Matt Sweeney, a pioneering special effects artist who was Oscar-nominated for his work on Ron Howard’s 1995 space epic Apollo 13, died February 19 of lung cancer at Burbank’s Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center. He was 75.
His death was announced by the Alliance of Special Effects & Pyrotechnic Operators board of directors. Sweeney was a founder and past president of the trade organization.
“A special effects guru, industry legend, Asepo founding member and past president, recipient of three technical achievement awards, and Oscar nominee, Matt is well recognized for his generous spirit and deep love of his craft,” the board said in a statement posted on social media. “He etched his marks on this crazy business in so many ways that will persist long after all of us are gone. He never quit, even after his retirement.”
Sweeney, whose roster of special effects credits stretches back to such 1980s hits as 9 to 5, The Goonies,...
His death was announced by the Alliance of Special Effects & Pyrotechnic Operators board of directors. Sweeney was a founder and past president of the trade organization.
“A special effects guru, industry legend, Asepo founding member and past president, recipient of three technical achievement awards, and Oscar nominee, Matt is well recognized for his generous spirit and deep love of his craft,” the board said in a statement posted on social media. “He etched his marks on this crazy business in so many ways that will persist long after all of us are gone. He never quit, even after his retirement.”
Sweeney, whose roster of special effects credits stretches back to such 1980s hits as 9 to 5, The Goonies,...
- 2/22/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Matt Sweeney, the inventor and special effects artist who received an Oscar nomination for his work on Apollo 13 and three Technical Achievement Awards during his long career, has died. He was 75.
Sweeney died Monday at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank after a long battle with lung cancer, Dave Burle, who worked alongside Sweeney at his company for many years, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Sweeney also handled effects for films in the Lethal Weapon and Fast & Furious franchise and for 1941 (1979), 9 to 5 (1980), On Golden Pond (1981), Goonies (1985), The Color Purple (1985), The Lost Boys (1987), Big Top Pee-wee (1988), Arachnophobia (1990), Natural Born Killers (1994) and Galaxy Quest (1999), among many other movies.
Sweeney won his Technical Achievement Awards in 1987 for an Automatic Capsule Gun, which simulates bullet hits and is known as the “Sweeney Gun”; in 1998 for a Liquid Synthetic Air system, which mixes liquid nitrogen and liquid oxygen to produce safe,...
Sweeney died Monday at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank after a long battle with lung cancer, Dave Burle, who worked alongside Sweeney at his company for many years, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Sweeney also handled effects for films in the Lethal Weapon and Fast & Furious franchise and for 1941 (1979), 9 to 5 (1980), On Golden Pond (1981), Goonies (1985), The Color Purple (1985), The Lost Boys (1987), Big Top Pee-wee (1988), Arachnophobia (1990), Natural Born Killers (1994) and Galaxy Quest (1999), among many other movies.
Sweeney won his Technical Achievement Awards in 1987 for an Automatic Capsule Gun, which simulates bullet hits and is known as the “Sweeney Gun”; in 1998 for a Liquid Synthetic Air system, which mixes liquid nitrogen and liquid oxygen to produce safe,...
- 2/22/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
By Marc Butterfield (Analyst, freelance writer, veteran)
Until 1979, most of the modern world had never heard of Afghanistan as little more than a spot on a globe in the library. In that year, the Soviet Union sent special forces commandos in to raid the royal residence and kill the occupants, installing a puppet government. From that point forward, as a people and a place, they have rarely been Out of the news. To the British empire, Afghanistan was well known, but as Americans, we were ignorant of it. In fact, almost any country that has every tried to tame the Afghan territory has failed, and almost always after long, expensive, bloody campaigns. The lesson of futility was learned time and again.
Then, because of the Taliban, a product of soviet invasion and American intervention, acting as hosts of Al Qaeda, Afghanistan once again was put on the radar of the American people.
Until 1979, most of the modern world had never heard of Afghanistan as little more than a spot on a globe in the library. In that year, the Soviet Union sent special forces commandos in to raid the royal residence and kill the occupants, installing a puppet government. From that point forward, as a people and a place, they have rarely been Out of the news. To the British empire, Afghanistan was well known, but as Americans, we were ignorant of it. In fact, almost any country that has every tried to tame the Afghan territory has failed, and almost always after long, expensive, bloody campaigns. The lesson of futility was learned time and again.
Then, because of the Taliban, a product of soviet invasion and American intervention, acting as hosts of Al Qaeda, Afghanistan once again was put on the radar of the American people.
- 12/1/2017
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Hugo Weaving has joined the cast of Mel Gibson's star-studded Australian film Hacksaw Ridge.
Weaving will join Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Vince Vaughn, Rachel Griffiths and Richard Roxburgh in the film, which is now in production.
Hacksaw Ridge is the true story of conscientious objector, Desmond Doss (Garfield), who, in Okinawa during the bloodiest battle of WWII, saved 75 men without firing a gun..
Believing that the War was just but killing was nevertheless wrong, he was the only American soldier in WWII to fight on the front lines without a weapon.
Doss single-handedly evacuated the wounded near enemy lines, braved fire while tending to soldiers and was wounded by a grenade and hit by snipers. He is the only conscientious objector to ever win the Us Medal of Honour.
Weaving will play Garfield's son, Tom Doss.
Producers of the film include Bill Mechanic, Bruce Davey, Paul Currie, David Permut and executive Producer,...
Weaving will join Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Vince Vaughn, Rachel Griffiths and Richard Roxburgh in the film, which is now in production.
Hacksaw Ridge is the true story of conscientious objector, Desmond Doss (Garfield), who, in Okinawa during the bloodiest battle of WWII, saved 75 men without firing a gun..
Believing that the War was just but killing was nevertheless wrong, he was the only American soldier in WWII to fight on the front lines without a weapon.
Doss single-handedly evacuated the wounded near enemy lines, braved fire while tending to soldiers and was wounded by a grenade and hit by snipers. He is the only conscientious objector to ever win the Us Medal of Honour.
Weaving will play Garfield's son, Tom Doss.
Producers of the film include Bill Mechanic, Bruce Davey, Paul Currie, David Permut and executive Producer,...
- 10/19/2015
- by Inside Film Correspondent
- IF.com.au
The Academy has announced the new class of invited members for 2014 and, as is typical, many of which are among last year's nominees, which includes Barkhad Abdi, Michael Fassbender, Sally Hawkins, Mads Mikkelsen, Lupita Nyong'o and June Squibb in the Actors branch not to mention curious additions such as Josh Hutcherson, Rob Riggle and Jason Statham, but, okay. The Directors branch adds Jay and Mark Duplass along with Jean-Marc Vallee, Denis Villeneuve and Thomas Vinterberg. I didn't do an immediate tally of male to female additions or other demographics, but at first glance it seems to be a wide spread batch of new additions on all fronts. The Academy is also clearly attempting to aggressively bump up the demographics as this is the second year in a row where they have added a large number of new members, well over the average of 133 new members from 2004 to 2012. As far as...
- 6/26/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 271 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures.
Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2014.
“This year’s class of invitees represents some of the most talented, creative and passionate filmmakers working in our industry today,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “Their contributions to film have entertained audiences around the world, and we are proud to welcome them to the Academy.”
The 2014 invitees are:
Actors
Barkhad Abdi – “Captain Phillips”
Clancy Brown – “The Hurricane,” “The Shawshank Redeption”
Paul Dano – “12 Years a Slave,” “Prisoners”
Michael Fassbender – “12 Years a Slave,” “Shame”
Ben Foster – “Lone Survivor,” “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints”
Beth Grant – “The Artist,” “No Country for Old Men”
Clark Gregg – “Much Ado about Nothing,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”
Sally Hawkins – “Blue Jasmine,...
Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2014.
“This year’s class of invitees represents some of the most talented, creative and passionate filmmakers working in our industry today,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “Their contributions to film have entertained audiences around the world, and we are proud to welcome them to the Academy.”
The 2014 invitees are:
Actors
Barkhad Abdi – “Captain Phillips”
Clancy Brown – “The Hurricane,” “The Shawshank Redeption”
Paul Dano – “12 Years a Slave,” “Prisoners”
Michael Fassbender – “12 Years a Slave,” “Shame”
Ben Foster – “Lone Survivor,” “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints”
Beth Grant – “The Artist,” “No Country for Old Men”
Clark Gregg – “Much Ado about Nothing,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”
Sally Hawkins – “Blue Jasmine,...
- 6/26/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Michael Fassbender and Lupita Nyong’o of 12 Years a Slave were two of the 271 artists and industry leaders invited to become members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which determines nominations and winners at the annual Oscars. The entire list of Academy membership—which numbers about 6,000—isn’t public information so the annual invitation list is often the best indication of the artists involved in the prestigious awards process. It’s worth noting that invitations need to be accepted in order for artists to become members; some artists, like two-time Best Actor winner Sean Penn, have declined membership over the years.
- 6/26/2014
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
Pop quiz: What do Chris Rock, Claire Denis, Eddie Vedder and Josh Hutcherson all have in common? Answer: They could all be Oscar voters very soon. The annual Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences invitation list always makes for interesting reading, shedding light on just how large and far-reaching the group's membership is -- or could be, depending on who accepts their invitations. This year, 271 individuals have been asked to join AMPAS, meaning every one of them could contribute to next year's Academy Awards balloting -- and it's as diverse a list as they've ever assembled. Think the Academy consists entirely of fusty retired white dudes? Not if recent Best Original Song nominee Pharrell Williams takes them up on their offer. Think it's all just a Hollywood insiders' game? Not if French arthouse titans Chantal Akerman and Olivier Assayas join the party. It's a list that subverts expectation at every turn.
- 6/26/2014
- by Guy Lodge
- Hitfix
Walker talks to MTV News about playing a vampire-killing president.
By Josh Horowitz
Benjamin Walker in "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter"
Photo: Twentieth Century Fox Film
MTV News' first couple minutes on the set of "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" last spring were freaky. There we were, on a soundstage in New Orleans, and yet standing in front of us was the 16th President of the United States himself. A Fox publicist's assurance that we were set to talk to Benjamin Walker, star and namesake of "Vampire Hunter," rather than the man who was gunned down in a theater in 1865, did little to diminish the creepiness, because we were starring at no actor but Honest Abe himself.
Eventually we composed ourselves, and an epic and whirlwind day on the set of director Timur Bekmambetov's adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith's best-selling novel proceeded without a hitch. Now, we're rolling out our exclusive look at the set,...
By Josh Horowitz
Benjamin Walker in "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter"
Photo: Twentieth Century Fox Film
MTV News' first couple minutes on the set of "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" last spring were freaky. There we were, on a soundstage in New Orleans, and yet standing in front of us was the 16th President of the United States himself. A Fox publicist's assurance that we were set to talk to Benjamin Walker, star and namesake of "Vampire Hunter," rather than the man who was gunned down in a theater in 1865, did little to diminish the creepiness, because we were starring at no actor but Honest Abe himself.
Eventually we composed ourselves, and an epic and whirlwind day on the set of director Timur Bekmambetov's adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith's best-selling novel proceeded without a hitch. Now, we're rolling out our exclusive look at the set,...
- 1/13/2012
- MTV Movie News
Walker talks to MTV News about playing a vampire-killing president.
By Josh Horowitz
Benjamin Walker in "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter"
Photo: Twentieth Century Fox Film
MTV News' first couple minutes on the set of "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" last spring were freaky. There we were, on a soundstage in New Orleans, and yet standing in front of us was the 16th President of the United States himself. A Fox publicist's assurance that we were set to talk to Benjamin Walker, star and namesake of "Vampire Hunter," rather than the man who was gunned down in a theater in 1865, did little to diminish the creepiness, because we were starring at no actor but Honest Abe himself.
Eventually we composed ourselves, and an epic and whirlwind day on the set of director Timur Bekmambetov's adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith's best-selling novel proceeded without a hitch. Now, we're rolling out our exclusive look at the set,...
By Josh Horowitz
Benjamin Walker in "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter"
Photo: Twentieth Century Fox Film
MTV News' first couple minutes on the set of "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" last spring were freaky. There we were, on a soundstage in New Orleans, and yet standing in front of us was the 16th President of the United States himself. A Fox publicist's assurance that we were set to talk to Benjamin Walker, star and namesake of "Vampire Hunter," rather than the man who was gunned down in a theater in 1865, did little to diminish the creepiness, because we were starring at no actor but Honest Abe himself.
Eventually we composed ourselves, and an epic and whirlwind day on the set of director Timur Bekmambetov's adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith's best-selling novel proceeded without a hitch. Now, we're rolling out our exclusive look at the set,...
- 1/13/2012
- MTV Music News
As I previously posted, I was able to attend the Los Angeles press junket for Channing Tatum's new movie 'Fighting' last Saturday. The event was held at the beautiful Four Seasons Los Angeles hotel, which I quickly learned is a hot bed for celebs far and wide.
In addition to the 'Fighting' junket that included stars like Channing Tatum, Terrence Howard and Zulay Henao, the hotel also hosted a junket for the upcoming film '17 Again', so stars like Zac Efron (with his girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens) and Matthew Perry were roaming around the hotel. And it didn't stop there. I even ran into Death Row Records co-founder Suge Night and Extra reporter Terri Seymour by the time I checked out on Sunday.
I was only at the Four Seasons for a little over 24 hours, so if seeing stars is your thing, I recommend you just sit in their lobby,...
In addition to the 'Fighting' junket that included stars like Channing Tatum, Terrence Howard and Zulay Henao, the hotel also hosted a junket for the upcoming film '17 Again', so stars like Zac Efron (with his girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens) and Matthew Perry were roaming around the hotel. And it didn't stop there. I even ran into Death Row Records co-founder Suge Night and Extra reporter Terri Seymour by the time I checked out on Sunday.
I was only at the Four Seasons for a little over 24 hours, so if seeing stars is your thing, I recommend you just sit in their lobby,...
- 4/8/2009
- by Blog Expert
- Channing Tatum Unwrapped
Good action films often like to include an adrenaline-fuelled car chase, hell – some actioners are nothing But car chases. And as its been a good year for action films so it follows that its been a good year for cars in movies. This makes it difficult to name Boxwish’s top three auto picks of 2008. Its left us with no choice but to be brutal. We’ve excluded those that aren’t available commercially (goodbye to the incredible Batpod from The Dark Knight), those that are old regulars (an Aston Martin in a Bond film, really?) and those that don’t contribute enough to the onscreen action (so most of Tony Stark’s garage in Iron Man then). This has helped us streamline our favourites which we hope you’ll agree were the most mouth-watering motors of the year.
3. Audi R8
According to Michael Renz, Head of Central Marketing at...
3. Audi R8
According to Michael Renz, Head of Central Marketing at...
- 12/12/2008
- Boxwish.com
Universal is releasing a Special Limited Edition Collectors Set for Wanted. The 2-disc Special Edition DVD, Blu-ray Hi-Def and collector’s sets are packed with over an hour of exciting bonus features, including: Extended Scene – Be the first to view this killer extended scene from Wanted. Cast and Characters – Go behind the scenes with Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Thomas Kretschmann and Common as they discuss their roles in the film and their experiences on set. Stunts on the L Train – Stunt coordinators Nick Gillard and Mic Rodgers explain how cast members Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy performed the astounding elevated train stunt sequence. Special Effects: The Art of the Impossible [...]...
- 12/1/2008
- by Peter Sciretta
- Slash Film
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