Sometimes a novel idea for a movie comes out. It sounds good on paper. There is a great star and cast. The director is firing on all cylinders and the movie looks to be a surefire hit.
That’s what the producers and the studio executives thought about the Gemini Man movie starring Will Smith.
Unfortunately the movie failed to live up to expectations and the audience simply was not there. It was a flop.
Good thing the Gemini Man The Art And Making Of The Movie book from Titan Books and author Michael Singer is not-it is a certifiable hit.
Take it from me, a longtime movie buff and lover of behind-the-scenes movie trivia and facts, the new book packs a punch and is an enjoyable read and visual treat.
Assassin Henry Brogan (Will Smith) finds himself the target of a new and dangerous operative. He knows his every move, tactic and strategy Brogan does.
He should-he’s a younger version of the assassin.
How did the moviemakers pull it off and have Will Smith confront a younger version of himself? It’s movie magic and the book goes into extensive detail on how it is done.
Follow the director, cast and crew as they scout out locations, perform incredible stunts, trick the eye with special visual effects, pit Brogan against Brogan, set up shots, and choreograph the whole film.
The book is packed with in front and behind the scenes color photos, production art, commentaries and a cornucopia of information about how the film was made.
For a colorful insight into the most innovative and imaginative movie ever attempted be sure to pick up this book.
Equally intriguing and interesting is The Addams Family The Art Of The Animated Movie with text by Ramid Zahed.
Ever since I was young enough to understand the macabre humor of Charles Addams the creator/writer and artist of The Addams Family I loved their spooky and crazy antics.
When the TV show premiered in the mid-1960s I was in ghoulish heaven and when the movies came out-I was overjoyed.
Both the TV show and movies attempted to recreate the haunted happenings of The Addams Family and they succeeded in part.
Try as they might they couldn’t quite capture the spooky look of the cartoon-until now.
The new computer animated film successfully captures the original look of The Addams Family taken directly from the comic strip, including their spooky abode, bizarre behavior and creepiness.
The book delves into the creation of each character beginning with sketches and ending with the final computer animated versions,
There are costume studies, lighting tests, interior and exterior designs, complete supporting character designs, location renderings, vehicles concepts and dozens upon dozens of sketches, color studies and final renderings.
The book successfully compiles all the various elements together to present the final look for the film from voice cast selection to the direction of the film.
Ray Harryhausen is considered by many to be one of the forefathers of the modern movie special effects blockbusters.
Long before computer animation and effects were created Harryhausen pioneered stop motion animation, visual effects, a plethora of camera visual tricks and innovative direction of live elements mixed with clever visual effects.
In Harryhausen The Lost Movies by John Walsh, readers are given a unique visual tour of the movies he had hopes of filming.
Production sketches, stop motion characters and other mementos of dreams unfulfilled fill the book as it follows Harryhausen’s career over the decades.
Many of the proposed projects were scrapped but many turned up in other films, as did many of the character creations, special film effects and more.
Of the films he did work on there are images and art and stop-motion puppets and sequences that were never used in the films or that were discarded that are included in the book.
Several of the film projects he had hopes of working on would be produced and completed by others-only the name of the films remained the same.
For film buffs-especially special effects and stop motion fans, this book is a treasure trove of early film visual trickery.
It’s a mesmerizing account of how Harryhausen’s early film attempts and successes paved the way for many of the movie spectaculars we see today.
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