Exclusive Interview with Mike Elizalde: Amazing Special Effects Artist

Mike Elizalde

Jackie Jekyll – GoreMaster.com

Mike Elizalde, whose credits include “X-Men: The Last Stand”, both of the “Fantastic Four” films, both of the “Hellboy” films and most recently “The Land of the Lost” film, has been in the special effects business for over 20 years.   Mr. Elizalde was nominated for a “Best Makeup” Oscar for his work on Hellboy II (2008).  He is the owner of Spectral Motion an all purpose special effects shop offering Creatures, Props, Special Makeup Effects. His shop specializes in the design and creation of astonishing cinematic creature effects, special makeup effects, animatronics and action props.  Mr. Elizalde shares his journey into the world of filmmaking and special effects with GoreMaster.

Read the Exclusive Interview HERE!

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2009 ALMA Awards Honorees in Movies

Sofia Vergara

from AceShowBiz.com

Javier Bardem and Joaquin Phoenix are vying for Best Actor of the Year title, while Cameron Diaz, Eva Mendes and Penelope Cruz will battle it out for the actress kudo.

The honorees for ALMA Awards 2009′s special achievement in motion picture category have been unraveled by the National Council of

Eva Mendes

La Raza. On Tuesday, August 25 at a news conference at Beso Restaurant, NCLR President and CEO Janet Murguia and Executive Producer Eva Longoria revealed that there will be 11 actors and 8 actresses competing for Best Actor and Best Actress.

Among those vying for Best Actor of the Year title are “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” leading man Javier Bardem, “Two Lovers” star Joaquin Phoenix and “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” actor Ramon Rodriguez. Meanwhile, the actresses receiving nominations include Cameron Diaz, Eva Mendes, Michelle Rodriguez, Penelope Cruz and Rosario Dawson.

Beside the performers in motion pictures, a number of film crew also get a shot at winning Behind the Scenes honor. “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” director Kenny Ortega, “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” helmer Guillermo del Toro, “Twilight” make-up artist Jeanne Van Phue and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” cinematographer Claudio Miranda are among them.

The larger number of nominees for each category is part of the significant format change for this year’s ALMA Awards. “If you like the ALMA Awards, you will love this year’s show because we’re bringing you more of what you love most, unique musical pairings and the best Latino entertainment,” Murguia shared on the changes.

The 2009 ALMA Awards will be taped on September 17 at the Royce Hall Auditorium at UCLA and aired on ABC Television Network the next day, September 18 from 8:00 to 10:00 P.M. ET/PT. Eva Longoria will co-host with George Lopez. To give special honors to Salma Hayek and Oscar De La Hoya, and special tribute to the late Ricardo Montalban, ALMA also honors the best in television, music and sports television.

Zoe Saldana

2009 ALMA Awards’ Special Achievement Honorees for Year in Film:
Best Actor of the Year:

Alfred Molina, “The Pink Panther 2″

Cheech Marin, “Race to Witch Mountain”

Freddy Rodriguez, “Nothing Like the Holidays”

Oscar Nunez, “The Proposal”

Clifton Collins Jr., “Star Trek” and “Crank: High Voltage”

Efren Ramirez, “Crank: High Voltage”

Javier Bardem, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Joaquin Phoenix, “Two Lovers”

John Leguizamo, “Nothing Like the Holidays”

Luis Guzman, “The Taking of Pelham 123″

Ramon Rodriguez, “Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen”

 

Best Actress of the Year:

Elisabeth Pena, “Nothing Like the Holidays”

Sofia Vergara, “Madea Goes to Jail”

Cameron Diaz, “My Sister’s Keeper”

Eva Mendes, “The Women” and “The Spirit”

Michelle Rodriguez, “Fast and Furious”

Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Rosario Dawson, “Seven Pounds”

Zoe Saldana, “Star Trek”

Dark Knight Receives Five Saturn Awards, WALL-E Wins for Animation

Press Release from the Saturn Awards – 6/29/09

It was a stellar evening for “The Dark Knight” as the Christopher Nolan film garnered five Saturn Awards at the 35th Annual Saturn Awards. The film was named Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film. The Warner Bros. release also received awards for Best Writing: Christopher Nolan & Jonathan Nolan, Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, Best Music: Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard, and Best Special Effects.

Also receiving multiple Saturn Awards were “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and “Iron Man” which won three Saturn Awards apiece.

“Battlestar Galactica” proved to be the most decorated series of the evening with three Saturn Awards including Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series, Best Actor on Television: Edward James Olmos, and Best Actress on Television: Mary McDonnell. “Lost” received the Saturn Award for Best Network Series. Show co-creator, J.J. Abrams accepted the award on stage.

The highlight at the awards ceremony were the special awards presented throughout the evening. Actor Lance Henriksen received the Life Career Award for his strong body of work in film and television. Actor Ed Harris presented the award to Henriksen on stage.

DreamWorks Animation studio head, Jeffrey Katzenberg, was awarded the inaugural Visionary Award for his efforts in advancing 3D film presentation. Top filmmaker Jerry Bruckheimer presented this prestigious award to Mr. Katzenberg at the event.

Genre icon Leonard Nimoy was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award for his work in film and television which covers five decades. Mostly known for his portrayal of the Vulcan, Mr. Spock, Leonard’s accomplishment extend to many more projects including the series, Mission Impossible, Columbo, and the recent show, Fringe. Presenting the award was top filmmaker J.J. Abrams, who recently directed the hit film, Star Trek, for Paramount Pictures.

Many genre leaders were in attendance including: Michael Emerson and Mark Pellegrino (from Lost), Zachary Levi, Justin Hartley, Kevin Feige, Jack Coleman, Cristine Rose and Adrian Pasdar (from Heroes), Scott Porter, Ann Robinson, Sean Faris, Carlos Bernard (24), Kristin Bell, Andrea Roth, Casper Van Dien, Kevin Sorbo, Jim Parsons & Simon Helberg (from The Big Bang Theory), Larry Cohen, Frank Darabont, Greg Cannom, Michael Biehn, Jennifer Carpenter, Dean Devlin, Edward James Olmos, Tom DeSanto, Vince Gilligan, Aaron Paul (from Breaking Bad), James Newton Howard, and Hans Zimmer. This year’s reception was hosted by Entertainment Weekly. The Afterparty was sponsored by Highlander Films.

The 35th Annual Saturn Awards were presented by The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, a non-profit organization created in 1972 to honor, recognize and promote genre entertainment. The Academy was founded by noted film historian, Dr. Donald A. Reed, who passed away in 2001. Robert Holguin currently serves as President of the Academy. Mark Altman is Co-President of the Saturn Awards.

Best Science Fiction Film:
IRON MAN

Best Fantasy Film:
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

Best Horror Film:
HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY

Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film:
THE DARK KNIGHT

Best Actor:
ROBERT DOWNEY, JR.
(Iron Man)

Best Actress:
ANGELINA JOLIE
(Changeling)

Best Supporting Actor:
HEATH LEDGER
(The Dark Knight)

Best Supporting Actress:
TILDA SWINTON
(The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
Best Performance by a Younger Actor:
JADEN CHRISTOPHER SMITH
(The Day the Earth Stood Still)

Best Director:
JON FAVREAU
(Iron Man)

Best Writer:
CHRISTOPHER NOLAN and JONATHAN NOLAN (The Dark Knight)

Best Music:
HANS ZIMMER and JAMES NEWTON HOWARD (The Dark Knight)

Best Costume:
MARY ZOPHRES
(Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull)

Best Make-Up:
GREG CANNOM
(The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)

Best Special Effects:
NICK DAVIS, CHRIS CORBOULD, TIMOTHY WEBBER, PAUL J. FRANKLIN
(The Dark Knight)

Best International Film:
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN

Best Animated Film:
WALL-E

Best Television Series:
LOST

Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA

Best Presentation on Television:
THE LIBRARIAN: THE CURSE OF THE JUDAS CHALICE

Best Actor on Television:
EDWARD JAMES OLMOS
(Battlestar Galactica)

Best Actress on Television:
MARY MCDONNELL
(Battlestar Galactica)

Best Supporting Actor on Television:
ADRIAN PASDAR
(Heroes)

Best Supporting Actress on Televison:
JENNIFER CARPENTER
(Dexter)

Guest Starring Role on Television:
JIMMY SMITS
(Dexter)

Best DVD Release:
JACK BROOKS: MONSTER SLAYER

Best DVD Special Edition Release:
STEPHEN KING’S THE MIST (2 disc Special Edition)

Best DVD Classic Film Release:
PSYCHO (Universal Legacy Series)

Best DVD Collection:
THE GODFATHER-THE COPPOLA RESTORATION

Best Series on DVD:
MOONLIGHT

Best Retro Series on DVD:
THE INVADERS

The Life Career Award:
LANCE HENRIKSEN

The Lifetime Achievement Award:
LEONARD NIMOY

The Visionary Award:
JEFFREY KATZENBERG

The 2009 FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards Results

BEST WIDE-RELEASE FILM
HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY
CLOVERFIELD
THE STRANGERS
THE RUINS
QUARANTINE
Write-ins: FUNNY GAMES; DOOMSDAY; MIRRORS

BEST LIMITED-RELEASE/DIRECT-TO-VIDEO FILM
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
JACK BROOKS: MONSTER SLAYER
ROGUE
STUCK
THE LIVING AND THE DEAD
Write-ins: INSIDE; MACHINE GIRL; MOTHER OF TEARS

BEST ACTOR
Ron Perlman, HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY
Kare Hedebrant, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
Marc Senter, THE LOST
Trevor Matthews, JACK BROOKS: MONSTER SLAYER
Leo Bill, THE LIVING AND THE DEAD
Write-ins: Brian Cox, RED; Anthony Stewart Head, REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA; Jay Hernandez, QUARANTINE; Kiefer Sutherland, MIRRORS

BEST ACTRESS
Lina Leandersson, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
Naomi Watts, FUNNY GAMES
Eliza Dushku, THE ALPHABET KILLER
Jess Weixler, TEETH
Alysson Paradis, INSIDE
Write-ins: Asia Argento, MOTHER OF TEARS; Jennifer Carpenter, QUARANTINE; Liv Tyler, THE STRANGERS

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Doug Jones, HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY
TIE: Michael Pitt, FUNNY GAMES/Vinnie Jones, THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN
Robert Englund, JACK BROOKS: MONSTER SLAYER
A.J. Bowen, THE SIGNAL
Write-ins: Luke Goss, HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY; Jean-Pierre Jorris, FRONTIER(S); Noah Segan, DEADGIRL

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Beatrice Dalle, INSIDE
Anna Walton, HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY
Lauren Roy, THE CHAIR
Jennifer Ellison, THE COTTAGE
Lou Doillon, SISTERS
Write-ins: Selma Blair, HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY; Megan Henning, THE LOST; Mylene Jampanoi, MARTYRS; Laura Ramsey, THE RUINS

BEST SCREENPLAY
John Ajvide Lindqvist, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
Guillermo del Toro, HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY
Mitchell Lichtenstein, TEETH
TIE: John Ainslie, Jon Knautz, JACK BROOKS: MONSTER SLAYER/John Strysik, STUCK
Write-in: Dario Argento, Adam Gierasch, Jace Anderson, MOTHER OF TEARS

BEST SCORE
John Soderqvist, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
tomandandy, THE STRANGERS
TIE: Michael Giacchino, CLOVERFIELD/Ryan Shore, JACK BROOKS: MONSTER SLAYER
Robert Miller, TEETH
Write-ins: Danny Elfman, HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY; Claudio Simonetti, MOTHER OF TEARS

BEST MAKEUP/CREATURE FX
Mike Elizalde, Cliff Wallace, David Martí, Montse Ribé, HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY
Robert Hall, QUARANTINE
David Scott, JACK BROOKS: MONSTER SLAYER
Jacques-Olivier Molon, INSIDE
Todd Tucker, Drac Studios, TRAILER PARK OF TERROR
Write-in: John Cox, ROGUE

WORST FILM
The top five vote-getters were:
PROM NIGHT
CLOVERFIELD
THE HAPPENING
SAW V
TWILIGHT

 With a tie for second place here, we’re inducting three new members into the FANGORIA HORROR HALL OF FAME:
Doug Jones, Forrest J Ackerman and Roger Corman.

Guillermo del Toro takes on Hobbit, Frankenstein, Jekyll and Hyde

Guillermo del Toro speaks to BBC Newsnight Review

   Mexican director Guillermo del Toro is on a quest to catalogue things that go bump in the night. Having tackled Hellboy and Blade, he is about to start filming his two part film version of J R R Tolkien’s Middle Earth drama The Hobbit. He is also planning his own filmic takes on Frankenstein’s monster and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

As if that wasn’t enough to be going on with, he has just published The Strain, the first of a planned series of horror novels about vampires written with Chuck Hogan.

Frankenstein, Jekyll, vampires – you’re steeped in horror at the moment, will it spill over into The Hobbit?

The intensity of the scenes of the Hobbit will have the intensity they had in the book when I was a kid reading them.

The spiders of Mirkwood are a pretty harrowing experience and facing the great goblin in the caves is quite a thrilling moment. The Battle of the Five Armies, the first encounter with Gollum – there are scary moments in the book.

But they are already there. We are not inventing or trying to do horror for horror’s sake we are trying to imbue those moments of intensity in the book into the movie.

 

Are you going to do anything different with Gollum to heighten that?
From a design standpoint it will be the same creature just a few years earlier, but I think that there is never a scene quite like riddles in the dark in the trilogy.

As an introduction to Gollum and a flashpoint in the origin of that character, it is so powerful and so primal that it would be different in that way. We are presenting a side of the character that is very strong and very beautiful and iconic.

What’s been the biggest challenge of working on The Hobbit so far?

Believing that it’s real! I am so happy doing this movie that I truly dread that it will be a dream. It’s fantastic.

I am 44, and it has taken me 44 years to really start living like a child. I go to work every day with the joy and enthusiasm of a kid, playing with his friends in a fantastic sandbox.

And next you get to put your own stamp on two other favourites, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Frankenstein. How will you do that?

They’ve never been told quite the way I am planning to tell them. I have a very strong and interesting take on Frankenstein. It’s my favourite creature ever, both in film and literature.

But I think there is still one story to be told, at least from my point of view. And that’s using the monster of Frankenstein as a very Miltonian figure, a man abandoned by his creator in a world he doesn’t understand.

For Jekyll and Hyde I have a very interesting take. It’s quite perverse.

There are two key things in the story I’m attracted to. One I will not reveal because it’s a good surprise. But the second one is the fact that Jekyll becomes addicted in a joyful and liberating way to becoming Mr. Hyde.

We always see addiction from the puritanical point of view. We always talk about the horrors of addiction. But people are addicted to substances and experiences for a reason. There is a powerful thing that fills something missing in their lives. Jekyll becomes addicted to Hyde.

Both Jekyll and Hyde and Frankenstein I would do as period pieces. I don’t want to modernise them or try to set them in the present day.

You have tackled vampires before in Blade II, why choose to return to them for your novels?

Both Chuck Hogan and I wanted to take Eastern European oral folklore about vampirism but give it a very CSI influenced, happening now, pandemic emergency feeling. Because that is what Bram Stoker did with Dracula in the 1890s. That book was a sort of brisk, procedural book that was steeped in Eastern European lore.

Little by little, in the trilogy, we’re going to reinvent anatomy, biology, the spiritual origins of vampires and the mythology.

I’ve been studiously reading both vampire fact and fiction since I was a kid. I love John Polidori’s The Vampyre, a penny dreadful called Varney the Vampyre, I love Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend and Salem’s Lot by Stephen King. I’m even more influenced by studies in Vampirism as fact in the 18th and 19th Centuries.

Vampires as fact? Do you think they exist in some form then?

No, but I believe that creatures and places can exist if they exist in the collective imagination. Although we’ll never find a vampire corpse or a real alternate species of human or sub-human, they do exist by virtue of the fact that we have all willed them into reality. The same as dragons and a few other creatures.

 

What draws you to all these dark creatures in your work?

Actually, normally I write and direct movies that show the monster as a creature more human than the humans.

But in the case of The Strain, the vampires nest in places of great tragedy [the site of the Twin Towers, Treblinka] and they ultimately represent our inhuman side. An inhumanity that is beyond our scope.

Guillermo del Toro’s filmography

2008: Hellboy II: The Golden Army

2006: Pan’s Labyrinth

2004: Hellboy                                                                            

2002:Blade II

2001: The Devil’s Backbone

1997: Mimic

1993: Cronos

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Land of the Lost is ‘found’ June 5th

With a budget of 100 million dollars , Land of the Lost retells the story of a classic ‘70’s TV show. For those unfamiliar, here’s the storyline:

   On his latest expedition, Dr. Rick Marshall (Will Ferrell) is sucked into a space-time vortex alongside his research assistant (Anna Friel) and a redneck survivalist (Danny McBride). In this alternate universe, the trio makes friends with a primate named Chaka (Jorma Taccone), their only ally in a world full of dinosaurs and other fantastic creatures. Can they all make it back to our world alive, and if so: Will Dr. Marshall can go from zero to hero with his discoveries?

   Look for dinosaurs and the return of the Sleestaks in this adventure/sci-fi/comedy.

IMDB list these talented folks in the Makeup and Special Effects Departments:

Steve Artmont ( Contact ,Constantine , Step Brothers ) is the makeup department head

Roland Blancaflor (Total Recall ,300, Hook) is the prosthetic department supervisor/speciality costumes

Mike Elizalde (Men in Black, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, X-Men: The Last Stand) is the creature and makeup effects designer

Bart Mixon (Iron Man, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest , X-Men: The Last Stand) is the special makeup effects artist

Brian Walsh (Fantastic Four, Hellboy, Lady in the Water) is the makeup production supervisor: Spectral Motion, Inc

Michael Lantieri (Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest) is the special effects supervisor

Russell Lukich ( Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Jurassic Park III ) is the on set supervisor: Key Sculptor, Puppeteer: Spectral Motion

Brent Baker (Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Spider-Man, Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer) is the  mold department and life-casting supervisor: Spectral Motion.

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