Special Effects and Animation Pioneer Ray Harryhausen Died: VIDEO

Stop-motion pioneer and legend Ray Harryhausen died yesterday at 92:

In the pre-computer-generated-imagery era in which he worked, Harryhausen used the painstaking process of making slight adjustments to the position of his three-dimensional, ball-and-socket-jointed scale models and then shooting them frame-by-frame to create the illusion of movement. Footage of his exotic beasts and creatures was later often combined with live action.

Let's take a moment to stare in awe at the skeleton scene from Jason and the Argonauts as well as a longer highlight reel.

Check it out, AFTER THE JUMP...

I pretty much reacted like this too when I first saw those skeletons as a child:

Behind the Scenes of HBO's Liberace Biopic with Matt Damon and Michael Douglas: VIDEO

HBO has released an excellent featurette on the upcoming Liberace biopic Behind the Candelabra starring Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, Rob Lowe, Debbie Reynolds, and Dan Akroyd.

The filmmakers discuss how they and the actors recreated Liberace's world and his life.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

It you missed the trailer, it's HERE.

Weekend Movies: Iron Man 3

 
Don't believe everything you see. Tony Stark is tops this time around.

BY NATHANIEL ROGERS 

When last we saw Tony Stark he was eating shawarma in New York City with his fellow superheroes in the stinger of Marvel's The Avengers (reviewed). When we last saw Iron Man, minutes before that, he was plummeting from a cosmic wormhole to his near-death having just saved the world from an alien apocalypse. (S.H.I.E.L.D's workman's comp insurance must be pricey.) I mention Tony Stark and Iron Man separately because the franchise's new writer/director Shane Black, who previously worked with Robert Downey Jr on the underappreciated comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, seems more interested in Stark than Iron Man. This is a good sign, especially for a third picture. Time to flip this tin can around.

IRON MAN 3 takes great pains to make a distinction between the impenetrable suit and the man inside it. Tony Stark's first attempt to suit up is a comic misfire since he's engineered an Iron Man suit that comes right to him when he calls. He hasn't quite worked out the speed of his flying wardrobe -imagine a metal codpiece flying 60 mph right at your Andrew Christians. The second time we see Iron Man, if I'm remembering the sequence of events correctly, Tony Stark isn't in the suit at all. He's engaging in some prankster remote control business for girlfriend Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow, wonderful in this role but haters gonna hate). 

The film even opens with a flashback to Tony's pre-Iron Man days, further separating the man from his iron mask.

More Spoiler-Free Stuff AFTER THE JUMP...

Ryan Gosling Enjoying Some Sexual Innuendo with His Director: VIDEO

Ryan Gosling offers some killer expressions and tricep n this behind-the-scenes clip from his upcoming film Only God Forgives in which he's instructed by Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn on how to use sexuality to build up his fight scenes.

We're also offered a welcome look at his boxing instruction.

Check it out, AFTER THE JUMP...

Mindbender of the Day: VIDEO

The answer to how this was done is in the comments on the Vimeo site but have a look and see if you can figure it out first.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

I'd Do It Again With You: VIDEO

A short film by Branden Blinn titled "13 or So Minutes" in which two men who are incredibly attracted to one another discuss what brought them to the place where they find themselves. Featuring Carlos Salas and Nick Soper.

Enjoy, AFTER THE JUMP...

(possibly work-unfriendly)