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
Tag: Steven Spielberg
Revisiting Cinefex (24): Cocoon, The Goonies, Back to the Future
Both the front and back covers of Cinefex issue #24 feature one of the big hit movies of 1985: Ron Howard's Cocoon. On the front we see - in extreme close-up - actor Brian Dennehy pulling down his lower eyelid to reveal the glowing skin of his alien Anterean self. The super-stretchy eyelid was a … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (24): Cocoon, The Goonies, Back to the Future
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 one 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
Hollywood’s magic sweatshops
I'd intended this morning to post the next of my Revisiting Cinefex articles, but it doesn't seem quite right to be waxing lyrical about the good old days of visual effects when the current industry is in such turmoil. I might live a long way from Hollywood, but even I've sensed the shockwaves radiating out … Continue reading Hollywood’s magic sweatshops
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
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 Making the beauty shot beautiful
War Horse
There's a shot that comes early on in War Horse. If you buy into it, you buy into the whole movie. If you don't, you join the ranks of my friends who thought Spielberg's film either too treacly, or not treacly enough. The shot I'm talking about comes in the scene where Albert Narracott, played … Continue reading War Horse
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 (11): ET and Robert Swarthe
The character on the front of Cinefex #11 owns one of the most famous faces of the 1980s - that's remarkable, considering he's a special effect. He's so famous I don't even need to tell you his name. His spaceship features on #11's inside cover, sitting on a full-scale woodland clearing set, and you can … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (11): ET and Robert Swarthe
Graham Edwards 