Producer Charles Band discusses a few of his favorite films with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Re-Animator (1985) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review
Citizen Kane (1941) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Puppet Master (1989)
Dollman (1991)
Trancers (1984)
Corona Zombies (2020)
Cannibal Women In The Avocado Jungle of Death (1989)
Frankenstein (1931) – Joe Dante’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Sixth Sense (1999)
The Wolf Man (1941) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Alex Kirschenbaum’s Wolf Man power rankings
I Bury The Living (1958) – Joe Dante’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review
Face of Fire (1959)
Hercules (1958)
The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad (1958) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary
Jason And The Argonauts (1963) – Ernest Dickerson’s trailer commentary
King Kong (1933)
King Kong (1976) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Exorcist (1973) – Oren Peli’s trailer commentary
Star Wars (1977)
The Omega Man (1971)
Castle Freak (1995)
Tourist Trap (1979) – David DeCoteau’s trailer commentary
Laserblast (1978)
Crash!
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Re-Animator (1985) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review
Citizen Kane (1941) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Puppet Master (1989)
Dollman (1991)
Trancers (1984)
Corona Zombies (2020)
Cannibal Women In The Avocado Jungle of Death (1989)
Frankenstein (1931) – Joe Dante’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Sixth Sense (1999)
The Wolf Man (1941) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Alex Kirschenbaum’s Wolf Man power rankings
I Bury The Living (1958) – Joe Dante’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review
Face of Fire (1959)
Hercules (1958)
The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad (1958) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary
Jason And The Argonauts (1963) – Ernest Dickerson’s trailer commentary
King Kong (1933)
King Kong (1976) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Exorcist (1973) – Oren Peli’s trailer commentary
Star Wars (1977)
The Omega Man (1971)
Castle Freak (1995)
Tourist Trap (1979) – David DeCoteau’s trailer commentary
Laserblast (1978)
Crash!
- 3/22/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
It was 40 years ago, in June 1981, that Clash of the Titans, the last film to feature the stop-motion animation effects of Ray Harryhausen, was released.
Starring a then-unknown Harry Hamlin, along with veteran stars like Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Burgess Meredith, and Ursula Andress, the film was loosely based on the Greek myth of Perseus (Hamlin), weaving in strands of other mythologies and legends and putting its hero into conflict with creatures like the Kraken, Calibos, Medusa the Gorgon and a two-headed dog named Dioskilos.
“Greek and Roman myths contained characters and fantastic creatures that were ideal for cinematic adventures,” wrote Harryhausen in his memoir, Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life. “If some of the adventures were combined with 20th century storytelling, a timeless narrative could be constructed that would appeal to both young and old.”
Harryhausen was already a filmmaking legend by the time he began work on Clash of the Titans.
Starring a then-unknown Harry Hamlin, along with veteran stars like Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Burgess Meredith, and Ursula Andress, the film was loosely based on the Greek myth of Perseus (Hamlin), weaving in strands of other mythologies and legends and putting its hero into conflict with creatures like the Kraken, Calibos, Medusa the Gorgon and a two-headed dog named Dioskilos.
“Greek and Roman myths contained characters and fantastic creatures that were ideal for cinematic adventures,” wrote Harryhausen in his memoir, Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life. “If some of the adventures were combined with 20th century storytelling, a timeless narrative could be constructed that would appeal to both young and old.”
Harryhausen was already a filmmaking legend by the time he began work on Clash of the Titans.
- 6/20/2021
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
Mill Creek and Kit Parker have raided the Columbia vault once again in search of Noir Gold from the ‘fifties. Their selection this time around has a couple of prime gems, several straight crime thrillers and domestic jeopardy tales, and also a couple of interesting Brit imports. They aren’t really ‘Noir’ either, but they’re still unexpected and different. The top title is Don Siegel’s incomparable The Lineup, but also on board is a snappy anti-commie epic by André De Toth. Get set for a lineup of impressive leading ladies: Diana Dors, Arlene Dahl, Anita Ekberg — and the great Colleen Dewhurst as a card-carrying Red!
Noir Archive 9-Film Collection Volume 3
The Shadow on the Window, The Long Haul, Pickup Alley, The Tijuana Story, She Played with Fire, The Case Against Brooklyn, The Lineup, The Crimson Kimono, Man on a String
Blu-ray
Mill Creek / Kit Parker
1957 -1960 / B&w...
Noir Archive 9-Film Collection Volume 3
The Shadow on the Window, The Long Haul, Pickup Alley, The Tijuana Story, She Played with Fire, The Case Against Brooklyn, The Lineup, The Crimson Kimono, Man on a String
Blu-ray
Mill Creek / Kit Parker
1957 -1960 / B&w...
- 9/10/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
“Star Wars” actor Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca in the original trilogy, died on Tuesday, his family announced on his Twitter. He was 74.
He died at his North Texas home surrounded by his family, read the Twitter statement.
The family of Peter Mayhew, with deep love and sadness, regrets to share the news that Peter has passed away. He l… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…—
Peter Mayhew (@TheWookieeRoars) May 02, 2019
Though he spoke entirely in growls, snarls, and the occasional roar, Chewbacca’s unwavering loyalty to Han Solo made him one of the most beloved characters in the franchise. Much more than just the hairy co-pilot of the Millennium Falcon, Chewie’s dependability and trustworthiness helped the iconic Wookiee function as the series’ ultimate “wing man.”
He was discovered by producer Charles H. Schneer while working as a hospital attendant in London, and cast in Ray Harryhausen’s “Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger.
He died at his North Texas home surrounded by his family, read the Twitter statement.
The family of Peter Mayhew, with deep love and sadness, regrets to share the news that Peter has passed away. He l… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…—
Peter Mayhew (@TheWookieeRoars) May 02, 2019
Though he spoke entirely in growls, snarls, and the occasional roar, Chewbacca’s unwavering loyalty to Han Solo made him one of the most beloved characters in the franchise. Much more than just the hairy co-pilot of the Millennium Falcon, Chewie’s dependability and trustworthiness helped the iconic Wookiee function as the series’ ultimate “wing man.”
He was discovered by producer Charles H. Schneer while working as a hospital attendant in London, and cast in Ray Harryhausen’s “Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger.
- 5/2/2019
- by Pat Saperstein and Alex Stedman
- Variety Film + TV
Wow! Prime stop-motion animation from the heyday of monstrous science fiction, in a new restoration that puts a brilliant shine on those creepy crawly critters. Richard Denning fights giant arachnids while Mara (swoon) Corday frets and wrings her hands, waiting for the next kissing scene. The new scan clears up a lot of flaws, and gives us a much better look at the Lost Art of stop-motion magic.
The Black Scorpion
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1957 / B&W / 1:78 widescreen / 88 min. / Street Date March 20, 2018 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring Richard Denning, Mara Corday, Carlos Rivas, Mario Navarro, Carlos Múzquiz, Pascual García Peña
Cinematography Lionel Lindon
Special Effects Willis H. O’Brien, Pete Peterson
Art Direction Edward Fitzgerald
Film Editor Richard L. Van Enger
Original Music Paul Sawtell
Written by Robert Blees, David Duncan and Paul Yawitz
Produced by Jack Dietz, Frank Melford
Directed by Edward Ludwig
The ’50s big-bug monster show...
The Black Scorpion
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1957 / B&W / 1:78 widescreen / 88 min. / Street Date March 20, 2018 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring Richard Denning, Mara Corday, Carlos Rivas, Mario Navarro, Carlos Múzquiz, Pascual García Peña
Cinematography Lionel Lindon
Special Effects Willis H. O’Brien, Pete Peterson
Art Direction Edward Fitzgerald
Film Editor Richard L. Van Enger
Original Music Paul Sawtell
Written by Robert Blees, David Duncan and Paul Yawitz
Produced by Jack Dietz, Frank Melford
Directed by Edward Ludwig
The ’50s big-bug monster show...
- 3/27/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Indicator follows up The Wonderful Worlds of Ray Harryhausen, Volume One: 1955-1960 with, wait for it, Volume 2: 1961-1964, featuring three of Harryhausen’s most ambitious productions. Good news for fans, the UK company delivers another robust box set with beautiful transfers and an abundance of extras including newly produced interviews, a small treasure trove of promotional ephemera and a limited edition 80-page book with essays from Kim Newman and Tim Lucas. The set is region free, playable on Blu-ray devices worldwide.
The Wonderful Worlds of Ray Harryhausen, Volume 2: 1961-1964
Blu-ray – Region Free
Indicator/Powerhouse
Street Date November 13, 2017
Starring Herbert Lom, Joan Greenwood, Niall MacGinnis, Nigel Green, Lionel Jeffries, Edward Judd
Cinematography by Wilkie Cooper
Produced by Charles Schneer, Ray Harryhausen
Directed by Cy Endfield, Don Chaffey, Nathan Juran
Raging thunderstorms and a tempestuous score from Bernard Herrmann kick off 1961’s Mysterious Island as a water-logged crew of Union...
The Wonderful Worlds of Ray Harryhausen, Volume 2: 1961-1964
Blu-ray – Region Free
Indicator/Powerhouse
Street Date November 13, 2017
Starring Herbert Lom, Joan Greenwood, Niall MacGinnis, Nigel Green, Lionel Jeffries, Edward Judd
Cinematography by Wilkie Cooper
Produced by Charles Schneer, Ray Harryhausen
Directed by Cy Endfield, Don Chaffey, Nathan Juran
Raging thunderstorms and a tempestuous score from Bernard Herrmann kick off 1961’s Mysterious Island as a water-logged crew of Union...
- 11/25/2017
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Nick Aldwinckle Oct 30, 2017
This month's round up of genre DVDs and Blu-rays features Ray Harryhausen, Willard, rats on the rampage and more...
The underappreciated ‘nature gone wild’ porn horror movie subgenre has a somewhat patchy history, with a viewer’s search more likely to end up in some SyFy channel Megapterranoshark Versus Crocosaur cul-de-sac than something of the calibre of a Jaws or Arachnophobia. Sharks, spiders and gators are all well served, though (alongside the glaring lack of a movie adaptation of Guy N. Smith’s glorious Night Of The Crabs books) rodents have had something of a raw deal.
See related 26 new TV shows to watch in 2017
Fear not, though, faithful readers: we’re not going to drift off into Stuart Little territory just yet (that’ll be next month’s Stuart Little IV: The Rattening), as this month brings with it not one but two seventies rat-themed monster movie classics (well,...
This month's round up of genre DVDs and Blu-rays features Ray Harryhausen, Willard, rats on the rampage and more...
The underappreciated ‘nature gone wild’ porn horror movie subgenre has a somewhat patchy history, with a viewer’s search more likely to end up in some SyFy channel Megapterranoshark Versus Crocosaur cul-de-sac than something of the calibre of a Jaws or Arachnophobia. Sharks, spiders and gators are all well served, though (alongside the glaring lack of a movie adaptation of Guy N. Smith’s glorious Night Of The Crabs books) rodents have had something of a raw deal.
See related 26 new TV shows to watch in 2017
Fear not, though, faithful readers: we’re not going to drift off into Stuart Little territory just yet (that’ll be next month’s Stuart Little IV: The Rattening), as this month brings with it not one but two seventies rat-themed monster movie classics (well,...
- 10/24/2017
- Den of Geek
Since the early days of home video Ray Harryhausen’s films have been a lightning rod for companies eager to one-up the competition with bigger and brighter releases of the beloved animator’s work. Located in the UK, Powerhouse/Indicator is the latest to jump on the bandwagon with lavishly appointed blu ray sets each featuring three of his films. Though all these movies have been previously released through other companies, Powerhouse has upped the ante with fresh transfers and a broad slate of new extras.
The Wonderful Worlds of Ray Harryhausen, Vol. One: 1955-1960
Blu-ray – All Region
Powerhouse/Indicator
2001 / 1:85 / Street Date September 25, 2017
Starring Kenneth Tobey, William Hopper, Kerwin Matthews
Cinematography: Henry Freulich, Irving Lippman, Carlo Ventimiglia, Wilkie Cooper
Film Editor: Jerome Thoms, Edwin H. Bryant, Raymond Poulton
Produced by Sam Katzman, Charles H. Schneer
Music: Mischa Bakaleinikoff, Bernard Herrmann
Directed by Robert Gordon, Nathan Juran, Jack Sher
It Came from Beneath the Sea...
The Wonderful Worlds of Ray Harryhausen, Vol. One: 1955-1960
Blu-ray – All Region
Powerhouse/Indicator
2001 / 1:85 / Street Date September 25, 2017
Starring Kenneth Tobey, William Hopper, Kerwin Matthews
Cinematography: Henry Freulich, Irving Lippman, Carlo Ventimiglia, Wilkie Cooper
Film Editor: Jerome Thoms, Edwin H. Bryant, Raymond Poulton
Produced by Sam Katzman, Charles H. Schneer
Music: Mischa Bakaleinikoff, Bernard Herrmann
Directed by Robert Gordon, Nathan Juran, Jack Sher
It Came from Beneath the Sea...
- 9/30/2017
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
A Mixed Bag In A Big Box
By Darren Allison
‘I was there; I was in that picture, fighting the Cyclops on the beach, running from the dragon! I was enthralled. It's one of my strongest childhood memories.’ It’s very hard to argue with director John Landis’s vivid account of his earliest memories and the fantasy films of Ray Harryhausen and producer Charles H. Schneer. They seemed to touch us all in an indelible manner and took us into a fantasy realm far beyond our imagination. Indicator has (for the first time in the UK) combined the three Sinbad adventures in one very handsomely produced package. It’s a magical box that has very little trouble in sending us on a journey, and back to a place called innocence…
The Seventh voyage of Sinbad (1958) was something of a revelation back in its day. Ray Harryhausen’s pioneering stop-motion...
By Darren Allison
‘I was there; I was in that picture, fighting the Cyclops on the beach, running from the dragon! I was enthralled. It's one of my strongest childhood memories.’ It’s very hard to argue with director John Landis’s vivid account of his earliest memories and the fantasy films of Ray Harryhausen and producer Charles H. Schneer. They seemed to touch us all in an indelible manner and took us into a fantasy realm far beyond our imagination. Indicator has (for the first time in the UK) combined the three Sinbad adventures in one very handsomely produced package. It’s a magical box that has very little trouble in sending us on a journey, and back to a place called innocence…
The Seventh voyage of Sinbad (1958) was something of a revelation back in its day. Ray Harryhausen’s pioneering stop-motion...
- 7/15/2017
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Gwangi! Ready your rifles and lariats because this is one of the best. Harryhausen’s happiest dinos- à go-go epic comes thundering back in HD heralded by Jerome Moross’s impressive music score. Unless you count The Animal World, all of the stop-motion magician’s feature films are now available in quality Blu-rays.
The Valley of Gwangi
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1969 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 95 min. / Street Date March 14, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: James Franciscus, Gila Golan, Richard Carlson, Laurence Naismith, Freda Jackson, Gustavo Rojo.
Cinematography: Erwin Hillier
Visual Effects by Ray Harryhausen
Art Direction: Gil Parrondo
Film Editor: Henry Richardson
Original Music: Jerome Moross
Written by William E. Bast
Produced by Charles H. Schneer
Directed by Jim O’Connolly
“Ladies and Gentlemen, what you are about to see has never been seen before, I Repeat, has never been seen before by human eyes!”
In just the last month three...
The Valley of Gwangi
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1969 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 95 min. / Street Date March 14, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: James Franciscus, Gila Golan, Richard Carlson, Laurence Naismith, Freda Jackson, Gustavo Rojo.
Cinematography: Erwin Hillier
Visual Effects by Ray Harryhausen
Art Direction: Gil Parrondo
Film Editor: Henry Richardson
Original Music: Jerome Moross
Written by William E. Bast
Produced by Charles H. Schneer
Directed by Jim O’Connolly
“Ladies and Gentlemen, what you are about to see has never been seen before, I Repeat, has never been seen before by human eyes!”
In just the last month three...
- 3/7/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Ray Harryhausen eases up for his second color Dynamation feature, restricting the stop-motion and instead utilizing traveling mattes to make a more juvenile adventure movie for smaller kiddies. The big draw is the beautiful music score by fantasy favorite Bernard Herrmann.
The 3 Worlds of Gulliver
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1960 / Color / 1:66 & 1:78 widescreen / 99 min. / Street Date December 13, 2016 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store 29.95
Starring Kerwin Matthews, Jo Morrow, June Thorburn, Sherry Alberoni, Lee Patterson, Gregoire Aslan, Basil Sydney, Peter Bull, Charles Lloyd Pack, Martin Benson, Alec Mango, Doris Lloyd, Joan Hickson, Noel Purcell.
Cinematography Wilkie Cooper
Original Music Bernard Herrmann
Creator of Special Visual Effects Ray Harryhausen
Written by Arthur Ross, Jack Sher based on the book by Jonathan Swift
Produced by Charles H. Schneer
Directed by Jack Sher
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
In The 3 Worlds of Gulliver Ray Harryhausen, Charles H. Schneer and Dynamation go tame — unlike...
The 3 Worlds of Gulliver
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1960 / Color / 1:66 & 1:78 widescreen / 99 min. / Street Date December 13, 2016 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store 29.95
Starring Kerwin Matthews, Jo Morrow, June Thorburn, Sherry Alberoni, Lee Patterson, Gregoire Aslan, Basil Sydney, Peter Bull, Charles Lloyd Pack, Martin Benson, Alec Mango, Doris Lloyd, Joan Hickson, Noel Purcell.
Cinematography Wilkie Cooper
Original Music Bernard Herrmann
Creator of Special Visual Effects Ray Harryhausen
Written by Arthur Ross, Jack Sher based on the book by Jonathan Swift
Produced by Charles H. Schneer
Directed by Jack Sher
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
In The 3 Worlds of Gulliver Ray Harryhausen, Charles H. Schneer and Dynamation go tame — unlike...
- 12/19/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, Sam Moffitt, and Tom Stockman
Special effects legend Ray Harryhausen, whose dazzling and innovative visual effects work on fantasy adventure films such as Jason And The Argonauts and The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad passed away in 2013 at age 92. In 1933, the then-13-year-old Ray Harryhausen saw King Kong at a Hollywood theater and was inspired – not only by Kong, who was clearly not just a man in a gorilla suit, but also by the dinosaurs. He came out of the theatre “stunned and haunted. They looked absolutely lifelike … I wanted to know how it was done.” It was done by using stop-motion animation: jointed models filmed one frame at a time to simulate movement. Harryhausen was to become the prime exponent of the technique and its combination with live action. The influence of Harryhausen on film luminaries like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Peter Jackson, and...
Special effects legend Ray Harryhausen, whose dazzling and innovative visual effects work on fantasy adventure films such as Jason And The Argonauts and The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad passed away in 2013 at age 92. In 1933, the then-13-year-old Ray Harryhausen saw King Kong at a Hollywood theater and was inspired – not only by Kong, who was clearly not just a man in a gorilla suit, but also by the dinosaurs. He came out of the theatre “stunned and haunted. They looked absolutely lifelike … I wanted to know how it was done.” It was done by using stop-motion animation: jointed models filmed one frame at a time to simulate movement. Harryhausen was to become the prime exponent of the technique and its combination with live action. The influence of Harryhausen on film luminaries like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Peter Jackson, and...
- 6/29/2016
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Fans that missed Twilight Time's initial Blu-ray release of Ray Harryhausen's Jules Verne spectacle get a second chance with this Encore Edition reissue. It includes an improved transfer and new extras, including an excellent audio commentary with Steven C. Smith, C. Courtney Joyner and Randall William Cook. The show still sends us, and Bernard Herrmann's powerful music score shakes the rafters. Mysterious Island Blu-ray Twilight Time 1961 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 101 min. / Encoire Limited Edition / available at the Screen Archives Entertainment website; Street Date December 8, 2015 / 29.95 Starring Michael Craig, Michael Callan, Beth Rogan, Gary Merrill, Herbert Lom, Joan Greenwood, Percy Herbert. Cinematography Wilkie Cooper Special visual effects Ray Harryhausen Art Direction Bill Andrews Film Editor Frederick Wilson Original Music Bernard Herrmann Written by John Prebble, Daniel B. Ullman and Crane Wilbur from the novel by Jules Verne Produced by Charles H. Schneer Directed by Cy Endfield
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson...
- 1/4/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Germany's Explosive Media company has a serious itch for American westerns, and they have a trio of new releases. One is a minor Hollywood classic with major graces, from the late 1950s. A second sees an American producer based in England filming in Italy with a rising international star, and for the third an established American star goes European to stay in the game. The best thing for Yankee buyers? The discs are Region-free.
Gunman's Walk, Land Raiders, A Man Called Sledge Three Westerns from Explosive Media Blu-ray Separate Releases 1958-1970 / Color Starring Van Heflin, Tab Hunter; George Maharis, Telly Savalas; James Garner
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
The majority of American studios now choose not to market their libraries for digital disc, and license them out instead. Collectors unwilling to settle for whatever's on Netflix or concerned about the permanence of Cloud Cinema, find themselves increasingly tempted by discs from Europe,...
Gunman's Walk, Land Raiders, A Man Called Sledge Three Westerns from Explosive Media Blu-ray Separate Releases 1958-1970 / Color Starring Van Heflin, Tab Hunter; George Maharis, Telly Savalas; James Garner
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
The majority of American studios now choose not to market their libraries for digital disc, and license them out instead. Collectors unwilling to settle for whatever's on Netflix or concerned about the permanence of Cloud Cinema, find themselves increasingly tempted by discs from Europe,...
- 12/30/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
“Release the Kracken!”
The original 1981 Clash Of The Titans screens this Friday and Saturday nights (June 13th and 14th) at midnight at the Tivoli Theater as part of their ‘Reel Late at the Tivoli’ Midnight series.
Clash Of The Titans, the 1981 account of the old mythological stories you were forced to read in junior high, featured Ray Harryhausen’s last great set piece: Perseus’ encounter with the snake-haired Medusa in a fire-lit cave. Stylized with great mood lighting, beautifully blocked and directed by Ray, the sequence is a beauty of spine-tingling, slithering menace. Seeing giant scorpions rise from the blood of Medusa’s head is visceral icing on the cake. Clash Of The Titans was Ray Harryhuasen’s final film and likely the only one a generation of his fans saw in theaters when it was new. Clash Of The Titans has everything previously denied Ray Harryhausen and producer Charles H. Schneer...
The original 1981 Clash Of The Titans screens this Friday and Saturday nights (June 13th and 14th) at midnight at the Tivoli Theater as part of their ‘Reel Late at the Tivoli’ Midnight series.
Clash Of The Titans, the 1981 account of the old mythological stories you were forced to read in junior high, featured Ray Harryhausen’s last great set piece: Perseus’ encounter with the snake-haired Medusa in a fire-lit cave. Stylized with great mood lighting, beautifully blocked and directed by Ray, the sequence is a beauty of spine-tingling, slithering menace. Seeing giant scorpions rise from the blood of Medusa’s head is visceral icing on the cake. Clash Of The Titans was Ray Harryhuasen’s final film and likely the only one a generation of his fans saw in theaters when it was new. Clash Of The Titans has everything previously denied Ray Harryhausen and producer Charles H. Schneer...
- 6/10/2014
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, Sam Moffitt, and Tom Stockman
Special effects legend Ray Harryhausen, whose dazzling and innovative visual effects work on fantasy adventure films such as Jason And The Argonauts and The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad passed away last month at age 92. In 1933, the then-13-year-old Ray Harryhausen saw King Kong at a Hollywood theater and was inspired – not only by Kong, who was clearly not just a man in a gorilla suit, but also by the dinosaurs. He came out of the theatre “stunned and haunted. They looked absolutely lifelike … I wanted to know how it was done.” It was done by using stop-motion animation: jointed models filmed one frame at a time to simulate movement. Harryhausen was to become the prime exponent of the technique and its combination with live action. The influence of Harryhausen on film luminaries like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Peter Jackson,...
Special effects legend Ray Harryhausen, whose dazzling and innovative visual effects work on fantasy adventure films such as Jason And The Argonauts and The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad passed away last month at age 92. In 1933, the then-13-year-old Ray Harryhausen saw King Kong at a Hollywood theater and was inspired – not only by Kong, who was clearly not just a man in a gorilla suit, but also by the dinosaurs. He came out of the theatre “stunned and haunted. They looked absolutely lifelike … I wanted to know how it was done.” It was done by using stop-motion animation: jointed models filmed one frame at a time to simulate movement. Harryhausen was to become the prime exponent of the technique and its combination with live action. The influence of Harryhausen on film luminaries like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Peter Jackson,...
- 6/25/2013
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Raquel Welch wigs vs. Ray Harryhausen monsters: One Million Years B.C. [See previous post: "Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan Dies."] Without Charles H. Schneer as producer, Ray Harryhausen created the visual effects for the 1966 camp classic One Million Years B.C. — though, admittedly, his work in that movie played second fiddle to Raquel Welch’s physical effects as a blonde-bewigged (?) cavewoman parading around Earth’s pre-history in a cleavage-enhancing fur bikini. Whereas in producer Hal Roach’s 1940 effort One Million B.C., lizards made up as dinosaurs made life difficult for Victor Mature and Carole Landis, in the creationist-style pre-history of the 1966 (sort-of) remake, Raquel Welch and fellow caveman John Richardson had to square off against Harryhausen’s stop-motion models of giant reptiles. (Photo: Raquel Welch One Million Years B.C.) [Please scroll down to check out TCM's beautiful Ray Harryhausen tribute.] Starring James Franciscus and featuring Earth vs. the Flying Saucers‘ Richard Carlson, The Valley of Gwangi (1969) was Harryhausen’s next-to-last mid-level effort. Both The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974), with John Phillip Law,...
- 5/8/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Ray Harryhausen dies at 92: Jason and the Argonauts, One Million Years B.C. special-effects ‘titan’ Long before the computer-generated imagery of Jurassic Park, Avatar, The Avengers, and Iron Man 3, there were special-effects wizard Ray Harryhausen’s painstakingly created stop-motion models, which graced dozens of movies from the late ’40s to the early ’80s. Earlier today, Ray Harryhausen died at age 92 in London, where he had been living since the early ’60s. Among his movie credits are Jason and the Argonauts, One Million Years BC, and the original Clash of the Titans. Born in Los Angeles on June 29, 1920, Harryhausen became interested in cinema’s visual effects after watching Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack’s 1933 blockbuster King Kong, featuring stop-motion effects by Willis H. O’Brien. "I came out of the theater awestruck," Harryhausen would reminisce to the Chicago Tribune in 1999. "It was such a totally different, unusual film.
- 5/8/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
When Ray Harryhausen’s The 7th Voyage of Sinbad came out in 1958, it didn’t dominate the box-office as Iron Man 3 did this past weekend. That’s because fantasy and comic-book movies were considered grade-b material and kiddie fare in those days. The biggest hits of that year were films for grown-ups like The Bridge on the River Kwai (released in late ’57) and Peyton Place. Walt Disney’s Old Yeller was a hit but still ran a distant tenth. What Harryhausen and his producer-partner Charles H. Schneer did with films like Sinbad, Jason and the Argonauts, and The Three Worlds of Gulliver was to plant the seeds of imagination in the next generation of moviemakers: Spielberg, Lucas, Peter...
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[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]...
- 5/8/2013
- by Leonard Maltin
- Leonard Maltin's Movie Crazy
He brought out dreams to life.
Raymond “Ray” Harryhausen (June 29, 1920 – May 7, 2013) died today at age 92, leaving behind a legacy of pioneering special effects work and a filmography that has deeply influenced writers, artists, and filmmakers for generations.
Dubbed by Starlog as “The Man Who Work Miracles”, he was one of the most influential movie makers who was himself inspired by Willis O’Brien’s stop-motion animation in King Kong. He took O’Brien’s efforts and improved upon them, branding it as Dynamation.
Although he resided in England for the majority of his adult life, Harryhausen was born in Los Angeles. King Kong was the spark that set him on a course towards a career in film, meticulously creating miniatures that could be photographed a few frames at a time followed by the tiniest of movements, followed by more frames, until the model appeared to move across the screen. This...
Raymond “Ray” Harryhausen (June 29, 1920 – May 7, 2013) died today at age 92, leaving behind a legacy of pioneering special effects work and a filmography that has deeply influenced writers, artists, and filmmakers for generations.
Dubbed by Starlog as “The Man Who Work Miracles”, he was one of the most influential movie makers who was himself inspired by Willis O’Brien’s stop-motion animation in King Kong. He took O’Brien’s efforts and improved upon them, branding it as Dynamation.
Although he resided in England for the majority of his adult life, Harryhausen was born in Los Angeles. King Kong was the spark that set him on a course towards a career in film, meticulously creating miniatures that could be photographed a few frames at a time followed by the tiniest of movements, followed by more frames, until the model appeared to move across the screen. This...
- 5/7/2013
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
By Lee Pfeiffer
Twilight Time has released the 1961 film adaptation of Jules Verne's classic adventure Mysterious Island as a limited edition (3,000 units) Blu-ray. The story was Verne's sequel to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, although the only recurring character is the reclusive genius Captain Nemo (played in this version with great dignity and charisma by Herbert Lom). Nemo doesn't appear until late in the movie and to say too much about how he fits in with the story would spoil the film's many delights. The movie starts with a daring escape by Union POWs from a Confederate prison during the final days of the Civil War. The escapees utilize a hot air balloon, that they successfully launch under gun fire in the midst of a hurricane. The newly-freed men are Capt. Harding (Michael Craig), fellow soldiers Herbert Brown (Michael Callan) and Neb Nugent (Dan Jackson), as well as a war correspondent,...
Twilight Time has released the 1961 film adaptation of Jules Verne's classic adventure Mysterious Island as a limited edition (3,000 units) Blu-ray. The story was Verne's sequel to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, although the only recurring character is the reclusive genius Captain Nemo (played in this version with great dignity and charisma by Herbert Lom). Nemo doesn't appear until late in the movie and to say too much about how he fits in with the story would spoil the film's many delights. The movie starts with a daring escape by Union POWs from a Confederate prison during the final days of the Civil War. The escapees utilize a hot air balloon, that they successfully launch under gun fire in the midst of a hurricane. The newly-freed men are Capt. Harding (Michael Craig), fellow soldiers Herbert Brown (Michael Callan) and Neb Nugent (Dan Jackson), as well as a war correspondent,...
- 3/28/2012
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
HollywoodNews.com: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present two classic films highlighting the work of stop-motion animation and visual effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen, “20 Million Miles to Earth” and “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad,” on Friday, July 16, at 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The screening is presented in conjunction with the Academy’s current exhibition “The Fantastical Worlds of Ray Harryhausen,” and there will be special gallery hours from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and after the screening.
Directed by Nathan Juran and produced by Charles H. Schneer, “20 Million Miles to Earth” (1957) was Harryhausen’s final black-and-white film. It features one of his favorite monsters, the Ymir, who survives the crash of a spaceship returning from the first human exploration of Venus, and ultimately wreaks havoc on the city of Rome.
In “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad” (1958), the famed sailor and his...
Directed by Nathan Juran and produced by Charles H. Schneer, “20 Million Miles to Earth” (1957) was Harryhausen’s final black-and-white film. It features one of his favorite monsters, the Ymir, who survives the crash of a spaceship returning from the first human exploration of Venus, and ultimately wreaks havoc on the city of Rome.
In “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad” (1958), the famed sailor and his...
- 6/30/2010
- by HollywoodNews.com
- Hollywoodnews.com
Rejoice! Looking to wash away the taste of the Clash of the Titans remake! We are, too. Hopefully the latest news from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will get you as giddy as it has us!
From the Press Release
Embark on an adventure with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment when the epic odyssey Jason and the Argonauts is released on Blu-ray Disc on July 6, 2010 for the Slp of $24.95. Special effects legend Ray Harryhausen (Clash of the Titans, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad), who turns 90 this year, solidified his mark as a stop-motion master when this movie hit theaters in 1963. Harryhausen’s use of the medium exhilarated audiences as they followed Jason on his journey, encountering behemoth bronze statues, multi-headed serpents and the iconic animated armed skeletons. Through these effects, Harryhausen gave this mythical tale new legs and a provided an enduring spectacle for audiences. Viewers can now take this journey in...
From the Press Release
Embark on an adventure with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment when the epic odyssey Jason and the Argonauts is released on Blu-ray Disc on July 6, 2010 for the Slp of $24.95. Special effects legend Ray Harryhausen (Clash of the Titans, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad), who turns 90 this year, solidified his mark as a stop-motion master when this movie hit theaters in 1963. Harryhausen’s use of the medium exhilarated audiences as they followed Jason on his journey, encountering behemoth bronze statues, multi-headed serpents and the iconic animated armed skeletons. Through these effects, Harryhausen gave this mythical tale new legs and a provided an enduring spectacle for audiences. Viewers can now take this journey in...
- 4/26/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Pictured Above: Ray Harryhausen and his Medusa from Clash of the Titans. Photo courtesy of Ray Harryhausen.
Director Louis Leterrier has raised a box office monster from the deep with his remake of the classic Clash of the Titans, this time starring Sam Worthington as the heroic Perseus who takes on the terrifying creatures of the ancient world.
It comes nearly three decades after the original Clash of the Titans roared on to the big screen.
Back in 1981, the Titans were directed by Desmond Davis and brought to life by the stop-motion animation of Ray Harryhausen, the film's co-producer (with Charles H. Schneer) and creator of special visual effects.
Harryhausen's meticulously-animated creatures - from an era before computer-generated effects - are by now as legendary as the beasts themselves, with his work also seen on screen in such films as 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957), Jason and the Argonauts (1963), One Million Years B.C....
Director Louis Leterrier has raised a box office monster from the deep with his remake of the classic Clash of the Titans, this time starring Sam Worthington as the heroic Perseus who takes on the terrifying creatures of the ancient world.
It comes nearly three decades after the original Clash of the Titans roared on to the big screen.
Back in 1981, the Titans were directed by Desmond Davis and brought to life by the stop-motion animation of Ray Harryhausen, the film's co-producer (with Charles H. Schneer) and creator of special visual effects.
Harryhausen's meticulously-animated creatures - from an era before computer-generated effects - are by now as legendary as the beasts themselves, with his work also seen on screen in such films as 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957), Jason and the Argonauts (1963), One Million Years B.C....
- 4/11/2010
- by David Bentley
- The Geek Files
The year's second quarter dawned on the foreign theatrical circuit with a new boxoffice champ in place as Warner Bros.' "Clash of the Titans" grossed an estimated $44.2 million in its opening launch at 4,240 screens in 15 markets.
Director Louis Leterrier's 3D, special effects-laden update of MGM's 1981 action fantasy loosely based on Greek mythology and co-produced by Ray Harryhausen and Charles Schneer is only the third title of 2010 to take the No. 1 spot overseas. (By this time last year, nine titles successively topped offshore charts.)
"Titans" took over Disney's "Alice in Wonderland" in 3D, which spent a month as the No. 1 foreign title after 20th Century Fox's "Avatar" dominated for the year's first eight rounds.
"Alice" drew $34.2 million from 8,443 spots in 51 markets, and ranks No. 3 on the weekend. "Avatar" finished out of the top five with $4.6 million generated from 2,300 screens in 37 markets for a foreign gross total of $1.959 billion.
Easter weekend action for "Titans,...
Director Louis Leterrier's 3D, special effects-laden update of MGM's 1981 action fantasy loosely based on Greek mythology and co-produced by Ray Harryhausen and Charles Schneer is only the third title of 2010 to take the No. 1 spot overseas. (By this time last year, nine titles successively topped offshore charts.)
"Titans" took over Disney's "Alice in Wonderland" in 3D, which spent a month as the No. 1 foreign title after 20th Century Fox's "Avatar" dominated for the year's first eight rounds.
"Alice" drew $34.2 million from 8,443 spots in 51 markets, and ranks No. 3 on the weekend. "Avatar" finished out of the top five with $4.6 million generated from 2,300 screens in 37 markets for a foreign gross total of $1.959 billion.
Easter weekend action for "Titans,...
- 4/4/2010
- by By Frank Segers
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Salvaged from the unpublished Starlog #375. Posted here for the record. The science fiction universe sadly salutes these fantastic talents who died earlier this year.
Bob May (January) The beloved man inside Lost In Space’s irrepressible Robot. (interviewed in Starlog #57, #201)
Charles H. Schneer (January) The veteran producer who shepherded all of Ray Harryhausen’s movies from It Came From Beneath The Sea (1955) to Clash Of The Titans (1981). Those classic genre films included Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers, 20 Million Miles To Earth, The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad, The Three Worlds Of Gulliver, Mysterious Island (1961), Jason And The Argonauts, First Men In The Moon, The Valley Of Gwangi, The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad and Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger. Sans Harryhausen, he also produced I Aim At The Stars (a.k.a. Wernher Von Braun), Hellcats Of The Navy and Half A Sixpence. (Starlog #151, #152, #153)
Arthur A. Jacobs (January) In 1958, producer...
Bob May (January) The beloved man inside Lost In Space’s irrepressible Robot. (interviewed in Starlog #57, #201)
Charles H. Schneer (January) The veteran producer who shepherded all of Ray Harryhausen’s movies from It Came From Beneath The Sea (1955) to Clash Of The Titans (1981). Those classic genre films included Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers, 20 Million Miles To Earth, The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad, The Three Worlds Of Gulliver, Mysterious Island (1961), Jason And The Argonauts, First Men In The Moon, The Valley Of Gwangi, The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad and Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger. Sans Harryhausen, he also produced I Aim At The Stars (a.k.a. Wernher Von Braun), Hellcats Of The Navy and Half A Sixpence. (Starlog #151, #152, #153)
Arthur A. Jacobs (January) In 1958, producer...
- 9/30/2009
- by no-reply@starlog.com (David McDonnell)
- Starlog
Disclaimer: This article may contain sarcasm; irony and “LOLs” proceed with caution.
The Final Chapter (read Part 2 here)! We have Howard the Duck, Freejack and Shyamalan flicks on the list; these are never good signs. Nonetheless we are bringing it all to you in full-color and in 3-D. (Ed. Note: Due to the economy, 3-D has been dropped and will be replaced by Smell-o-vision — check for your scratch and sniff cards in about 4-6 weeks.) Best Sound went to rage-zombie veterans Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke, leaving Mark Weingarten who worked on Rejuvenatrix in the dust. The Sound Editing section contains one too many references to Ron Silver, and at least two references to a Roger Corman film.
The visual effects category pulled on our heartstrings this year due to the loss of Stan Winston, who was noted en memoriam along with other heroes, Vampira, Leonard Rosenman and Charles H. Schneer...
The Final Chapter (read Part 2 here)! We have Howard the Duck, Freejack and Shyamalan flicks on the list; these are never good signs. Nonetheless we are bringing it all to you in full-color and in 3-D. (Ed. Note: Due to the economy, 3-D has been dropped and will be replaced by Smell-o-vision — check for your scratch and sniff cards in about 4-6 weeks.) Best Sound went to rage-zombie veterans Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke, leaving Mark Weingarten who worked on Rejuvenatrix in the dust. The Sound Editing section contains one too many references to Ron Silver, and at least two references to a Roger Corman film.
The visual effects category pulled on our heartstrings this year due to the loss of Stan Winston, who was noted en memoriam along with other heroes, Vampira, Leonard Rosenman and Charles H. Schneer...
- 2/26/2009
- by Heather Buckley
- DreadCentral.com
While no blockbuster horror horror is due out this week, we do have some indie titles, straight to DVD and re-releases to choose from.
The Attic
About a month after Emma Callan (Elisabeth Moss) and her family move into their seemingly picture-perfect Victorian home, Emma starts to have ghastly visions of a girl who appears to be her twin but is pure evil. Since no one else has seen this doppelganger, Emma is faced with two terrifying prospects: Either she s going insane or she s actually being haunted by a malevolent spirit determined to destroy anyone who dares delve into the dark mysteries of The Attic. Co-starring John Savage and Catherine Mary Stewart, this riveting film from the director of Pet Cemetery will fire up your most intense fears while it makes your blood run cold!
Earth Vs The Flying Saucers (1956)
Re-released to DVD.Dr. Russell Marvin heads up Operation Skyhook,...
The Attic
About a month after Emma Callan (Elisabeth Moss) and her family move into their seemingly picture-perfect Victorian home, Emma starts to have ghastly visions of a girl who appears to be her twin but is pure evil. Since no one else has seen this doppelganger, Emma is faced with two terrifying prospects: Either she s going insane or she s actually being haunted by a malevolent spirit determined to destroy anyone who dares delve into the dark mysteries of The Attic. Co-starring John Savage and Catherine Mary Stewart, this riveting film from the director of Pet Cemetery will fire up your most intense fears while it makes your blood run cold!
Earth Vs The Flying Saucers (1956)
Re-released to DVD.Dr. Russell Marvin heads up Operation Skyhook,...
- 1/14/2008
- ZombieFriends.com
While no blockbuster horror horror is due out this week, we do have some indie titles, straight to DVD and re-releases to choose from.
The Attic
About a month after Emma Callan (Elisabeth Moss) and her family move into their seemingly picture-perfect Victorian home, Emma starts to have ghastly visions of a girl who appears to be her twin but is pure evil. Since no one else has seen this doppelganger, Emma is faced with two terrifying prospects: Either she s going insane or she s actually being haunted by a malevolent spirit determined to destroy anyone who dares delve into the dark mysteries of The Attic. Co-starring John Savage and Catherine Mary Stewart, this riveting film from the director of Pet Cemetery will fire up your most intense fears while it makes your blood run cold!
Earth Vs The Flying Saucers (1956)
Re-released to DVD.Dr. Russell Marvin heads up Operation Skyhook,...
The Attic
About a month after Emma Callan (Elisabeth Moss) and her family move into their seemingly picture-perfect Victorian home, Emma starts to have ghastly visions of a girl who appears to be her twin but is pure evil. Since no one else has seen this doppelganger, Emma is faced with two terrifying prospects: Either she s going insane or she s actually being haunted by a malevolent spirit determined to destroy anyone who dares delve into the dark mysteries of The Attic. Co-starring John Savage and Catherine Mary Stewart, this riveting film from the director of Pet Cemetery will fire up your most intense fears while it makes your blood run cold!
Earth Vs The Flying Saucers (1956)
Re-released to DVD.Dr. Russell Marvin heads up Operation Skyhook,...
- 1/14/2008
- ZombieFriends.com
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