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: special effects
Freejack (1992) – Geoff Murphy
Is Freejack great? No one is under that impression. Is it fun? Definitely. Sure, it falls apart in the final act, and some of the special effects are questionable (though some are very well-used) but the rest of the ride is fairly enjoyable as Emilio Estevez chews scenery, Rene Russo looks stunning, and Anthony Hopkins…
Brainstorm (1983) – Douglas Trumbull
Special effects wizard Douglas Trumbull delivered his last Hollywood movie in 1983. Problems with the production company, and the untimely death of one of the film’s leads, Natalie Wood, impacted his opinion of the Hollywood machine, and he left them behind. The film features a solid cast, Christopher Walken, Louise Fletcher and Cliff Robertson join…
The Rocketeer (1991) – Joe Johnston
Special effects wizard Joe Johnston’s second directorial effort is probably my favourite, as there is just something about The Rocketeer that I love. The style? Art deco is a fave. The score? James Horner! The cast? Bill Campbell, Jennifer Connelly (who I have crushed on FOREVER), Timothy Dalton, Alan Arkin, Paul Sorvino. The source material?…
Star Trek 4K – The Human Adventure Continues…
So much Trek to get through! Paramount Pictures delivers the goods with their 4K releases this week. I remember where I was the first time I saw each film, and I was a recently turned eight-year-old who sat in the theatre in CFB Borden as Christmas drew closer, and I sat and loved every minute…
Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992) – Anthony Hickox
Despite having his name listed as Executive Producer, I don’t think horrormeister Clive Barker had much to do with the third installment of the Hellraiser series. After the bloody and brilliantly constructed first two films, this one feels like it went right off the rails and didn’t quite understand why the first two films worked…
House II: The Second Story (1987) – Ethan Wiley
While Friday the 13th franchise producer Sean S. Cunningham returns for House II, he and composer Harry Manfredini seem to be the only connective tissue to the first film. And while the first film was able to walk a bit of the cult line of camp, horror, comedy, and flat-out silliness, House II most assuredly…
Return From Witch Mountain (1978) – John Hough
Tia (Kim Richards) and Tony (Ike Eisenmann) Return From Witch Mountain in Disney’s follow-up to the enjoyable Escape To Witch Mountain. While not as entertaining as the first film, there’s still some fun to be had, and it boasts the appearance of Christopher Lee and Bette Davis as the film’s villains, Victor and Letha respectively….
Escape to Witch Mountain (1975) – John Hough
I have this image of Eddie Albert driving every where in a Winnebago, and I guess it must have come from this film, and somehow got meshed with the image of the older man driving around in a similar RV in the Shazam/Isis hour. And despite the fact that Eddie Albert’s Jason does a lot…
Innerspace (1987) – Joe Dante
Joe Dante gives us a spin on Fantastic Voyage, with an underlying theme of believing in yourself with Innerspace, a sci-fi action comedy starring Martin Short, Dennis Quaid, and Meg Ryan. Featuring a score by Jerry Goldsmith, this film, when I first saw it, and now, remains a fun and entertaining film with its Academy…
The Mind Reels 