the Sea as (and I quote) “The ONLY six-tentacled giant octopus movie you’ll ever need” and call it a night, but this would be a pretty damn shorter than usual column. Actually, this was another fun Charles H. Schneer/Ray Harryhausen co-production put together to show off Ray’s stop motion animation brilliance and yes indeed, it succeeds quite well on that front.

Of course, it’s also another yet low budget atomic radiation created mutation run amok deal, so expect a chunk of military stock footage, a few jabs at scientific accuracy gone awry and the usual pairing of lantern-jawed hero with sexy researcher who’s all business at the proper moments…
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Random Film of the Day*: The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms

Posted on May 11, 2013 by geelw

B2KF For some fans of giant monster movies, Godzilla is their gold standard, but I’m a Rhedosaurus man, myself. 1953’s The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms is a smaller-scale picture when compared to Toho’s epic genre entry and it’s also not as sprawling and dynamic as King Kong in terms of impact. On the other hand, Ray Harryhausen’s work here is superb and at a mere 80 minutes, this one goes down easy and doesn’t wear out its welcome one bit.

With its giant lizard (OK, fake, but pretty scary and really huge dinosaur) awakened from the Arctic ice by a nuclear bomb, some interesting plot twists and yes, plenty of wonderful stop-motion mayhem (and some great crowd scenes), this one’s yet another memorable classic for genre fans… Continue reading →

R.I.P., Lucasarts (Earn It, Mittens. EARN IT).

Posted on April 4, 2013 by geelw

If I were a REALLY cranky and cynical bastard, I’d say Disney REALLY killed off Lucasarts (and pretty much anything Star Wars related in the game space forever) so cheaper to make casual games like Mittens could live. Sacrifice that expensive cash-draining bigger studio and two solid-looking works in progress along with that formerly proud sci-fi IP (that still has a gigantic fan base, mind you) that’s had a bunch of not-so-hot games mixed in with a few winners over the years for this cute kitten and a ton of other faster to cash in mobile and social titles? Sure, why not? Any non-gaming industry analyst worth his salt (and a few who do, I’d bet) will say it makes PERFECT economic sense at the end of the day (albeit at the cost of too many jobs at a newly shuttered studio)…

Hey, all is not lost, right? Disney still has some of its own famous (and new original) properties that are SURELY guaranteed a huge audience based on that company name recognition alone? And hey, NO one will miss Lucasarts save for a “vocal minority” (as we get called by the executive types who trumpet these casual games and their monetizing schemes over “risky” IP with a shaky track record).

Yeah, sure… that’s the ticket…

Fortunately, I’m NOT that guy… I think. So long Lucasarts. Hopefully, the Force will be with those now unemployed.

Industry Noose: R.I.P., THQ, Atari Sinking… Who’s Next?

Posted on January 24, 2013 by geelw

Ugh. I hate being right, but I’ve been around for one big industry crash, the slow death of the popular arcade scene and too many recent studio closures and other big to small bumps that make it somewhat sad to be a gamer for so damn long. If you think this mobile and tablet junk will “save” things, welll…. it won’t if the industry keeps trying to sell a business model and services as “product” and goes on forgetting CONTENT (and quality) is king. Well, as I predicted (but was hoping would never happen despite the writing all over the wall for years), THQ has gone the 3DO and Midway route, with some major IP assets sold off to assorted publishers and others still in some sort of limbo state for the moment. Atari seems to be headed to a third or fourth demise, filing for Chapter 11 and hoping for a split from Infogrames and some savior with deep pockets who can throw money at a problem that may not be able to be solved even with so many classic IP at stake.

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Thunderbirds Are Gone – Gerry Anderson (1929 – 2012)

Posted on December 29, 2012 by geelw

If you were a kid or young adult in the United Kingdom, America and a few other lucky locations during the 1960’s and 70’s and had a TV in the house, you more likely than not saw something Gerry Anderson produced and fell head over heels for before the opening credits were done. I happened to grow up watching Captain Scarlet & The Mysterons, Thunderbirds, UFO and Space: 1999 all of which burned their share of memorable images into my brain and are still fondly remembered today. Sure, much of his output might not hold up to the scrutiny of the legions of jaded sci-fi fans that go for flashier effects, more outrageous characters and overall classier writing. Anderson’s shows were primarily geared to young boys (although his wife Sylvia certainly softened things considerably with her unique fashion sense), but there were more women in his series as time progressed, some of whom ended up a more than eye candy thanks to some fine writing and acting.

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TCM Remembers 2012: More Stars Shining Down On Film Fans

Posted on December 25, 2012 by geelw

These TCM tributes get longer and harder to sit through each year, that’s for sure. Add Charles Durning and Jack Klugman to this too long list of folks who’ve brought many some great entertainment memories over the decades. I was actually thinking about some Odd Couple episodes this past weekend out of the blue (the one where Oscar calls a square dance and the one that ends with him with two steaks on his face), but I think he’ll be more remembered by certain TV fans for his outstanding performance in the Twilight Zone episode “In Praise of Pip”, one of the best episodes from that show’s fifth season. As for Durning (who was also a decorated WWII veteran), his “everyman” working class face and always solid acting no matter the genre always made him a pleasure to watch. Go rent “Tootsie” just to see his comic chops and Dog Day Afternoon for a bit of his dramatic work.