Ray Harryhausen Film Fest
The following films (featuring the old Hollywood magic stylings of Ray Harrhausen) were shown recently on NHK2.
Movie Review: Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
I thought this would be fun to watch with Yukiko so she could see where my name came from. However, the Japanese subtitles always had the name 'Jason' pronounced as 'Yason'. This is probably the correct Greek pronunciation but now Yukiko has taken to calling me Yason. I'm sure this was a special f/x marvel when it debuted but it is awfully dated now. Wouldn't want to have been in Harryhausen's shoes when he did the animation though. Apparently he could only complete 1/2 second of animation footage a day. Hercules was far too skinny too. I think I could have kicked his ass. 6/10
Movie Review: One Million Years BC (1966)
A beautiful, curvy Raquel Welch is the only thing going for this movie. Back in the days when primitive man + woman walked the earth, danger abounded. Be it from lack of food, cataclysmic earthquakes, hungry dinosaurs, or giant spiders. Yes, giant spiders. Add to this the challenge of having no language and you've got a movie filled with grunts that convey the entire spectrum of human feelings. Luckily none of the hapless characters had any trouble finding hair or skin products as everyone looked perfectly groomed all the time. Fun for 1 viewing as long as you swear never to watch it again. 4/10
Movie Review: Clash of the Titans (1981)
As a wee lad I was really into Greek mythology so I have a sweet spot in my heart for this movie. I remember seeing it in the theatre with my brother when it first appeared. Surprisingly, except for some weak special effects, it still holds up very well after all these years. And how couldn't it hold up, what with all the gods of Olympus, Medusa, the Stygian witches, Calibos and the unforgettable Kracken. I'd somehow forgotten the mechanical robot that Athena gives Perseus in the second act, but after watching the movie again I understand why. A highly advanced robot just doesn't fit in with the rest of the story. 7/10
Movie Review: Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
I thought this would be fun to watch with Yukiko so she could see where my name came from. However, the Japanese subtitles always had the name 'Jason' pronounced as 'Yason'. This is probably the correct Greek pronunciation but now Yukiko has taken to calling me Yason. I'm sure this was a special f/x marvel when it debuted but it is awfully dated now. Wouldn't want to have been in Harryhausen's shoes when he did the animation though. Apparently he could only complete 1/2 second of animation footage a day. Hercules was far too skinny too. I think I could have kicked his ass. 6/10
Movie Review: One Million Years BC (1966)
A beautiful, curvy Raquel Welch is the only thing going for this movie. Back in the days when primitive man + woman walked the earth, danger abounded. Be it from lack of food, cataclysmic earthquakes, hungry dinosaurs, or giant spiders. Yes, giant spiders. Add to this the challenge of having no language and you've got a movie filled with grunts that convey the entire spectrum of human feelings. Luckily none of the hapless characters had any trouble finding hair or skin products as everyone looked perfectly groomed all the time. Fun for 1 viewing as long as you swear never to watch it again. 4/10
Movie Review: Clash of the Titans (1981)
As a wee lad I was really into Greek mythology so I have a sweet spot in my heart for this movie. I remember seeing it in the theatre with my brother when it first appeared. Surprisingly, except for some weak special effects, it still holds up very well after all these years. And how couldn't it hold up, what with all the gods of Olympus, Medusa, the Stygian witches, Calibos and the unforgettable Kracken. I'd somehow forgotten the mechanical robot that Athena gives Perseus in the second act, but after watching the movie again I understand why. A highly advanced robot just doesn't fit in with the rest of the story. 7/10
posted by Jason at 12:49 AM
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