List: Emergency Genre Film Hipness Injection

Commercial illustrator who has painted over 1200 paperback book covers (and no, Mister Smarty, I don't mean he painted the same cover 1200 times).  Also painted numerous movie posters, including some of the shmooooooziest James Bond ads (featured here: his work for "Diamonds Are Forever").  Inventor of the iconic "James Bond stance".Geological feature located north of Los Angeles.  For decades it has provided movies and television with a convenient hideout for bad guys, alien monsters and foreign spies, as well as a secret base for numerous heroes and the hiding place for countless hidden treasures.Los Angeles landmark.  Has been featured in numerous movies and television series.  Specifically featured in two science-fiction touchstones: the "Demon with a Glass Hand" episode of "The Outer Limits", and the movie "Blade Runner".View the list »
attendee at a comics convention

Movies newsletter

"Survival kit contents check. In them you'll find: one forty-five caliber automatic; two boxes of ammunition . . ."

Related topics

Advertisement

I honestly care about all of you. I also know how you read these little discussions of mine and sometimes say: "Wow, the life of a genre film fan must be really exciting."

Well, it can be. But I should hasten and point out that it'd be unwise to just dump into the deep end of the pool. Don't get me wrong. I've spent a great deal of my life in fandom and can attest that we can be the kindest and most openly generous people on the face of the Earth. But I also know that we can turn into a crowd of Thracian Maenads at the drop of a pin. Patience and preparation is needed, pumpkins.

Especially preparation. With that in mind I'm presenting you here with a short list of Important Things Every Genre Film Fan Should Know. I'm not saying this will keep you out of disaster. But being able to speak knowledgeably about the following will at least buy you enough time to make a break for the nearest exits.

View the list
  • Los Angeles landmark.  Has been featured in numerous movies and television series.  Specifically featured in two science-fiction touchstones: the "Demon with a Glass Hand" episode of "The Outer Limits", and the movie "Blade Runner".
  • Geological feature located north of Los Angeles.  For decades it has provided movies and television with a convenient hideout for bad guys, alien monsters and foreign spies, as well as a secret base for numerous heroes and the hiding place for countless hidden treasures.
  • Commercial illustrator who has painted over 1200 paperback book covers (and no, Mister Smarty, I don't mean he painted the same cover 1200 times).  Also painted numerous movie posters, including some of the shmooooooziest James Bond ads (featured here: his work for "Diamonds Are Forever").  Inventor of the iconic "James Bond stance".
  • (1901-1970) --- Godfather of Japanese movie special-effects.  Created incredible flying saucers, death rays, super weapons and special vehicles for classics such as "The Mysterians", "Battle in Outer Space", "Atragon", "Mothra" and "Gorath".
  • (1908-1980) --- Chances are that any good science-fiction movies made in the 1950s and 1960s were produced by him.  Among them "Destination Moon", "The War of the Worlds", "When Worlds Collide", "The Naked Jungle"and "The Time Machine".
  • Major component of the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) defense system which helped protect the United States from enemy missile attack during the Cold War from 1957-1983.  Parts of the system were bought by people such as Irwin Allen and converted into props seeing major use in shows like "The Time Tunnel", and in movies such as "Sleeper", "The Towering Inferno" and "Futureworld".  The earliest known example of computer-generated art was also produced on this system.
  • 1959 movie directed by George Marshall, starring Glenn Ford and Debbie Reynolds.  Pretty much forgettable except for the fact that it featured the first appearance of the 1955 Lincoln Futura automobile (which would later be re-worked into the television Batmobile).
  • (1916-1992) --- Any decent science-fiction movies in the 1950s and 60s that weren't made by George Pal were probably made by this man.  Director of classics such as "Tarantula", "The Creature from the Black Lagoon", "The Incredible Shrinking Man" and "It Came from Outer Space".
  • (1891-1967) --- Pioneered the art of special sound effects in motion pictures.  To this day sound effects people are known as "Foley artists".
  • Astronomical research facility located atop Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii.  Usually used in films to depict a Serious Astronomical Event (a role once handled by the Hale Reflector on Mount Palomar).  Sometimes people will try to pull a fast one with Keck.  In Michael Berg's "Battleship", for instance, the observatory was depicted as being a special facility in Peru.  Fortunately, however, movie audiences were far too clever to be fooled by this.I said movie audiences were far too clever to be fooled by . . .Oh never mind.
  • (1886-1962) --- American special-effects pioneer.  Inventor of the stop-motion animation technique which was used in films such as the original "King Kong".  His work inspired numerous others to further refine the process, with one of his proteges being Ray Harryhausen (see below).
  • No, not the lead singer for the Booger Puppies.  Rather, this is a special sound effect which has popped up in countless motion pictures.  It made its first appearance in the 1951 film "Distant Drums" and has been used again and again whenever a godawful scream (usually accompanying a fatal event) has been required.
  • Currently the Grand Old Master of stop-motion animation.  His films (e.g. "Jason and the Argonauts", "The Golden Voyage of Sinbad", "Earth vs. the Flying Saucers") have not only raised the bar for the technique, but pretty much locked it into place.  Also an absolute gentleman.
  • Whenever a film director wishes to disown one of his movies he has the option of having his name replaced with "Alan Smithee".  It's use has been "formally discontinued" as of 2000, but the legacy remains.  Examples of films directed by "Alan Smithee" are the extended version of David Lynch's "Dune", "The Birds II: Land's End", "Hellraiser: Bloodline" and "Solar Crisis".  See ESCAPE HATCH.
  • (1930-1997) --- Prolific screenwriter.  Created series such as "The Survivors" and "Blake's 7" for the BBC, but is best known for creating the Daleks for "Doctor Who".
View the list

, Charleston Movie Examiner

Michael Wolff is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in publications as varied as Starlog magazine and Action Comics. He occasionally plays well with others and may be reached at michaeljwolff@comcast.net.

Advertisement

Today's top buzz...