RIP Ray Harryhausen - June 29th, 1920 - May 7th, 2013

Good things always seemed to be book ended by bad things and vice versa, right? At around 6 pm on May 7th I was en route to the hospital... but for all the right reasons. My sister in law Kate and her husband Rich (two of my favorite people in the world) were on the way to having their first child. As we sat there, eagerly anticipating the arrival of little Richie, we had nothing but time on our hands. I sat on my tablet and surfed the Net, looking at the many websites that I peruse on a daily basis. I stumbled upon an article that brought me down instantly... Ray Harryhausen was dead at age 92. Fuck. At some a great moment of my life, a moment of pure joy for my family, all I could do was think how sad it was to lose a true talent like Harryhausen. Sure, he had lived a very full and excellent life. Sure, he has been heaped with praise both critically and from his peers for decades. These are things that should make you smile when you think about someone after they pass. But I immediately thought back to my early childhood, Clash of the Titans, and how a certain effects guy changed my life forever...

Please continue reading after the jump...

The Genius Of Ray Harryhausen

I have always been a huge fan of Ray Harryhausen's stop motion monsters. Some of my earliest versions of dinosaurs, monsters, and aliens came from watching films that featured  Harryhausen's creations. Clash of the Titans and The 7th Voyage of Sinbad are some of my favorite movies ever. When I was over on my boy Cal's awesome Cave of Cool blog I saw this clip featuring all the creatures Harryhausen created over his interesting career and I just new that I had to feature it. Thanks for the memories Ray. You made these impossible characters a reality long before CGI was a thought.   

Trailer Trash Talkin: 1981 or Bust!!! by Kristen Grillo

Well aren’t you sandworms in for a treat this week!

A few of my favorite films came out this month, 30 years ago.  And watching these trailers have set my geek panties on fire.  Surely, they will do the same for you.

History of the World Part I – June 12^th, 1981

Starring Mel Brooks, Gregory Hines, Dom DeLuise

Directed by Mel Brooks

Does anyone know why there was never a part II?  Do ya?  DO YA?

(don’t go & google it either. ya turd.)

Raiders Of The Lost Ark – June 12^th, 1981

Starring Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman

Directed by Steven Spielberg

“Jones, do you realize what the ark IS?!”

“Ba-pa-dumpa!  Ba-pa-dummmm….Ba-pa-DUMPA!  Ba-pa-dum-Dum-DUM…..”

Despite the 20 seconds of silence at first, which makes me suspect for a moment that I have a slight hearing problem and causes me to crank the volume a liiiittle too loud, the trailer is filled with action!  Suspense!  Adventure! And wonder for the imagination!  But seriously, who are these bad guys again?   Yes yes, we KNOW by now who they are because we’ve seen this movie countless times, but really….they just seem to serve no purpose other than pure SABOTAGE.  Like snakes!  Indy haaates snakes.

Clash of the Titans – June 12^th, 1981

Starring Laurence Oliver, Harry Hamlin, Claire Bloom, Maggie Smith

Directed by Desmond Davis

 

Let me tell you why I think this trailer and movie still kicks ass to this day.  Forget that overpriced shitty remake that you watched recently.  I’ll take that freakishly creepy stop action medusa over that giant, unrealistic, phony ass kraken from the 2010 version any day.  The graphics in this 1981 feature are dope!  That’s right!  And you know,  CGI really stands for “Cartoon-like Garbage Imitation” anyway.  The more realistic they try to make things these days, the more silly they come off.  Most of the time anyway.  OK fine, usually once a year.  For the last three years.  Around the 4^th of July.  Yea.  I’m talkin’ to YOU, Michael Bay. 

Thumbs up for The Clash!

I'd Buy That...As a Tee!

Spring is right around the corner and I could use a few new unique T-Shirts to really make a statement without saying a word. A Statement like "I'm a geek that doesn't take much of anything seriously...I'm approachable and easily abused." Here's some of the T-shirts I have my eye on to do just the trick but, there's only one problem....they aren't for sale yet. Please click the links below to the Threadless.com voting pages for each and give these beauties high ratings so I can throw 'em on my charge card one day. 

Chickenwalker

GOD OF SEA

The Cracken (click link for full view...you'll thank us...or hate us...one of the two)

Death on Ventnor Avenue

Chewie Kun

Pagoda

Never Shot First

80's Alphabet

8-bit Explorer

OHC of the Day: Izabella Miko

While our girl Izabella has been on the Hollywood scene for almost a decade, she has maintained a relatively low profile... probably not by choice. This gorgeous face was first seen in Coyote Ugly as the wild white girl that worked at the bar with Tyra Banks and Eliza Dushku. She had a few scenes, but after that she made a handful of appearances in some pretty low rent movies (The Forsaken, Save the Last Dance 2). After 10 years in the biz, Miko is finally cracking the main stream. First, she appeared as the Goddess Athena in Clash of the Titans. Her scenes were cut out of the movie (they are on the DVD, I think) but she is sure to be in the sequel Wrath of the Titans alongside the rest of her fellow Gods & Goddesses. She also has supporting role in the Carnival of Crime on NBC's The Cape, which is a new favorite TV show here at CCD. You will also see Izabella in the true story of the start up of James Bond author Ian Fleming's World War 2 special army unit entitled Age of Heroes. Her role in this really interesting movie is rumored to be quite large... and as a fan of Fleming's famous Bond stories, I can not wait to get some insight into his real life army exploits (most of which are still classified). She also has a role alongside Sienna Miller in Two Jacks, which is an adaption of a Leo Tolstoy book. Maybe these roles will be the push that little old Izabella needs to become a Popular Hot Chick instead of a Obscure Hot Chick... just remember where you saw her again first!!! 

***Please click Read more below to see more Izabella***

Sayonara Mr Kobayashi

Even though Pete Postlethwaite was a character actor who was in a millon movies, most people are like "who the hell is Pete Postlewaite???". Then you let them know that he played Kaiser Sose's lawyer Mr Kobayashi in The Usual Suspects, and the person is like "OH YEAH, THAT GUY!!!! I LOVE THAT GUY!!!!". Postlethwaite is one of those magnificient actors that makes everything he was in better. His films span everything from super serious (In The Name Of The Father) to action (Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World). He has recently made two excellent appearences in remakes of The Omen & Clash of the Titans, both of which were probably the best performances in those particular films. He was also in The Town, which I heard was wonderful but have not had the chance to see as of yet. Unfortunately, Mr P lost his fight with cancer at age 64. He will be missed. Sayonara Mr Kobayashi... thanks for all the memories.