Can’t Look Away: The Lure of Horror Film

Source: EMP Museum

EMP Museum announced the opening of its new exhibition Can’t Look Away: The Lure of Horror Film which takes an in-depth exploration into horror, its link to humanity, and how that connection is expressed through cinema, biology, history, and contemporary culture. EMP invited some of the world’s most prolific horror film directors – Roger Corman, John Landis, and Eli Roth – to curate a selection of their favorite films that exemplify the genre and illustrate the creative power of horror film. Can’t Look Away: The Lure of Horror Film opens October 2, 2011 at EMP.

"Audiences have been fascinated with horror stories for centuries, but its presence in popular culture is now more pervasive than ever," says EMP’s Senior Curator, Jacob McMurray. "This exhibition will examine how horror film has evolved over the last century, why we as a culture are drawn to these macabre narratives, and how fear and horror are a vital component to our human identity."

Through a combination of artifacts, interactive installations, and screening rooms, Can’t Look Away: The Lure of Horror Film explores films from the last 100 years, and is a balance between classics and cult favorites, and domestic and foreign motion pictures. They include: Nosferatu (1922), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Les Diaboliques (1955), Rosemary’s Baby (1968), Suspiria (1972), The Exorcist (1973), Psycho (1973), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), Alien (1979), The Shining (1980), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), The Fly (1986), The Thing (1982), and many others.

The exhibition will feature a selection of iconic artifacts from horror films including:
•Alien creature suit from Alien
•Scavenger demon from Constantine
•Jack Torrance’s axe from The Shining
•"Gill Man" mask from Creature from the Black Lagoon
•Bram Stoker’s Dracula manuscript
•Script from Night of the Living Dead

Interactive installations include:

Scream Booth: In a soundproof booth, visitors will watch a scene from a horror film and are encouraged to scream on cue. A camera takes multiple shots, which are displayed outside the booth.

Horror Soundscapes: Visitors will be able to explore basic music elements and scoring techniques used in horror film to enhance the sense of suspense and horror.

Monster Timeline: A large infographic explores the popular monster archetypes in horror, why they persist into our modern times, and why they resonate.

Shadow Monsters: An installation by visual artist Philip Worthington where visitors can see their projected shadows and watch them morph into monster-like forms.

HOURS
Winter hours September 6, 2011 - May 24, 2012, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Summer hours May 27, 2011 to September 5, 2011, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

CONTACT INFO
325 5th Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109
206-770-2700, main line
206-770-2702, box office
1-877-EMP-SFM1, toll-free
www.empmuseum.org

Seattle Science Fiction Museum

Text and Photos by Armand Vaquer

Above, the Science Fiction Museum in Seattle, Washington.

Back in February 2005, I was about to start a new job. So before I did, I decided to take a little trip up to Seattle, Washington to visit friends and see some of the city's attractions.

They included the Space Needle (left over from the 1962 Seattle World's Fair), the underground city, Jimi Hendrix's grave (in nearby Renton) and the Experience Music/Science Fiction Museums.

Above, the Space Needle is just a short walk away from the Space Museum.

I went to the Experience Music Museum and the Science Fiction Museum (they are connected to each other). They are in the shadow of the Space Needle. I enjoyed the Experience Music Museum (it gets its name from Hendrix's band, The Jimi Hendrix Experience). It had a great exhibit on the late guitar genius, which includes the clothes Hendrix wore at the Isle of Wight festival. At the time, it also had a temporary exhibit on Bob Dylan. It is well worth a visit alone (that's provided you're not interested in science-fiction).

The Science Fiction Museum was also enjoyable. It had opened the year before. Star Wars, television science fiction (Lost In Space, etc.) and 1950s sci-fi were all well-represented in the museum's exhibits.

Unfortunately, at the time there was very little on Japanese science-fiction. There was a reproduction of a Godzilla poster and a X-Plus Godzilla statue (if memory serves, it was the Godzilla from Godzilla vs. The Thing (known in Japan as Mothra vs. Godzilla from 1964) and not much else.

Before leaving the museum, I left a copy of the current issue of G-Fan with the front desk for the museum's director. I also followed up with a letter, upon returning home, to the director offering to assist in acquiring items related to Japanese sci-fi for the museum. I never received a reply.

I haven't been back to the museum since 2005, so I don't know if they've added anything to their Japanese sci-fi collection.



Before leaving, I bought a metal figure of Gort (above) from the original (and best) The Day The Earth Stood Still.

If one is a fan of science-fiction movies, a visit to the Science-Fiction Museum is a must.

For more information on the Seattle Experience Music/Science Fiction Museums, go here.

WILLATUK: THE LEGEND OF SEATTLE'S SEA SERPENT Earns A STIFFY At Seattle Indie Fest

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Sources: Willatuk.com / The Seattle Times

When people think of Seattle three things come to mind, the Space Needle, Starbucks Coffee and Grundge Rock.

Me, I think of that Bikini Coffee Shop that was on Food Network a while back....but that's because .......um.......I love coffee.

Anyway, the city that made really good caffeinated beverages and garage bands house hold names is a bout to have another claim to fame, the "Willatuk Sea Serpent."

Never heard of it? Not too surprising, for decades the monster has been living in the shadow of Seattle's other, more famous, monstrosities, Sasquatch, the Seahawks, Mariners, and the ghost of Kurt Cobain.

For centuries, the Native Americans around Puget Sound have encountered what can only be described as a living dinosaur. As the legend goes, the first tribes to encounter the creature lived in fear of it, even tried to hunt it down, but as the decades past, the mysterious monster became regarded as 'sacred'. There are even stories of the monster coming to the aide of the Indians to drive away packs of wild wolves.

Had ya going there for a second didn't I?

Okay, there is no "Willatuk Sea Serpent". The monster is actually the brain-child of Seattle film maker Oliver Tuthill Jr, who decided to create his own legend, combining his fascination with the "Loch Ness Monster", Native American culture and history.

Though the Pacific Northwest has many legends of sea monsters, Tuthill wanted to do something different and mapped out a three-hundred year history as a back story for his film.

For three years the film maker, and producer Dan Schwert, threw their heart, soul, and bank accounts into "Willatuk". Though their monster movie was a small-scale production, the two Seattle natives were able to land two big-name players for the production, Washington Congressman Jim McDermott and Academy Award-nominated actor Graham Greene ("Dances With Wolves") as the film's narrator.

Plot:

Now, for the first time, an in-depth look at the mysterious creature living within Puget Sound and Lake Washington. Willatuk: The Legend of Seattle's Sea Serpent explores the myth and saga of this massive aquatic animal and the impact it has had on people's lives.

Learn how Native Americans first sighted the creature in 1736 swimming off present-day Puget Sound and how white trappers first encountered Willatuk in 1818 on the shores of Lake Washington.

Learn the secrets of huge underwater caverns, which Willatuk uses deep within the waters of Lake Washington.

Hear how Willatuk is being hunted as prize game in the Northwest waters it calls home.

No other sea serpent in the world has also been spotted in fresh lake water. This is why the Wonkatilla tribe view Willatuk as a metaphor for a more tranquil time when humans lived in harmony with the natural world. This film explores that philosophy and shows how Native Americans view pollution, over-population, and those who hunt this noble creature for thrills and fame as threats that will ultimately lead to the end of Willatuk.

History:

The sea serpent Willatuk was first sighted in 1736 near present-day Seattle. Since then, hundreds of people have glimpsed this creature, some recording what they saw in simple drawings and hurried snapshots.
What is Willatuk?

Willatuk is a huge aquatic animal, similar to a plesiosaur, who is at home in both the fresh water of Lake Washington and the salt water of Puget Sound.

For the film, Tuthill and Schwert took a page out of the late Charles Pierce's book for "The Legend of Boggy Creek", and shot the whole thing as a straight-forward documentary with recreations (though fictitious) of encounters with the monster.

This past weekend, "Willatuk: The Legend of Seattle's Sea Serpent", won the STIFFY for 'best movie monster' at the Seattle's True Independent Film Festival (STIFF).

If I had started this article out with, "Blue Wood Films (Tuthill and Schwert's production company) wins a STIFFY", you wouldn't take this thing seriously.........would you?

I thought not.

View the photographic evidence of the "Willatuk Sea Serpent":

Viz Brings Happily Ever After To The US Film Festival Circuit

Source: Media Lab

VIZ Pictures has announced a series of special theatrical screenings of Happily Ever After, a live-action comedy directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi (Memories of Tomorrow) and based on a popular manga (graphic novel) series by Yoshiie Gouda.

HAPPILY EVER AFTER will screen in Seattle, WA August 15-21 at the Grand Illusion Cinema, followed by Scottsdale, AZ for a showing on October 4th at the Scottsdale International Film Festival, and then onto Pittsburgh, PA for a screening on October 10th at the 2008 Japanese Film Festival at the University of Pittsburgh. Information on each of the venues follows at the end of this press release. VIZ Pictures also plans a DVD release of the film in February 2009.

HAPPILY EVER AFTER was the subject of controversy upon its initial release in 2007 for its depiction of a co-dependent and devoted, but troubled wife, and her boorish, unemployed and often abusive husband. But director Yukihiko Tsutsumi keeps the laughs coming as he explores a sensitive subject in a visually striking, and darkly comedic way. Yukie Morita (played by Miki Nakatani of Train Man: Densha Otoko) works hard at a noodle shop and struggles to make ends meet, while her husband Isao (played by Hiroshi Abe of Godzilla 2000) hangs around all day gambling and getting into trouble. Isao's uncontrollable temper often results in the dinner table being overturned and their meal on the floor. Everyone advises Yukie to leave Isao, but her love for him is unconditional because he was the one who initially saved her from misery with his unconditional love.

“HAPPILY EVER AFTER is a visually inventive, and engrossing comedy that makes you feel warm, despite its depiction of a series of unluckiness and failures in life,” says Manami Iiboshi, Director, Marketing, VIZ Pictures. “This is not a story about an unhappy marriage, but about a journey of reuniting twin souls, overcoming successive hardships and problems with laughter. We are very pleased to present this unconventional love story to theatrical audiences."

Theatre information:

SEATTLE - Theatrical Screening: August 15-21
Grand Illusion Cinema
1403 NE 50th St. , Seattle WA 98105
(206) 523-3935 / http://www.grandillusioncinema.org/

SCOTTSDALE, AZ - Theatrical Screening: October 4
Scotts Dale International Film Festival
For details visit http://www.scottsdalefilmfestival.com

Pittsburgh, PA - Theatrical Screening: October 10
2008 Japanese Film Festival at University of Pittsburgh
For details visit http://www.ucis.pitt.edu/asc/news/index.shtml

For more information on HAPPILY EVER AFTER and other VIZ Pictures films please visit www.viz-pictures.com.

One Mans Robot Collection Becomes A Museum Exhibit

Source: Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame


Experience Music ProjectScience Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame (EMPSFM) is proud to announce a new exhibition, Robots: A Designer's Collection of Miniature Mechanical Marvels. The exhibition celebrates society’s long fascination with humankind's technological version of itself. The exhibition is drawn from a one-of-a-kind assemblage of toy robots, which noted graphic designer Tom Geismar has been collecting for decades. Robots: A Designer's Collection of Miniature Mechanical Marvels opens on Friday, May 16, 2008 and closes on Sunday, October 26, 2008.


The collection is inspired by Geismar’s interest in antique tin and wooden toys and mid-20th century Japanese film and anime characters. These intricately detailed and beautifully designed miniatures are set against EMPSFM's backdrop of life-sized robots, androids and cyborgs from the world of science-fiction film and television.

Geismar began collecting robots while designing the U.S. Pavilion at the 1970 World’s Fair in Japan. Since that time, he has amassed dozens of robots through visiting specialty shops around the world. The exhibition covers early toy robot figures from the Forbidden Planet-era up through various Voltron and Transformers-type robots. Robots: A Designer's Collection of Miniature Mechanical Marvels was designed by Pentagram Design.

“I’m proud to be able to show my collection, which exhibits the magic of toy robots,” said Tom Geismar. The imaginative creativity of these small sculptural wonders first appealed to me as a designer and eventually helped me to make cross-cultural connections.”

Robots: A Designer's Collection of Miniature Mechanical Marvelswill feature more than 125 robots from his collection, including two wooden robots specially made for Geismar by toymaker and children’s book author, David Kirk. Kirk is best known today for the Miss Spider series and Nova the Robot: Nova’s Ark.

“While putting this show together, we had an epiphany about the relationship between robots and children,” said Margie Maynard, director of education at EMPSFM. “The naiveté and candidness of robots (in science fiction) make them the perfect companions or guardians for children and likewise children are the logical choice to be the robots' pilots or operators.”

Tom Geismar is a founding principal of Chermayeff & Geismar, and widely considered a pioneer of American graphic design. During the past four decades he has designed more than a hundred corporate identity programs. His logo designs and graphics programs for Mobil, Chase Bank, PBS, Univision, Rockefeller Center, Best Products, Screen Gems, Gemini Consulting have received worldwide acclaim. Tom has also been responsible for many of the firm’s exhibition designs and world’s fair pavilions. Burlington Industries’ “The Mill” was a major NYC tourist attraction for 10 years as today are the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, the Statue of Liberty Museum, the Truman Presidential Library, and a series of special exhibits at the Library of Congress. He has received all the major awards in the field, including one of the first Presidential Design Awards for helping to establish a national system of standardized transportation symbols.

He is the co-author of “Spiritually Moving,” a major work on American Folk sculpture, “TM: trademarks designed by Chermayeff & Geismar” and “designing:” a book that describes his firm’s approach to design.

Geismar concurrently attended the Rhode Island School of Design and Brown University. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Brown, he received a master’s degree in graphic design from Yale University, School of Art and Architecture.

Museum Hours:

EMPSFM is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. from May 23, 2008 through September 1, 2008. EMPSFM will be open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from September 2, 2008 - May 21, 2009.

Museum Admission:

General adult admission to both Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame (EMPSFM) is $15. Admission for seniors, youth, military and students (w/ID) is $12, and admission for children under 5 is free. One ticket gives access to both museums.

Web site: empsfm.org

Address: 325 5th Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109
Box office:206-770-2702, 1-877-EMP-SFM1