When I started out writing fiction, I thought all kinds of things were clever. Like using lots of different words. Better still, using really long ones. Like antidisestablishmentarianism (OK, maybe not that one). Over the years, my tastes have changed. Now that my hair is a little greyer and my joints are a little stiffer, … Continue reading Fishing for the Right Words
Cinefex Through the 1980s
On May 14th, 2011, I wrote my first retrospective review of Cinefex, the journal of cinematic illusions. I did it on a whim, thinking it might be fun to wade through my teetering pile of back issues, and reappraise some of those old-school visual effects in the light of modern techniques. Thus began my odyssey to … Continue reading Cinefex Through the 1980s
Revisiting Cinefex (40): Ghostbusters II, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
You need a pair of big name stars to put on the front cover of Cinefex #40. Who you gonna call? Why, Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray, of course, garbed as Ghostbusters and waving their nutrona wands in an image from Ivan Reitman's 1989 sequel Ghostbusters II. The supernatural vibe extends to the back cover, … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (40): Ghostbusters II, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
“Fire City” – An Interview with the Creators
Demons walk among us, but we cannot see them. That's the premise of Fire City: King of Miseries, a new short film directed by Academy Award-winner Tom Woodruff Jr. that's just premiered on DreadCentral.com. Though self-contained, King of Miseries sets the scene for a feature-length movie called Fire City: The Interpreter of Signs, for which a … Continue reading “Fire City” – An Interview with the Creators
Revisiting Cinefex (39): The Abyss
It's a shame there are no books about the making of The Abyss. I hear the behind-the-scenes stories are as enthralling as the movie itself. Wait a second ... here's issue #39 of the popular visual effects journal Cinefex and - what do you know - all 80 pages of it are devoted entirely to James … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (39): The Abyss
“Koyaanisqatsi”
Some films haunt you. Films like Koyaanisqatsi. What's that? You've never heard of it? Okay, I'll forgive you. I'd have missed it too, had I not tuned into BBC film critic Barry Norman's regular late night review show back in 1982. Norman's positive critique included an arresting clip from the film showing stunning timelapse footage … Continue reading “Koyaanisqatsi”
Revisiting Cinefex (38): Terry Gilliam
Ready to be enchanted? Then take a look at the front cover of Cinefex #38, which shows the fanciful hero of The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) dancing an aerial waltz with the goddess Venus. The two figures are half-scale miniatures, though at a glance you'd swear they were alive. The chap on the back cover is … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (38): Terry Gilliam
Iain Banks 1954-2013
Iain Banks died yesterday, aged just 59. After his terminal diagnosis earlier this year, his final novel The Quarry was fast-tracked by his publishers for a June 2o release date, specifically so he'd get to see it on the shelves. Sadly, the cancer beat him to it, and we lost one of the true greats. … Continue reading Iain Banks 1954-2013
Ten Reasons to Write Science Fiction
"Why do you write science fiction?" It's a fair question, only slightly complicated by the fact that, personally, I tend to write more fantasy than SF. However, if I go down that road, I run the risk of getting sidetracked into the endless debate about what the difference actually is between science fiction and fantasy, … Continue reading Ten Reasons to Write Science Fiction
Revisiting Cinefex (37): Star Trek: TNG, The Fly II, Oxford Scientific Films
Putting the world's most iconic spaceship on the front cover must have helped shift a few extra copies of Cinefex #37. But wait a second. Isn't that the USS Enterprise from Star Trek - The Next Generation? What's a TV show doing on the cover of a journal that's all about cinematic visual effects? Maybe … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (37): Star Trek: TNG, The Fly II, Oxford Scientific Films
Graham Edwards – Author & Journalist 