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The four day Propstore auction is under way and the Marauder’s Map has become the most expensive prop from the Harry Potter films to sell at the auction.

The Propstore auction is currently ongoing and if you have some extra cash, you could bag yourself items from excellent films and TV shows, including Buffy The Vampire Slayer, 300, Gremlins and Aliens, just to name a few.

One of the most sought after items are props from the Harry Potter films. There are a plethora of wands and other props, including a giant chocolate frog, that buyers can bid on. After the first day of bidding, the Marauder’s Map has become the highest selling item, going for an eye-watering sum of £239,400.

The Marauder’s Map as seen in Harry Potter and The Prisoner Of Azkaban. Credit: Warner Bros.

It’s a lot of money, but the Map was owned...

The most underrated fantasy movies of the 1970s were categorized by incredible practical effects. The 1970s was a magnificent time for animation fantasy films that pushed the boundaries of the genre. Acclaimed directors like Terry Gilliam produced lesser-known fantasy works that deserved a larger audience.

The 1970s was a fascinating era in the history of cinema that included some of the most outrageous and underrated fantasy movies ever made. This was a time before computer-generated imagery had taken over, and the special effects needed for live-action fantasy were done through the use of practical effects or a stop-motion style. Adding to this, this era reached a level of creative expression never before seen, leading to the development of plenty of ambitious, trail-blazing, and unique, underrated animated fantasy films.

While some fantasy movies from the 1970s have become cornerstones of popular culture, such as timeless classics like Monty Python and the...

It was 40 years ago, in June 1981, that Clash of the Titans, the last film to feature the stop-motion animation effects of Ray Harryhausen, was released.

Starring a then-unknown Harry Hamlin, along with veteran stars like Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Burgess Meredith, and Ursula Andress, the film was loosely based on the Greek myth of Perseus (Hamlin), weaving in strands of other mythologies and legends and putting its hero into conflict with creatures like the Kraken, Calibos, Medusa the Gorgon and a two-headed dog named Dioskilos.

“Greek and Roman myths contained characters and fantastic creatures that were ideal for cinematic adventures,” wrote Harryhausen in his memoir, Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life. “If some of the adventures were combined with 20th century storytelling, a timeless narrative could be constructed that would appeal to both young and old.”

Harryhausen was already a filmmaking legend by the time he began work on Clash of the Titans.

Double your Diabolik and double your pleasure! … this Australian import chases a domestic disc onto the market after only a few months, but of course comes with irresistible new extras to tempt collectors and completists. Mario Bava’s funny, dynamic action thriller was the first feature to really capture the graphic art ‘feeling’ of comic panels — we wish he’d directed a whole series of Diabolik adventures. The evaluation section notes the small differences between this disc and the U.S. release from last April.

Danger Diabolik

Blu-ray

Viavision [Imprint]

1968 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 99 min. / Street Date October, 2020

Starring: John Phillip Law, Marisa Mell, Michel Piccoli, Adolfo Celi, Terry-Thomas, Mario Donen.

Cinematography: Antonio Rinaldi

Film Editor: Romana Fortini

Art Director: Flavio Mogherini

Original Music: Ennio Morricone

Written by Adriano Baracco, Mario Bava, Brian Degas, Tudor Gates,

Dino Maiuri story by Angela & Luciana Giussani

Produced by Dino De Laurentiis

Directed by Mario Bava...

Since any New York City cinephile has a nearly suffocating wealth of theatrical options, we figured it’d be best to compile some of the more worthwhile repertory showings into one handy list. Displayed below are a few of the city’s most reliable theaters and links to screenings of their weekend offerings — films you’re not likely to see in a theater again anytime soon, and many of which are, also, on 35mm. If you have a chance to attend any of these, we’re of the mind that it’s time extremely well-spent.

Metrograph

A Vincente Minnelli retrospective is underway.

The Cremator has been restored.

Alphaville and Holy Motors have late-night showings, while The Golden Voyage of Sinbad screens in the morning.

The Spook Who Sat by the Door plays on Sunday.

Film Forum

Martin Scorsese and Jay Cocks have curated a series of two-for one double features.

When I was growing up, movies like Jason and the Argonauts, Clash of the Titans, and The Golden Voyage of Sinbad were nothing short of pure cinema magic. Seeing the heroes face off against monsters like the Kraken, an army of skeletons, or Kali, was one of the reasons why I have both my love […]

The post Dread X: Deathcember’s Juergen Kling Shares His Top 10 Horror Movies That Use Stop-Motion Animation appeared first on Dread Central.

Oh to be a child in the ‘50s; Saturday matinees, boxed popcorn and cheap soda, flung in the air as the latest nuclear tinged monster loomed over the screen, impartial in its destruction of the masses. That feeling of wonder and awe is definitely present in It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955), a fairly pro forma Atomic blast heightened immeasurably by the effects magic of Ray Harryhausen.

Released stateside in July as the top half of a double bill with Creature with the Atom Brain by Columbia Pictures, It Came pulled in close to $2 million against a $150,000 budget, and critics were dismissive except for Harryhausen’s wizardry. I can understand the under evaluation, although I think there’s a little more besides the show stopping effects that helps It Came work.

But first, a radioactive retelling: Naval Commander Pete Mathews (Kenneth Tobey – The Thing from Another World) is taking the...

Review by Roger Carpenter

Throughout the course of history an occasional film has been singled out as being particularly controversial. As far back as the silent era you had films like The Birth of a Nation, which drew widespread protests for its content. Frankenstein was another early film which had to be cut before being shown at theaters. There are plenty of others as well. Think about The Last Temptation of Christ, Last Tango in Paris, A Clockwork Orange. Then there’s Salo, or 120 Days of Sodom, Cannibal Holocaust, and The Passion of the Christ. The list is endless. In early 1981, when Maniac was released to theaters, it too, was met with huge controversy. News reports ran nightly upon the release of the film in various cities. It was picketed, protested, cut, censored, and outright banned in parts of the world. Most critics roasted the film for its depiction of...

Author: Euan Franklin

You can’t overstate the influence of Ray Harryhausen on Hollywood cinema. His stop-motion animation inspired the most exciting fantasies of Peter Jackson, James Cameron, John Landis, and (most obviously) Nick Park from Aardman Animation. He worked on The 7th Voyage of Sinbad in 1958 and returned to the mythical hero 15 years later (after spending the ‘60s working on Jason and the Argonauts and One Million Years B.C.) with a different cast and crew in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, which marked his first credit as a producer.

In Golden Voyage, Sinbad (John Phillip Law) and his crew intercept a homunculus flying above their ship. It carries a magic tablet, and Sinbad wears it around his neck as a boastful reward. When he visits Marabia, Sinbad meets with the golden-masked Grand Vizier (Douglas Wilmer) who tells him that the tablet is a third of an overall whole. It...

Author: Euan Franklin

It’s hard to watch a blockbuster without the influence of Ray Harryhausen. In The Golden Voyage of Sinbad alone, you see premonitions of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Pirates of the Caribbean – all inspired by Harryhausen, the only visual effects artist to be considered an auteur.

Actor Caroline Munroe, Sam Clemens (the son of screenwriter Brian Clemens), Harryhausen’s daughter Vanessa, and filmmaker John Walsh attended a 45th anniversary screening of The Golden Voyage of Sinbad at Regent Street Cinema in London. They participated in a Q&A afterwards discussing experiences on-set, details from behind the scenes, and costume malfunctions.

Caroline, you were the only woman in that film. Tell us a little bit about it.

Caroline Munroe: I suppose I was one of the early women on the set. Obviously, we have Kali [a Harryhausen creature] in all her glory. But I felt very looked after,...

Comet TV has plenty for horror, sci-fi, and fantasy fans to enjoy with their May lineup, including Jim Henson's Labyrinth. In today's Horror Highlights, we also have artwork and details on El Gigante: The Comic and streaming info for Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl, which is now available to watch on Shudder.

Comet TV May Viewing Guide: Press Release: "You Don’T Need A Subscription To Watch These Great Movies…

They’Re Airing For Free On Comet!

Ray Harryhausen Films – Airing all Month

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)

Sunday May 7 at 11:30Am/10:30C

Friday May 12 at 4P/3C

Monday May 22 at 6P/5C

The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973)

Sunday May 7 at 1:30Pm/12:30C

Saturday May 27 at 10P/9C

The 3 Worlds of Gulliver (1960)

Sunday May 7 at 4P/3C

Friday May 26 at 10P/9C

Jason and The Argonauts (1963)

Sunday May 7 at 6P/5C

Friday May 12 at 6P...

“The gods of Greece are cruel! In time, all men shall learn to live without them.”

Sunday, May 7 marks the 4th anniversary of the legendary visual effects guru Ray Harryhausen’s death. Read what We Are Movie Geeks thinks are Harryhausen’s top ten films Here

To celebrate this master of illusion, Comet TV (www.COMETtv.com) is running a Ray Harryhausen Marathon of movies on Sunday, May 7 beginning at 11:30am Est/8:30am Pst. The complete marathon will run as follows:

11:30am Est / 10:30am Ct / 8:30am Pst – The 7th Voyage of Sinbad

In many ways the ultimate combination of stop motion animation, adventure, and overall production quality, 7th Voyage Of Sinbad is still one of Harryhausen’s most popular works. It was also a turning point for Harryhausen, establishing the framework for not only his other Sinbad films, but all animated adventure films in general...

Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, Sam Moffitt, and Tom Stockman

Special effects legend Ray Harryhausen, whose dazzling and innovative visual effects work on fantasy adventure films such as Jason And The Argonauts and The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad passed away in 2013 at age 92. In 1933, the then-13-year-old Ray Harryhausen saw King Kong at a Hollywood theater and was inspired – not only by Kong, who was clearly not just a man in a gorilla suit, but also by the dinosaurs. He came out of the theatre “stunned and haunted. They looked absolutely lifelike … I wanted to know how it was done.” It was done by using stop-motion animation: jointed models filmed one frame at a time to simulate movement. Harryhausen was to become the prime exponent of the technique and its combination with live action. The influence of Harryhausen on film luminaries like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Peter Jackson, and...

As a special exclusive for Daily Dead readers, we have Carl Kelsch’s new short film, For My Facebook, available to watch now. Also in today’s Horror Highlights: Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan Blu-ray / DVD release details, info on Europe’s 4K Uhd Blu-ray release of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and a Q&A with Restoration director/co-writer/co-star Zack Ward.

Exclusive: Watch the Short Film For My Facebook: Press Release: “It all started with a funny image that popped in writer/director Carl Kelsch’s head: a play on words that yielded the final shots of ‘For My Facebook’ (To say more would spoil the ending). With only a few directing credits under his belt, he recruited jack-of-all-horror-trades Louie Cortes (Dir. of Attack of the Brain People, writer of Blood Slaughter Massacre) to do Sound. Kelsch, who also operated the camera, got input from Cortes on blocking and framing.

Welcome to the latest edition of our regular crowdfunding feature here on Nerdly – Back This! – where we take a look at some of the cool content taking the crowdfunding route on sites such as Indiegogo, Sponsume and Kickstarter. This edition we’re spotlighting a very special crowdfunding campaign which is also a tribute to well-known and well-respected film and TV screenwriter Brian Clemens…

The horror short Surgery was the title of the last script to involve the great British TV and film screenwriter Brian Clemens before he sadly passed away in January 2015. His sons George and Samuel, in tribute to their late father, have shot Surgery and want to invite you to help them raise the £4,000 needed to cover the post-production, CGI and film festival costs.

For those genre fans who’ve been living in a cave for the last 50 years or are just a little too young to have...

We pay tribute to Brian Clemens, a screenwriter and producer whose work lit up 1970s cult TV and beyond...

Brian Clemens, who died earlier this week aged 83, was a highly respected screenwriter and producer both for TV and Film. He will chiefly be remembered for his work on The Avengers, The New Avengers and The Professionals but his credits were numerous and encapsulated a real golden age of cult, escapist television from the 1950s onwards.

Clemens was born in Croydon in July 1931. He spent his National Service as a Weapons Training Instructor. After spending time as a copywriter, he established himself as a scriptwriter - sometimes using the pseudonym "Tony O'Grady" - O'Grady being his mother's maiden name. He received his first commission from the BBC at the age of 24 - a thriller called Valid For Single Journey Only. He went on to write for many of the big TV...

Patrick McNee and Diana Rigg in The Avengers.

Horror lovers and fans of cult TV were saddened today by news of the death of writer Brian Clemens, the man who created iconic Sixties secret agent series The Avengers and contributed to the likes of The Professionals, Adam Adamant Lives! and Danger Man. Working with Hammer Horror, he penned cult favourite Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter as well as chillers like The Tell-Tale Heart and Dr. Jekyll And Sister Hyde, plus hit adventure thriller The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad, which featured work by the late, great Ray Harryhausen.

Clemens also worked in production, and his decision to cast Diana Rigg and Joanna Lumley in The Avengers made international stars of them both. He wrote several plays for the theatre, and in 2010 he received an OBE for services to Broadcasting and to Drama

Clemens is survived by sons George and Samuel. According to the latter,...

Screenwriter and producer Brian Clemens has passed away at age 83 in his native England. Clemens wrote scripts for some of the most revered British television programs of the 1960s and 1970s including "Danger Man" (aka "Secret Agent"), "The Avengers", "The Persuaders", "The Professionals",  "The Baron" and "The New Avengers".  Clemens also produced or executive produced several of the aforementioned shows.  He also contributed single episode scripts for other popular shows including "Highlander", "The Protectors" and "Remington Steele".  Clemens wrote numerous scripts for "Father Dowling Mysteries" and three "Perry Mason" TV movies in the early 1990s. A prolific writer, he also  wrote screenplays for feature films beginning in the 1950s. His credits include "Station Six Sahara", "The Corrupt Ones" (aka "The Peking Medallion"), "See No Evil", "The Golden Voyage of Sinbad", Disney's "The Watcher in the Woods", "Highlander II: The Quickening" and the Hammer horror film "Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter...

What an incredible career Brian Clemens had, and what an amazing amount of enjoyment that he brought to so many of us movie (and TV) geeks over the years. Clemens was a British screenwriter and producer with an enormous cult following. He was best known for The Avengers, the show starring Patrick MacNee and Honor Blackman (and later Diana Rigg) for which he wrote the pilot episode and was the chief scriptwriter from 1961 to 1969. Hammer Horror fans admired him for his clever scripts for Dr. Jekyll And Sister Hyde (1971) and Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter (1974), which was also his sole directorial credit and one of the best and most unusual films from Hammer Studio. Clemens also wrote the horror films And Soon The Darkness (1970), See No Evil (1971), The Watcher In The Woods (1980), and the wonderful Ray Harryhausen epic The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad (1974). Brian Clemens was 83.

The post Brian Clemens Dead at 83 – Wrote for Hammer,...

Award-winning F/X artists, monster-related artwork displayed and sold, killer celebrity guests. These things and more will all be found at the 2014 Son of Monsterpalooza at the Marriott Hotel and Convention Center in Burbank, CA, running September 12-14.

Boasting guests like Angus Scrimm, Reggie Bannister, Gunnar Hansen, Ed Neal and Terri McMinn as well as seminars, vendors, a costume contest and walk-through monster museum, Son of Monsterpalooza 2014 promises to be just as impressive as its predecessors.

Tickets are available here. Be sure to check out the full current guest list below, and then visit the official Monsterpalooza website and "like" Monsterpalooza on Facebook for more information.

From the Press Release

Award-winning FX artists, monster-related artwork displayed and sold, special presentations, a walk-through monster museum, and so much more will be available at Son of Monsterpalooza 2014 in the Marriott Hotel and Convention Center in Burbank, September 12-14.

Special guests from horror...

Feature Alex Westthorp 9 Apr 2014 - 07:00

In the next part of his series, Alex talks us through the film careers of the second and fourth Doctors, Patrick Troughton and Tom Baker...

Read Alex's retrospective on the film careers of William Hartnell and Jon Pertwee, here.

Like their fellow Time Lord actors, William Hartnell and Jon Pertwee, Patrick Troughton and Tom Baker also shared certain genres of film. Both appeared, before and after their time as the Doctor, in horror movies and both worked on Ray Harryhausen Sinbad films.

Patrick George Troughton was born in Mill Hill, London on March 25th 1920. He made his film debut aged 28 in the 1948 B-Movie The Escape. Troughton's was a very minor role. Among the better known cast was William Hartnell, though even Hartnell's role was small and the two didn't share any scenes together. From the late Forties, Troughton found more success on the small screen,...

If you live in the Los Angeles area, the New Beverly Cinema is presenting a Ray Harryhausen Sinbad tribute on Friday, December 20th and Saturday, December 21, 2013. First up is the 40th anniversary showing of The Golden Voyage of Sinbad which was released in the States in April 1974. Directed by Gordon Hessler, the film co-stars John Phillip Law as Sinbad, Caroline Munro as Margiana, and Tom Baker as Koura. Note: Mr. Hessler is scheduled to appear personally at the Friday showing, as is Paul Maslansky who was a unit manager on 1963’s Jason and the Argonauts.

Kerwin Matthews stars as the titular hero in The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, released here in December 1958. Along for the ride are Kathryn Grant as Princess Parisa, Richard Eyer as The Genie, and Torin Thatcher as Sokurah the Magician.

The New Beverly Cinema is located at 7165 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036.

Click here for showtimes and ticket info.

Moviefone's Top DVD of the Week

"Fast & Furious 6"

What's It About? Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Vin Diesel, and the late Paul Walker reunite with Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Jordana Brewster, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, and future Wonder Woman Gal Gadot to put the pedal to the medal in the sixth iteration of this car-racing series. Can our favorite speed freaks outwit and outdrive a gang of drivers led by a British baddie named Shaw (Luke Evans)?

Why We're In: Besides the fact that some of the DVD earnings will be donated to the late Paul Walker's charity Reach Out Worldwide, this is the perfect guilty-pleasure action film to pop on with a bunch of friends. It's worth it for the runway scene alone.

Moviefone's Top Blu-ray of the Week

"Big" (25th Anniversary Edition)

What's It About? Before Tom Hanks saved "Mr. Banks," he won our hearts as a little...

This weekend (November 23rd & 24th) sees the McM Comic Con and Memorabilia show take place at the NEC in Birmingham. We’ll be there on the Saturday, checking out what’s happening at one of the UK’s biggest conventions. If you haven’t grabbed a ticket yet, what are you waiting for? Ok, ok, so some of you may still be undecided, so let me tempt you with a rundown of just some highlights of the guests attending the event this weekend…

Red Dwarf Reunion – Chris Barrie (Arnold Rimmer); Hattie Hayridge (Holly); Danny John-Jules (The Cat) and Robert Llewellyn (Kryten) from much-loved British sci-fi comedy Red Dwarf. Quadrophenia Reunion – Stars Phil Daniels (Jimmy); Toyah Willcox (Monkey) and Daniel Peacock (Danny) celebrate the ultimate mod movie, based on The Who’s 1973 rock opera.

Richard Donat and Kate Kelton from popular sci-fi series Haven. Donat plays Vince Teagues, leader of The...

Hammer and Horror Film Day!

Saturday November the 9th ( 10am – 5pm )

Central Hall Westminster.

Storey’s Gate, Westminster, London SW1H 9Nh

UK’s longest running film fair and convention.

Now in it’s 40th year!

The Convention presents dealers from all over the UK, Europe, Us ,

Canada and South America.

Specialising in rare original film memorabilia and collectables.

Taking place six times a year these are truly unique events for anyone with an interest in films!

With actors and director’s signings, illustrated talks, retrospectives and film screenings taking place through out the day.

Items covering the history of cinema can be found. From the silents to the present.

From rare items of the 1920’s to new releases and the latest heart throb.

Among the many different field of cinema covered at the show is – Classic Hollywood, horror films, sci-fi, the best of British and European cinema as we as cult tv!

Blu-ray Release Date: Dec. 10, 2013

Price: Blu-ray $Tba

Studio: Twilight Time

A scimitar-wielding Kali makes her move in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad.

Twilight Time honoring the inimitable stop-motion animation special effects of the late Ray Harryhausen with the first time Blu-ray release of a pair of Harryhausen-infused family-friendly Sinbad adventure films from the 1970s, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973) and Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977).

In The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, Harryhausen gives us another installment in the adventures of the swashbuckling sailor Sinbad (John Phillip Law), who is pitted against a nefarious master of the black arts (Tom Baker, TV’s Doctor Who) as the two race to find a magical treasure trove. Over the course of the film, Sinbad confronts a host of astonishing Harryhausen creatures, including a wee-winged homunculus, a one-eyed centaur, and the six-armed, scimitar-wielding deity Kali. Directed by Gordon Hessler, the film co-stars...

Special effects legend Ray Harryhausen, whose dazzling and innovative visual effects work on fantasy adventure films such as Jason And The Argonauts and The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad passed away in May at age 92. The Ray Harryhausen Super-8 Tribute which debuted in May at Wonderfest in Louisville, played to a standing room only crowd at the Way Out Club in July, and played at the Contamination Convention in St. Louis in August will be returning September 6th to the Horrorhound Weekend in Indianapolis. The Ray Harryhausen Super-8 Tribute will take place there on Friday, September 6th from 4 to 8pm. This is the Four Hour version of the show that played at The Way Out (Wonderfest and Contamination only the got the two-hour version). Admission is free when you buy a pass to the Horrorhound Weekend.

The Horrorhound Weekend site can be found Here:

http://www.horrorhoundweekend.com/

The Ray Harryhausen...

Special effects legend Ray Harryhausen, whose dazzling and innovative visual effects work on fantasy adventure films such as Jason And The Argonauts and The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad passed away in May at age 92. The Ray Harryhausen Super-8 Tribute which debuted in May at Wonderfest and Louisville and played to a standing room only crowd at the Way Out Club last month will be returning this weekend.

If you missed it at The Way Out (or are too young to attend that 21+ establishment), The Ray Harryhausen Super-8 Tribute will be presented again this weekend at Contamination Defcon 4, St. Louis’ Horror, Sci-Fi, and Pop Culture Convention. Contamination Defcon 4 takes place August 2-4 at the Holiday Inn South County Center. The Ray Harryhausen Super-8 Tribute will take place there on Saturday (August 3rd) from 11am to 1pm. Admission is free when you buy a pass to Contamination Defcon 4 (for Contamination Defcon 4 ticket info,...

Special effects legend Ray Harryhausen, whose dazzling and innovative visual effects work on fantasy adventure films such as Jason And The Argonauts and The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad passed away last month at age 92. The Ray Harryhausen Super-8 Tribute on July 2nd at the Way Out Club will be a great way to honor the stop-motion wizard who breathed cinematic life into the gargantuan, the mythical and the extinct. Harryhausen created countless memorable big-screen moments from sword fighting skeletons to swooping pterodactyls, and from 8pm to Midnight, we will distill his entire career into an amazing show with the Super-8 sound films condensed from his films. The Super-8 sound format cuts features down to an average length of 15 minutes and Harryhausen’s films lent themselves to this format beautifully. The digest versions of the Ray Harryhausen films are cut around the animation, so there will be so many Harryhasuen monsters...

Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, Sam Moffitt, and Tom Stockman

Special effects legend Ray Harryhausen, whose dazzling and innovative visual effects work on fantasy adventure films such as Jason And The Argonauts and The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad passed away last month at age 92. In 1933, the then-13-year-old Ray Harryhausen saw King Kong at a Hollywood theater and was inspired – not only by Kong, who was clearly not just a man in a gorilla suit, but also by the dinosaurs. He came out of the theatre “stunned and haunted. They looked absolutely lifelike … I wanted to know how it was done.” It was done by using stop-motion animation: jointed models filmed one frame at a time to simulate movement. Harryhausen was to become the prime exponent of the technique and its combination with live action. The influence of Harryhausen on film luminaries like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Peter Jackson,...

Fans of Ray Harryhausen came to pay their respects to the filmmaking titan at last night’s Day 1 of American Cinematheque’s tribute to the stop-motion wizard. At the classic, old-time Aero Theater in Santa Monica, people came far and wide to get a double dose of Sinbad.

Before the screening, I perused the wonderful collection of Ray Harryhausen’s very own art, showcasing many original signed copies, featuring Sinbad, Jason, Ymir, centaurs, and cyclops… all of Harryhausen’s movie monsters and heroes that made it to the big screen with his vivid imagination. The collection came courtesy of the great Art Kandy, an organization that has all the artwork up for sale, ranging from $75 to $2,100. You can check some of the pieces in the gallery below.

For me, this was a unique experience. I had never seen a Ray Harryhausen film projected on the big screen, limited to my...

It’s always time to celebrate Ray Harryhausen, but now more than ever. American Cinematheque is paying tribute to the late, great stop-motion master Ray Harryhausen with double features of many of his classic films throughout June. The event begins tonight, June 6th, at 7:30 Pm with a screening of The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad and The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad, and culminates with a screening of some of his early shorts on Saturday June 15th.

We’re happy to announce that We Are Giving Away two pairs of tickets to two upcoming double features at Aero Theater in Santa Monica, CA, on Friday June 7th and Saturday June 8th. All you need to do is Share And Comment On This Facebook Post, and you’ll be automatically entered for your chance to win one of four bundles of tickets.

On Friday, you’re treated to a Triple feature, starting at 7:30Pm,...

When we lost Ray Harryhausen on May 7th, we could at least find comfort in all the indelible and immortal works of imagination that he left behind, and all the disciples that he created through his love of dinosaurs, stop-motion and film. To celebrate and honor his memory, American Cinematheque, the esteemed non-profit film organization, is putting together a tribute of some of his best films. The event will take place from Thursday June 6th to Saturday June 15th, at the Aero Theater at 1328 Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, CA, with a bevy of double feature screenings within that period of time.

Films include The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad, Jason & The Argonauts, Clash Of The Titans, Mysterious Island and so much more. I’ve been to American Cinematheque screenings before, and they’re sure to be glorious prints of Harryhausen’s master craft. Here’s the press release from American...

We're still reeling from the passing of special effects legend Ray Harryhausen, and he is already sorely missed. As a means to pay tribute to the man, Sony Movie Channel has added a movie marathon to its programming schedule celebrating the maestro's work.

From the Press Release

To pay tribute to the legendary Ray Harryhausen’s remarkable achievements, Sony Movie Channel has revised its schedule to include a special TV marathon on Saturday, May 11, highlighting the filmmaker’s career. Harryhausen, who died recently at the age of 92, is renowned for his special effects innovations and as the inventor of stop-motion animation.

On Saturday, May 11, Sony Movie Channel will be airing the definitive Ray Harryhausen documentary, Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan, at 12:45 p.m. Et/9:45 a.m. Pt. Following the documentary, Harryhausen fans will enjoy watching three Sinbad-focused films featuring Harryhausen’s special effects animation from Sony Pictures Entertainment...

Ray Harryhausen—no, make that The Great Ray Harryhausen— one of the most wondrous craftsmen and peerless special effects artists in the history of cinema, died on Tuesday, May 7, in London, where he had lived for years. He was 92 years old.

Ray Harryhausen, 1920-2013

Though Ray Harryhausen utilized all kinds of Diy effects over the years in such films as Mighty Joe Young (1941), The Beast from 20th Fathoms (1953), 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957), The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958), Jason and the Argonauts (1963), One Million Years B.C. (1966), Clash of the Titans (1981) and a bunch of others (if you’re not familiar with at least a couple of these, you’re from another planet), he was best known for his work in the field of stop-motion animation.

Out of deep respect for Mr. Harryhausen and the stop-motion artistry of which he was the undisputed king, let me quickly explain what it all was...

In tribute to the legacy of special effects legend Ray Harryhausen, who passed away yesterday at 92, Sony Movie Channel has updated its programming to include a Harryhausen-themed TV marathon this Saturday, May 11. This new lineup begins with the documentary Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan at 12:45 Pm Et. The creators of the documentary, which took ten years to complete and had its Us premiere on Smc last month, worked closely with the Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation to cover the full history of Ray's career, from his early days in Hollywood to the development of his “Dynamation” technique and concluding with his 90th birthday celebration. The documentary is followed by three of the beloved Sinbad films which showcase Harryhausen's amazing work: The 7th Voyage of Sinbad airs at 2:30 Pm, followed by The Golden Voyage of Sinbad at 4:10 Pm and Sinbad And The Eye of the Tiger at 6:...

Like the great painters, Harryhausen was a visionary who brought the old myths back to life for a contemporary audience

Ray Harryhausen's cinematic masterpiece Jason and the Argonauts is so deeply written in my childhood memories that when I watch it as an adult (and I do, regularly) I can scarcely match it to the images I recall seeing on a black-and-white television when I was little.

It long ago fused with my own fantasies. For instance, in my childhood perceptions, the clashing rocks the Argonauts have to sail between were even vaster and more sublime than when I see them today – and as for the skeleton army ...

Harryhausen, who has sadly died aged 92, was not only a special effects genius, the wizard of stop-motion animation. He was a visionary who depicted the ancient myths for a modern audience: the 20th century's answer to artists such as Piero di Cosimo,...

This week's column is dedicated to the memory of Mr. Ray Harryhausen 1920-2013 . I still remember seeing "The Golden Voyage of Sinbad" at a drive-in in 1973 at the age of seven and it changed my life forever. I didn't know who Harryhausen was at the time, but just to see all those amazing creatures I'd only read about in books come to life on the screen, it really drove an already impressionable 7-year-old to all sorts of new possibilities. Within three years I was doing stop-motion animation myself in school and doing other creative projects. I'm saddened that my Harryhausen box set is sitting somewhere in my apartment in New York City and I can't throw them in and watch them right now. Needless to say, anyone who had such a pivotal impact on my childhood would upset me to...

Raquel Welch wigs vs. Ray Harryhausen monsters: One Million Years B.C. [See previous post: "Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan Dies."] Without Charles H. Schneer as producer, Ray Harryhausen created the visual effects for the 1966 camp classic One Million Years B.C. — though, admittedly, his work in that movie played second fiddle to Raquel Welch’s physical effects as a blonde-bewigged (?) cavewoman parading around Earth’s pre-history in a cleavage-enhancing fur bikini. Whereas in producer Hal Roach’s 1940 effort One Million B.C., lizards made up as dinosaurs made life difficult for Victor Mature and Carole Landis, in the creationist-style pre-history of the 1966 (sort-of) remake, Raquel Welch and fellow caveman John Richardson had to square off against Harryhausen’s stop-motion models of giant reptiles. (Photo: Raquel Welch One Million Years B.C.) [Please scroll down to check out TCM's beautiful Ray Harryhausen tribute.] Starring James Franciscus and featuring Earth vs. the Flying Saucers‘ Richard Carlson, The Valley of Gwangi (1969) was Harryhausen’s next-to-last mid-level effort. Both The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974), with John Phillip Law,...

Cinema lost a living legend today with the passing of Ray Harryhausen, the maestro of stop-motion special effects. Inspired as a teenager by King Kong, Harryhausen spent his career creating monsters drawn from myth and pseudo-science that took hold of the popular imagination. If anything, Harryhausen’s work looks even better now that we’re so firmly in the digital-effects era — we can better appreciate the artistry that went into creating his gorgeously terrifying creatures. Here’s a quick rundown of my ten favorite Harryhausen beasties.

10. Talos from Jason and the Argonauts

The striking thing about several of the creatures...

When I think of Ray Harryhausen my mind immediately goes to 1981's Clash of the Titans. I was only four years old when it was released, but the movie lived on for years and still does to this day and I remember watching it over and over again. Today it saddens me to report Harryhausen has passed away at the age of 93. Harryhausen's work lives and breathes in today's films just as much as it did when he was creating stop-motion creature effects from the late '40s up until Titans in 1981 and his work has inspired legions of filmmakers from Peter Jackson and Tim Burton to Steven Spielberg and Sam Raimi. The way he worked was the true definition of animation and a life embodied by the phrase "where there's a will there's a way." The Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation has issued a statement on their official Facebook...

He brought out dreams to life.

Raymond “Ray” Harryhausen (June 29, 1920 – May 7, 2013) died today at age 92, leaving behind a legacy of pioneering special effects work and a filmography that has deeply influenced writers, artists, and filmmakers for generations.

Dubbed by Starlog as “The Man Who Work Miracles”, he was one of the most influential movie makers who was himself inspired by Willis O’Brien’s stop-motion animation in King Kong. He took O’Brien’s efforts and improved upon them, branding it as Dynamation.

Although he resided in England for the majority of his adult life, Harryhausen was born in Los Angeles. King Kong was the spark that set him on a course towards a career in film, meticulously creating miniatures that could be photographed a few frames at a time followed by the tiniest of movements, followed by more frames, until the model appeared to move across the screen. This...

London — When Ray Harryhausen was 13, he was so overwhelmed by "King Kong" that he vowed he would create otherworldly creatures on film. He fulfilled his desire as an adult, thrilling audiences with skeletons in a sword fight, a gigantic octopus destroying the Golden Gate Bridge, and a six-armed dancing goddess.

On Tuesday, Harryhausen died at London's Hammersmith Hospital, where he had been receiving treatment for about a week. He was 92.

Biographer and longtime friend Tony Dalton confirmed the special-effects titan's death, saying it was too soon to tell the exact cause. He described Harryhausen's passing as "very gentle and very quiet."

"Ray did so much and influenced so many people," Dalton said. He recalled his friend's "wonderfully funny, brilliant sense of humor" and love of Laurel and Hardy, adding that, "His creatures were extraordinary, and his imagination was boundless."

Though little known by the general public, Harryhausen made 17 movies that...

Stop-motion and VFX pioneer Ray Harryhausen passed away in London today at the age of 92, according to an announcement on the official Facebook page of The Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation. The multi-award winner best-known for "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad," "Jason and the Argonauts," "The Golden Voyage of Sinbad," and "Clash of the Titans," became a cultural legend and an inspiration to every filmmaker that has worked in animation and live-action VFX movies from the ’70s to the present. Among his accolytes are Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Peter Jackson, James Cameron, Tim Burton, Phil Tippett, Nick Park, and John Lasseter. Inspired by the ground-breaking stop-motion work of Willis O’Brien on "King Kong," which Harryhausen saw at the Chinese in 1933 with his boyhood friend, Ray Bradbury, the aspiring model maker and animator began his nearly 50-year career on "Mighty Joe Young" with O’Brien in 1949. Later came "It Came From Beneath the Sea...

Visual effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen, whose sci-fi and fantasy creations were brought to life in such films as the original Clash of the Titans and The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, died in London today, according to his Facebook page. He was 92.

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Born in Los Angeles on June 29, 1920, Harryhausen pioneered the stop-motion animation technique (he himself was inspired by watching the original 1933 King Kong and started out by making stop-motion films in his garage), bringing rubber and clay to life and fueling the imaginations of young moviegoers for decades, reaching back to such matinee favorites as Mighty Joe Young (1949), It Came From Beneath the Sea (1955), Earth vs. The Flying Saucers (1955), 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957), Jason and the Argonauts (1963), Mysterious Island (1961) and the Sinbad movies. Although the multi-award winner never won any Oscars for his hugely influential work (even the stop-motion Tauntauns in The Empire Strikes Back owe a debt to Ray), the...

Ray Harryhausen, whose dazzling and innovative visual effects work on fantasy adventure films like The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1958) and Jason and the Argonauts (1963) augured the explosion of effects-driven cinema over the last 30 years, died in London on May 7 at the age of 92, according to his Facebook page.

Born in Los Angeles in 1920, Harryhausen began his love affair with stop-motion animation early after watching the seminal effects movie King Kong (1933). He started making his own stop-motion films in his family’s garage while connecting with a burgeoning science-fiction fan community in L.A., including life-long friend Ray Bradbury, who would...

It is with great, great, great sadness that we report today that Ray Harryhausen has passed away.  

The man was a legend and someone I had met and spoken with many times - as both a young fan of his work and, later, as a journalist.

His early contributions were one of the many reasons I became fascinated with the genre.  When I was in elementary school, my teachers would show us films like The Golden Voyage of Sinbad and Clash of the Titans just before we let our for holiday break - and I was blown away.  His contributions were a regular diet in my education of cinema.  And because my father was so integral in exposing me to Harryhausen's career, I wanted him to weigh in: "Passing of one of the true greats and a childhood hero.  Very sad, but he lived a long, productive life and inspired...

Sad news today, as legendary visual effects guru Ray Harryhausen has passed away. Harryhausen was a pioneer in the industry, perhaps best known for his work on Clash Of The Titans (1981), Jason And The Argonauts, and The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad. He inspired generations of filmmakers and advanced the craft of visual effects to new heights, paving the way for the groundbreaking work we see on the big screen today. He will be missed, but his legacy will always remain. Here is the statement...

It’s Monday, so we all know what that means! Yes, it’s time for another rundown of DVDs and Blu-ray’s hitting stores online and offline this week. It’s a very light week this week, so let us breakdown the new releases and highlight what you should – and shouldn’t – be buying from today, March 11th 2013.

Pick Of The Week

The Tall Man (DVD/Blu-ray)

Mystery thriller written and directed by Pascal Laugier. The small town of Cold Rock has long suffered since the mines which used to supply jobs and prosperity have closed down. With not much hope for the community of Cold Rock anyway, matters are only made worse by the disappearance of local children at the hands of local legend, ‘The Tall Man’. Jessica Biel plays young nurse, Julia Dunning, whose child is the latest to be abducted, and while in pursuit of the ‘Tall...

Ray Harryhausen:

Special Effects Titan

Written and directed by Gilles Penso

Produced by Alexandre Poncet, Co-produced by Tony Dalton

Featuring Ray Harryhausen, James Cameron, Terry Gilliam, John Landis, Nick Park, Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, Tim Burton, Joe Dante, Guillermo Del Toro

Release date: On DVD and Blu-ray from 11th March 2013

Running time: 97 mins (film), Cert: tbc

“I think all of us who are practitioners in the arts of science fiction and fantasy movies now, all feel that we’re standing on the shoulders of a giant. If not for Ray’s contribution to the collective dreamscape we wouldn’t be who we are.” James Cameron

The remarkable career of the movie industry’s most admired and influential special-effects auteur, the legendary Ray Harryhausen, is the subject of Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan. Described as “A continual delight” (The Observer), “the stop-motion maestro gets the respect he deserves” (Daily Express...