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If The Behind the Scenes Pic of the Day is ready to lay a dragon in its grave, it has nothing to fear from me.
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with today’s Behind the Scenes Pic!
My SXSW BTS track record is for shit, guys. I’m sorry. It’s a combination of little to no sleep, interviews, movie-watching, lack of pre-planning on my part and spotty/non-existent Wi-Fi while out and about.
So, apologies for being a little late on this one. Today’s pic comes from Dragonslayer. Harry deciding to show it for the SXSW 15th Anniversary of AICN screening at the Paramount Theater inspired me to dig up this shot.
Phil Tippett’s Go-Motion work on the dragon, Vermithrax, is incredible and while I wish I had a little better picture this image captures the fantastic design work of the dragon and some of the set-up involved.
Hope you guys enjoy it!
Tomorrow’s (Today’s) Behind the Scenes Pic of the Day is an epic of epic proportions!
-Quint
quint@aintitcool.com
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Readers Talkback
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It's only a matter of time.
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peter macnichol? Remember this being on cable when i was growing up, but i never caught it at the beginning and then forgot about it. Netflix here I come.
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Not that it means anything, but I hope they don't because, while Dragonslayer was by no means perfect, I am not quite sure what a remake would add to the film. Now Krull, they should remake, if only because there was too much potential for greatness missed with that film. Dragonslayer, not so much.
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...a nude Caitlin Clarke.
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...ever! Still!
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March 17, 2011, 5:56 a.m. CST
It probably won't be remade because there is no point
by Prof. Pop-Cult
Because sticking a dragon into any movie these days is trivial.
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bad movie, but why is it I only saw it once and still remember nearly all of it when there are films i liked at the time that i don't remember at all. brain is weird.
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Pre-CGI, and it wasn't stop motion, and it just moved so smoothly and convincingly. I remember it wowed me way back then. One of those "How did they do that?" moments.
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March 17, 2011, 7:15 a.m. CST
For some reason I never got around to seeing this
by Grammaton Cleric Binks
even though it was, and probably still is available instantly on Netfix. I did see Dragonheart, and enjoyed that immensely. It wouldn't have been the same without Connery and Quaid though.
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Died of ovarian cancer in 2004. Now fap to that.
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Its one of those ones I keep forgetting exists, I should check it out though. Great pic
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Great scenes in this movie. i can still remember when the little ones were having dinner.
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We don't really get those anymore, do we? I miss those moments.
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The last one I remember was the warrior bug-stampede in Starship Troopers; it was just light years beyond what CGI had done before (and CGI has not impressed me since).
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Because Liam Neeson commands it!
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I haven't seen this in ages and really don't remember too much of it. Like someone mentioned above, Dragonheart is sticking in my mind, but not this one.
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For that matter- I'm REALLY surprised we haven't seen remakes of Gremlins, Jaws, E.T., Goonies, Terminator, Predator...the list goes on but I'm positive all these remakes are coming..
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Shame. So sad. I remember him not just for Alfred in the Batman movies, but for Top Secret, Venom.. the guy was a legend. Very sad day.
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Dwayne Mcduffie now Micheal Gough?
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We can only hope Smaug in The Hobbit looks as good as Vermithrax.
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You can have Dragonheart and Reign of Fire; I'll take that Badass Bitch any day! Tippett's masterpiece!
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March 17, 2011, 8:39 a.m. CST
always drove my a bit crazy that the on set large dragon head didnt match the model
by George Newman
there was just something off when comparing the heads of the two scales. still really like the movie though. several years ago i bought it on a whim from the $5 bin at wal-mart, and ever since, i'm glad i did not fight the compulsion.
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The Fu*K Face 76, Harry true fans of this site would of never walked out. That's it Im going next year, God willing.End of Line.
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God I am ITCHING to revisit this film now. Thanks for reminding us guys...
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If there was an alternate score to it and that goes for LadyHawke.
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I know this isn't exactly the place for it, but Michael Gough, Alfred to some folks, has passed away, aged 94. A veteran of UK cult horror movies and TV.
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Didn't see your post there.
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March 17, 2011, 9:33 a.m. CST
This is the most positive talkback I've read in a while. Thank you dragons!
by david_boreanez_cunt_hairz
No really, thank you dragons.
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March 17, 2011, 9:47 a.m. CST
I think Guillermo del Toro said that Vermithrax was his favorite film dragon.
by Frank Conniff
I wonder if Peter Jackson will keep his Smaug design for The Hobbit. It sounded interesting, but maybe a little too weird. In the New Yorker he was described as having a hatchet-shaped head. I pictured something like a hammerhead shark.
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I'm sure some of you saw, but in response to all the recent Dragonslayer love he added a couple of BTS shots and put them up on their FB page. Here's the link: http://on.fb.me/ftB6XE
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March 17, 2011, 9:50 a.m. CST
any time a movie shows a virgin sacrifice being devoured by baby dragons
by theycallmemrtibbs
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right before he would spit fire....One of the coolest dragons I've ever seen on film
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Vermithrax Prejorative is the definitive dragon in live-action film. No other, CGI or otherwise, has come close to its awesomeness.
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Great movie. The warrior is pleased with the affection for it.
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March 17, 2011, 10:28 a.m. CST
Hard to get a sense of scale, but that looks like one damn
by openthepodbaydoorshal
big model. Must of had to accomidate the go-motion gear. But yes, even after Dragonheart, Eragon, LOTR, Reign Of Fire and every other CGI dragon, Vermithrax still looks the best. Kudos to Mr. Tippet and his team.
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March 17, 2011, 10:34 a.m. CST
I wondre when Hollywood will make a good dragon movie
by RedLeaderStandingBy
LOTR doesn't count, it's not about dragons. The one wiht Chris Bale could be great, but turn out to be a mess. Maybe The Hobbit, but I don't know.
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Hard to believe this film tanked when it was released. Time has been kind, however, and it has come to be regarded as the damn fine fantasy film it is. I agree with all of those here who believe Vermithrax is still the best dragon on film. I remember being amazed in the theater. It still holds up well. Hell, it's the standard! CGI, schmi-GI, harrumph! And we must not fail to mention the crush-worthy Caitlin Clarke as the love interest/heroine. She was not only great in the role, she was a hottie. So sad she's gone.
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I remember one part near the end; Ralph Richardson's character (great part, btw) is getting ready to do battle, the dragon is on a mountain cliff nearby; sniffing the air if I remember the scene right - it can tell the wizard is around. Richardson mutters some incantation, and the dragon snarls and flies off as if to say, "Fawk you!" Another cool part is when we finally see the dragon in full view for the first time; Galen (Peter MacNicol) is rock hopping across the pond in the cave with his little shield and spear, hears a growling behind him, spins around--and then his neck cranes up and up; the look on his face is like, "Holeee sh**!" Kind of what us old enough to remember seeing it back then were saying, wasn't it?
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Yeah, for a dragon it was oddly expressive. Like when its babies (dragonettes?) were killed by Galen. It definitely had murder in its eyes.
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That still look so fluid you would almost swear it was real. Kudos to Tippett and ILM on this landmark fantasy film.
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March 17, 2011, 11:22 a.m. CST
Wow, a lot of love for this movie. Will have to check it out.
by WriteForTheEdit
And that is one sweet looking dragon in that shot. PRACTICAL!
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...dragon put to film. It shows just how far the movie making industry has fallen. Todays answer to any movie is load it with CGI f/x and forget the story... or acting... or music... or, or, or... OR, make it 3-D. To those of you posting that you've never seen this, it's well worth the watch.
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March 17, 2011, 11:29 a.m. CST
This movie's soundtrack is one of the CDs I have playing...
by Royston Lodge
...in the background when the guys come over for some epic Dungeons & Dragons gameplay (3.5 edition, if you're curious. Fuck 4e up it's stupid ass.)
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I've also rear that Jackson and his people have been watching and re-watching DRAGONSLAYER because they are going to base their creature on this one.
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I liked the overall feel of the film, with the pagan ways being overtaken by this new christian religion. The dragon really made this film because it embodied some of the last pagan beliefs and when Christianity wasn't saving them from the dragon they new they were in deep shit. =]
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March 17, 2011, 11:45 a.m. CST
Imagine if Peter Jackson used Go-Motion in The Hobbit.
by Royston Lodge
It'll never happen, but a boy can dream.
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i like Krull
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March 17, 2011, 11:50 a.m. CST
Ah, the 80's, the last decade when you could see boobs in a PG-rated movie
by Nasty In The Pasty
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If that's what makes your slinky swing, check out Sheena, with Tanya Roberts. More skin than a PG flick has any right to show....
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March 17, 2011, 12:20 p.m. CST
nasty in the p - like Harry siad last week, Excalibur -
by openthepodbaydoorshal
with all the screwing and killing and impailing and such was PG....ah, good times. Goood times.
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I need to watch it again.
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is from "Enter The Dragon"?
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March 17, 2011, 1:10 p.m. CST
IF JACKSON HAD USED GO-MOTION FOR L.O.T.R. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A SLIGHTLY LESS BORING MOVIE
by Wacky Packages
That's right, Peter Jackson sucks. The only reason people like Jackson's Lord of the Rings is because the only other Tolkien film to compare it to is Bakshi's pile of animated excrement. Jackson's movie is as overblown and excessive as his WETA demo reel known as King Kong.
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I don't get all the hatred for Krull myself. Tbs, its greatest problem was that it didn't quite know what it wanted to be. You had one scene where a Slayer stabs one of the kings of the land of Krull through the neck with a wrist spike, while a few minutes later you have a guy that turns to a duck. Then there was The Beast, who's power seemed to be primarily the ability to breathe balls of energy. How such a wuss was somehow able to lead legions of Slayers, I'll never know. If it were to be rebooted should get rid of the lame attempts at comedy, bring a darker tone to the whole enterprise, get rid of that whole marriage sub-plot–or rework it so that it isn't so corny, and have an enemy that's actually tougher than the lowliest of his servants. But the glaive was so cool.
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Like The Exorcist, The Thing, and Poltergeist, this movie's damn near flawless. Krull had some flaws, but deserved a better fate. It hit the theater the same time as another major motion picture, Return of the Jedi I think. Had it been a late August-November or February-March release it probably wouldn't have tanked. Krull's most major flaw was that the Glaive, possibly the coolest movie weapon, turned out to be underused and worthless. The hero goes through the whole movie carrying it while all of his buddies are dropping like flies. He's instructed by the wise old sage to not use it until "[...]it's time. You will know when." That was a piss poor explanation. It would have been a whole lot easier for there to have been a quest near the END of the movie where he gets the Glaive, then heads to the Black Fortress. That being said, Krull had an awesome cast of British actors who added a gravity to the movie that made it the darkest fantasy movie of the '80's. The costumes and set designs were very unique as well. There were a lot of sharp angles everywhere. The creatures were fairly decent as well. I like that the slayers only carried one energy bolt in their sword, making them advanced, but not super powerful. The whole scene where the Changeling tries to kill Colwyn is very well done. A lot of suspense there. Finally, the Crystal Spider. That was stop motion at its finest. Perhaps stop motion lends itself to how a spider moves, but it was definitely creepy. And, the Cyclops was a motherfucking tank.
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First dragon movie I saw and I'm old enough that I saw it in a theater. This is back in the day when all of the great flicks that inspired a legion of D&D players like I was as a kid came out. We didn't have internet accounts so that we could play some video game. No sir. We rolled the damn dice and had dungeon Masters guide us through our adventures. Adventures that primarily stimulated our imaginations. These films were so strong for us because it was the one time that our imaginations could be realized in front of our eyes. No, we were by no means cool. But we had great fun. SPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILER***************************** (I like the scene at the end of the film where Vermithrax, having been vanquished, lay dead in the bed of the lake and the king casually walks up to him and pokes a sword into his carcass, thusly claiming the kill for himself)
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But the picture looks amazing!! Thats an amazing dragon design. Now who can tell me, is this movie really any good? Or is good because you saw it as a kid, youre a nerd, and dragons are cool? Just curious. Ill netflix it right now.
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Rent it, buy it, whatever, but see it. Disney showed some serious edge in getting involved with this one. There's a bit of a drag in the middle when they think they've finished the dragon off (not spoiling anything for you so no worries) but when the truth is revealed, it goes full tilt boogie until the end. As Joe Bob would say, check it out twice.
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I'm gonna get lit on fire and flogged for this, but anyways.... The Glaive looked cool in action, but you gotta be damn quick on the draw in catching that boomerang, otherwise you're going to lose a finger or two. Not sure if that's an ideal design for a weapon to be used when you're knee deep in it.
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Perhaps if you used it to slash I could see it, but to throw it, and expect to catch it with the same amount of fingers you began with, I don't know. Then again, if Blade could do it, I guess anyone can;)
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March 17, 2011, 4:23 p.m. CST
Correct - Vermithrax is the best cinema dragon ever...
by Darth Macchio
I love this movie and even with it's warts, I still have absurdly fond memories of every aspect (the 'Dragonslayer' pike chops than anvil in two like butter - sweetness!). Saw this in the theater and was in awe - especially the ending. And yes, I had a big crush on Caitlin - especially the "swimming in the pond" scene of course! But everything with Vermithrax is just brilliantly done. Go-motion made it look utterly real and I actually thought they had made a mostly life-size model and somehow made it look fluid in movement. Simply brilliant effects work. I might get burnt to a crisp for saying this, but I felt that "Reign of Fire's" dragons, for being CGI, we're kewl in how they were designed. It occurred to me upon first glance that they were inspired by our scaly pal, Vermithrax. I hope PJ can blow us away cinematically with how Smaug is realized on screen in ways that make dwarf how amazing it was seeing Jurassic Park in the theater for the first time and the infamous T-rex scene. Jeeze...what was in the water in Hollywood in the early 80s? I hate to sound like some dust farting, snobby prick talking shit to the whippersnappers but holy shit was the early 80's not the most prolific output of sheer talent on almost every level in the world of cinema? Rob Bottin on The Thing (dude was 23 years old at the time!!! 23!!!) and Phil Tippet's brilliant work on Vermithrax in Dragonslayer just 2 examples of the genius work going on behind the scenes!
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I agree....The Dragons in Reign of Fire reminded me of Vermithrax.
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