Peter Jackson:
Ray Harryhausen:
Ray Bradbury:
Forrest J. Ackerman:
John Landis:
Dennis Muren:
The Sci-Fi Boys
Information:
[SCIFI] | 2006 | 80 min | Feature Documentary
Directed by: Paul Davids and Ishai Setton
(The Sci-Fi Boys)USA
World Premiere
Interests: Documentary
Official Website
Cast & Credits
Synopsis
From Fritz Lang's Metropolis to Universal's B-horror films of the first half of the century to the digitally enhanced blockbusters of the last few decades, science-fiction and special-effects films have sparked the imaginations of countless moviegoers around the world. The Sci-Fi Boys is an entertaining and heartfelt homage to both the genre itself and the people who played a part in its development, from its humble beginnings in stop-motion animation to the multi-million dollar CGI projects. Special attention is paid to visual effects master Ray Harryhausen (Jason and the Argonauts, First Men on the Moon) and the inimitable Forrest J. Ackerman (creator of the magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland), both of whom inspired a whole generation of sci-fi fans to make their own amateur monster movies as a precursor to creating the art and technology for films like Star Wars, Jurassic Park, and The Lord of the Rings. This documentary also features interviews with some of sci-fi's top producers, directors, writers, and special effects artists, including Peter Jackson, Ray Bradbury, Roger Corman, John Landis, Dennis Muren, Rick Baker, Leonard Maltin, and Steven Spielberg, as well as footage from several of their amateur films. The Sci-Fi Boys is a must-see for anyone who has screamed, gasped, or laughed at a movie monster.
--Kellen Quinn+About The Director
Paul Davids first became a "Sci-Fi Boy" as production coordinator and writer of the TV series The Transformers. In 1994 he was executive producer and cowriter of Roswell, a Showtime movie that received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Television Motion Picture. In 1996, Davids directed the documentary Timothy Leary's Dead, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival and sold out at the Toronto Film Festival. He then went on to produce and direct Starry Night and The Artist and the Shaman, which detailed his adventures as a painter in Sedona, Arizona. A native of Maryland, he holds an B.A. in Psychology from Princeton and an M.A. equivalent in Writing and Directing from the American Film Institute. He is a member of the Writer's Guild and the Producer's Guild of America.
+Director Statement
Don't be embarrassed if your sci-fi IQ would make a sci-fi fan sigh. This movie represents the education about the genre that you have been waiting for, and it's been in production for about 40 years. No, I'm not exaggerating. I began filming special effects with clay dinosaurs and plastic spaceships when I was about eight years old. Dennis Muren did the same, and you'll see his 8 mm childhood monsterpieces in The Sci-Fi Boys too, for the first time ever. Now he's won eight Academy Awards®. Rick Baker? No different, except he only has six Academy Awards®. Rick will tell you how he used to walk three miles with 35 cents in his pocket to buy Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, edited by Forry Ackerman, who was like his uncle. You'll see lots of hardcore sci-fi geeks in my movie, including Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Ray Harryhausen, Roger Corman, Ray Bradbury, John Landis, Stephen Sommers, Steve Johnson, and King Kong director Peter Jackson, who kindly consented to be the host of the picture. It's all about the history of special effects, from the zany days when it was all done in Paul Blaisdell's garage for $200 a monster to the mind-boggling $100 million computer effects of today. You'll even get to see some creatures that my buddies and I built before we got out of seventh grade. With all the time we invested in that, we were lucky we made it to eighth grade! So, as Forry Ackerman always says, "beast witches" to you, and I hope you enjoy lurking at this movie.
