We on the Cinefex editorial staff were about a month into our two-month research and writing period for issue 171 when, in a single day in mid-March, four of the five films we were covering had their release dates pulled due to pandemic-related movie theater closures. We dubbed it the ‘Saint Patrick’s Day Massacre,’ and it left us shell-shocked. Worse, it left us with no new movies to cover, and precious little time to come up with new content. Our dilemma paled in comparison to those who had fallen ill with the virus, or those who were losing loved ones. To paraphrase a great silver-screen p ..read more

When climate change and global war caused the Earth to overheat, scientists used technology to cool the planet. But they went too far. Temperatures plummeted to minus 184 degrees Fahrenheit, the world’s entire ecosystem crashed, and the few surviving humans took refuge in a giant train built by mega-rich inventor Mr. Wilford. Known as Snowpiercer, the train was designed as a haven for billionaires. But as the train left the station to begin its endless circuits around the frozen Earth, its tail section was invaded by a horde of ordinary citizens. A highly stratified society has since evolved ..read more

To create cinematic illusions, you need conjurors. In this series of spotlight interviews, we ask movie magicians what makes them tick. Dan Bethell works as a visual effects supervisor at Rising Sun Pictures. His personal filmography highlights include Batman Begins, Mad Max: Fury Road, Thor: Ragnarok and Outlaw King. CINEFEX: How did you get started in the business, Dan? DAN BETHELL: I was lucky enough to find a University course for Computer Animation and Visualisation when I left secondary school. As a student I really wanted to be a graphic designer, but I’d spent (nearly) my whole life p ..read more

Searchlight Pictures’ Wendy was one of the last films to open in North America before the coronavirus pandemic darkened cinemas worldwide. The film opened, in limited release, after its Sundance Film Festival premiere where critics heralded Wendy as filmmaker Benh Zeitlin’s second feature – following his Oscar-nominated postdiluvian fantasy Beasts of the Southern Wild – which they described as a loose retelling of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. For general audiences, the production seemed far removed from previous Pans by Walt Disney or Steven Spielberg, recent remakes by P.J. L ..read more

Of all the different types of films we cover in Cinefex, my personal favorites are those that are not visual effects films – no monsters or creatures, no spaceships, no alien landscapes or Death Star explosions. I most enjoy covering reality-based movies in which visual effects play a pivotal but nearly invisible role. Sam Mendes’ 1917 is one of those, and Joe Fordham covers it beautifully in Cinefex 170. Reality doesn’t get grittier than a story set in the trenches of World War I, but visual effects were essential to the film’s conceit of one very long, uninterrupted shot as the action plays ..read more

A message to our readers from Cinefex publisher Gregg Shay In ways large and small, barely a soul on the planet has been left unaffected by the coronavirus crisis, and the uncertainty of future developments amidst the accelerating speed of the virus’ worldwide spread, is worrisome to all, to say the least. Almost every company I do business with has reached out in the last two weeks, offering words of support and sympathy to their customers and clients, and advising them of what’s going on in their corner of the business world.  A growing number of states in the U.S. — including ours — a ..read more

Anyone who tuned into Amazon Studios’ eight-episode, three-hour animated drama, Undone, last Fall knew they were in for a strange ride. From its first episode, the series depicted its heroine, Alma Winograd-Diaz (Rosa Salazar), as a feisty young kindergarten teacher, in painterly rotoscoped animation, with limpid eyes and a feisty temper. As Alma argues with her nuptial-obsessed elder sister (Angelique Cabral) and spars with her constantly-critical mother (Constance Marie), she communes with visions of her long-deceased father, Jacob (Bob Odenkirk), a former physicist, who flits in and out ..read more

Open up our 40th anniversary celebration issue, Cinefex 169, and you’ll find The Illusionists, a giant roundtable discussion in which 21 Oscar-winning visual effects supervisors debate the past, present and future of cinematic illusions. We recorded over 14 hours of interview material for the article, and inevitably some of it ended up on the cutting room floor. In this series of short blogs, we’re pleased to share a few of our favorite outtakes. To read the full roundtable, pick up your copy of Cinefex 169. CINEFEX — You were visual effects supervisor on the original Total Recall back in 1 ..read more

Open up our 40th anniversary celebration issue, Cinefex 169, and you’ll find The Illusionists, a giant roundtable discussion in which 21 Oscar-winning visual effects supervisors debate the past, present and future of cinematic illusions. We recorded over 14 hours of interview material for the article, and inevitably some of it ended up on the cutting room floor. In this series of short blogs, we’re pleased to share a few of our favorite outtakes. To read the full roundtable, pick up your copy of Cinefex 169. CINEFEX — What inspired you to get into the visual effects business? STEPHEN ROS ..read more

Open up our 40th anniversary celebration issue, Cinefex 169, and you’ll find The Illusionists, a giant roundtable discussion in which 21 Oscar-winning visual effects supervisors debate the past, present and future of cinematic illusions. We recorded over 14 hours of interview material for the article, and inevitably some of it ended up on the cutting room floor. In this series of short blogs, we’re pleased to share a few of our favorite outtakes. To read the full roundtable, pick up your copy of Cinefex 169. CINEFEX — What’s your approach when you start a new visual effects project? Do you ..read more