Revisiting Cinefex (22): Return to Oz, Baby

In a scene from Walter Murch's 1985 film Return to Oz, the monstrous Nome King prepares to devour Dorothy Gale's new friend Jack Pumpkinhead. This perilous snapshot makes for a striking cover to Cinefex #22, but how many of you were actually able to name the movie? Not everyone, I'm guessing, which is a shame … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (22): Return to Oz, Baby

Revisiting Cinefex (20): 2010

Gracing the cover of Cinefex #20 is a haunting image of the enigmatic Starchild from Peter Hyams's 1984 film 2010. Visual effects supervisor on the film was Richard Edlund, who had recently left Industrial Light and Magic to take over Douglas Trumbull's EEG facility, soon to become Boss Film Corporation. Here's what Edlund had to … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (20): 2010

Revisiting Cinefex (19): Gremlins, Buckaroo Banzai, Dreamscape

It's okay to read Cinefex in the bath. The worst that can happen is the pages go crinkly. But you'd better take care with this issue because if you drop it in the water there's no telling what might come out. As if you needed any more clues, the giant close-up of Gizmo on the … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (19): Gremlins, Buckaroo Banzai, Dreamscape

Revisiting Cinefex (18): Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Star Trek III

The front cover of Cinefex #18 is a real sizzler, showing as it does one of the hapless victims of the ruthless Thuggee cult descending into a lake of fiery lava. The image is one of the many impressive models created by Dennis Muren's team at Industrial Light and Magic for Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (18): Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Star Trek III

Revisiting Cinefex (17): Ghostbusters, The Last Starfighter

Clear your mind! Try not to think of anything! Uh oh, it's too late - look what popped in there ... it's the Stay-Puft Marshmallow man from Ivan Reitman's 1984 blockbuster Ghostbusters. It's a fine image of one of the unlikeliest bad guys in movie history, and it's on the front cover of issue #17 of the … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (17): Ghostbusters, The Last Starfighter

Revisiting Cinefex (16): Rick Baker

You might think that's a real ape on the front cover of Cinefex #16. In fact, it's Kala, one of the remarkable ape characters created by Rick Baker for Hugh Hudson's 1984 film Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan. On the back cover is a searing close-up of the pneumatically operated 'Change-O Head #2' from John … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (16): Rick Baker

“Super 8” – Making the Beauty Shot Beautiful

JJ Abrams's movie Super 8 is one of those that slipped through my viewing net when it was first released. This week I finally got round to watching it. I'm not here to review the film (other than to say I found a lot to like about it, not least the fabulous performances from the juvenile … Continue reading “Super 8” – Making the Beauty Shot Beautiful

Revisiting Cinefex (15): Never Say Never Again, The Day After, Ralph Hammeras

The name on the cover of Cinefex #15 is Bond - James Bond. To be precise, it's Sean Connery in his final outing as the world's most famous secret agent, facing his latest enemy Maximillian Largo through the holographic display of a tabletop video game. The still is from Irvin Kershner's Never Say Never Again, something of a curiosity … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (15): Never Say Never Again, The Day After, Ralph Hammeras

Revisiting Cinefex (14): The Right Stuff, Brainstorm, Twilight Zone

Watch your fingers - the front cover of Cinefex #14 features a sizzling still of John Glenn's Friendship 7 capsule experiencing re-entry in Philip Kaufman's 1983 film The Right Stuff. The capsule's a model and the flames are backlit nitrogen gas, but it still looks like hot stuff. The inside front cover shows a helicopter … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (14): The Right Stuff, Brainstorm, Twilight Zone

Revisiting Cinefex (13): Return of the Jedi

I reckon the front cover of Cinefex issue #13 must have shot off the press like a rocket, featuring as it does a dynamic still of the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy (AKA that most famous of pirate ships, the Millennium Falcon) speeding through the innards of the second Death Star. Open the … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (13): Return of the Jedi