Vermithrax Pejorative. There has never been a more unique name for a dragon. Ever. It’s dark. Evocative. And it sends me spiralling back through the chambers of my mind to 1981 to when I first discovered the name. I knew Dragonslayer was a movie, I knew it was coming to theatres, and I put my…
Tag: model work
George Pal Double Feature – 4K/Blu-Ray Review
If you missed the gorgeous War of the Worlds Criterion Edition blu-ray, then Paramount Pictures has you covered with their 4K version which is upgraded from the same elements giving fans a whole new look at the classic science fiction film. Sure that means you can see some of the wires moving the alien ships…
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) – Steven Spielberg
Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Doom was one of three movies that came along when I was a youngster that really started to cement my interest in the way films were made. And they were all thanks to movie magazines that came along at just the right time. In 1982 there was one…
1941 (1979) – Steven Spielberg
It has been a long time since I last watched Spielberg’s 1941, but as I’m revisiting his films and exploring the ones I haven’t written about before, it seemed like a perfect time to look at this one again. The film did not do well upon release, in fact, watching it now, it still feels…
Event Horizon (1997) – 4K 25th Anniversary Edition Review
There’s something about Event Horizon. I saw it in the theatre during its original release, and it has stayed with me since that time. Every couple of years I revisit it and enjoy it anew, catching little things and details I may have missed previously and just taking pleasure from a spooky story set in…
Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) – Jun Fukuda
The dwellers of Seatopia send the drilling kaiju Megalon to the surface to destroy humanity for causing the destruction of a number of their people and their homes with the ongoing nuclear tests humanity is conducting. And despite the fact that they disappear about halfway through the film and don’t show up again, the rest…
Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972) – Jun Fukuda
There are more alien problems in Godzilla vs. Gigan, which, like the previous films, combines some of the monster destruction, and kaiju shots from previous films (which causes a couple of continuity errors, but nothing to detract from one’s enjoyment of the monster mash). This time out, we join a manga artist (and honestly what…
Godzilla Raids Again (1955) – Motoyoshi Oda
Even before Godzilla came ashore in North America with the recut 1954 feature Godzilla (Gojira)/Godzilla: King of the Monsters!, a sequel was unleashed on Japan with Godzilla Raids Again. Gone are the more serious overtones of the first film, the commentary and subtext; the exploration of radiation and its effects on the Japanese, the still…
Enemy Mine (1985) – Wolfgang Petersen
Enemy Mine, from director Wolfgang Petersen and starring Dennis Quaid and Louis Gossett Jr., looks like a 50s era sci-fi film (particularly the model work and space suits) but it’s message of prejudice, hate, and race war, is as relevant today (and arguably more so) than it was when it was made. Feeling like a…
Saturn 3 (1980) – Stanley Donen, and John Barry
Gorgeous set and production design can’t save a film with a number of top drawer stars (Kirk Douglas, Farrah Fawcett, and Harvey Keitel) thanks to a heavily edited final cut, and flawed story. Not to mention some miniature and model work that may have worked in the 50s but looks incredibly bad in the 80s,…
The Mind Reels 