James Straus
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James Straus
James Straus is a special effects artist who was nominated at the 69th Academy Awards for the film ''Dragonheart'' in the category of Best Visual Effects. His nomination was shared with Scott Squires, Phil Tippett and Kit West. He is also an animation supervisor and works at Industrial Light and Magic. Selected filmography *'' Alice in Wonderland'' (2010) *'' G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra'' (2009) *'' X-Men Origins: Wolverine'' (2009) *''Nim's Island'' (2008) *'' The Mist'' (2007) *''Constantine'' (2005) *''Shrek'' (2001) *''Paulie'' (1998) *'' Star Trek: Insurrection'' (1998) *''An American Werewolf in Paris'' (1997) *''Dragonheart'' (1996) *''Jumanji'' (1995) *''The Flintstones ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the activities of the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighb ...'' (1994) *'' Jurassic Park'' (1993) References E ...
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Special Effect
Special effects (often abbreviated as SFX, F/X or simply FX) are illusions or visual tricks used in the theatre, film, television, video game, amusement park and simulator industries to simulate the imagined events in a story or virtual world. Special effects are traditionally divided into the categories of mechanical effects and optical effects. With the emergence of digital film-making a distinction between special effects and visual effects has grown, with the latter referring to digital post-production and optical effects, while "special effects" refers to mechanical effects. Mechanical effects (also called practical or physical effects) are usually accomplished during the live-action shooting. This includes the use of mechanized props, scenery, scale models, animatronics, pyrotechnics and atmospheric effects: creating physical wind, rain, fog, snow, clouds, making a car appear to drive by itself and blowing up a building, etc. Mechanical effects are also often inco ...
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The Mist (film)
''The Mist'' (also known as ''Stephen King's The Mist'') is a 2007 American science-fiction horror film based on the 1980 novella '' The Mist'' by Stephen King. The film was written and directed by Frank Darabont. Darabont had been interested in adapting ''The Mist'' for the big screen since the 1980s. The film features an ensemble cast, including Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Nathan Gamble, Andre Braugher, Sam Witwer, Toby Jones, Frances Sternhagen, Buck Taylor, Robert Treveiler, William Sadler, Alexa Davalos, David Jensen, Chris Owen, Andy Stahl, and future '' The Walking Dead'' stars Jeffrey DeMunn, Laurie Holden, Melissa McBride, and Juan Gabriel Pareja. The director revised the ending of the film to be darker than the novella's ending, a change to which King was amenable. Darabont also sought unique creature designs to differentiate them from his creatures in past films. Although a monster movie, the central theme explores what ordinary people are driven to do un ...
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Living People
Related categories * :Year of birth missing (living people) / :Year of birth unknown * :Date of birth missing (living people) / :Date of birth unknown * :Place of birth missing (living people) / :Place of birth unknown * :Year of death missing / :Year of death unknown * :Date of death missing / :Date of death unknown * :Place of death missing / :Place of death unknown * :Missing middle or first names See also * :Dead people * :Template:L, which generates this category or death years, and birth year and sort keys. : {{DEFAULTSORT:Living people 21st-century people People by status ...
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Jurassic Park (film)
''Jurassic Park'' is a 1993 American science fiction action film directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Gerald R. Molen. It is the first installment in the '' Jurassic Park'' franchise, and the first film in the ''Jurassic Park'' original trilogy, and is based on the 1990 novel of the same name by Michael Crichton and a screenplay written by Crichton and David Koepp. The film is set on the fictional island of Isla Nublar, located off Central America's Pacific Coast near Costa Rica. There, wealthy businessman John Hammond and a team of genetic scientists have created a wildlife park of de-extinct dinosaurs. When industrial sabotage leads to a catastrophic shutdown of the park's power facilities and security precautions, a small group of visitors and Hammond's grandchildren struggle to survive and escape the perilous island. Before Crichton's novel was published, four studios put in bids for its film rights. With the backing of Universa ...
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The Flintstones (film)
''The Flintstones'' (also known as ''The Flintstones Movie'' or ''The Flintstones: The Live-Action Movie'' in the working title) is a 1994 American family comedy film directed by Brian Levant and written by Tom S. Parker, Jim Jennewein, and Steven E. de Souza based on the 1960–1966 animated television series of the same name. The film stars John Goodman as Fred Flintstone, Rick Moranis as Barney Rubble, Elizabeth Perkins as Wilma Flintstone and Rosie O'Donnell as Betty Rubble, along with Kyle MacLachlan as a villainous executive-vice president of Fred's company, Halle Berry as his seductive secretary, and Elizabeth Taylor (in her final theatrical film appearance), as Pearl Slaghoople, Wilma's mother. The B-52's (as The BC-52's in the film) performed their version of the cartoon's theme song. The film, shot in California, was theatrically released on May 27, 1994, and earned almost $342 million worldwide against a $46 million budget, making it a huge box office success, despite ...
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Jumanji
''Jumanji'' is a 1995 American fantasy adventure film directed by Joe Johnston from a screenplay by Jonathan Hensleigh, Greg Taylor, and Jim Strain. Loosely based on Chris Van Allsburg's picture book of the same name, the film is the first installment of the ''Jumanji'' franchise. It stars Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst, David Alan Grier, Bonnie Hunt, Jonathan Hyde, and Bebe Neuwirth. The story centers on a supernatural board game that releases jungle-based hazards upon its players with every turn they take. As a boy in 1969, Alan Parrish became trapped inside the game itself while playing with his friend, Sarah Whittle. Twenty-six years later, siblings Judy and Peter Shepherd find the game, begin playing and then unwittingly release the now-adult Alan. After tracking down Sarah, the quartet resolves to finish the game in order to reverse all of the destruction it has caused. The film was released on December 15, 1995, to mixed reviews, but was a box-office success, gross ...
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An American Werewolf In Paris
''An American Werewolf in Paris'' (the "An" does not appear in the title scene) is a 1997 dark fantasy comedy horror film directed by Anthony Waller, screenplay by Tim Burns, Tom Stern, and Waller, and starring Tom Everett Scott and Julie Delpy. It follows the general concept of, and is a sequel to, John Landis's 1981 film '' An American Werewolf in London''. The film is an international co-production between companies from the United States, France, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. Unlike its predecessor, ''An American Werewolf in London'', which was distributed by Universal Pictures, this film was distributed by Buena Vista Pictures under its Hollywood Pictures division. Upon theatrical release, the film was met with unfavorable reviews. Plot Andy McDermott is a tourist seeing the sights of Paris with his friends Brad and Chris. When Serafine Pigot (presumably the daughter of the werewolf from the first film) leaps off the Eiffel Tower just before Andy is about to bung ...
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Insurrection
Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and then manifests itself by the refusal to submit or to obey the authority responsible for this situation. Rebellion can be individual or collective, peaceful (civil disobedience, civil resistance, and nonviolent resistance) or violent (terrorism, sabotage and guerrilla warfare). In political terms, rebellion and revolt are often distinguished by their different aims. While rebellion generally seeks to evade and/or gain concessions from an oppressive power, a revolt seeks to overthrow and destroy that power, as well as its accompanying laws. The goal of rebellion is resistance while a revolt seeks a revolution. As power shifts relative to the external adversary, or power shifts within a mixed coalition, or positions harden or soften on eithe ...
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Paulie
''Paulie'' is a 1998 American adventure fantasy comedy film about a disobedient talking parrot named Paulie, starring Tony Shalhoub, Cheech Marin, Gena Rowlands, Hallie Eisenberg, and Jay Mohr. Mohr performs both the voice of Paulie and the on-screen supporting role of Benny, a character who has a lot of dialogue with him. It received mixed to positive reviews and was a box office disappointment, grossing $26.9 million domestically against a $23 million budget. However, in the years after its release, ''Paulie'' would find a larger audience on home media sales. Plot While working as a janitor at an American institute, Russian immigrant and former teacher of literature Misha Vilyenkov encounters Paulie, a blue-crowned conure who humans can understand and is shocked to see him speaking as clearly as a human. Subsequently, he doesn't speak a word when Misha brings others to witness him. Misha entices Paulie to tell him his story by offering him pieces of mango. He starts by telling ...
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Shrek
''Shrek'' is a 2001 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 book of the same name by William Steig. It is the first installment in the ''Shrek'' franchise. The film was directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson (in their feature directorial debuts) from a screenplay written by Joe Stillman, Roger S. H. Schulman, and the writing team of Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio. It stars the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow. In the film, the ogre Shrek (Myers) finds his swamp home overrun by fairy tale creatures banished by Lord Farquaad (Lithgow). With the help of a talking donkey (Murphy), Shrek agrees to rescue Princess Fiona (Diaz) for Farquaad to regain his swamp. After purchasing rights to Steig's book in 1991, Steven Spielberg sought to produce a traditionally-animated film adaptation, but John H. Williams convinced him to bring the project to the newly founded DreamWorks in 1994. Jeffrey Katzenberg, along with ...
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Constantine (film)
''Constantine'' is a 2005 American superhero horror film directed by Francis Lawrence in his directorial debut. Written by Kevin Brodbin and Frank Cappello, it is loosely based on DC Comics' ''Hellblazer'' comic book. The film stars Keanu Reeves as John Constantine, a cynical exorcist with the ability to perceive and communicate with half-angels and half-demons in their true forms and to travel between Earth and Hell. Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Tilda Swinton, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Djimon Hounsou, Gavin Rossdale, and Peter Stormare also feature. ''Constantine'' was released theatrically in the United States on February 18, 2005. It grossed $230.9 million worldwide against a production budget between $70–100 million, but met with a mixed reception from film critics. A sequel is currently in development. Plot In Mexico, a scavenger recovers the tip of the spear that pierced Jesus Christ from a ruined church and, after becoming possessed, takes it to Los Angeles. There, cynic ...
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Nim's Island
''Nim's Island'' is a 2008 adventure film written and directed by Jennifer Flackett and Mark Levin, and based on the children's story of the same name by Wendy Orr. A young girl alone on a remote island seeks help from an agoraphobic San Franciscan author. While the author attempts to overcome her agoraphobia to search for her, Nim tries to overcome her fear of losing her father. It stars Abigail Breslin, Jodie Foster, and Gerard Butler, and was released on 4 April 2008 by 20th Century Fox. The film received mixed reviews from critics and earned $100.1 million on a $37 million budget. Plot 11-year-old Nim (Abigail Breslin) lives with her widower marine biologist father Jack Rusoe (Gerard Butler) on a South Pacific island. Jack has told Nim that her mother Emily died when she was swallowed by a blue whale after it was scared by a ship called ''The Buccaneer''. Nim has several native animals for company: Selkie the sea lion, Fred the bearded dragon, Chica the sea turtle, and Galile ...
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