Prospero's Essential Movie Guide Special Edition: Ray Harryhausen

Ray Harryhausen and Friends

I had actually planned this post for later in the series, but the passing today of Hollywood FX legend Ray Harryhausen prompted a special post.

I may have mentioned once or twice that Merian C. Cooper's 1933 thriller King Kong is the movie that first made me fall in love with movies as a kid. Willis O'Brien's stop-motion FX were revolutionary at the time and a a young Ray Harryhausen was just as enamored of those FX as I would be, 35 years later. 

Ray soon found himself Willis' apprentice, learning the art of stop-motion from the man who practically invented it. Harryhausen eventually became the go-to guy for SMA, beginning with 1955's It Came from Beneath the Sea through 1981's Clash of the Titans. I first took note of his name the first time I saw 1963's Jason and the Argonauts*, for which he created not only a seven-headed Hydra and the giant bronze Talos, but an army of skeletal warriors borne of the Hydra's teeth. I was forever hooked:

It wouldn't be until later that I saw 20 Million Miles to Earth:

 

The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad:



Mysterious Island:



One Million Years B.C.:

My straight friends were all about Raquel in this movie, but it was John Richardson who made it a movie I HAD to see.

Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger:



Patrick Wayne - woof!

The Golden Voyage of Sinbad:

And finally, Clash of the Titans (known affectionately by my sister and I as "Clash of the Trite Ones"):

The script may have been ridiculous, but Ray's FX were just as brilliant as ever. Harryhausen eventually termed his particular brand of stop-motion animation as "Dynamation," inspiring folks like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Stan Winston and many others. He was a good friend to the late, great Sci-Fi writer Ray Bradbury and continues to influence movie special effects well into the 21st Century. His work was a major influence on my youth and helped form my love of Fantasy and Science Fiction films. His fame among movie geeks like Uncle P far outweighs that of any "Movie Star" and his passing is mourned by more people than I think even he might have imagined. You've seen his work, even if you don't know his name. And if you don't know his name, shame on you! Ray Harryhausen was 92 years old.

More, anon.

Prospero

*I won't go into all the hotties in these movies for this post but rest assured, they're full of 'em!

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More Oscar Animation

Nom-Nom-Nom-Nom-Nom-Nom!

As promised, I went and took a look at the remaining Oscar-nominated Animated Shorts and was truly delighted by what I found. Story seemed to be key this year, though clever and voiceless had their place, as well. I've already shared Head Over Heels and the trailer for Disney's CGI/Hand Animation combo, Paperman. I haven't seen The Simpsons: The Longest Daycare (in which Maggie spends a day at the Ayn Rand School for Tots), though I believe Fox is planning on airing it this coming Sunday. 

That leaves Adam and Dog, a sweet mythology about the first man's first best friend:

And Fresh Guacamole, an absurd little stop-motion cooking lesson, of sorts:

And in case you missed it, here's the full version of Paperman:

While I do have a favorite of the four, I'll wait to name it until I've seen The Longest Daycare.

Which of these is your favorite?

More, anon.
Prospero 

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Head Over Heels

The older I get, the less I care about entertainment awards shows. When I was a kid, there were only five: The Oscars; The Tonys; The Emmys; The Grammies and sometimes The Golden Globes. It was a big deal when Rita Moreno became the first person ever to win the all of the Big Four. Then came MTV and it all went haywire.  Of course, it still seems to me that awarding prizes for art is just silly. How does one maintain objectivity in such a subjective field? But since we do so award arts and entertainment, and since I'd like to consider myself to be primarily an 'Entertainment' blogger, I guess I should at least comment on them, no?

The Grammys were tonight, hosted by hot rapper/actor LL Cool J. The bastard step-child of awards shows, no one really cares about the Grammy awards anymore (if they ever really did). The general decline in the quality of popular music in the last 30 years makes me sound like my parents complaining about music in the 80's. Of course, we knew enough to appreciate how what came before influenced those who were popular at the time. Today's popular music is boring, repetitive and unoriginal crap. This year's Grammy broadcaster CBS issued a much-reported dress-code memo to invited attendees. I honestly can't wait to see the response.

The Oscars finish the season in a few weeks, and while I've seen several of the nominated films, I haven't seen enough of any of them to make any sort of truly informed opinion,. Curiously, I have now seen two of the films nominated in the Best Animated Short category. The first is from Disney, combining traditional hand-animation with CGI for the sweet and romantic Paperman:

Also nominated is Head Over Heels, a striking stop-motion film about a middle-aged couple who are separated by so much more than just gravity.

I know there is a live-action Sci-Fi-Romance coming out with a similar idea, though I doubt it will have the same emotional impact and commentary as that surprisingly delightful short. I think I need to seek out the other nominees in this category. I'll let you know what I find.

More, anon,
Prospero

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Retro Review: "ParaNorman"

Norman is a boy who can talk to the dead. His parents are worried and most of the other kids at school make fun of him because they don't believe him but his dead Grandmother and all the dead people in the town of Blithe Hollow know better. After being befriended by the equally picked-on (for being fat)  Neil, Norman is visited by his Uncle and charged with stopping the 300 year old curse of the Blithe Hollow Witch (who's story apparently drives the town's tourist trade). Eventually joined by Neil; Neil's older brother Mitch and his own older sister Courtney, Norman discovers the truth about the witch and how to keep her from destroying the town for good.

This often hilarious stop-motion movie takes on horror movie tropes with glee, and directors Chris Butler (who wrote the screenplay) and Sam Fell (Flushed Away) do their best to make sure their actual message is front and center. On the surface, ParaNorman is a comedic horror story about ghosts and zombies but at heart, it's an anti-bullying tale which focuses on discovering one's own self-worth while breaking down stereotypes in often surprising ways.

The film's voice cast, which includes Kodi-Smit Mcphee (Let Me In); Anna Kendrick (Pitch Prefect); Casey Affleck; Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad); Leslie Mann (Knocked Up); Broadway legend Elaine Stritch; the highly underrated Jodelle Ferland; Tempestt Bledsoe; Alex Borstein ("Family Guy") and John Goodman is just terrific. While I personally didn't care for most of the character designs (the super-exaggerated faces and bodies of many of the characters were somehow off-putting - though I must admit to loving the climax's version of the 'witch'), the movie's central themes and decidedly dark humor more than made up for this minor flaw. And (SPOILER ALERT) it was amazing to see the first animated family film to feature an openly gay character, even if we don't find out he's gay until the end.

If you missed it in the theater this past Halloween, I highly recommend you see it OnDemand or DVD. It's certainly entertaining while delivering an important message of tolerance on many levels. *** (Three Out of Four Stars). 

ParaNorman is rated PG and currently available OnDemand and on DVD and BluRay.

More, anon.
Prospero

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