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Every once in a while , a film comes out that rekindles the magic of when you were a kid and sitting in a darkened theatre , eating popcorn and getting the beejeezus thrilled out of you . Films such as Ray Harryhausen's " Sinbad " movies come to mind particularly due to the fantastic images that exploded off the big screen of Greek heroes battling animated skeletons , or gigantic cyclops wrestling with dragons , or titanic bronze statues coming to life to threaten sailors lost at sea . This was the type of film magic that made an impact on young impressionable minds and succeeded in altering their perception not just in what makes a good film , but what makes a hero or a villain . In the modern theatre , we don't get much of that kind of magic anymore , perhaps because we are simply too jaded by the world around us , or too boggled by the wonders wrought by modern technology that now allows even the most far fetched imagery appear real . The halcyon days of traditional cel animation have been usurped by 3D computer generated images , and the simple joys of a Pink Panther or Road Runner short are lost in the haze of the past . When you consider that in the Hollywood of today , most stop motion animators have been forced to move into the CGI world in order to survive , never again to ply the trade that introduced so many of us to the world of the theatre fantastique , it's an inspiring rush to see someone bringing those magical skills back in the market of " Made For DVD " guerilla filmmaking . Ahhhh , nostalgia !   An Action Movie Starring Action Figures !
Philip Lane is definitely a filmmaker with a great deal of creativity and imagination , where most fans of 1:6 scale action figures are content to shoot low budget shorts for YouTube , Mr. Lane decided to make a feature length production complete with plot , a large cast and the initiative and care to make a real movie , and release it on DVD in 2003 . I had just started down my 1:6 action figure obsession , when discovering a listing for this movie at ebay , and decided to purchase a copy . I have a particular soft spot for low budget movies and with the added attraction of starring Takara's Cool Girl action figures amongst others , figured this should be worth some laughs . It may be needless to say , but once I had popped the DVD into my player , I was overjoyed with the story that unfolded before me . The magic of the movies had taken those figures that stood dramatically yet stoicly upon my shelves , and brought them to life . BBi's Jet , no longer constrained by reality practiced judo with a colleague , Blaze was somersaulting and dropping grenades into a remote controlled tank in a training exercise and the film's hero , Eric Hammond was scaling skyscrapers like Batman and rapelling horizontally across the face of a building narrowly escaping a blazing hailstorm of machine gun fire . The action figures that I was becoming enthralled with were embodying their existence AS action figures ! I was ecstatic to put it mildly . To be sure , there was never a moment when I forgot that these were " kid's toys " moving around on my TV screen , that was part of the magic that had captured my imagination . Having grown up with the films of Ray Harryhausen , watching the stop motion Christmas Classics like " Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer " , " King Kong " , and a host of others , I didn't need a computer generated " Gollum " or a George Lucas epic to fill me with wonder . It was enough to consider that someone had taken the time and effort to manipulate these ultra-poseable 12 inch playscale figures a little bit each frame to give them the illusion of life . Nor did these characters look like cartoony puppets from Rank and Bass , they were realistic , normal looking folks . . . I was amazed that no one had done this before , but then again , we've never really had action figures with the degree of articulation that modern action figures do .  Ray Harryhausen coined the term " Dynamation " to differentiate the stop motion work his studio produced during the early sixties and seventies , primarily because of the level of realistic motion and appearance he strived to achieve with his puppets . That same term could also apply to the animation work of Philip Lane , because he doesn't just move the figures around , he makes them act and emote . Even with the constraints of lips that don't move when speaking , the naturalistic head movements given the figures when speaking conveys a believability of life that really effectively disguises the fact that their lips don't move when they speak . Mr. Lane explains in the bonus features contained on the Storm Cloud DVD that he had considered animating lip syncing but decided against it solely for the fact that he wanted to capture not a simacula of life but retain the " action figure " feel . It works , plain and simple . When it comes to the general consensus of " low budget " filmmaking , it's hard to escape the prejudice of poor acting , bad set design and overall poor quality production values , that however ; comes solely from the Hollywood version of low budget filmaking . In the small independant world of low budget " guerilla " filmaking , the low budget appellation refers primarily to having few resources to make a sow's ear into a silk purse , and is truly what differentiates a good filmaker from a poor one . Philip Lane is a good filmaker , and it is in evidence with every shot , every scene and every moment throughout Storm Cloud .  There are not very many heroes in films any more , the heroic ideal has , for the most , been replaced with the " anti-hero " , a character more often than not separated by the villains he fights only by shades of gray . Storm Cloud differs from this formula of modern cinema in that its hero , Eric Hammond lives by the old hero's code : Truth , Justice and The American Way . Of course his white hat has been replaced with a black beret , but he's a guy who fights in order to protect the innocent rather than defend an agenda . His leadership qualities make him a desired commodity for the founder of StormCloud , Sir Ian Cloudsley , but Hammond is much more interested in pursuing an idyllic life with his wife Alanna . It is established from the outset , that Hammond is more committed to his family than any personal goals of glory . These personality traits notwithstanding , don't prevent him from kicking the butts of some scumbag terrorists who have kidnapped the daughter of the President .  What most differentiates films , regardless of the budget , is story and cinematography . If a film is shot well you don't need a lot of money to dress up the shortcomings of the filmaker , one of the reasons some small scale films are able to play far better than their big budget cousins . Philip Lane has that kind of cinematic eye , for while facing certain limitations due to the very nature of the project itself , he still is able to pull it all together and give us a movie that is visually impressive , moreso considering that everything is shot with miniatures . None of this would mean much however , if there wasn't a good solid storyline to back it up and get the audience involved . In addition to a good story , you also need to have interesting characters to tell that story and while the film doesn't quite have the duration to really build on the vast cast that makes up Storm Cloud , enough time is given the supporting cast to leave you wanting more , which is again quite vital to any film . Mr. Lane has very carefully composed and edited this movie to give the audience just enough of everything we want that made us plop down our hard earned money in the first place . Furthermore he intertwined within that framework an engaging story that makes us like the heroes , hate the villains and in general enjoy the heck out of the time we spend sitting in front of the tube watching Storm Cloud with our bowl of popcorn firmly entrenched in our laps . The action scenes are amazing , as finely choreographed as a Jackie Chan film , and with just enough wit and humor to keep a mature audience entertained . Just don't tell Jet that she fights like a girl .  To Order a Copy of Storm Cloud , or Storm Cloud 1.5 visit A.F.M. Productions Coming Soon To " Matinee At The Bijou " , the second installment of Geeb-O-Rama's Featurette on Philip Lane's and A . F . M . Productions' Storm Cloud , the second DVD release " Storm Cloud 1.5 : Revenge , Truth and Glory " !! | Seven Samurai | Appleseed | A.F.M.'s Storm Cloud | Storm Cloud 1.5 | | Matinee at the Bijou | It Came From Holly( LONG )wood! | The Boob Tube | Galaxy International | Synn's Silva Screen | UltraViolet | King Kong | Hollywood Is Foo | | Return Home | Updates | The Archive | Gorby Site Map | Geeb-O-Rama's Model Workshop | Geeb's Toy Box | Geeb-O-Rama Goodies | Movie Madness | World Of The Bizarre | Cool Beans | |
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