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David W. Allen
David W. Allen (October 22, 1944 – August 16, 1999) was an American film and television stop motion model (puppet) animator. Allen provided special effects on such productions as ''The Howling'', '' Twilight Zone: The Movie'', ''Young Sherlock Holmes'' (for which he earned an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects nomination), ''Willow'' and ''Honey, I Shrunk the Kids''. He also had a long association with producer Charles Band, working on such films as ''Dolls'', '' Puppet Master'', '' Bride of Re-Animator'', '' Subspecies'' and ''Demonic Toys''. Career Some of Allen's earliest animation work can be seen in the 1970 16mm student film ''Equinox'', which was expanded from a short film to a feature-length film by Jack H. Harris and re-titled ''The Beast'' for VHS video release in the 1980s. Although he had been working for years in animation, mostly doing commercials like the Pillsbury Doughboy, Allen made a splash on movie viewers when he animated the "Nesuahyrrah" monster who ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world's most populous megacities. Los Angeles is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Southern California. With a population of roughly 3.9 million residents within the city limits , Los Angeles is known for its Mediterranean climate, ethnic and cultural diversity, being the home of the Hollywood film industry, and its sprawling metropolitan area. The city of Los Angeles lies in a basin in Southern California adjacent to the Pacific Ocean in the west and extending through the Santa Monica Mountains and north into the San Fernando Valley, with the city bordering the San Gabriel Valley to it's east. It covers about , and is the county seat of Los Angeles County, which is the most populous county in the United States with an estim ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Subspecies (film Series)
''Subspecies'' is a Romanian-American direct-to-video vampire horror film series produced by Full Moon Studios and Castel Film Studios. The series ran from 1991 to 1998, and followed the exploits of the undead Radu Vladislas, portrayed by Anders Hove, and his efforts to turn Michelle Morgan ( Denice Duff) into his fledgling. A spin-off film, ''Vampire Journals'', was released in 1997, which featured characters that would go on to appear in the final installment. Ted Nicolaou wrote and directed all five films, including the spin-off. The series was shot on location in Romania, utilizing stop-motion and rod puppet techniques to achieve the look the director wanted for the titular creatures. The films have received generally mixed reviews, with critics citing vampire clichés as a downfall, but generally commending the director's choice in filming in Romania, as well as the special effects. Films ''Subspecies'' (1991) ''Subspecies'' (1991) follows three college students, Mara, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Batteries Not Included (film)
''Batteries Not Included'' (stylized as ''*batteries not included'') is a 1987 American science fiction comedy film directed by Matthew Robbins about small extraterrestrial living spaceships that save an apartment block under threat from property development. The story was originally intended to be featured in the television series ''Amazing Stories'', but executive producer Steven Spielberg liked the idea so much that he decided to adapt it into a film. It was the feature film screenwriting debut of Brad Bird. Plot Frank and Faye Riley, an elderly couple who manage an apartment building and café in the East Village, come under threat by a nearby property development. The development manager, Lacey, sends a hoodlum named Carlos and his gang of thugs to bribe the couple and their tenants to move out. When the tenants resist, Carlos and his thugs punch through artist Mason Baylor's door, intimidate pregnant single mother Marisa Esteval, and break retired boxer Harry Noble's jar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel is a historic hotel located at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California. It opened on May 15, 1927, and is the oldest continually operating hotel in Los Angeles. History The hotel was built in 1926, in what is known as the Golden Era of Los Angeles architecture, and was named after the 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt. It was financed by a group that included Louis B. Mayer, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and Sid Grauman."The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel: The Story of an L.A. Icon" Discover Los Angeles. May 14, 2014. It cost $2.5 million ($ today) to complete and opened on May 15, 1927. The hotel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grauman's Chinese Theatre
Grauman's Chinese Theatre (branded as TCL Chinese Theatre for naming rights reasons) is a movie palace on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States. The original Chinese Theatre was commissioned following the success of the nearby Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, which opened in 1922. Both are in Exotic Revival style architecture. Built by a partnership headed by Sid Grauman over 18 months beginning in January 1926, the theater opened May 18, 1927, with the premiere of Cecil B. DeMille's '' The King of Kings''. It has since been home to many premieres, including the 1977 launch of George Lucas' '' Star Wars'', as well as birthday parties, corporate junkets, and three Academy Awards ceremonies. Among the theatre's features are the concrete blocks set in the forecourt, which bear the signatures, footprints, and handprints of popular motion picture personalities from the 1920s to the present day. Originally nam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ray Harryhausen
Raymond Frederick Harryhausen (June 29, 1920 – May 7, 2013) was an American-British animator and special effects creator who created a form of stop motion model animation known as "Dynamation". His works include the animation for '' Mighty Joe Young'' (1949) with his mentor Willis H. O'Brien (for which the latter won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects); his first color film, ''The 7th Voyage of Sinbad'' (1958); and '' Jason and the Argonauts'' (1963), which featured a sword fight with seven skeleton warriors. His last film was '' Clash of the Titans'' (1981), after which he retired. In 1960, Harryhausen moved to the United Kingdom and became a dual American-British citizen. He lived in London until his death in 2013. During his life, his innovative style of special effects in films inspired numerous filmmakers. In November 2016 the BFI compiled a list of those present-day filmmakers who claim to have been inspired by Harryhausen, including Steven Spielberg, Peter ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Laserblast
''Laserblast'' is a 1978 American science fiction film about an unhappy teenage loner who discovers an alien laser cannon and goes on a murderous rampage, seeking revenge against those who he feels have wronged him. The extremely low-budget film was directed by Michael Rae and produced by Charles Band, who is widely known for producing B movies. Starring Kim Milford, Cheryl Smith, and Gianni Russo, the film features Keenan Wynn and Roddy McDowall, and marked the screen debut of actor Eddie Deezen. The reptilian alien creatures in the film were works of stop motion animation by animator David W. Allen, marking the first chapter in a decades-long history of collaboration between Allen and Band. The alien spacecraft model featured in ''Laserblast'' was designed and built by Greg Jein in two weeks, and the musical score was written in five days by Joel Goldsmith and Richard Band, the first film score for both composers. ''Laserblast'' has received overwhelmingly negative review ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Crater Lake Monster
''The Crater Lake Monster'' is a 1977 B-movie horror film directed by William R. Stromberg for Crown International Pictures, and starring Richard Cardella. The storyline revolves around a giant plesiosaur, akin to the Loch Ness Monster, which appears in Crater Lake in Northern California, near Susanville (not to be confused with the much more famous Crater Lake in Oregon). As people are attacked by the monster, the Sheriff (Cardella) investigates along with a group of scientists in order to stop the creature. Plot In Crater Lake, Northern California, Dr. Richard Calkins is informed by his colleague Dan Turner that he and his girlfriend Susan Patterson have made an incredible discovery in a nearby cave system. The three head down and discover a system of cave drawings, including what appears to be a depiction of people fighting off a Plesiosaurus, thus providing evidence that dinosaurs existed at the same time as humans did. However, a flaming meteorite crashes into the lak ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
King Kong
King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelization of the 1933 film ''King Kong (1933 film), King Kong'' from RKO Pictures, with the film premiering a little over two months later. Upon its initial release and subsequent re-releases, the film received universal acclaim. A sequel quickly followed that same year with ''Son of Kong, The Son of Kong'', featuring Little Kong. Toho produced ''King Kong vs. Godzilla'' (1962) featuring a giant Kong battling Toho's Godzilla and ''King Kong Escapes'' (1967), a film loosely based on Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment, Rankin/Bass' ''The King Kong Show'' (1966-1969). In 1976, Dino De Laurentiis produced a King Kong (1976 film), modern remake of the original film directed by John Guillermin. A sequel, ''King Kong Lives'', followed a decade later fea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Volkswagen
Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a global brand post-World War II by the British Army Officer Ivan Hirst, it is known for the iconic Volkswagen Beetle, Beetle and serves as the flagship brand of the Volkswagen Group, the largest automotive manufacturer by worldwide sales in 2016 and 2017. The group's biggest market is in Automotive industry in China, China, which delivers 40 percent of its sales and profits. Its name is derived from the German-language terms and , translating to "people's car" when combined. History 1932–1940: People's Car project Volkswagen was established in 1937 by the German Labour Front (''Deutsche Arbeitsfront'') in Berlin. In the early 1930s, cars were a luxury – most Germans could afford nothing more elaborate than a motorcycle and only one ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jim Danforth
James Danforth (born July 13, 1940) is an American stop-motion animator, known for model-animation, matte painting, and for his work on ''When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth'' (1970), a theme-sequel to Ray Harryhausen's ''One Million Years B.C.'' (1967). He later went on to work with Ray Harryhausen on the film '' Clash of the Titans'' (1981) to mainly do the animation of the winged horse Pegasus. Danforth has been nominated two times for an Academy Award for Visual Effects for George Pal's ''7 Faces of Dr. Lao'' (1964), and for ''When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth'' (1970). Career Danforth's first professional job was in television as a sculptor and artist for clay-animation pioneer Art Clokey, who had previously produced the beloved children's series ''Gumby'' (1957-1969) during the 1950s. 1960s Danforth was subsequently hired by the special effects company ''Project Unlimited'' and assisted a team of effects technicians on George Pal's celebrated 1960 feature-length science-fiction ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flesh Gordon
''Flesh Gordon'' is a 1974 American sex comedy feature film serving as a spoof of Universal Pictures first (of three) ''Flash Gordon'' serial films from the 1930s. The film was produced by Walter R. Cichy, Bill Osco, and Howard Ziehm. It was co-directed by Ziehm and Michael Benveniste, who also wrote the screenplay. The cast includes Jason Williams, Suzanne Fields, and William Dennis Hunt. It was distributed by Mammoth Films. The storyline is reminiscent of the first Universal Pictures ''Flash Gordon'' serial ''Flash Gordon'' (1936), but written and directed with a purposely campy adult flavor. The planet Porno (in the serial: Mongo) and major characters are suggestive innuendos: the hero Flesh Gordon (Flash Gordon); his love interest Dale Ardor (Dale Arden); the evil Emperor Wang the Perverted (Ming the Merciless); scientist Dr. Flexi Jerkoff (Dr. Alexi Zarkov); seductive Amora, queen of Magic (Ming's daughter Aura); and effeminate Prince Precious (Prince Barin). The film featu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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