3D-Coming at you in a theater near you!!!! And your living room?
Thank the “guy’s” at Kino Lorber…
Below in 3D The Three Stooges in eye popping dimensions- pie throwing included at no extra charge…
Even the Stooges dabbled a few times with 3D and with hilarious results…
The ’50s were alive with everything and anything jumping off the screen and all to keep Television at bay. All to our benefit and away to boost many a B film. Well now stay tuned for a major announcement and it’s coming right at you…after this ad from our sponsor.
Folks is your magazine reading dull, boring and just not what it use to be ..I mean have you felt like you’ve seen it all before well why not pick a up the latest issue of 3D Magazine and give your eyes a real treat but remember it’s all just an illusion you ca’t reach in and grab those coconuts…
Yes folks those crazy films that offer images that appear to be hopping right off the cinema screen and in to your laps, giving you the illusion that those rain drops are dancing right in front of your face or causing you to duck the arrows that are being shot at the stagecoach driver are now coming right in to your living room!!!! And how is that possible you say? Well courtesy of companies like Kino Lorber. Yes that’s right it’s time to break out those funny colored “sunglasses”- you know the ones. And crazy they are! I mean whoever would be caught outside the theater wearing glasses with one red lens and one blue one.
In fact Kino Lorber has over the last few months to a year released almost a dozen classic & cult films that were all originally released in the ‘50s,’60s and ’70s. Everything from scifi to sunken treasure to horror and more. In the latest we have a young Rock Hudson in a western sequel Taza, Son of Cochise 1954. In glorious color and fully restored and remastered in 2K HD.
Loaded with with spectacular 3D effects and one I never get tired of is arrows that look like they are coming right at you. And a good story line as Taza(Rock Hudson) struggles with the death of his father, an arrogant brother who is all too eager to wage war on the white man. While Taza tries to adhere to his fathers wishes to improve relations with the settlers and share the land. I loved this film. Rock always is fun to watch on screen.
The Bluray offers both a 2D and the 3d with 3D restoration by 3D Film Archive(they have been a prominent force in rescuing and restoring these at times forgotten films and the 3D era).
- *Trivia- 3D — in the 50’s this was the process that movie companies thought would help protect them from that boxy thing that was popping up in peoples’ living rooms across the nation. The problem, it was costly and required 2 projectors started simultaneously, created the stereoscopic images-3D.
- This demanded every 3D picture to have an intermission as well. This made it possible to set up the second half of the film. In addition, the image had to be checked quite often for adjustment. This was time consuming for the projectionist and annoying for the movie going audience. When it was working correctly there was nothing like it.
When it was working correctly there was nothing like it. The fact is, that many films from the era & were released in 3D- were actually saved by this process. Robot Monster is such an example. It had such fun effects that people forgave the almost nothing plot… it was camp on camp … nonsensical but no one cared when you were dodging bubbles coming right at you… then there were the exceptions like Hondo starring John Wayne .. a classic with or without the 3d, but I saw this when local TV stations around the country were airing 3D films as part of a promotion tied in with 7 Eleven where you had to stop there to pick up your glasses. That night I was dodging arrows and ducking arrows in my living room. This brought the realism to the scene and made a big impact on me. A real “wow” factor.
- Trivia-Them!(1954) from Warner Bros
THEM! was to have been a *3D presentation. The process that was taking theaters and the movie going public for a fun “ride”. Once you put on those crazy looking glasses with the red and green lenses everything from bubbles to flaming arrows were jumping off the screen. Imagine had Warner gone thru with this. It may have changed the perspective of the film and the very response by critics and audiences alike.
From this moment on in cinema history someone was continually trying to one up or at least join THEM in what would become its own sub-genre of giant/mutated bugs. Now there is even a bug people sub-genre and just plain good old, fashioned creepy crawling bugs. Prior to 1954 we were entertained by or scarred and a combination there of “big” apes- King Kong & son, Mighty Joe Young, dinosaurs-The Lost World , Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. Probably the movie serials gave us more exposure in some cases or the promise there of. However after 1954 came The Deadly Mantis, The Black Scorpion and The Beginning of the End(grasshoppers).
Major fact SCI-FI boomed in the 50’s . It was not just kaiju-giant monsters. We had aliens good (It Came From Outer Space), bad(Queen From Outer Space)and the ugly(It, Terror From Outer Space-precursor to Alien) to prehistoric or prehistory -The Monster On Campus(this one gave me nightmares),
Creature From the Black Lagoon(3D). How about Teenagers from Outer Space, Invasion of the Saucer Men or I was A Teenage Werewolf. The last three were aimed at the *“shoppers”…teenagers*.
- 50’s It was a time when teens were slowly taking over as the targeted audience for certain films and as potential consumers because they were coming in to their own. **Disposable income from babysitting, paper routes, a job down at the local Charbroil or neighborhood soda fountain. Drive-Ins (passion pits) now a hangout or a makeout.
- Hula Hoops, Yo-Yos the latest fads. Cherry or Vanilla Cokes or a combo. Bubs Daddy gum.
- They gathered at malt shops, record stores and congregated in front of radio stations, entering some of the craziest contests — to maybe win a bike or a trip to Hollywood… a recording contract.
House of Wax in 3D with the king of Horror -Vincent Price, plus the original Mystery of the Wax Museum starring Fay Wray and Lionel Atwill(one of many featuring both of these iconic actors) . Available for your viewing pleasure.
- 30 years later-
Above- the trailer for Comin At Ya (1981). The 3D film has seen a resurgence many times over the last 60 years plus. But it was the genius of Tony Anthony and the revolutionary 3D process and polarized glasses to really give the term eye popping -off the screen cinematic experience in to a reality.
Comin At Ya gave way to a wave of 3D films taking advantage of the new process and it also gave Charles Band a perfect excuse to write, direct and produce this next film we are going to digest here-I mean discuss. Especially since it’s called Parasite.
**Taglines-
- The First Futuristic Monster Movie in 3D!!!
- Once it gets inside you it will do anything to get out!!!
You will be part of the Terror!!!
From Embassy Pictures…coming soon…
Experience the sound of Parasite from Richard Band-
Parasite(1982) is the monster movie in three dimensions. It has a fun script and some really great creature effects by Stan Winston. In fact this film had a lot of firsts. One it was Demi Moore’s first film. It was the first monster film in this wave and had Charles Band at the helm.
Parasite also benefits from an incredible score by one of my favorite composers-Richard Band. Richard was able to use a full orchestra for the film and this was his first time in being to do so. It is filled both instruments and electronic sounds based on certain instruments to give this film and the score a post apocalyptic feel with a futuristic twist. Gritty at times. It enhances the scenes especially where there are run down abandon buildings and desert like settings. As well as adding to the action and suspense within the story.
The story itself concerns science not leaving well enough alone. And thanks to a shadowy undisclosed agency who wants control over a mutated creature the race is on for one lone scientist and his would be helper to find every last parasite and destroy them. Because if allowed to survive they will mass produce, grow bigger, hungrier and angrier. The problem is it loves people and not in a good way. So one can only guess what the outcome would be!!!…??
- **Trivia Break-
I was actually working for a local theater chain back in the early ’80s when Parasite was released and we sold out almost all our weekend shows on Friday and Saturday nights. The special Midnight’s were extremely busy and this combines with hot weather made for interesting memories. In fact one of the showings we actually pass out. The intense scenes coupled with the heat was all it took… made the papers too…
The great news is that this film was just recently released on Bluray from Kino Lorber in what is a slew from Kino over the last year and 1/2. And especially in the last couple of months. On several occasions Kino has partnered up with 3D Film Archive including Paarasite 3D. With Archive doing the remastering of the prints for both the 2D and the 3D process. The work that they have performed over the last several years is amazing.
The release comes with both the 2D and the 3D and exploding with a mega-mouth of extras(no pun intended — well maybe a little).
One of the extras on the disc is an interview of Richard by Daniel Griffith of Ballyhoo Motion Pictures. For anyone interested in music and film scoring I highly recommend that you watch and pay close attention to what he has to say he has been doing this for more than 4 decades. The producer of the film-Irwin Yablans thought so much of the music that he held a special screening of Parasite for one of his close friends, legendary Film/Television composer Lalo Schifrin(Mission Impossible/Enter The Dragon). Richard was invited as well. Needless to say Lalo loved it.
For now I say this 3D is one of my favorite ways of spending time as an event with family and friends. It’s fun and entertaining. Besides that it fulfills an important aspect of our lives- too socialize. And during this particular time as safe one at that. So don’t get too scared it’s only a movie…at least that’s what I keep telling myself. So til next time this is Doc saying be safe out there….
Bonus- Paul Nashy’s first screen appearance as a werewolf and that was in 3D and 70 mm …
Related links and material-
Kino Lorber-
3D Film Archive-
Ballyhoo Motion Pictures- headed by Daniel Griffith who has won a Rondo Award in 2012 and 2018…
https://ballyhoomotionpictures.com/
Some of their most recent productions include making of docs for Total Recall, the Inner Sanctum Mystery film series starring Lon Chaney Jr, one regarding Empire Pictures(Charles Band) and Steve Carvers An For An Eye(Chuck Norris)
Full Moon Streaming-
