Rest in Peace: Ray Harryhausen

I've covered Mr. Harryhausen's work before. To say that he made an impression on my life and my view of science fiction and fantasy would be an understatement of the highest order. Nothing in Jason and the Argonauts felt unreal to me when I first viewed it (around 9 years old or so). It was like being struck by lightning. It stoked the embers of my (now) lifelong fascination with mythology.

I was thinking of having a little Harryhausen film fest at home in the very near future. And then I realized, to do justice to his real legacy--inspiring other filmmakers to realize their visions--I should include a few selections by his cinematic descendants as well. That list would be long indeed.

So long Ray, and thanks for all the monsters.



Via SlashFilm
Also, NPR

Video: Every Harryhausen Monster

...in chronological order. Set to Tito Puento's drums:



Via Boing Boing

UPDATE: Here's another definitive list of Ray's monster gallery.

Geek Cinema: Spaceships and Mutants: Two Nights of Cheese-tastic Joy!

Next week is going to be a blast because I'm venturing out into the cine-verse to see two wonderfully over-imaginated / under-funded sci-fi flicks. The first is DESTINATION: OUTER SPACE, (I feel like that title should always be in caps), a locally produced send-up of schlocky sci-fi from a bygone age.




From the film's website:

During a test flight of Earth's first faster-than-light-speed rocket, an incident occurs that throws test pilot Captain Mike Jackson (originally introduced in 2008's "Cave Women on Mars") halfway across the galaxy! Lost in deep space, Captain Jackson must use all his wits and derring-do to find a way back to his beloved home world. A film unlike any other, "Destination: Outer Space" is full of excitement and otherworldly adventure that includes mysterious alien planets, robotic lifeforms, beautiful space pirates, alien creatures hell-bent on galactic domination and much, much more!

So there you go--it's got everything a geek could want! If you're local, the film premiere's at the Heights Theater on Tuesday, May 25, at 6:30 p.m.


Next on the film-going agenda....
Is a film I've neither seen nor heard of before. And I can't. Freakin. Wait.

The movie is Italian, but the poster in Spanish was the raddest.

It's called 2019 After the Fall of New York, but based on the poster and the trailer below, they should just re-title this: Mutant Future: The Movie.



From IMDB:

After a nuclear war, society breaks down into two groups, the evil Euraks and the rebel Federation. A mercenary named Parsifal is hired by the Federation to infiltrate New York City, which is controlled by the Euraks, to rescue the only fertile woman left on Earth.

The film is apparently in both English and Italian, (it's original title is Dopo la caduta di New York, just to make things more confusing). Here's the original poster, which is obviously, also totally bitchin.

This one's showing at the Trylon Microcinema, which has quickly become my favorite new theater--you might recall my posts on their Ray Harryhausen series a few months back. Anyway, this new series titled "Trash Film Debauchery," (seriously, is there any wonder why I love the Trylon so?) is all about cheesy sci-fi from the 80s, and the moment I read the synopsis for 2019 I was hooked.

2019 is showing the very next night on Wednesday, May 26, at 7:00 p.m. If you see a grown man hopping up and down and giggling like a tribble on ecstasy, feel free to say "hi", but for your own safety you may want to keep a healthy distance!

Harryhausen Film Fest Has Begun!

The Ray Harryhausen film series at the Trylon Microcinema here in the Twin Cities kicked off this weekend. I'd blogged earlier that I've seen most of the fantasy films he's done, but none of the sci-fi ones. I corrected that oversight this afternoon with a viewing of Earth vs. the Flying Saucers! It's definitely one of the all-time great B-movies, from the height of the cold war and UFO craze of the 50s. The film shares a lot of plot devices similar to War of the Worlds (Earth is invaded by a technologically superior race, etc.) but instead of conquering them through micro-organisms, lead scientist/hero Dr. Russell A. Marvin played by closet-werewolf and crackerjack actor Hugh Marlowe (if you've seen the last scene of the film you'll get that joke) devises a weapon to fight off the aliens. Of course, conventional artillery and firearms are useless because the aliens are using SCIENCE! So we have to use our own to even the odds. Let's just say it's definitely overdue for a Mystery Science Theater 3000 skewering. :)

The Trylon lives up to it's "Microcinema" name with just 50 seats and provides an intimate, cinema-going experience. It's nestled in the back of the XY and Z gallery at 3258 Minnehaha Avenue in Minneapolis.

The proprietors let me snap a few shots of the lobby and box office/concession area:

 

  

As you can tell by the photos, the theater is quite small and really gives the impression of a private theater. Now, I'm all about the multi-plex (usually). As my wife often endures us getting to the theater early--like an HOUR before the doors open just so we can get prime seating. I'm at home hanging out at the cinema, so this isn't really a problem (for me). But when you're angling for your favorite spot, stupid mistakes will get you bad seats (waaaay up front, or waaaay in back). And then there's the rules of theater-going with Jay:

1. Buy tickets online
2. Get there EARLY
3. Seats before treats (find prime seats before visiting the concession stand)

I'm really not this much of a freak with anything else, but I hate sitting in bad seats at the theater. We've been known to swap our tickets if we get to the theater too late--just to avoid neck strain, motion sickness, and a crappy experience. (And believe me, it's worth it.)

At the Trylon, there isn't a bad seat in the theater--there really can't be in a space this size. In fact, after watching the movie in such a cozy set-up I promptly told the box office manager that this was my new favorite theater. I'm seriously looking forward to the rest of the series--next weekend is It Came From Beneath the Sea.  I can hardly wait!

Harryhausen film fest highlights sci-fi classics

So I'd posted this over at my other blog Spellcard! and thought I should at least mention the sci-fi angle here. The Trylon Microcinema, a tiny indy filmhouse here in the Twin Cities is showing several of Ray Harryhausen's classic films every weekend in March. I'm quite familiar with this "Sinbad" fantasy series, as well as "Island" and "Argonauts," but I've not seen any of the science fiction ones on DVD let alone the big screen, so I'm hoping to get a chance to finally correct that oversight. This being GINORMOUS FOES weekend and all, I thought a prep for next month would be appropriate. Here's the sci-fi schedule:

Sunday, March 7 - Earth Vs. the Flying Saucers
Sunday, March 14 - It Came From Beneath the Sea
Friday, March 19 - First Men in the Moon
Saturday, March 20 - First Men in the Moon
Sunday, March 21 - 20 Million Miles to Earth

See the full schedule.

I can't wait! Oh and here's some artwork (courtesy of Wrong Side of the Art) to make you all jealous:

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

Run for your lives!