Tag: tour

Bert I. Gordon is the legendary director of  “The Amazing Colossal Man”, “Empire of the Ants”, “Earth vs. The Spider” and so many other classics.  When you think 50’s creature feature sci-fi…you should be thinking about Bert I. Gordon.  He is known for using “Rear projection effect” in his films to create his monster effects. Bert was given the nickname “Mister B.I.G.” which refers to his initials and to his love for making movies about giant creatures. Movie Mikes had the privilege with chatting with Mr. Gordon about his films and his amazing career.

Click here to purchase Bert’s autobiography and his films

Mike Gencarelli: Have you always been a fan of the sci-fi genre?
Bert I. Gordon: No. I’ve always been a fan of watching movies on the screen.

MG: Working with the original monster films of the 50’s, what was the hardest task for you?
BG: The creatures were fun. They gave me a little problem at the beginning when we started to train them! But we finally got to be friends (laughs).

MG: “The Amazing Colossal Man” is one of my favorite films. How was it working on that film and the special effects?
BG: I enjoyed making that. But self appointed critics criticized my effects by saying I used rear projection on my films. On all of the films I made I used rear projection maybe a dozen times. On “The Amazing Colossal Man” I used some blue backing, some matting and also some split screens. One nice effect is at the very beginning when he is hit by the atom blast. And what I did was I had some powerful fans blowing little particles to block out the screen. Then we’d cut the cameras and I had my special make up people put on the make up, which took a long time. Then, with the cameras in the same position, I started the fans and hit him with the little white specks again to block out the screen. We slowed down the fans until there he was, all “burned” up.

MG: Are you aware that “The Amazing Colossal Man” trailer is on a constant loop in the Sci-Fi Dinner in Walt Disney World?
BG: Yes I am. How is it being presented?

MG: It’s a 1950’s themed diner and they have a large screen that shows a lot of the 50’s sci-fi trailers.
BG: That’s terrific. Disneyland here in California has also run several clips of my films.

MG: What inspired you to write your autobiography “The Amazing Colossal Worlds of Mr. B.I.G.?”
BG: I had been approached in years past but I didn’t really want to write it. Then I attended a film festival called Monster Bash in Philadelphia in 2004. In going there I was so pleased to find out that I had so many fans, both from the period when I made the films and the younger fans who had seen them on television and DVDs. So I decided that I would write the book.

MG: Tell us about working on “Earth Vs. the Spider”. Was it a difficult production?
BG: Not at all. It was actually one of the easier films. It appears to be shot in the Carlsbad Caverns and I wanted to film all of the caverns there. So I contacted the people in charge from the state (New Mexico) and they invited me down. They took me through and it was fantastic. Beautiful stalactites and stalagmites. I told them that I wanted to film a movie there. They said fine…BUT…you can’t use your lights. The lights they have there are all indirect to bring out the beauty of the rock formations in the caverns. There’s no way without lights that you could shoot a movie down there. So I was unhappy because I thought without some nice caverns…what was I going to do? Then I got the idea to come back and shoot still photos with a long timed exposure, because that is what it took because the lights were so dim. They said that was fine. I went back with my camera and my tripod and some assistants and they took me through some different caverns. I set up the camera and took the photos. They lasted many, many minutes because of the time exposure. I took those photographic plates and split screened many of them and that’s how I put the people and the spider in the Carlsbad Caverns. As for the spider yes, I used a real spider in the film…as I did on many of my films. I used some nice tarantulas that were very friendly. I put some in with split screen and some with blue screen travel mattes.

MG: “Empire of the Ants” is such a cult classic. Can you tell us about working on that film?
BG: We shot the film in Florida in an area that was very much like Africa. We had a boat on the river and the film called for Joan Collins to fall into the water where there were real alligators. They were all around and we had to have the grips hold them back. I know Joan made a comment in one of her books that it was the roughest picture she had ever worked on. The ants I shot down in Panama. A lot of the so called critics complained that I used stock footage of the ants but I never used stock footage at all. I went into the jungle with an entomologist from UCLA and we filmed the preface for the film in the jungles of Panama. For the ants that were in the story I had the entomologist collect a lot of the them. The ones I wanted to use were poisonous but they had fuller bodies. He collected them and in my hotel room I had a blue backing and lights and we shot the miniature stuff with the ants. We shot all the ant stuff down there…didn’t want to bring them back! In “The Beginning of the End,” when we needed grasshoppers, I didn’t want to use the ones we had in California. At that time there had been almost a plague of locusts in Texas and I saw them in the paper. They were perfect….just the kind I wanted. I thought I would contact an entomologist there and have him ship me a bunch. But the state of California said no, you can’t bring them into the state. They were afraid they would mate and create another plague. So I asked if I could just bring in the male locusts, no females and they agreed to that. So I had an entomologist in Texas collect hundreds of them, put them in crates and ship them to me. When they arrived at the airport the state of California had their own entomologist examine each one to make sure it was a male. I forgot to ask them how they tell if it’s a male or a female.

MG: Can you tell us about how you seemed to always take the role of director, producer and writer on your films?
BG: And I also did my own visual effects! From the time I was a very young kid I didn’t want to do anything but make movies the rest of my life. My aunt gave me a movie camera when I was 9 and I started to make home movies…not family stuff but movies…I’d write the stories. My family and friends would act them out and I would film them. When I got to university I started a campus newsreel, shot on 35 mm and the theatres in the town would play them. After that I started making television commercials and industrial films. I thought I was happy because I was making movies. But one day while shaving I looked in the mirror and said to myself, “Hey…you’re not making movies…movies are made in Hollywood.” So after three months I closed my business and moved to Hollywood. It wasn’t easy, of course. But in all those years, while growing up, I learned all kinds of methods to do visual effects. To answer your question…why I did everything…I liked doing it all! (laughs) What can I say?

MG: What was your favorite film that you made? Least Favorite?
BG: I’ve been asked that before and I always say that my next film is my favorite. (laughs) But I’d have to say that “Food of the Gods” is my favorite. My least? I love them all. I love all my children.

MG: How do you feel about the horror films being made today?
BG: I’m currently working on a screenplay that takes a look at all of my films and the genre’. It will be like “Airplane.” I like some of the sci fi and horror films made today but too many of them rely on digital effects, even when they’re not really called for. One film I really liked was “Avatar.” That’s my favorite of the recent films.

Click here to visit Bert’s official website
Click here to purchase Bert’s autobiography and his films

DeVaughn Nixon has been acting since a very young age. He has appeared in film alongside Hollywood heavy weights Danny Glover, Kevin Costner and Arnold Schwarzenegger…to name just a few. DeVaughn is also starring in the upcoming Disney film “Prom”. Movie Mikes had a chance recently to speak with DeVaughn about “Prom” and his experiences in the film industry.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about your upcoming film “Prom”?
DeVaughn Nixon: “Prom” is really going to exciting! The movie is a story about High School and kids finding their emotions. It’s a very organic film that I think will register with both parents and kids. I play the character of Tyler who is one of the most popular guys in school and has the answers to everything. On the outside Tyler looks as though he has everything together but as the story unfold you start to see Tyler has some insecurities. Tyler is the type of character that sometimes you will love him and sometimes you hate him.

AL: How did you become involved with the film?
DN: I had heard about the film through a friend of mine and he thought I should audition for it. I brought it to my managers at the time, who then got me an audition. I went in and auditioned and that same day I got a call back to meet with the director the following day. After that I did some screen tests with other prospective cast members and a short time later I got the call to be in the film.

AL: You have been acting since you were very young. Was acting something you had always wanted to do?
DN: My dad was a professional basketball player and I had kind of grown up wanting to follow in his footsteps. I was playing basketball all the time but I was also acting. Acting was something that was always on the back burner for me. It wasn’t until I got my first real job that I knew I wanted to act full time. I just couldn’t picture myself in a 9-5 job where I wasn’t being creative. By the time I was 23, I knew that I wanted to act full time.

AL: How was it working with Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston on “The Bodyguard”?
DN: That was a dream come true! We filmed half of the film in Los Angeles and the other half in Lake Tahoe. That was the first time I had ever seen snow which was an experience in itself. Working with Whitney was really great and she became like a mother figure to me on set and still is to this day.

AL: Can you tell us about your experience working on “Terminator 2”?
DN: That was awesome! I had gotten that job after the producers saw my work in “The Bodyguard.” I had a little bit of buzz going for me and I went in and auditioned and got the part. It was really great getting to work with Arnold. The cast was all really great! I remember Arnold was always picking me up with one arm. That movie was great. James Cameron is a genius.

AL: Do you have a role that sticks out as a favorite?
DN: “The Bodyguard” is something that I will always remember as it really is a classic film. However from my adult career I would have to say “Prom”. There is just such much going on in that movie. The whole set was just full of excitement and that really added to the experience. We have formed somewhat of a “Prom” family and we all hang out with each other.

AL: Can you tell us about some of your other upcoming projects?
DN: I just finished work on season two of “The Hard Times of RJ Berger” which was really great to be a part of. I had a cameo in an episode from season one and they brought me back for season two and I shot seven episodes. I really enjoy that role as I get to play a character that is totally the opposite of me. I have a small part in an upcoming film with Justin Timberlake titled “Now”. The film is a sci-fi thriller based in the near future where time is money. I think this film will be coming out shortly after “Prom”.

Tommy Davidson is one of the funniest comedians in the business.  He started his career with “In Living Color” and has since started in many films ranging from “Booty Call” to “Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls” to “Black Dynamite”.  Tommy is currently touring the stand up circuit and took some time to chat with Movie Mikes about his roles and his tour.

Mike Gencarelli: Going back to the “In Living Color” days, how it was working on that show?
Tommy Davidson: It was the best! It is like being with the Pittsburgh Steelers and like every other team is like boring. I learned everything I know about TV from that show. To this day I can still say it is a staple in my career.

MG: Did you have a favorite character you played on the show?
TD: I did this karate teacher, Sweet Tooth Jones who was pretty funny. But I would have to say it would be my major impressions, like Michael Jackson and when I did Spike Lee. It is pulling those things off that were the best for me on the show.

MG: When did you realized that you were able to impersonate various celebs ranging from Michael Jackson to Sammy Davis, Jr.?
TD: I didn’t until I got out to California and started in the business. Someone told me that was I was doing was impressions. I said “That is what I have been doing all that time”? [laughs]

MG: “Black Dynamite” was such a fun movie, was it fun to play Cream Corn in the film?
TD: It was a piece of cake. I was running around being half pimp. I got to come up with all kind of different ideas. It was great because that was the kind of stuff I did on “In Living Color” and you can’t beat that.

MG: You worked with the late Bernie Mac on various projects, how was it working with him?
TD: Wow…it was great. Bernie would let me do what ever I wanted man. Bernie really loved me sincerely. All I had to do is show up to the set and he would say “Just do what you want”.

MG: How did you get involved with “Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls” as The Tiny Warrior?
TD: Oh yeah man! Jim called me to come on and do it and I felt very special.

MG: Tell us about working with first time director, Cedric the Entertainer on “Chicago Pulaski Jones”?
TD: He was very good. He really knew what the hell he was doing man and I wasn’t surprised. I started in the business before him but that is the way things turn out. He definitely has paid attention over the years.

MG: You are currently touring doing the stand-up circuit, how do you enjoy doing stand up?
TD: I love it man. I am out there all the time doing stand-up comedy. I am not rusty at all.  In fact, I am at the best and even getting better. It’s like if you compare a professional martial artist to some people who get into a street fight once in a while [laughs]. On this tour, I am doing a lot of observation material. I will probably also do a couple of impressions maybe a few new ones. But for the most part, I will just stand there and just do what comes to me.

Click here to find out where Tommy’s is appearing next.