1982 was a great year for genre film, and I remember seeing Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal in the theatre, and being totally in awe of it. The story for me was ok, but it was the realm I found myself in, Thra as portrayed on the big screen (though I didn’t know the name…
Tag: jim henson
Flames of the Dark Crystal (2019) – J.M. Lee
The fourth and final book of J.M. Lee’s Dark Crystal series, featuring illustrations by Corey Godbey comes to its conclusion this week as I continue my journey with Naia and her friends. Of course, along the way there have been some huge changes from Lee’s story and the new Age of Resistance series, as the…
Tides of the Dark Crystal (2018) – J.M. Lee
The third volume of the Dark Crystal novels continues to interweave with the Netflix series, Age of Resistance, even though some of the details are different. That doesn’t detract from the story, it just another version of the telling, perhaps a song told by Kylan the Gelfling as I join him, Naia, Tavra, Amri of…
Shadows of the Dark Crystal (2016) – J.M. Lee
I remember being delighted the first time I saw The Dark Crystal in 1982, I even had a movie calendar from Burger King (for 1983) that had one of its months dedicated to the Jim Henson creation. The world (I didn’t know at the time that it was called Thra) appealed to me, and despite…
The Great Digital Film Festival 2016
I love when this time of year rolls around, because every February, Cineplex puts on their Great Digital Film Festival which tends to showcase some wonderful films from my childhood projected on the big screen in wonderful digital clarity, often mixed with some newer popular titles. This year is no different, running from February…
Labyrinth (1986) – Jim Henson
Executive produced by George Lucas, directed by Jim Henson, designs by Brian Froud, songs by David Bowie, and a screenplay by Terry Jones… what’s not to like about Labyrinth, first recommendation following my screening of The Wizard of Oz for the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book? I loved digging into this one again, this…
Trailer Tracks: Labyrinth (1986) – Jim Henson
Jim Henson, working with producer George Lucas, created a beautiful fantasy world filled with amazing characters both live action (David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly (I developed such a crush on her) and puppet, great music (David Bowie and Trevor Jones) that opened my eyes, in much the way Muppets, The Dark Crystal did, and that Farscape would…
Trailer Tracks: The Muppet Movie (1979) – James Frawley
I love the Muppets, anyone who has spent any time with me knows that. There’s not only a nostalgia associated with them, but an innocence, hope and joy that a lot of us tend to lose when we reach adulthood, that people like Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, David Goelz and Richard Hunt were…
Hot Docs 2014: I Am Big Bird – The Carroll Spinney Story (Chad Walker & Dave LaMattina
There are times when everything comes to a perfect moment, when a film resonates with you, and echoes not only through the memories in the rooms of your mind, but also through the chambers of your heart. The last time it happened to me was Patrick Read Johnson’s 5-25-77, it happened again the other night,…
Trailer Tracks: The Dark Crystal (1982) – Jim Henson & Frank Oz
Jim Henson and Frank Oz, the masterminds that helped forge so much of my childhood through the Muppets and Sesame Street tried something brave and different with this film, and while Fizzgig can be a little annoying, and the gelflings are a little boring at times, the imagery, the design, the creatures and the…
The Mind Reels 