Revisiting Cinefex (7): Willis O’Brien

In one of the most iconic dramatic encounters of the 20th century, the giant ape King Kong looms over the helpless Ann Darrow. This is the cover of Cinefex #7, an issue devoted entirely to Willis O'Brien, the man who brought Kong to life. Inside is a generous introduction from animator and film-maker Ray Harryhausen, … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (7): Willis O’Brien

Revisiting Cinefex (6): Early CGI, Dragonslayer and Raiders

One of the great movie dragons is Vermithrax Pejorative from Dragonslayer. And guess what? She's right there on the cover of Cinefex #6 in the form of ILM's go-motion puppet. Inside the cover is a still of actor Peter MacNicol astride the full-size dragon head built for the film's live-action shoot. This issue's 80 pages contain … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (6): Early CGI, Dragonslayer and Raiders

Revisiting Cinefex (3): Empire, Walter Murch and Phase IV

The cover of Cinefex #3 boasts a gorgeous still from The Empire Strikes Back showing Luke Skywalker astride his tauntaun. The moody lighting and artful composition - not to mention the rarity of this particular image - combine to make this my favourite of the early covers. The inside cover is a still from Apocalypse … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (3): Empire, Walter Murch and Phase IV

Revisiting Cinefex (2): Empire, Greg Jein and Star Trek

A trio of Imperial AT-AT walkers graces the front cover of Cinefex #2, in a now-familiar airbrushed publicity still from The Empire Strikes Back. The inside front cover shows the incredibly detailed Ocean Park fairground miniature built by Greg Jein for Steven Spielberg's 1941. The magazine's 72 pages feature three articles: Of Ice Planets, Bog … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (2): Empire, Greg Jein and Star Trek

When Dragoncharm went to Hollywood (almost)

Some years ago, my novel Dragoncharm was optioned for movie production. I’ve mentioned it briefly on my blog here, but enough people have shown an interest to convince me it’s worth talking about at more length. Besides, it suits my current nostalgic mood. Dragoncharm – a fantasy adventure novel with a cast made up exclusively … Continue reading When Dragoncharm went to Hollywood (almost)

Revisiting Cinefex (4): Outland and Altered States

The front cover of Cinefex #4 features a still from Outland: a long shot of the Con-Amalgamate mining complex on Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io. On the inside front cover there’s a full page ad: looks like Disney were hiring Special Effects Apparatus Designers for EPCOT and Disneyland. After that, we get two articles spanning the … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (4): Outland and Altered States

Revisiting Cinefex (1): Star Trek and Alien

Cinefex, in case you didn’t know, is a quarterly magazine about visual effects – specifically, behind-the-scenes articles on major movies. I’ve got a big stack of them piled on the floor beside the upstairs bookcase. It’s not a complete collection – I’ve lapsed occasionally over the years – but there’s one hell of a lot … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (1): Star Trek and Alien

>An evening’s Ironing

>Saw Iron Man 2 last night. Great fun, especially the rapid-fire banter between Robert Downey Jr and his various co-stars. Sam Rockwell and Mickey Rourke great as always. Could have done with shifting the balance towards the end - less time on the drone army and more on the final confrontation with Whiplash. Best line … Continue reading >An evening’s Ironing

>Dig the morphing cityscape …

>... in Alex Proyas's SF-noir-mystery movie Dark City. If you haven't seen this late-90s gem, make up for it now. Jennifer Connelly, Richard O'Brien, dancing architecture achieved with some early and beautifully executed CGI, a Matrix-y plot (Dark City predates The Matrix by a year) - what's not to like?

>Dig the zero-g pen …

>... in 2001: A Space Odyssey. To make Dr Heywood Floyd's pen float across the shuttle's interior, Kubrick's team stuck it on a piece of glass mounted on a rotating rig. The camera shoots straight through the glass and bingo - all you see is the pen. Of all the still-stunning effects in this SF … Continue reading >Dig the zero-g pen …