Screaming Mad George
| Screaming Mad George | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Joji Tani 1956 (age 58–59)[1] Osaka, Japan |
| Occupation | Special effects artist, film director |
| Notable work | Society, The Guyver |
Screaming Mad George (born Joji Tani) is a special effects artist, film director, and former musician. He was born in Osaka, Japan, and emigrated to the United States, where he has become known for his surreal, gory special effects. He has collaborated with director and producer Brian Yuzna on many films.
Biography
Born Joji Tani[2] in Osaka, Japan, he took the first name George in order to stand out. Upon emigrating to the United States, where he graduated from the School of Visual Arts, he changed his name to Screaming Mad George in order to distinguish himself among the other Georges in an Anglophone country. The moniker was influenced by his love for Mad Magazine and Screamin' Jay Hawkins.[3]
Career
George began as a punk rock musician. His gory music videos led to a job in the film industry, where he worked on special make-up effects.[3] His early work includes effects on Big Trouble in Little China (1986),[4] Predator (1987),[5] A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987),[4] and the cockroach scene in A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988).[5] In 1989, he began a long-term collaboration with director Brian Yuzna with Society.[4] In a negative reviews, Variety called the film's SFX-laden climax "sickening",[6] and the Austin Chronicle called the effects "cheesy".[7] In more positive reviews, the Los Angeles Times called George the real star of the film,[8] and Empire wrote, "Yuzna and his veteran special effects man Screaming Mad George serve up this literal slime with such verve, wit and overall verbal and visual flair that the movie also stands as one of the very finest of teen comedies."[9] In a 1990 followup with Yuza, George provided special effects for Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation that Variety called "imaginative" and "just what modern horror fans crave".[10] In 1991, he made his directorial debut with The Guyver, which he co-directed with Steve Wang. Yuzna produced the film. In America, the film was recut by New Line to remove some of the humor and focus more on action.[11] Entertainment Weekly rated the film "C" and said that while the effects were good, the film was too cliched.[12] The Los Angeles Times called his creature effects in Freaked (1993) "terrific",[13] and Ain't It Cool News said that George's work was the best reason to watch the film.[14] Stuart Gordon chose George to perform special effects in Space Truckers (1996) based on his previous work and his ability to speak Japanese, as creature designer Hajime Sorayama wanted to be involved in the film's production.[15] Variety was warm toward his effects in Tales from the Hood (1995)[16] and Progeny (1998).[17] He teamed up again with Yuzna in Faust: Love of the Damned (2000) and Beyond Re-Animator (2003).[4]
Awards
| Year | Organization | Award | For | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films | Best Make-up | Freaked | Nominated | [18] |
| 2001 | DVD Exclusive Awards | Best Visual Effects | Faust: Love of the Damned | Nominated | [19] |
References
- ↑ "Screaming Mad George". British Film Institute. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
- ↑ Room 2010, p. 194.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Riddle, Perry C. (1985-10-29). "Reflections : 'I may look lie a weirdo, but once you talk to me you know I'm just really normal'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Paszylk 2009, p. 188.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bibbiani, William; Seibold, Witney (2012-03-13). "B-Movies Extended: Five Unsung Heroes of Hollywood". CraveOnline. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
- ↑ "Review: 'Society'". Variety. 1989. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
- ↑ Savlov, Marc (1992-07-24). "Society". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
- ↑ Wilmington, Michael (1992-02-28). "MOVIE REVIEW : Shocker-Satire 'Society' Takes Raunchy Look at Upper Class". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
- ↑ Tunney, Tom. "Society". Empire. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
- ↑ Prouty 1994, January 15, 1991.
- ↑ Fischer 2011, p. 662.
- ↑ Kenny, Glenn (1992-10-30). "The Guyver". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
- ↑ Willman, Chris (1993-10-04). "MOVIE REVIEW : 'Freaked': Potty-Level Humor Mixed With Terrific Effects". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
- ↑ Knowles, Harry (2013-08-06). "Harry's 32nd PICKS & PEEKS of 2013: Oblivion, 3 Disneys, FREAKED, SWAMP THING, BSG, OB1, ACTION JACKSON & more!". Retrieved 2015-03-10.
- ↑ Fischer 2011, p. 258.
- ↑ Leydon, Joe (1995-05-24). "Review: 'Tales from the Hood'". Variety. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
- ↑ Young, Deborah (1998-06-15). "Review: 'Progeny'". Variety. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
- ↑ Tyner, Adam (2005-06-28). "Freaked". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
- ↑ Hettrick, Scott (2001-09-23). "More than awards for vid nods". Variety. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
Sources
- Room, Adrian (2010). Dictionary of Pseudonyms (Fifth ed.). McFarland & Company. ISBN 9780786457632.
- Fischer, Dennis (2011). Science Fiction Film Directors, 1895-1998. McFarland & Company. ISBN 9780786485055.
- Paszylk, Bartlomiej (2009). The Pleasure and Pain of Cult Horror Films: An Historical Survey. McFarland & Company. ISBN 9780786453276.
- Prouty, Howard H., ed. (1994). Variety and Daily Variety TV Reviews, 1991–1992. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780824037963.