Following the recent votes by VFX workers at Walt Disney Pictures and Marvel to unionize with IATSE, a call for collective bargaining received enthusiastic applause during an intimate Visual Effects Society Honors ceremony and reception Friday at Los Angeles’ Skirball Cultural Center.
Referencing the SAG-AFTRA strike and recently ended WGA strike, honoree Bob Coleman, a veteran VFX artist agent and exec, said “a lot of damage has been done, but progress has been made for those two guilds. But the artists in this room and artists all around the world have not fared so well without collective bargaining. And without collective bargaining, there will be no progress for them.” He added, “I believe this is one of the greatest inequities in our industry, and I hope this inequity can be righted.”
Each October, the organization holds a gathering to recognize leaders in its close-knit community. This year, Tim McGovern,...
Referencing the SAG-AFTRA strike and recently ended WGA strike, honoree Bob Coleman, a veteran VFX artist agent and exec, said “a lot of damage has been done, but progress has been made for those two guilds. But the artists in this room and artists all around the world have not fared so well without collective bargaining. And without collective bargaining, there will be no progress for them.” He added, “I believe this is one of the greatest inequities in our industry, and I hope this inequity can be righted.”
Each October, the organization holds a gathering to recognize leaders in its close-knit community. This year, Tim McGovern,...
- 10/14/2023
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro” will close out AFI Fest on Oct. 29.
The film which screened at the Venice Film Festival to a 7-minute standing ovation follows the life of legendary stage composer Leonard Bernstein and his relationship with Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan).
“’Mastro’ displays Bradley Cooper’s symphony of talent with the power of a cymbal crash,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO. “It is AFI’s honor to shine a light upon this extraordinary work of art on the festival’s Closing Night.”
Aside from directing and starring in the film, Cooper co-wrote the script with Josh Singer. The supporting cast includes Matt Bomer (as Bernstein’s lover), Maya Hawke (as Bernstein’s daughter Jamie) and Sarah Silverman (as Bernstein’s sister Shirley).
Kaitlyn Dever Comes Face to Face With an Alien Invader in ‘No One Will Save You’ Trailer
Kaitlyn Dever is battling an alien invader in...
The film which screened at the Venice Film Festival to a 7-minute standing ovation follows the life of legendary stage composer Leonard Bernstein and his relationship with Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan).
“’Mastro’ displays Bradley Cooper’s symphony of talent with the power of a cymbal crash,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO. “It is AFI’s honor to shine a light upon this extraordinary work of art on the festival’s Closing Night.”
Aside from directing and starring in the film, Cooper co-wrote the script with Josh Singer. The supporting cast includes Matt Bomer (as Bernstein’s lover), Maya Hawke (as Bernstein’s daughter Jamie) and Sarah Silverman (as Bernstein’s sister Shirley).
Kaitlyn Dever Comes Face to Face With an Alien Invader in ‘No One Will Save You’ Trailer
Kaitlyn Dever is battling an alien invader in...
- 9/6/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay, Jaden Thompson and McKinley Franklin
- Variety Film + TV
“Ahahayy!! Viva Mexico, cabrones!” With that battle cry, Academy Award-winner Guillermo del Toro announced Mexico as the Country of Honor at this year’s Annecy, France’s preeminent animation film festival.
According to organizer Pixelatl, an association dedicated to the creation and promotion of Mexico’s multimedia content, more than 250 Mexican animators and producers will descend on Annecy with nine programs scheduled.
“The Book of Life” director Jorge R. Gutiérrez, whose Netflix series “Maya and the Three” won four Emmys and an Annie, created the poster and title cards of the festival and will also be hosting a Master Class and screening of “The Book of Life.”
Del Toro’s best animated feature Oscar for his “Pinocchio” this year could not be more fortuitous and timelier for the festival, Gutiérrez observes. Aside from a special screening of “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” the maestro will also be presiding over a master class.
According to organizer Pixelatl, an association dedicated to the creation and promotion of Mexico’s multimedia content, more than 250 Mexican animators and producers will descend on Annecy with nine programs scheduled.
“The Book of Life” director Jorge R. Gutiérrez, whose Netflix series “Maya and the Three” won four Emmys and an Annie, created the poster and title cards of the festival and will also be hosting a Master Class and screening of “The Book of Life.”
Del Toro’s best animated feature Oscar for his “Pinocchio” this year could not be more fortuitous and timelier for the festival, Gutiérrez observes. Aside from a special screening of “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” the maestro will also be presiding over a master class.
- 6/9/2023
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
A strong argument could be made for King Kong being the most influential movie ever made. Kong’s progeny includes Mighty Joe Young, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, Godzilla, Ray Harryhausen films, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Lord of the Rings, Avatar, many of the character-driven stop motion creations of the past ninety years, and dozens of authorized and unauthorized spin-offs, sequels, remakes, and rip-offs. The film inspired dozens, if not hundreds of directors, special effects artists, sound effects creators, composers, and film creators of all kinds, who have in turn inspired the next generation of filmmakers, and they the next. It is the first special-effects driven blockbuster of the sound era; a genre-crossing spectacular that introduced the world to some of cinema’s most iconic imagery and sound, the screen’s first true Scream Queen, and one of the all-time great gods and monsters of film history.
King Kong...
King Kong...
- 3/24/2023
- by Brian Keiper
- bloody-disgusting.com
Guillermo del Toro spent decades dreaming up his stop-motion version of “Pinocchio.” Now that he’s finally made his animated debut, he has no plans to slow down. Unlike many auteur passion projects given the greenlight by Netflix, this one could open the floodgates for a director keen on making up for lost time.
Over 30 years ago, del Toro was a young makeup and special effects artist in Guadalajara, Mexico, preparing to direct his first feature. The project was a wild, stop-motion animated sci-fi story called “Omnivore,” and the premise read like a rough audition for the revisionist genre epics he would make years later. He was inspired by Mexican stop-motion sculptor Marcel Delgado, whose credits include “King Kong,” to make a very different kind of monster movie.
“It was a very late teens, early 20s, underground comix type of story,” the 58-year-old filmmaker recalled in a recent interview with IndieWire.
Over 30 years ago, del Toro was a young makeup and special effects artist in Guadalajara, Mexico, preparing to direct his first feature. The project was a wild, stop-motion animated sci-fi story called “Omnivore,” and the premise read like a rough audition for the revisionist genre epics he would make years later. He was inspired by Mexican stop-motion sculptor Marcel Delgado, whose credits include “King Kong,” to make a very different kind of monster movie.
“It was a very late teens, early 20s, underground comix type of story,” the 58-year-old filmmaker recalled in a recent interview with IndieWire.
- 11/30/2022
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Hidden behind the membership-only barrier of The Disney Movie Club is a long-delayed, long-missed key feature from The Mouse, Walt’s masterful super-production of the timeless Jules Verne classic. Despite the funny songs and an annoyingly ‘ork-ork’-ing sea lion, the lavishly filmed show embraces the dark side of Verne’s vision — Captain Nemo is nothing less than an anti-Colonial terrorist, waging a one-submarine war against international warmongers. With the commanding James Mason in the role, the film’s furious politics are as impressive as the to-die-for art direction: this Disney family attraction has us rooting for the terrorist and against the Imperialist European powers.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Blu-ray
The Disney Movie Club
1954 / Color / 2:55 widescreen / 127 min. / Anniversary Edition / Street Date June 18, 2019 / Disney Movie Club exclusive.
Starring: Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas, Peter Lorre, Robert J. Wilke, Ted de Corsia, Carleton Young.
Cinematography: Franz Planer
Film Editor: Elmo Williams...
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Blu-ray
The Disney Movie Club
1954 / Color / 2:55 widescreen / 127 min. / Anniversary Edition / Street Date June 18, 2019 / Disney Movie Club exclusive.
Starring: Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas, Peter Lorre, Robert J. Wilke, Ted de Corsia, Carleton Young.
Cinematography: Franz Planer
Film Editor: Elmo Williams...
- 7/2/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
*Sigh* — Not a day goes by that I don’t miss my escaped brontosaurus. This wonder movie of the silent era, which pits five intrepid explorers against Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s fantastic South American plateau where marvelous animals from the dawn of time still live. Blackhawk Films and Lobster’s latest digital restoration includes footage never before seen, in original tints; it’s dedicated to film restorer David Shepard.
The Lost World
Deluxe Blu-ray Edition
Flicker Alley
1925 / Color / 1:37 Silent Ap / 110 min. / Street Date September 19, 2017 / 39.95
Starring: Wallace Beery, Lloyd Hughes, Bessie Love, Lewis Stone, Alma Bennett, Arthur Hoyt, Margaret McWade, Bull Montana, Frank Finch Smiles, Jules Cowles, George Bunny, Leo White.
Cinematography: Arthur Edeson
Writing credits: Marion Fairfax from the novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
New Music Score: Robert Israel
Technical Director: Willis O’Brien, assistants & effects men Marcel Delgado, Ralph Hammeras, Fred Jackman, Devereaux Jennings, Hans Koenekamp,...
The Lost World
Deluxe Blu-ray Edition
Flicker Alley
1925 / Color / 1:37 Silent Ap / 110 min. / Street Date September 19, 2017 / 39.95
Starring: Wallace Beery, Lloyd Hughes, Bessie Love, Lewis Stone, Alma Bennett, Arthur Hoyt, Margaret McWade, Bull Montana, Frank Finch Smiles, Jules Cowles, George Bunny, Leo White.
Cinematography: Arthur Edeson
Writing credits: Marion Fairfax from the novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
New Music Score: Robert Israel
Technical Director: Willis O’Brien, assistants & effects men Marcel Delgado, Ralph Hammeras, Fred Jackman, Devereaux Jennings, Hans Koenekamp,...
- 9/4/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Chamber of Horrors
Blu-ray
Kino Lorber
1940 / B&W / 1:33 / Street Date March 21, 2017
Starring: Lilli Palmer, Leslie Banks.
Cinematography: Alex Bryce, Ernest Palmer
Film Editor: Ted Richards
Written by Gilbert Gunn, Norman Lee
Produced by John Argyle
Directed by Norman Lee
Near the turn of the century a struggling war correspondent named Edgar Wallace began churning out detective stories for British monthlies like Detective Story Magazine to help make the rent. Creative to a fault, his preposterously prolific output (exacerbated by ongoing gambling debts) soon earned him a legion of fans along with a pointedly ambiguous sobriquet, “The Man Who Wrote Too Much.”
A reader new to Wallace’s work could be excused for thinking the busy writer was making it up as he went along… because that’s pretty much what he did. He dictated his narratives, unedited, into a dictaphone for transcription by his secretary where they would then...
Blu-ray
Kino Lorber
1940 / B&W / 1:33 / Street Date March 21, 2017
Starring: Lilli Palmer, Leslie Banks.
Cinematography: Alex Bryce, Ernest Palmer
Film Editor: Ted Richards
Written by Gilbert Gunn, Norman Lee
Produced by John Argyle
Directed by Norman Lee
Near the turn of the century a struggling war correspondent named Edgar Wallace began churning out detective stories for British monthlies like Detective Story Magazine to help make the rent. Creative to a fault, his preposterously prolific output (exacerbated by ongoing gambling debts) soon earned him a legion of fans along with a pointedly ambiguous sobriquet, “The Man Who Wrote Too Much.”
A reader new to Wallace’s work could be excused for thinking the busy writer was making it up as he went along… because that’s pretty much what he did. He dictated his narratives, unedited, into a dictaphone for transcription by his secretary where they would then...
- 4/17/2017
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
On March 10, witness the rise of the King.
On March 10, 2017, the producers of Godzilla transport audiences to the birthplace of one of the most powerful monster myths of all in Kong: Skull Island, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures.
When a scientific expedition to an uncharted island awakens titanic forces of nature, a mission of discovery becomes an explosive war between monster and man. Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Brie Larson, John Goodman and John C. Reilly star in a thrilling and original new adventure that reveals the untold story of how Kong became King.
Wamg invites you to enter for the chance to win Two (2) seats to the advance screening of Table 19 on March 6th at 7Pm in the St. Louis area.
Answer the following:
King Kong was originally conjured by revolutionary special effects master Willis H. O’Brien and sculptor Marcel Delgado to be the enigmatic...
On March 10, 2017, the producers of Godzilla transport audiences to the birthplace of one of the most powerful monster myths of all in Kong: Skull Island, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures.
When a scientific expedition to an uncharted island awakens titanic forces of nature, a mission of discovery becomes an explosive war between monster and man. Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Brie Larson, John Goodman and John C. Reilly star in a thrilling and original new adventure that reveals the untold story of how Kong became King.
Wamg invites you to enter for the chance to win Two (2) seats to the advance screening of Table 19 on March 6th at 7Pm in the St. Louis area.
Answer the following:
King Kong was originally conjured by revolutionary special effects master Willis H. O’Brien and sculptor Marcel Delgado to be the enigmatic...
- 2/27/2017
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
A Tribute to King Kong takes place as part of the The St. Louis International Film Festival Sunday, Nov. 6 beginning at 6:00pm at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium. The first film screened will be the new documentary Long Live The King, which explores the enduring fascination with one of the biggest stars — both literally and figuratively — in Hollywood history: the mighty King Kong. Produced and directed by Frank Dietz and Trish Geiger, the creative team behind the award-winning “Beast Wishes,” the documentary devotes primary attention to the 1933 classic, celebrating the contributions of filmmakers Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, stars Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, and Bruce Cabot, writer Edgar Wallace, and especially stop-motion innovator Willis O’Brien. But Kong’s legacy is also fully detailed: the sequel “Son of Kong,” the cinematic kin “Mighty Joe Young,” the Dino DeLaurentis and Peter Jackson remakes, even the Japanese versions by Toho Studios.
- 11/2/2016
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
I'll trade you two RKOs for two Warners', an even swap! This quartet of movie-magic wonderments offer a full course on old-school film effects wizardry at its best. Willis O'Brien passes the baton to disciple Ray Harryhausen, who dazzles us with his own effects magic for the first '50s giant monster epic. And the best monster thriller of the decade is offered at its original widescreen aspect ratio. It's all special enough to merit a mid-week review. Special Effects Collection Blu-ray The Son of Kong, Mighty Joe Young, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, Them! Warner Home Video 1933-1954 / B&W / 1:37 Academy - 1:85 widescreen / 335 min. / Street Date October 27, 2015 / 54.96 or 19.98 separately Starring Robert Armstrong, Helen Mack,, Frank Reicher, Victor Wong; Robert Armstrong, Terry Moore, Ben Johnson, Frank McHugh; Paul Christian, Paula Raymond, Cecil Kellaway, Kenneth Tobey, Donald Woods, Lee Van Cleef; James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon, James Arness, Onslow Stevens,...
- 10/23/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
“We’ll give him more than chains. He’s always been king of his world, but we’ll teach him fear. We’re millionaires, boys. I’ll share it with all of you. Why, in a few months, it’ll be up in lights on Broadway: Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World!”
King Kong screens at Schlafly Bottleworks (7260 Southwest Ave.- at Manchester – Maplewood, Mo 63143) Thursday, May 7th at 7pm. It is a benefit for Helping Kids Together
Doors open at 6:30pm. $6 suggested for the screening. A yummy variety of food from Schlafly’s kitchen is available as are plenty of pints of their famous home-brewed suds. A bartender will be on hand to take care of you. “Culture Shock” is the name of a film series here in St. Louis that is the cornerstone project of a social enterprise that is an ongoing source of support for Helping Kids Together (http://www.
King Kong screens at Schlafly Bottleworks (7260 Southwest Ave.- at Manchester – Maplewood, Mo 63143) Thursday, May 7th at 7pm. It is a benefit for Helping Kids Together
Doors open at 6:30pm. $6 suggested for the screening. A yummy variety of food from Schlafly’s kitchen is available as are plenty of pints of their famous home-brewed suds. A bartender will be on hand to take care of you. “Culture Shock” is the name of a film series here in St. Louis that is the cornerstone project of a social enterprise that is an ongoing source of support for Helping Kids Together (http://www.
- 4/24/2015
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Article by Tom Stockman
The big guy once known as ‘The 8th Wonder of the World’ is celebrating his 80th birthday. A landmark accomplishment in cinema and fantasy, King Kong still holds the power to astonish and inspire, so in honor of its 80 years, here’s a look at the movie’s groundbreaking production and significant legacy.
Carl Denham, who brought Kong from Skull Island to New York, was an adventurous, globe-hopping filmmaker and the same was true of Merian C. Cooper, the mastermind behind the movie King Kong. Born in 1893, Cooper had been an aviator and hero in the First World War. He began his movie career in the mid-1920s at Paramount Pictures where he teamed up with Ernest B. Schoedsack, a pioneering motion picture photographer and news cameraman who would become his filmmaking partner. Their first successes were a pair of ambitious anthropological documentaries inspired by the...
The big guy once known as ‘The 8th Wonder of the World’ is celebrating his 80th birthday. A landmark accomplishment in cinema and fantasy, King Kong still holds the power to astonish and inspire, so in honor of its 80 years, here’s a look at the movie’s groundbreaking production and significant legacy.
Carl Denham, who brought Kong from Skull Island to New York, was an adventurous, globe-hopping filmmaker and the same was true of Merian C. Cooper, the mastermind behind the movie King Kong. Born in 1893, Cooper had been an aviator and hero in the First World War. He began his movie career in the mid-1920s at Paramount Pictures where he teamed up with Ernest B. Schoedsack, a pioneering motion picture photographer and news cameraman who would become his filmmaking partner. Their first successes were a pair of ambitious anthropological documentaries inspired by the...
- 9/26/2013
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
You’ve previously read what we consider to be the 10 Most Imaginative Shots on Film, now find out what we consider to be the most iconic still images in film, those pop culture memories that will forever be ingrained in our soul.
Inspired by a recent trip to the National Portrait Gallery to view their exclusive collection of vintage film star photos from the extensive John Kobal collection (get down their pronto guys…it’s a fantastic exhibition that features stunning images of many Golden Era stars from Humphrey Bogart and Gary Cooper to Marilyn Monroe and Joan Crawford…but it ends on October 23rd!), I began to think how iconic still images can be.
With this in mind, read on to discover what we consider to be the ten most iconic of these images!
10. King Kong – King Kong (1933)
A superb feat of special effects back in 1933, there’s something...
Inspired by a recent trip to the National Portrait Gallery to view their exclusive collection of vintage film star photos from the extensive John Kobal collection (get down their pronto guys…it’s a fantastic exhibition that features stunning images of many Golden Era stars from Humphrey Bogart and Gary Cooper to Marilyn Monroe and Joan Crawford…but it ends on October 23rd!), I began to think how iconic still images can be.
With this in mind, read on to discover what we consider to be the ten most iconic of these images!
10. King Kong – King Kong (1933)
A superb feat of special effects back in 1933, there’s something...
- 8/31/2011
- by Stuart Cummins
- Obsessed with Film
When Trembles sent over this week's Mpp entry, War Eagles, we were a bit stymied as to what it was all about, but a little research revealed it to be one of the most famous unproduced motion pictures of all time. In fact, there's a recent book by David Conover and Philip J. Riley that looks to be required reading for anyone interested in learning more about the film's history.
Per Amazon's description of the Conover/Riley book: Planned as a full Technicolor production at MGM in the late 1930s, War Eagles would have eclipsed Merian C. Cooper and long-time SFX partner Willis O'Brien's King Kong as the greatest fantasy epic of the period had it not fallen victim to pre-war studio politics and the rise of Hitler's Third Reich on the eve of World War II. Detailed models and sets were built and Technicolor test footage featuring stop-motion...
Per Amazon's description of the Conover/Riley book: Planned as a full Technicolor production at MGM in the late 1930s, War Eagles would have eclipsed Merian C. Cooper and long-time SFX partner Willis O'Brien's King Kong as the greatest fantasy epic of the period had it not fallen victim to pre-war studio politics and the rise of Hitler's Third Reich on the eve of World War II. Detailed models and sets were built and Technicolor test footage featuring stop-motion...
- 5/6/2011
- by The Woman In Black
- DreadCentral.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.